Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology Books

Book SynopsisJames F. Ross is a creative and independent thinker in contemporary metaphysics and philosophy of mind. In this concise metaphysical essay, he argues clearly and analytically that meaning, truth, impossibility, natural necessity, and our intelligent perception of nature fit together into a distinctly realist account of thought and world. Ross articulates a moderate realism about repeatable natural structures and our abstractive ability to discern them that poses a challenge to many of the common assumptions and claims of contemporary analytic philosophy. He develops a broadly Aristotelian metaphysics that recognizes the hidden necessities of things, which are disclosed through the sciences, which ground his account of real impossibility as a kind of vacuity, and which require the immateriality of the human ability to understand. Those ideas are supported by a novel account of false judgment. Ross aims to offer an analytically and historically respectable alternative to the prevailinTrade Review“In Thought and World, James F. Ross synthesizes and develops much of his work from the last two decades; and as he did in his two other major works (Philosophical Theology and Portraying Analogy) he challenges many of the common dogmatic assumptions from the mainstream of analytic philosophy. While relentlessly challenging these assumptions from a unique and unorthodox perspective, he is nonetheless able to masterfully articulate his position using the dialect of philosophical discourse in analytic philosophy.” —John Zeis, Canisius College"Those [philosophers] who feel the need to consider a wider range of views, and who are willing to work through a book that leaves a significant amount of thinking to them, will find it a fascinating and even worldview-changing look into how Aristotelian-Scholastic ideas can be developed today. If a few follow in Ross's footsteps, the path to truth might come to be more clearly marked." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews“In this challenge to much of contemporary Anglo-American analytic philosophy, Ross begins from a position of moderate realism, arguing that there are de re (‘of the thing’) necessities hidden in the complexity of nature that overflow our linguistic meaning but are part of de re truth conditions (for example, the genetic coding of organisms was a de re necessity long before we were able or even around to comprehend or discuss it), which leads to a recognition of the independent reality of things and the affirmation of the real sameness of the known and the real.” —Reference and Research Book News“Ross offers a wide-ranging survey of a number of issues and problems, mainly in metaphysics and the philosophy of mind, including modality, counterfactuals, truth, perception and abstraction, consciousness, and the natures or essences of things. . . . He is a self-described ‘structural realist’: he affirms the existence of an objective, mind-independent physical world, the things of which possess real natures that explain and underlie the powers and causal interactions of those things.” —Choice“James Ross’ work Thought and World is far-reaching. . . Ross’ incorporation of the history of philosophy, while still addressing much of the contemporary thought on the issues, makes this book an accessible and solid philosophical work.” —Dialogue“Thought and World pivots on an attractive central idea, namely that the philosophically important modal concepts of possibility, actuality, and necessity are inherently reality-geared in being based upon ‘the intelligible structures in nature and . . . our abstractive ability to discern them.’” —American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly“Thought and World is an important book. It is important because it offers a critical look at much that is taken for granted in contemporary analytic philosophy; it is also important because it offers a cogent argument for a realistic metaphysics . . . . A brilliant book from first to last, Thought and World is an outstanding example, if not in form, then surely in its wealth of ideas and penetrating insights, of the fruitfulness of bringing the best of the philosophic tradition into dialogue with contemporary problems and currents of thought.” —The Review of Metaphysics

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Book SynopsisThe purpose of Aquinas''s Ethics is to place Thomas Aquinas''s moral theory in its full philosophical and theological context and to do so in a way that makes Aquinas (1224/5-1274) readily accessible to students and interested general readers, including those encountering Aquinas for the first time. Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Colleen McCluskey, and Christina Van Dyke begin by explaining Aquinas''s theories of the human person and human action, since these ground his moral theory. In their interpretation, Aquinas''s theological commitments crucially shape his account of the human person, human capacities for action, and human flourishing. The authors develop a comprehensive picture of Aquinas''s thought, which is designed to help students understand how his concept of happiness and the good life are part of a coherent, theologically-informed worldview.Many studies of Aquinas naturally focus on certain areas of his thought and tend to assume a general knowledge of the whoTrade Review"Aquinas’s Ethics is a perfect introduction to one of the most sophisticated and influential ethical systems in Western thought. DeYoung, McCluskey, and Van Dyke capture the brilliant clarity of Aquinas’s moral vision, offering an illuminating perspective true to both the theoretical depth and practical richness of Aquinas’s writings. Those new to Aquinas’s ideas will find this book eminently readable. Everyone—students and scholars alike—will appreciate its direct, distinctive voice and clear philosophical intelligence." —Scott MacDonald, Norma K. Regan Professor in Christian Studies, Cornell University"Aquinas's Ethics is an excellent contribution to the literature on Aquinas and ethics, providing an integrated and robust account of the relationship between a metaphysics of human nature, natural law theory, and virtue theory. Showing these inextricable connections, it is very much like the work of St. Thomas himself, and suggests why so many lesser theories of ethics are unsatisfying for their lack of depth and comprehensive reach." —John Kavanaugh, S.J., Saint Louis University“DeYoung, McCluskey, and Van Dyke have written the ideal introduction to Aquinas’s ethics, situating it in the broader context of his thinking about human nature and action. Although Aquinas cared more about—and wrote more about—ethics than about any other philosophical topic, it remains the most unjustly neglected aspect of his thought. I know of no better guide to that territory than this book.” —Robert Pasnau, University of Colorado at Boulder“DeYoung, McCluskey, and Van Dyke hope to show the metaphysical foundations of Aquinas’s moral theory by placing it within the broader Christian theological context of his work. . . . Rejecting as narrow and ‘unbalanced’ the contemporary view of Thomas as a ‘natural law ethicist,’ the authors try to restore (or relegate) the natural law to its rightful place in his thought. . . . It provides a first-rate introduction for the undergraduate audience.” —Choice“While this book breaks no new ground, it offers a holistic and theologically informed reading of Aquinas’ ethics. I highly recommend this book as a valuable introduction to the ethics of Thomas Aquinas. It is an eminently clear exposition of a complex system.” —Catholic Library World“In this recent book, Rebecca DeYoung Konyndyk, Colleen McCluskey, and Christina Van Dyke have sought to provide a comprehensive yet manageable introduction to St. Thomas Aquinas’ moral thought. The text itself flows well and is uncluttered by notations, with a fairly extensive scholarly apparatus confined to 46 pages of endnotes at the back of the book. Overall, Aquinas’s Ethics is a very useful text that should find a wide readership.” —Dialogue“This is an excellent introduction not only to Aquinas’s ethics per se but also to much of medieval Scholastic thought in general. . . .Those unfamiliar with medieval philosophy in general or Aquinas’s ethics in particular will gain greatly from having read it. Even those who already have some such familiarity are sure to benefit from the particular metaphysical and integrationist frameworks this work offers.” —Speculum“The study nicely reflects the authors’ involvement with undergraduate teaching, which affords a refreshing level of presentation, replete with examples. . . . The result is an articulate and detailed presentation of what Aquinas says, yet affording less insight into the issues he was struggling with, or of the creative ways he develops to address them.” —The Living Church“The authors of Aquinas’s Ethics have furnished budding Thomists and curious onlookers alike with an outstanding introduction to Aquinas’ moral thought. Written for first (or perhaps second) time readers, this volume strikes just the right balance between technical argument and readability, without compromising the rich complexity of Thomas’ account of human nature and the good life.” —Scottish Journal of Theology

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Book SynopsisIn William Desmond and Contemporary Theology, Christopher Simpson and Brendan Sammon coordinate, through a collection of scholarly essays, a timely exploration of William Desmond's work on theology and metaphysics, bringing the disciplines of philosophy and theology together in new and vital ways. The book examines the contribution that Desmond's metaphysics makes to contemporary theological discourse and to the renewal of metaphysics.A central issue for the contributors is the renewal of metaphysics within the post-metaphysical, or anti-metaphysical, context of late modernity. This volume not only capably demonstrates the viability of the metaphysical tradition but also illuminates its effectiveness and value in dealing with the many issues in contemporary theological conversation. William Desmond and Contemporary Theology presents Desmond's contemporary, yet historically aware, continental metaphysics as able to provide revealing insights for the discussion ofTrade Review"William Desmond's metaphysics offers a serious alternative both to the subjective bias and unexplained correlationism of phenomenology and to the inhuman and often extra-rational objectivism of the current secular revival of ontology. It shows how only an account of existence as pointing to God is able to explicate and account for the intimacy of reason with Being in a way that is hospitable to all things, yet respectful of the supremacy of Spirit and its crucial ontological role. The fine essays in this volume by distinguished contributors all serve to develop his vision and to show why it is the way forward, not just for philosophers, but for the human race in its genuine, situated humanity.” —John Milbank, University of Nottingham“The essays in this book are of a uniformly high standard. They are unified by a direct interest in Desmondian metaphysics of existence with strong aesthetic highlights. The essays are well written, the book coheres around enthusiasm for the renewal of metaphysics. This is an important book, signaling a new direction in theological philosophy.” —Francesca Aran Murphy, University of Notre Dame“The themes covered in this book are especially to be welcomed, and should provide a major starting point for any scholars wishing to explore in greater detail the significance of Desmond’s work for contemporary theological and theoretical developments. This is an impressive and well-paced collection of essays.” —Catherine Pickstock, University of Cambridge"William Desmond is a philosopher whose work is not only open to theology and oriented toward the 'divine horizon,' but one from whom theology has a very great deal to learn. His is a unique—and uniquely beautiful—voice, and the more widely his influence spreads the better. Simpson and Sammon have assembled a truly remarkable company of theological respondents to Desmond's project, and we can only hope that his volume will help to prompt more numerous and extensive theological engagements with Desmond's work." —David Bentley Hart, Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study

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Book SynopsisIn Metaphysical Perspectives, Nicholas Rescher offers a grand vision of how to conceptualize, and in some cases answer, some of the most fundamental issues in metaphysics and value theory. Rescher addresses what he sees as the three prime areas of metaphysical concern: (1) the world as such and the architecture of nature at large, (2) ourselves as nature''s denizens and our potential for learning about it, and (3) the transcendent domain of possibility and value. Rescher engages issues across a wide range of metaphysical themes, from different worldviews and ultimate questions to contingency and necessity, intelligent design and world-improvability, personhood and consciousness, empathy and other minds, moral obligation, and philosophical methodology. Over the course of this book, Rescher discusses, with his characteristic fusion of idealism and pragmatism, an integrated overview of the key philosophical problems grounded in an idealistically value-oriented approach. His discTrade Review"Necessity, randomness, free will, consciousness, the transcendental, intelligent design, the improvability of the world: in Metaphysical Perspectives these and many other topics get fascinating treatment by America's finest philosopher. Particularly intriguing is Rescher's theory of why the cosmos exists." —John Leslie, professor emeritus, University of Guelph, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada"Nicholas Rescher's Metaphysical Perspectives is a magisterial work, in both depth and breadth. The proposed metaphysical theory is novel, though Leibnizean in spirit. It rests on axiological considerations, hence much of the book consists of discussion, brief but unfailingly erudite, of topics not usually regarded as strictly metaphysical. This is why an extended and highly interesting ethical theory is also proposed, succinctly but clearly and eloquently." —Panayot Butchvarov, professor emeritus, University of Iowa"Across questions of possibility, reality, consciousness, and value, Nicholas Rescher brings a full range of metaphysical topics together in a unified approach. To all of these questions he applies a unified vision of the character of philosophy as well: philosophy as literature, following wherever rationality leads, normative as well as descriptive, aimed at offering a guide to life. The result is comprehensive in both topic and technique, a masterful value-based vision from a true contemporary master." —Patrick Grim, Stony Brook University and University of Michigan"Nicholas Rescher’s encyclopedic knowledge of philosophy is on full display in this work. A broad sweep of metaphysical topics is covered, ranging from the principle of sufficient reason through consciousness to the question of why philosophy is ordinarily inexact. One of its virtues is that the clarity of writing makes most chapters accessible to a general readership while providing an intellectual challenge to academic philosophers." —Paul Humphreys, University of VirginiaTable of ContentsPreface Introduction: On the Mission of Philosophy 1. Ultimate Questions 2. World Views 3. Terminological Contextuality 4. On Contingency and Necessity 5. Randomness and Reason 6. Issues of Self-Reference and Paradox 7. Explanation and the Principle of Sufficient Reason 8. Intelligent Design Revisited in the Light of Evolutionary Neo-Platonism 9. What If Things Were Different? 10. On the Improvability of the World 11. Consciousness 12. Control 13. Free Will in the Light of Process Theory 14. Personhood 15. The Metaphysics of Moral Obligation 16. Empathy, Shared Experience, and Other Minds 17. Philosophy as an Inexact Science 18. Philosophy’s Involvement with Transcendental Issues 19. Religious Variation and the Rationale of Belief Notes Bibliography Index of Names

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Like Desmond’s other publications, this book shows a deep thoughtfulness, a rare capacity to wonder, and an astonishing attentiveness to things that are evident but tend to pass by unnoticed.” —D. C. Schindler, author of Freedom from Reality“William Desmond is one of the most original philosophers of our time, and this volume is perhaps his most fascinating yet.” —David Bentley Hart, author of Theological Territories"The adventure of this work is in stepping away from any preconceived notions and reflecting on the human experience in a new way. Upon doing so, Desmond offers many incisive and rich critiques of an atheistic contemporary world as well as of static and insufficient presentations of religious belief, all from within his particular conceptual framework." —The University BookmanTable of ContentsIntroduction: Superiority Beyond Interiority 1. Default Atheism 2. Thresholds Between Finitude and Infinitude: The Self-sublation and Abjection of Transcendence 3. Solitudes: Thresholds Between Selving and the Sacred 4. Idiot Wisdom and the Intimate Universal: Immanence and Transcendence in an Intercultural Perspective 5. Mysticism and the Intimate Universal: On the Arnhem Mystical Sermons and Sri Aurobindo 6. Dream Monologues of Autonomy: Variations on the Prodigal Son 7. Exceeding Virtue: On Aquinas and the Beatitudes 8. Godsends: On the Surprise of Revelation

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Book SynopsisAbelard in Four Dimensions: A Twelfth-Century Philosopher in His Context and Ours by John Marenbon, one of the leading scholars of medieval philosophy and a specialist on Abelard''s thought, originated from a set of lectures in the distinguished Conway Lectures in Medieval Studies series and provides new interpretations of central areas of Peter Abelard''s philosophy and its influence. The four dimensions of Abelard to which the title refers are that of the past (Abelard''s predecessors), present (his works in context), future (the influence of his thinking up to the seventeenth century), and the present-day philosophical culture in which Abelard''s works are still discussed and his arguments debated.For readers new to Abelard, this book provides an introduction to his life and works along with discussion of his central ideas in semantics, ethics, metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. For specialists, the book contains new arguments about the authenticity and chronoTrade Review"This searching, thorough, and original study examines Abelard's past, present, and future, and our present. John Marenbon offers the best enquiry yet made into the sequence of Abelard's writings and their chronology, followed by an incisive and highly illuminating account of the various, successive formulations of his 'unpopular argument' to the effect that God cannot do otherwise than as he does. This is an accomplished work which will be eagerly read and hugely appreciated by students and their teachers on courses of philosophy, theology, and history." —David Luscombe, University of Sheffield"Marenbon (Cambridge University), an important scholar of medieval philosophy, here returns to a topic that occupied him some years ago: the philosophy of Peter Abelard. Rather than serving as a general treatment of Abelard's philosophy, this book focuses on four different ways of reading the philosopher: in terms of his predecessors, his contemporaries, and his historical influence, and in terms of contemporary philosophy. This volume . . . will not disappoint. It should prove useful to students of Peter Abelard and of medieval thought more generally." —Choice"As a volume of Conway lectures, it is a worthy peer to sit alongside the recent contributions of Rosamund McKitterick, Jonathan Riley Smith, A. C. Spearing, and Barbara Newman. I hope this book will reach a wider audience of medievalists than only philosophers, theologians, and twelfth-century specialists (for whom it will be indispensable), if only for the tentative but convincing answer Marenbon provides to the immediately pressing question of the relevance of medieval studies." —Speculum“In this book, John Marenbon takes on select issues from Abelard’s philosophy and theology that have proven to be problematic. These he submits to close examination, hewing his own path in submitting these topics to careful scrutiny, never coming to easy conclusions, but offering original insights. For audiences responsive to Marenbon’s approach his book offers value.” —Mediaevistik“Much of what is explored here is explored with clarity, care, and judgment. In an important sense Marenbon proves the thesis of the book: that historical understanding and background helpfully informs attempts to see in thinkers from another era versions of contemporary theories and can prevent misreadings of many kinds.” —Journal of the History of Philosophy"Abelard in Four Dimensions is an excellent introduction to the study of Peter Abelard. The 'four dimensions' in the title refer to future, past, and present—Abelard's and our own. . . . In his conclusion, Marenbon reflects intelligently on how best to bring medieval thinkers into the contemporary discussion: not by distortion, forcing medieval ideas into 'a conceptual framework where they do not belong,' but by asking ourselves not only how they resemble modern positions, but also how the problems addressed differ from those today's philosophers pose." —The Medieval Review“Throughout this book, but especially in its conclusion, Marenbon steps back and reflects upon methodologies of historians of philosophy. [Marenbon] has identified some weighty issues that any historian of philosophy must address, and one would be well advised to read Marenbon’s thoughtful remarks on this subject.” —Vivarium

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Book SynopsisHart has assembled a stellar group of philosophers and theologians from the United States, Britain, France, and Australia to examine the work of Jean-Luc Marion, the leading figure in French phenomenology as well as one of the proponents of the so-called "theological turn" in European philosophy.Trade Review“This collection will prove useful to those already interested in the implications of Marion's work for philosophy and theology, and it is indicative of the increasingly blurred boundaries between the two within phenomenology. Kevin Hart's introduction and David Tracy's 'Jean-Luc Marion: Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and Theology' in particular provide good overviews of the development of Marion's work within phenomenology and its increasing influence as philosophical theology, and could be of use to those looking for a manageable starting point in this area.” —International Journal of Systematic Theology“This collection of essays from leading scholars in philosophy, theology, and religious studies, including J.D. Caputo, D. Tracy, and K. Turner, provides a wide variety of views dealing with Marion's theology, phenomenology, and the interaction of the two.” —Religious Studies Review“Hart has produced a remarkably lucid and engaging introduction to the thought of Marion. The volume includes insightful readings of, with, and against Marion from an excellent cohort of leading philosophers and theologians. These essays are organized thoughtfully and are supplemented by comprehensive bibliographic appendices. . . an indispensable resource for scholars working on Marion and for the scholarship engaged at the intersection of phenomenology and theology that his thought energizes.” —Modern Theology“Readers should be grateful to Kevin Hart for his marvelous introduction to Counter-Experiences, a collection of essays about Marion, which situates Marion in relation to the German philosophers. . . . Many of the best essays in Counter-Experiences address questions of Marion' philosophy of religion. . . . Counter-Experiences is useful precisely because it gives the reader not only a sense of the paths Marion has thus far traveled but also some sense of the most fruitful lines of inquiry his thought opens up.” —First Things“This collection contains many careful and insightful essays on Marion's thought, and is indispensable reading for anyone interested in Marion's contributions to contemporary phenomenology and theology.” —Philosophy in Review“This is a ground-breaking book by leading continental thinkers on one of the most pioneering and controversial voices to emerge in French thought in decades. This volume addresses the lynch-pin of Marion's thought—the point where philosophy and theology, gift and revelation, impossibility and grace, intersect in fascinating and arresting ways. Kevin Hart, as editor, assembles and conducts a magisterial intellectual orchestra.” —Richard Kearney, Boston College“The collective strength of these exceptionally high-quality essays is the authors’ diversity of reflection on the relation of phenomenology to theology. Readers new to Marion will find their way into the corpus and those already familiar with Marion’s work will encounter stimulating interpretations, challenges, and defenses. Valuable, too, are Hart’s introduction to Marion as phenomenologist and Marion’s defense of the saturated phenomenon that bookend the volume.” —Merold Westphal, Fordham University“As a sophisticated engagement with the question of Marion’s relation to Christian theology specifically, and as a general response to Marion’s work as a whole, Counter-Experiences is an undeniable success. The authors treat Marion’s texts carefully, bring impressive intellectual force to their task, and provide rich documentation in the strongest volume of work on Marion’s thought yet to appear in English.” —Jeffrey Bloechl, College of the Holy Cross

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Book SynopsisEriugena, Berkeley and the Idealist Tradition is a collection of original essays presented at an international conference held in Dublin in 2002 and subsequently revised in light of discussions at the conference. As Stephen Gersh and Dermot Moran explain in their introduction, this book asks the question: What do philosophers mean by idealism? According to Gersh and Moran, the question of idealism is a difficult one, not only because of the historical complexity of the term idealism as they have sketched it but also because understanding of the phenomenon is dependent upon the observer''s own philosophical persuasion. The essays in this volume take up the question of idealism in the history of philosophy from Plato, through late ancient and medieval thought, to Berkeley, Kant, and Hegel. Although there are obvious discontinuities among these versions of idealism, the degree of continuity is sufficient to justify a reexamination of the entire question.The contributors cTrade Review"This is a very rich volume and constitutes a good starting point for a discussion of the multiple meanings of 'idealism.' In particular, it teaches the lesson that broad 'philosophical' definitions should be held in deep suspicion unless tied to specific contexts of discussion and specific historical periods." —Journal of the History of Philosophy“Fourteen essays trace the concept of idealism from Plato, the Roman Stoics, Plotinus, and Augustine through to Berkeley and the age of Kant and Hegel. Three papers on the ninth-century Irish writer Johannes Scottus Eriugena and on the Liber de causis, from ninth-century Baghdad, inspired by a concern to understand the common ground between medieval Neoplatonism and nineteenth-century Hegelian idealism . . . are especially instructive for medievalists.” —Medium Aevum“All fourteen essays collected in this volume are solid pieces of scholarship, and the book as a whole is a welcome addition to the ongoing debate on the role that the history of philosophy can play in enriching our conceptual apparatus by reminding us of the complexity of our philosophical tradition. The book succeeds in reminding us that idealism is a constellation of different positions.” —The Review of Metaphysics"If it is true—as Hegel and his followers have claimed—that being and truth are indissociable from history, then philosophy cannot be successful if it limits itself exclusively to investigations of individual thinkers and periods. What is at stake, ultimately, is the development of Western thought as a whole. In this volume, a fine international group of scholars investigate the meaning of idealism across the ages. Without sacrificing nuance, their contributions show that a core of shared assumptions characterizes idealist philosophies. The historical dialogue which this volume advances emphasizes the relevance of ancient and medieval thinkers for the current debate, but it also challenges us to place modern representatives of idealism—such as Berkeley, Kant, and Hegel—in historical perspective." —Philipp W. Rosemann, University of Dallas"This is a rich, subtle, thought-provoking collection on central, though neglected topics in idealism and its history, offering fresh and important insights into both familiar and less familiar major figures, views, and issues. Most important, perhaps, are its presentation and assessment of non-subjective forms of idealism, as well as mind-dependence forms of idealism prior to Descartes. Contemporary philosophers have become sophisticated about various forms of realism, anti-realism and irrealism. Such discussions, among others, will benefit significantly by accepting this volume’s invitation to become more sophisticated about idealism as well. This very welcome contribution to the literature should find a broad readership." —Kenneth R. Westphal, University of East Anglia

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Book SynopsisHerbert Marcuse called the preface to Hegel''s Phenomenology one of the greatest philosophical undertakings of all times. This summary of Hegel''s system of philosophy is now available in English translation with commentary on facing pages. While remaining faithful to the author''s meaning, Walter Kaufmann has removed many encumbrances inherent in Hegel''s style.Trade Review"[Kaufmann's] lengthy commentary is a minor masterpiece of concise and erudite interpretation. This is a welcome departure from the lazy habit of pretending that Hegel was an obscure pedant who left some quite readable lectures on the philosophy of history. . . . To grasp what Hegel was really trying to do, one has to confront his metaphysics, and thanks to Kaufmann this an now be done even by the philosophical novice." —The New York Review of Books

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Book SynopsisAlthough Pseudo-Dionysius was, after Aristotle, the author whom Thomas Aquinas quoted most frequently, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the role of this Neoplatonist thinker in the formation of Aquinas'' philosophy. Fran O''Rourke''s book is the only available work that investigates the pervasive influence of Pseudo-Dionysius on Aquinas, while at the same time examining the latter''s profound originality. Central themes discussed by O''Rourke include knowledge of the absolute, existence as the first and most universal perfection, the diffusion of creation, the hierarchy of creatures, and their return to God as final end. O''Rourke devotes special attention to the Neoplatonist element in Aquinas'' notion of being as intensity or degree of perfection. He also considers the relation of being and goodness in light of Aquinas'' nuanced reversal of Dionysius'' theory of the primacy of the good, and Aquinas'' arguments for the transcendental nature of goodness.Trade Review"This is one of the two or three most important books on Aquinas published in the last fifty years." —Alasdair MacIntyre, University of Notre Dame"The substantial and detailed analysis of the texts of both authors will prove an invaluable work of reference for students of Pseudo-Dionysius and Aquinas." —International Philosophical Quarterly"A truly magnificent study." —Angelicum"Although the argumentation of the book is subtle and profoundly conceived, it is stated with the most lucid and compelling clarity. The book was a labour of love and is certain to remain for many decades or more the standard work in an extraordinarily difficult area of the history of metaphysics." —International Journal of Philosophical Studies"The book's footnotes constitute a terrific, topically arranged guide to the primary sources." —Speculum“. . . the completeness of O’Rourke’s survey of the vast quantity of relevant (and often untranslated) text, as well as his extensive knowledge and prudent employment of the multilingual literature, make it a genuinely useful resource for scholars. . . Thus, because of its exhaustive historical scholarship, its even-handedness and its continued philosophical cogency, the reissue of O’Rourke’s book can be greeted with applause.” —Journal of Ecclesiastical History

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewMr. Hope translates every term in as many ways as are required by different contexts and by Aristotle's own intended meanings, thereby producing a version that is immeasurably more intelligible than one based on the assumption that every Greek word must be rendered by a single English equivalent."--Ben Ray Redman"The translator is to be commended for the scholarly and painstaking service which he has rendered to one of the great philosophic masterpieces of all times."--Paul Helsel

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Book SynopsisStudents of philosophy, psychology, sociology, and literature will welcome this collection of original essays on self-deception and related phenomena such as wishful thinking, bad faith, and false consciousness. The book has six sections, each exploring self-deception and related phenomena from a different perspective.Table of ContentsSections and Contributors: The Analysis of Self-Deception Amelie Oksenberg Rorty Brian P. McLaughlin Mark Johnston Robert Audi The Epistemic Dimension of Self-Deception Bas C. van Fraassen David H. Sanford Adam Morton Frederick F. Schmitt The Psychology of Self-Deception Allen W. Wood Edward Erwin Leila Tov-Ruach Georges Rey Adrian M. S. Piper Ronald B. de Sousa The Social Dimension of Self-Deception Allen W. Wood Rom Harre' William Ruddick Bruce Wilshire The Moral Dimension of Self-Deception Stephen L. Darwall Marcia Baron Stephen L. White Self-Deception in Literature Martha Nussbaum Margret Kohlenbach Rudiger Bittner

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Book SynopsisPresents the factual and conceptual history of Martin Heidegger's "Being and Time" (1927), a key twentieth-century text. Through investigation of European archives and private correspondence, this title provides an account of the philosopher's early development and progress toward his masterwork.Table of ContentsFIGURES KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS AND NOTATIONS INTRODUCTION PART I • THE BREAKTHROUGH TO THE TOPIC 1. Phenomenological Beginnings: The Hermeneutic Breakthrough (1915-19) Harbingers in the Habilitation KNS 1919: The Idea of Philosophy and the Problem of Worldviews SS 1919: Phenomenology and Transcendental Value-Philosophy SS 1919: On the Essence of the University and Academic Studies 2. Theo-Logical Beginnings: Toward a Phenomenology of Christianity The Religious-Philosophical Itinerary (1915-22) Religious Experience as a Phenomenological Paradigm (1917-19) The Philosophical Foundations of Medieval Mysticism (August 1919) Summary: A Religious Phenomenology? 3. The Deconstruction of Life (1919-20) WS 1919-20: Basic Problems of Phenomenology SS 1920: Phenomenology of Intuition and Expression: Theory of Philosophical Concept Formation "Critical Comments on Karl Jaspers's P.1ychology of Worldviews" 4. The Religion Courses (1920-21) WS 1920-21: Introduction to the Phenomenology of Religion SS 1921: Augustine and Neoplatonism Conclusion: Two Religion Courses PART II • CONFRONTING THE ONTOLOGICAL TRADITION 5. What Did Heidegger Find in Aristotle? (1921-23) SS 1921: Phenomenological Practicum "Relating to" Aristotle's De Anima WS 1921-22: Phenomenological Interpretations to Aristotle: Introduction to Phenomenological Research: Einleitung SS 1922: Phenomenological Interpretations to Aristotle: Ontology and Logic October 1922: The Einleitung to a Book on Aristotle WS 1922-23: Seminar: "Phenomenological Interpretations to Aristotle" SS 1923: Ontology: Hermeneutics of Facticity 6. Aristotle Again: From Unconcealment to Presence (1923-24) WS 1923-24: Introduction to Phenomenological Research "Being-here and Being-true" (1923-24; December 1924) SS 1924: Ground Concepts of Aristotelian Philosophy WS 1924-25: Interpretation of Platonic Dialogues PART III • THREE DRAFTS OF BEING AND TIME 7. The Dilthey Draft: "The Concept of Time" (1924) "The Concept of Time" U uly 1924) "The Concept of Time" (November 1924) The Kassel Lectures (April 1925) 8. The Ontoeroteric Draft: History of the Concept of Time (1925) SS 1925: History of the Concept of Time WS 1925-26: Logic (Aristotle) [The Question of Truth] 9. The Final Draft: Toward a Kairology of Being Ontic Ontology The Primacy of Possibility Horizonal Schematizing: The Story Goes On EROTETIC EPILOGUE 4 Appendixes* B. Heideggers Lehrveranstaltungen I Heidegger's Teaching Activities, 1915-30 C. A Documentary Chronology of the Path to the Publication of Being and Time, 1924-27 D. Genealogical Glossary of Heidegger's Basic Terms, 1915-27 NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX OF NAMES INDEX OF SUBJECT MATTER INDEX OF GREEK TERMS INDEX OF LATIN TERMS * Note that there is no Appendix A. See Introduction for explanation.

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Book SynopsisThe Socratic, or dialog, form is central to the history of philosophy and has been the disciplinea s canonical genre ever since. Paul Feyerabenda s Three Dialogues on Knowledge resurrects the form to provide an astonishingly flexible and invigorating analysis of epistemological, ethical and metaphysical problems.Trade Review"An audacious thinker, a brilliant polemicist, an iconoclast ..." Publishers' WeeklyTable of ContentsFirst Dialogue (1990). Second Dialogue (1976). Third Dialogue (1989). Postscript.

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Book SynopsisHilary Putnam has been at the center of contemporary debates about the nature of the mind and of its access to the world, about language and its relation to reality, and many other metaphysical and epistemological issues. In this book he turns to pragmatism - and confronts the teachings of James, Peirce, Dewey, and Wittgenstein - not solely out of an interest in theoretical questions, but above all to respond to the questions of whether it is possible to find an alternative to corrosive moral skepticism, on the one hand, and to moral authoritarianism on the other.Trade Review"It is a relatively rare, and very welcome, event when an original, brilliantly imaginative analytic philosopher takes a fresh look at earlier figures in the history of philosophy and proceeds to tell a story that ties in their work with his own. Analytic philosophy's greatest disability remains its lack of historical resonance, and Hilary Putnam is one of the few who have worked hard to help it overcome this handicap ... In sum, this book is a useful supplement to Putnam's other recent work." Richard Rorty, The Philosophical ReviewTable of ContentsHilary Putnam. Preface. Introductory Remarks. 1. The Permanace of William James. 2. Was Wittgenstein a Pragmatist?. 3. Pragmatism and the Contemporary Debate. Bibliography of the Writings of Hilary Putman. Index.

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Book Synopsis* Sister volume to the acclaimed Companion to Epistemology (Blackwell 1992)* Over 200 main entries* Internationally acclaimed contributors. .Trade Review"The Companion has a number of virtues that make it a useful resource for both students and professional philosophers. I must single out those {entries} on the continental philosophers and concepts as especially clearly written, non-jargony introductions. Many of the entries provided charming little arguments, or twists, on behalf of the author's already known positions. Indeed, this feature of the 'Companion' makes it of value even to the most advanced philosopher, already quite familiar with the topic." Alan Sidelle, The Philosophical ReviewTable of ContentsList of Contributors. Introduction. A Companion to Metaphysics. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis volume presents an introduction to 20 core areas of philosophical logic including classical logic, modal logic, alternative logics and close examinations of key logical concepts. It should engage both the general reader and experienced logician and provide a foundation for further study.Trade Review"Suppose your friend – or your student, or yourself – knows a little logic and a little philosophy. If you wish that person to gain an early appreciation of philosophical logic, then this book is a perfect gift – or assignment, or purchase. Written by outstanding philosophical logicians, its clear and authoritative chapters guide the reader directly into the heart of each topic. There are enough details to create genuine understanding, but not so many as to intimidate. The term 'guide' is exactly the right word for this splendid book." Nuel Belnap, University of Pittsburgh "This is an excellent collection of articles covering the main areas of philosophical logic, written by front-line, internationally known researchers in the field. It should be available in every serious library." Dov Gabbay, King's College, London "This volume on philosophical logic is a welcome and manageable resource. The editor is to be congratulated both on his choice of material and on his choice of collaborators. The result is a well-balanced mix of authoritative overviews of classical mathematical logic and up-to-date accounts of topics in linguistics and computer science." Krister Segerberg, Uppsala University "These twenty chapters cover the areas of logic of greatest interest to philosophers, and also to computer scientists, linguists, and cognitive scientists. They are written by world-class authorities in their fields and give comprehensive and definitive introductions to their subjects." Ernie Lepore, Rutgers University "For those interested in the philosophy of logic an excellent place to turn would be The Blackwell Guide to Philosophical Logic edited by Lou Goble. The book consists of 20 specially written essays by distinguished figures in the field, each with an editor's introduction." Times higher Education Supplement "The intended readership is philosophers and logicians, but there is much that will be of interest to computer scientists, cognative scientists and theoretical linguists. The Book is accessible to non-experts and experts will find much substance in the essays." Studia LogicaTable of ContentsList of Contributors vii Preface ix Introduction 1 Lou Goble 1 Classical Logic I – First-Order Logic 9 Wilfrid Hodges 2 Classical Logic II – Higher-Order Logic 33 Stewart Shapiro 3 Set Theory 55 John P. Burgess 4 Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems 72 Raymond Smullyan 5 Truth 90 Anil Gupta 6 Logical Consequence 115 Patricia A. Blanchette 7 Modal Logic 136 M. J. Cresswell 8 Deontic Logic 159 Risto Hilpinen 9 Epistemic Logic 183 J.-J. Ch. Meyer 10 Temporal Logic 203 Yde Venema 11 Intuitionistic Logic 224 Dirk van Dalen 12 Free Logics 258 Karel Lambert 13 Relevant Logics 280 Edwin D. Mares and Robert K. Meyer 14 Many-Valued Logics 309 Grzegorz Malinowski 15 Nonmonotonic Logic 336 John F. Horty 16 Probability, Logic, and Probability Logic 362 Alan Hájek 17 Conditionals 385 Dorothy Edgington 18 Negation 415 Heinrich Wansing 19 Quantifiers 437 Dag Westerståhl 20 Logic and Natural Language 461 Alice ter Meulen Index 484

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Book SynopsisContains contributions by leading scholars, who examine the following areas: intensionality and intentionality; language ontology and truth; rule-following; the nature of the mental; consciousness and qualia: a symposium; and naturalism and actualism - an exchange.Table of ContentsPart I: The Sixth Philosophical Perspectives Lecture: . Computer Proof, Apriori Knowledge, and Other Monds: Tyler Burge. Part II: Intensionality and Intentionality: . Teh Subject Verb Object Class I: Joseph Almog. The Subject Verb Object Class II: Joseph Almog. Why Holism is Harmless and Necessary: Akeel Bilgrami. Actions, Norms, and Practical Reasoning: Robert Brandom. Semantics for Opaque Contexts: Kirk Ludwig and Greg Ray. Proportionality and Mental Causation: A Fit?: Matthew McGrath. Part III: Language, Ontology and Truth:. Identity and General Similarity: Harry Deutsch. Reference and Description Revisited: Frank Jackkson. Some Reflections on the Sport of Language: Mark Norris Lance. Three Norms of Assertibility, or How the MOA Became Extinct: Huw Price. Commitment: Mark Richard. Part IV: Rule-Following:. Rules and Powers: C. B. Martin and John Neil. Facts, Truth Conditions, and the Skeptical Solution to the Rule-Following Paradox. Part V: The Nature of the Mental. . Numbers, Minds, and Bodies: A Fresh Look at Mind-Body Dualism: John O'Leary-Hawthorne and Jeffrey K. McDonough. Mind the Gap: David Papineau. The Boadness of the Mental: Some logical Considerations: Timothy Williamson. Part VI: Consciousness and Qualia: A Symposium: . The Division of Phenomenal Labor: A Problem for Representational Theories of Consciousness. A Narrow Representationalist Account of Qualitative Experience: Georges Rey. Inverted Earth, Swampman, and Representationism: Michael Tye. In Defense of the Representational Theory of Qualia (Replies to Neander, Rey, and Tye): William G. Lycan. Part VII: Naturalism and Actualism: An Exchange: . Naturalism, Actualism, and Ontology: James E. Tomberlin. Putting Metaphysics First: A Response to James Tomberlin. Actualism, Quantification, and Contextual Semantics: Terence Horgan.

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Book SynopsisCovers perennial philosophical problems such as the connection between mind and body; life after death; the role of reason; free will and determinism; the relationship between the individual and society; and the problem of relativism. This book is suitable for those interested in the theories that have affected the course of human history.Trade Review"Professor Trigg's book is clear, accurate and absorbing, well worth recommending to anyone seriously interested in finding out what sort of thing we might be thought to be." Stephen Clark, University of Liverpool ‘Trigg’s new edition offers the best introduction available to prominent approaches to human nature. It is lucid, accessible and comprehensive. The book will be highly engaging and instructive for undergraduate students from various disciplines.’ – Paul Moser; Loyola University Chicago ‘The great attractions of Roger Trigg’s book are its interdisciplinary character and its broad historical sweep, giving students a clear sense of both continuity and change in thought about fundamental issues concerning human nature. I don’t know of any other book which rivals it in these respects.’ – E. J. Lowe, University of DurhamTable of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition. Introduction. 1. Plato c. 429-347 BC. 2. Aristotle 384-322 BC. 3. Aquinas 1225-1274. 4. Hobbes 1588-1679. 5. Locke 1632-1704. 6. Hume 1711-1776. 7. Kant 1724- 804. 8. Darwin 1809-1882. 9. Marx 1818-1883. 10. Nietzsche 1844-1900. 11. Freud 1856-1939. 12. Wittgenstein 1889-1951. Conclusion to the Second Edition. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisCovers perennial philosophical problems such as the connection between mind and body; life after death; the role of reason; free will and determinism; the relationship between the individual and society; and the problem of relativism. This book is suitable for those interested in the theories that have affected the course of human history.Trade Review"Professor Trigg's book is clear, accurate and absorbing, well worth recommending to anyone seriously interested in finding out what sort of thing we might be thought to be." Stephen Clark, University of Liverpool ‘Trigg’s new edition offers the best introduction available to prominent approaches to human nature. It is lucid, accessible and comprehensive. The book will be highly engaging and instructive for undergraduate students from various disciplines.’ – Paul Moser; Loyola University Chicago ‘The great attractions of Roger Trigg’s book are its interdisciplinary character and its broad historical sweep, giving students a clear sense of both continuity and change in thought about fundamental issues concerning human nature. I don’t know of any other book which rivals it in these respects.’ – E. J. Lowe, University of DurhamTable of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition. Introduction. 1. Plato c. 429-347 BC. 2. Aristotle 384-322 BC. 3. Aquinas 1225-1274. 4. Hobbes 1588-1679. 5. Locke 1632-1704. 6. Hume 1711-1776. 7. Kant 1724- 804. 8. Darwin 1809-1882. 9. Marx 1818-1883. 10. Nietzsche 1844-1900. 11. Freud 1856-1939. 12. Wittgenstein 1889-1951. Conclusion to the Second Edition. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays was presented to David Wiggins to mark his 60th birthday and his accession to the Wykeham Chair of Logic at Oxford. The contributors, who include both long-established and younger writers, take up some of the many important philosophical debates on which Wiggins has made an impact. Their chosen topics range from ancient philosophy to contemporary questions in ethics, metaphysics and the theory of meaning. An attractive feature of the volume is that it contains Wiggins''s comments on each of the papers, and so offers an accessible guide to his present thinking.Table of ContentsAristotelian Society Monographs Series. Aristotelian Society Monograph Committee: Martin Davies (Monograph Editor), Thomas Baldwin, Jennifer Hornsby, Mark Sainsbury, Anthony Savile. 1. Wittgenstein on Meaning: An Interpretation and Evaluation: Colin McGinn. 2. Modes of Occurrence: Verbs, Adverbs and Events: Barry Taylor. 3. Reasoning with Arbitrary Objects: Kit Fine. 4. Thoughts: An Essay on Content: Christopher Peacocke. 5. Metaphor: David E. Cooper. 6. Needs, Values, Truth: Essays in the Philosophy of Value (Second Edition): David Wiggins. 7. Colour: Some Philosophical Problems from Wittgenstein (Second Edition): Jonathan Westphal. 8. Aesthetic Reconstructions: The Seminal Writings of Lessing, Kant and Schiller: Anthony Savile. 9. Languages of Possibility: An Essay in Philosophical Logic: Graeme Forbes. 10. Kinds of Being: A Study of Individuation, Identity and the Logic of Sortal Terms: E. J. Lowe. 11. Logical Necessity: I. McFetridge. 12. Psychoanalysis, Mind, and Art: Perspectives on Richard Wollheim: Edited by Jim Hopkins and Anthony Savile. 13. Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity: Metaphysical Intimations of Modern Physics: Tim Maudlin. 14. The Metaphysics of Free Will: An Essay on Control: John Martin Fischer. 15. Universals and Property Instances: The Alphabet of Being: John Bacon. 16. Identity, Truth and Value: Essays for David Wiggins: Sabina Lovibond and S. G. Williams. 17. Minds, Causes, and Mechanisms: A Case Against Physicalism: Josep E. Corbí and Josep L. Prades. 18. Moral Theory and Anomaly: Tom Sorell.

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Book SynopsisThis work presents a siginificant contribution to the literature on the intersection of issues of metaphysics and issues of ethics. Original essays cover topics including: the relationship between the concept of personal identity and the understanding of death; and normative appraisals of death.Table of ContentsMetaphysics as Prolegomenon to Ethics (Joel Kupperman). The Meaning of Life (John Kekes). In Defense of a Common Ideal for a Human Life (E. M. Adams). Can the Dead Really Be Buried? (Palle Yourgrau). Later Death/Earlier Birth (Christopher Belshaw). Death and the Psychological Conception of Personal Identity (John Martin Fischer and Daniel Speak). Thick and Thin Selves: Reply to Fischer and Speak (Frederik Kaufman). The Termination Thesis (Fred Feldman). The Evil of Death Revisited (Harry S. Silverstein). Death and Asymmetries in Normative Appraisals (Ishtiyaque Haji). Appraising Death in Human Life: Two Modes of Valuation (Stephen E. Rosenbaum). "For Now Have I My Death’: The "Duty to Die" versus the Duty to Help the Ill Stay Alive (Felicia Ackerman). Taking Life and the Argument from Potentiality (Roy W. Perrett). Privatizing Death: Metaphysical Discouragement of Ethical Thinking (John Woods). Justifications for Killing Noncombatants in War (F. M. Kamm). Capital Punishment and the Sanctity of Life (Philip E. Devine). Aesthetics: The Need for a Theory (Mary Mothersill). Contributors

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Book SynopsisThis title is David Lewis's presentation of and sustained argument for a particular view about propositions which express contrary-to-fact conditionals, including his infamous defence of realism about possible worlds.Trade Review"'Contrary-to-fact conditionals have provided logical analysts with fascinating puzzles. (This book) has a unitary theme presented clearly and attractively for the most part with only the unavoidable minimum of formal apparatus. The theme is pursued confidently and relentlessly without evasions or qualifications." Times Literary Supplement "This is an excellent book. It combines shrewd philosophical sense with a fine technical expertise. The statement of views is concise and forthright." Kit Fine, Mind "This essay is a virtuoso performance." British Journal for the Philosophy of Science "Beautifully and lucidly written and full of clever ideas. It contains very many philosophical insights and comparisons." J. J. C. Smart, Australasian Journal of PhilosophyTable of ContentsPreface. Acknowledgements. 1. An Analysis of Counterfactuals. Introduction. Strict Conditionals. Variably Strict Conditionals. The Limit Assumption. 'Might' Counterfactuals and Outer Modalities. Impossible Antecedents. True Antecedents. Counterfactual Fallacies. Potentialities. 2. Reformulations. Multiple Modalities. Propositional Quantifiers. Comparative Similarity. Similarity Measures. Comparative Possibility. Cotenability. Selection Functions. The Selection Operator. 3. Comparisons. The Metalinguistic Theory: Implicit Premisis. The Metalinguistic Theory: Factual Premises. The Metalinguistic Theory: Laws of Nature. Stalnaker's Theory. 4. Foundations. Possible Worlds. Similarity. 5. Analogies. Conditional Obligation. 'When Next' and 'When Last'. Contextually Definite Descriptions. 6. Logics. Completeness Results. Decidability Results. Derived Modal Logics. Appendix: Related Writings by David Lewis. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis work is a defence of modal realism, that our world is but one of a plurality of worlds, and that we are only one of many races. Lewis argues that the philosophical utility of modal realism is a good reason for believing that it is true.Table of ContentsPreface. 1. A Philosopher's Paradise. The Thesis of Pluraliry of Worlds. Modal Realism at Work: Modality. Modal Realism at Work: Closeness. Modal Realism at Work: Content. Modal Realism at Work: Properties. Isolation. Concreteness. Plenitude. Actuality. 2. Paradox in Paradise?. Everything is Actual?. All Worlds in One?. More Worlds Than There Are?. How Can We Know?. A Road to Scepticism?. A Road to Indifference?. Arbitrariness Lost?. The Incredulous Stare. 3. Paradise on the Cheap?. The Ersatzist Program. Linguistic Ersatzism. Pictorial Ersatzism. Magical Ersatzism. 4. Counterparts or Double Lives?. Good Questions and Bad. Against Overlap. Against Trans-World Individuals. Against Haecceitism. Against Constancy. Works Cited. Index.

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Book SynopsisContains papers from a conference on realism and relativism. This title includes fifteen substantial papers by leading figures, who have contributed papers representative of their work.Table of ContentsPart I: Metaphysis and Logic:. 1. Realism and Relativism: Akeel Bilgrami. 2. Underdetermination and Realism: Michael Devitt. 3. Quantifier Variance and Realism: Eli Hirsch. 4. Conceptual Relativity and Metaphysical Realism: Terry Horgan and Mark Timmons. 5. Response-dependence without Tears: Frank Jackson and Philip Pettit. 6. Is there a True Metaphysics of Material Objects? Alan Sidelle. 7. Knowledge of the World: Galen Strawson. 8. The Number of Things: Peter van Inwagen. 9. On Logical Relativity: Achille C. Varzi. 10. Abstract Objects: A Case Study: Stephen Yablo. Part II: Metaethics:. 11. Meta-Ethics and Normative Commitment: James Dreier. 12. Earning the Right to Realism or Relativism in Ethics: Carol Rovane. 13. Moral Realism and Indeterminacy: Stephen Schiffer. 14. Moral Relativity and Intuitionism: Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. 15. Exploring the Implications of the Dispositional Theory of Value: Michael Smith. Contributors.

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Book SynopsisEsteemed philosopher Jocelyn Benoist argues for a renewed realism that takes seriously the context in which intention occurs. “What there is”—the traditional subject of metaphysics—can be determined only in context, Benoist contends, carving out a new path that rejects acontextual ontologies and approaches to the mind.Trade ReviewHere, the most erudite and insightful European philosopher brings welcome new perspectives to a variety of recent Anglophone debates. Toward a Contextual Realism breathes fresh air into what might otherwise become insular and sterile modes of philosophy. -- Charles Travis, King’s College LondonWhy should we consider reality to be contextual? Jocelyn Benoist’s stunning contribution to this question will engage scholars well beyond philosophy. A crucial corrective to the unduly restricted notions of context in semiotics and linguistics, this book points to a rigorous way of making the ontologies of others count. Showing grace and patience, Toward a Contextual Realism is a generous invitation to take thought forward. -- Veena Das, Johns Hopkins University

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Book SynopsisKant sought throughout his life to provide a philosophy adequate to the sciences of his time—especially Euclidean geometry and Newtonian physics. Friedman argues that Kant’s efforts to find a metaphysics that could provide a foundation for the sciences is of utmost importance in understanding the development of his philosophical thought.Trade ReviewFriedman masterfully shows how Kant’s ideas arose from the tension between the empirical success of Newtonian physics and the rationalism of Leibniz and Wolff. The resulting philosophy of science is thick with interpretive knots. Friedman patiently unties each, using lucid presentations of the scientific, mathematical, and logical background to motivate his resolutions. Kant and the Exact Sciences is an exciting and important book. -- Mark Risjord * Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Metaphysics and Exact Science in the Evolution of Kant's Thought PART ONE: THE CRITICAL PERIOD 1. Geometry 2. Concepts and Intuitions in the Mathematical Sciences 3. Metaphysical Foundations of Newtonian Science 4. Space, the Understanding, and the Law of Gravitation: Prolegomena 38 PART TWO: THE OPUS POSTUMUM 5. Transition from the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science to Physics I The Transition Project and the Metaphysical Foundations II The Transition Project and Reflective Judgement III The Chemical Revolution IV The Aether-Deduction V The Fate of the Aether-Deduction References and Translations for Kant's Writings General Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisSome philosophers regard relativism as neither true nor false but simply incoherent. Carol Rovane demonstrates that the way to defend relativism is not by establishing its truth but by clarifying its content. Some forms of interpersonal engagement are true in themselves but closed off to belief from those who hold irreducibly incompatible truths.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent readable and informative book discussing a particularly interesting kind of "relativism." Perhaps the most important contribution of the book (but by far from the only one) is its careful explication of the relevant sort of relativism as an instance of what Carol Rovane calls "multimundialism," the thesis that one person might reject another's beliefs without supposing that the other beliefs fail to be true. Along the way there is much useful discussion of potentially relevant ideas in the history of philosophy through such twentieth-century figures as Rudolf Carnap, W.V. Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Paul Feyerabend, Richard Rorty, and Donald Davidson. This is the best discussion of relativism that I know of. -- Gilbert Harman, Princeton UniversityIn recent years, the issue of relativism has been hotly discussed by the philosophical community, and a number of good books have been dedicated to the issue. However, to my knowledge no thorough general and methodical analysis has been offered of what the content of this doctrine exactly is. Carol Rovane's The Metaphysics and Ethics of Relativism finally fills this relevant gap in the philosophical literature. This is a thoughtful, original, and very deep book. In the next decades it will very probably represent a milestone in the debate on relativism. -- Mario De Caro, Università Roma Tre and Tufts UniversityRovane breaks new ground in an otherwise-tired debate between ‘relativists,’ ‘objectivists,’ and ‘absolutists.’ One of the book’s signal achievements lies in clarifying the nature of relativism, whether in its metaphysical or ethical guise. People (especially, but not only) from different cultures inhabit different ‘worlds.’ The author calls this ‘multimundialism,’ and it leads to one of her principal substantive theses: a person/people can reject the beliefs of another/others without claiming that the rejected beliefs are false. Ethics, thus, is more than a matter of taste and sentiment. Furthermore, people occupying different ‘worlds’ can rightly reject others’ claims and stay committed to their own without judging those of others to be false. Along the way, Rovane engages with leading contemporary philosophers, including G. Harman, D. Davidson, R. Rorty, and J. Raz…Rovane’s book deserves a careful reading; it is thoughtful, thorough, substantive, clear, and challenging. -- H. Oberdiek * Choice *

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Book SynopsisThe goal of philosophers is truth, but for a century or more they have been bothered by Nietzsche's question, What is the good of truth? Barry Allen shows what truth has come to mean in the philosophical tradition, what is wrong with many conceptions of truth, and why philosophers refuse to confront squarely the question of the value of truth.Trade ReviewTwo related yet distinct questions are the central ostensible concerns of this book: what is the objection to a correspondence theory of truth?; why—if we should—should we consider truth to be the ultimate value? These questions are considered in the light of the work of six philosophers: Nietzsche; William James; Heidegger; Derrida; Wittgenstein; and Foucault… [A] thoroughly interesting and valuable book. -- Hugh V. McLachlan * The Philosopher *A good, provocative, and important book. It explains the views of a set of important continental philosophers in a way that will be accessible to students… At the same time, this is not an attempt to sugarcoat continental philosophy for analytic consumption. The views Allen defends—clearly and effectively—are views that I myself am committed to combatting and that I am certain most analytic philosophers will want to combat. But that is all the more reason for reading this book. -- Hilary Putnam, Harvard UniversityTruth in Philosophy does an excellent job explaining that there is in recent continental philosophy (Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida, and Foucault) a viable theory of truth. Allen’s book has the additional virtue of providing this explanation against a remarkably clear account of the historical background of the ancient Greek and early modern theories of truth criticized by the late-modern and post-modern continental thinkers. -- David Hoy, University of California, Santa CruzTable of ContentsAbbreviations Prologue Part 1: Historical Introduction 1. Classical Philosophy of Truth 2. Modern Truth Part 2: Nietzsche's Question 3. Nietzsche, or A Scandal of the Truth 4. William James, or Pragmatism Part 3: From Nature to History, From Being to Politics 5. Heidegger, or The Truth of Being 6. Derrida, or Difference Unlimited 7. Wittgenstein, or The Aufhebung of Logic 8. Foucault, or Truth in Politics Epilogue Notes Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisDavid Albert’s 2000 book Time and Chance attempts to account for some of the most intractable problems in theoretical physics, in particular those arising from the direction of time. This collection assembles essays exploring and debating Albert’s ideas, now recognized as among the most important recent contributions to the philosophy of science.Trade ReviewThis volume will constitute a significant, serious contribution to a range of debates spanning philosophy of physics, general philosophy of science, metaphysics, and epistemology. The contributors are all first-rate philosophers, their essays uniformly excellent in quality. -- Edward J. Hall, Harvard UniversityAlbert’s Time and Chance sparked a lively debate about the deep origins of time asymmetry, such as why do we know more about the past than future? The Probability Map of the Universe is a fantastic entry into this debate. It is focused yet broad, has overlap without redundancy, and is chock full of engaging contributions by experts. -- Craig Callender, University of California, San Diego

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Book SynopsisAttempts to distinguish the center from the periphery and the essential from the incidental in Heidegger's philosophy. This book discusses the relationship between Heidegger's life and thought - in particular the connections between his philosophy and his involvement with Nazism.Trade Review"A clear, well structured and provocative study of Heidegger's corpus."--Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsCh. IIntroduction31Heidegger Absconditus42Heidegger on Logic93The Philosophy of Sein und Zeit154The Question of Being: Six Problems315Ways of Interpretation45Ch. IIAnalysis676An Interpretative Hypothesis687The Meta-Aristotelian Theme778The Phenomenologico-Hermeneutical Theme989The Transcendental Theme12110The Neo-Hegelian Theme15111The Postmonotheist Theme172Ch. IIISynthesis21112Forms of Synthesis21413The Turn (die Kehre)23314Heidegger and Hitler24615Heidegger and Nietzsche276Ch. IVCritique29116The Later Works29617An Evaluation of Sein und Zeit31718Death and the Multitude346Conclusion375List of Abbreviations387Notes389Bibliography533Index545

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Book SynopsisApproaches the question about dream and reality by seeking to identify its subject matter: what is it that would be the dream if "this" were a dream?Trade Review"In this long, meditative, worrying book Valberg explores and defends these thoughts about himself and searches for their sources and their implications for all of us. It is an intense, personal book, aspiring to the kind of philosophical reflections that brings to light something we all know about ourselves already, but for various reasons are unwilling or unable to acknowledge."--Barry Stroud, Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsPreface xv INTRODUCTION: Philosophical Discovery and Philosophical Puzzles 1 Int.1 Discovering What We Already Know 1 Int.2 The Socratic Conception of Philosophical Discovery 2 Int.3 Wittgenstein: Insidership and Philosophical Discovery 3 Int.4 Philosophical Discovery and Resistance 6 Int.5 The Presumptuousness of a Claim to Philosophical Discovery 7 Int.6 Conceptual Analysis and the Communal Horizon 9 Int.7 The Personal Horizon 11 Int.8 Philosophical Anticipations of the Personal Horizon 13 Int.9 Two Types of Philosophical Puzzle 18 Int.10 The Extraphilosophical Puzzles 20 PART ONE: Dream THE MEANING OF THE DREAM HYPOTHESIS Chapter 1: The Dream Hypothesis and the Argument from Internality 27 1.1 Our Purpose in Raising the Dream Hypothesis 27 1.2 That the Dream/Reality Contrast Is Extrinsic to the Subject Matter of the Dream Hypothesis 28 1.3 The Argument from Internality 31 1.4 Dream and the Law of Excluded Middle 34 1.5 The Dream Hypothesis and Space 40 1.6 The Dream Hypothesis and Time 43 1.7 The Dream Hypothesis and the World 48 Chapter 2: The Dream Hypothesis: Identity and the First Person 53 2.1 A Puzzle about Identity 53 2.2 Representation and Identity 54 2.3 A Way out of the Puzzle 57 2.4 The Dream Hypothesis and the First-Person Singular 61 2.5 The Subject versus the Dreamer of a Dream; The Positional Conception of the Self 64 2.6 Emerging from a Dream and the First Person 68 Chapter 3: The Confusion of Standpoint 71 3.1 Dreams and the Infinity of Time 71 3.2 Time and the Confusion of Standpoint 74 3.3 Descartes and the Dream Hypothesis 76 3.4 Dream Skepticism versus Memory Skepticism 78 3.5 Real-Life Uncertainty about the Dream Hypothesis 80 Chapter 4: The Subject Matter of the Dream Hypothesis 84 4.1 Is the Argument from Internality Valid? 84 4.2 The Subject Matter of the Dream Hypothesis and Grammatical Illusion 86 4.3 Alternative Formulations of the Dream Hypothesis 88 4.4 Reality 91 4.5 What Is the Subject Matter of the Dream Hypothesis? 94 4.6 The Horizonal versus Phenomenal Conception of Mind 97 DREAM SKEPTICISM Chapter 5: The Dream Hypothesis and the Skeptical Challenge 101 5.1 The Skeptical Argument 101 5.2 The Usual Argument for Dream Skepticism; Immanent versus Transcendent Dream Skepticism 105 5.3 The Uniqueness of Transcendent Dream Skepticism 108 5.4 Dream Skepticism and the External World 110 5.5 Nozick on the Tank Hypothesis 113 Chapter 6: Responding to Dream Skepticism 119 6.1 Is the Dream Hypothesis a Pseudo Hypothesis? 119 6.2 Whether It Would Matter if THIS Were a Dream 122 6.3 The General Form of My Response to the Dream Hypothesis 126 6.4 I Am with Others: Metaphysical Equality and the Claim to Preeminence 128 6.5 The Commitment to (O) 131 6.6 Raising the Dream Hypothesis in Conversation: Forcing a Withdrawal to the First Person 134 6.7 Withdrawing to the First Person and the Horizonal Use of the First Person 136 6.8 Why It Is Rationally Impossible to Believe the Dream Hypothesis 138 6.9 The Space of Horizons 141 6.10 Other Minds 144 6.11 Skepticism and Solipsism 146 PART TWO: Death THE MEANING OF DEATH Chapter 7: I Will Die 153 7.1 Dream and Death; Discovering the Meaning of Death 153 7.2 Being Disturbed by the Prospect of Death 154 7.3 That the Prospect of Death Holds Up Something Not Just Awful but Incomprehensible; Death and Self-Deception 157 7.4 Reacting to the Prospect of Death: A Text 160 7.5 Philosophical Reflection and Real-Life Disturbance 165 Chapter 8: The Subject Matter and "Mineness" of My Death 168 8.1 The Prospect of Death 168 8.2 I Will Cease to Be 171 8.3 Death and the Stream of Mental States 173 8.4 The World and the Subject Matter of Death 177 8.5 The "Mineness" of My Death and the Horizonal Use of the First Person 181 DEATH AND SOLIPSISM Chapter 9: Solipsism 185 9.1 My Horizon and the Horizon 185 9.2 The Solipsism of Wittgenstein's Tractatus 188 9.3 Solipsism and Self-Consciousness 192 9.4 Kripke on the Solipsism of the Tractatus 195 9.5 Negativism 198 Chapter 10: Death and the Truth of Solipsism 201 10.1 Solipsism and My Life with Others 201 10.2 Relativized Solipsism 204 10.3 Solipsism and the Meaning of Death 206 10.4 Qualifying the NOTHINGNESS of Death 209 Chapter 11: The Awfulness and Incomprehensibility of Death 215 11.1 The Awfulness of Death 215 11.2 The Two Forms of the Impossibility of Death 219 11.3 The Temporal Impossibility of Death 220 11.4 Consciousness and Causation 222 11.5 The Solipsistic Impossibility of Death 227 11.6 The "Aloneness" of the Dying Subject 228 11.7 The Puzzles of Death and the Causation of Consciousness 232 PART THREE: The Self POSSIBILITY AND THE SELF Chapter 12: Imagination and the Cartesian Self 237 12.1 What Is "the Self"? 237 12.2 The Cartesian Argument 237 12.3 Imagination and Proof 240 12.4 Exhibiting Possibilities in Imagination 242 12.5 Imagination and Experiential Possibility 245 12.6 Experiential Possibilities and Possibilities of Essence 247 12.7 The Paralogism of Imagination 249 12.8 The Cartesian Reply 251 Chapter 13: Metaphysical Possibility and the Self 255 13.1 Metaphysical Possibility 255 13.2 Metaphysical Possibility and the Self 257 13.3 The Logic of the Self 259 13.4 Naturalizing the Self 261 THE POSITIONAL CONCEPTION OF THE SELF Chapter 14: Preliminary Reflections on the Positional Conception of the Self 264 14.1 Nagel's Puzzle about "Being Me" 264 14.2 Individual Essence: Frege on Our "Particular and Primitive" Mode of Self-Presentation 265 14.3 My Body and Me (the Human Being That I Am) 269 14.4 The Multiplicity of the Phenomenology of the Subject Position 271 14.5 The Standing/Operative Ambiguity 273 14.6 Causal Centrality 275 14.7 Causation and the Phenomenology of the Subject Position 279 14.8 Orientational Centrality 281 14.9 The Sense in Which the Positional and Horizonal Conceptions of the Self Are "Always in Play" 282 Chapter 15: The Phenomenology of the Subject Position 286 15.1 Perceptual Centrality: The Visual and Tactual Appearing of My Body 286 15.2 Perceptual Centrality: The Visual Appearing of Myself 290 15.3 Perceptual Centrality: Views of Myself 293 15.4 Centrality of Feeling: Figuring as the Space of Feeling 297 15.5 The Centrality of Feeling: The Sense in Which the Space of Feeling (My Body-Space) Is a "Space" 299 15.6 Centrality of Feeling: The Ontological Dependence of My Body-Space on My Body 304 15.7 Volitional Centrality: Acting/Will and the Phenomenology of the Subject Position 307 15.8 Volitional Centrality: The Phenomenology of Will 309 15.9 Volitional Centrality: The "Mineness" of My Actions 315 15.10 Volitional Centrality: Phenomenology and Causality 319 THE FIRST PERSON Chapter 16: The Uses of the First Person 321 16.1 Introduction 321 16.2 The Referential Use of the First Person 322 16.3 Reference and the Use of "I" as Subject/Object 324 16.4 "I Am Thinking ... /I See ..." 329 16.5 The Positional Use of the First Person 334 16.6 The Horizonal Use of the First Person 337 Chapter 17: What Makes First-Person Reference First Personal? 342 17.1 The Meaning of the Question We Are Asking 342 17.2 Following the Rule for the Use of "I" 343 17.3 Inner First-Person Reference 346 17.4 Attitudes de Se 351 17.5 First-Person Reference and the Positional Conception of the Self 354 17.6 The First Person and Emptiness at the Center 355 TIME AND THE SELF Chapter 18: Temporalizing the Self 359 18.1 Introduction 359 18.2 Tense and the Phenomenology of the Subject Position 360 18.3 The Tense Asymmetry in the Phenomenology of the Subject Position 364 18.4 Tense and the Horizonal Self 366 Chapter 19: The Problem of Personal Identity 370 19.1 The Special Philosophical Problem of Personal Identity: The Problem of First-Person Identity 370 19.2 Imagining Myself Persisting through a Change of Human Beings (Bodies) 373 19.3 Locke's View of Personal Identity 376 19.4 Persistence and the Horizon 380 19.5 Remembering; The Past-Self Ambiguity 382 19.6 Possibility, Personal Identity, and Naturalizing the Self 387 Chapter 20: Time and the Horizon 394 20.1 The Oneness of the Horizon 394 20.2 Skepticism about the Oneness over Time of My Horizon 397 20.3 Kant's Third Paralogism: The Self "in Time" and the Self That "Time Is In" 400 Chapter 21: My Past 408 21.1 The Availability in Memory of Past Events 408 21.2 The Argument from Pastness 410 21.3 Being Open to the Availability of the Past 413 21.4 Memory Images 417 21.5 Letting the Past Be Past 420 21.6 Moving from Inside to Outside the Sphere of Phenomenological Reflection 422 21.7 The Puzzle of Memory and the Puzzle of Experience 426 21.8 The Puzzle of Memory and the Problems of First-Person Identity 429 Chapter 22: My Future 432 22.1 My Future versus the Future 432 22.2 My Future and My Brain: Jumping over Death 434 22.3 Parfit on My Future Self 439 22.4 Nozick's "Closest Continuer" Theory 444 Chapter 23: My Future: The Puzzle of Division 450 23.1 Personal Identity and Possibility (Review) 450 23.2 The Possibility of Division 451 23.3 Parfit on Division 454 23.4 Other Responses to the Puzzle of Division: Nozick and Lewis 458 23.5 The Puzzle of Division and the Identity-Framework 463 23.6 Horizonal Doubling versus Splits within the Horizon 465 23.7 The Impossibility of Horizonal Doubling 468 23.8 The Unity of Consciousness 470 23.9 The Puzzle of Division 472 Chapter 24: Conclusion: The Extraphilosophical Puzzles 474 24.1 The Extra- versus Purely Philosophical Puzzles 474 24.2 The Puzzle of Division as an Extraphilosophical Puzzle 476 24.3 The Puzzle of Division and the Puzzle of the Causation of Consciousness 478 24.4 Our Causal Entrapment in the World 480 24.5 The Extraphilosophical Puzzles and the Horizonal Subject Matter 482 Bibliography 487 Index 491

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""What Jones has revealed is the fascinating combination of chaos and coherence laced through Berkeley’s life."---Alex Dean, Prospect Magazine"[Tom] Jones…presents Berkeley’s life through his voluminous writings, the views of his friends and family, and the opinions of those who encountered him and his writings. The result is a big book, packed with quotations from Berkeley’s works, excerpts from letters, records of journeys and activities , and details about Berkeley’s social an personal life and the people in it. Reading it requires stamina, but the rewards is a better acquaintance with a man who, as the subtitle of the book indicates, lived a life under the influence of his philosophy."---Janna Thompson, Australian Book Review"Tom Jones has written a superb biography about the mind of a reactionary, a powerful thinker whose curiosity about the world was shaped by his religious and political conservatism."---Sean Sheehan, Prisma"There is so much to like about Tom Jones’s George Berkeley: A Philosophical Life. This new biography is an impressive effort to unearth the whole man: Jones leaves no page unturned, no sermon unsummarized, no piece of Berkelean writing, however obscure, unrevisited. . . . this monumental work will likely remain the book on Berkeley for some time."---Costica Bradatan, Times Literary Supplement"Magisterial."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer"Jones’ book is a product of titanic labor and meets the highest standards of intellectual biography. Jones suggests new interpretations of some of Berkeley’s thoughts and notes, finds new biographical materials, and offers a comprehensive approach to the whole body of Berkeley’s thought."---Artem Besedin, Berkeley Studies"Jones’s biography could not have arrived at a better time, just as public debates on the active participation of Irish people in empire and the slave trade proliferate and intensify. . . . It is easy to “de-commemorate” a thinker . . . it is much more difficult to critically engage with their thought and to gauge their influence, all while remaining conscious of their shortcomings. In this, as in much else, Jones provides a model."---Adam Coleman, Dublin Review of Books"Scholars in early modern philosophy and intellectual history, and of course Berkeley scholars, will welcome the book."---Takaharu Oda, Eighteenth Century Ireland

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Bedeviled admirably insists on recording the plain history of science. It just so happens that the history of that most rational of human endeavors reads at times like a Gothic tale, one replete with evil geniuses, time travelers and uncanny intelligences lurking in reality’s obscure corners."---Jess Keiser, Washington Post"Thought-provoking and highly readable . . . A welcome contribution to the philosophy of scientific discovery that deserves further scholarly attention."---Jan G. Michel, Science"A brilliant, challenging overview of the myth-driven scientific endeavors that transform human understandings of the world." * Foreword Reviews *"The workings of powerful computers, the processes of evolution, the market forces that drive the global economy. To conceptualize such unseen forces, researchers have long invoked thought experiments involving demons, devils, golems or genies . . . Canales has given us a glimpse into this haunted realm."---Ramin Skibba, Nature"At the very same time that science was said to be demystifying the world, Canales shows us, scientists were populating it all over again with the demonic. . . . [Canales] links her demonology to what she calls 'the audacity of our imagination,' our ability to imagine what does not yet exist or seems as if it cannot be real."---Casey Cep, New Yorker"In this fascinating and informative book Canales treats the reader to a rich feast of scientific demons, tracing their histories and relevance from atomic and molecular physics to computer science and biology, including a chapter on demons in the global economy."---V. V. Raman, Choice"A welcome, in-depth historical investigation of the many functions that demons have played and continue to play in science and technology."---Rawad El Skaf, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Magee's writing always makes very easy reading."--Anthony Kenny, Standpoint "[Magee] writes with relaxed fluency."--Rowan Williams, New Statesman "[Bryan Magee] writes with grace and offers a thoughtful summation of human experience."--Library Journal "Living and dying in a world we accept we do not understand may not sound easy, but if Magee is any guide, the reward of doing so is endless and profound wonder."--Julian Baggini, Independent "Magee is refreshingly comfortable acknowledging the uncanniness of human experience, including the aesthetic as well as the ethical... His case for acknowledging the extent of what we do not know is a useful corrective to 'jolly hockey sticks' humanism as well as religious dogma."--Dolan Cummings, Spiked "[Ultimate Questions] is ... a deeply personal and elegant summary of [Magee's] own individual journey to and through profound philosophical questions."--ChoiceTable of Contents1 Time and Space 1 2 Finding Our Bearings 17 3 The Human Predicament 33 4 Can Experience Be Understood? 59 5 Where Such Ideas Come From 69 6 Personal Reflections 87 7 Our Predicament Summarized 105 Index 129

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year"

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Bedeviled admirably insists on recording the plain history of science. It just so happens that the history of that most rational of human endeavors reads at times like a Gothic tale, one replete with evil geniuses, time travelers and uncanny intelligences lurking in reality’s obscure corners."---Jess Keiser, Washington Post"Thought-provoking and highly readable . . . A welcome contribution to the philosophy of scientific discovery that deserves further scholarly attention."---Jan G. Michel, Science"A brilliant, challenging overview of the myth-driven scientific endeavors that transform human understandings of the world." * Foreword Reviews *"The workings of powerful computers, the processes of evolution, the market forces that drive the global economy. To conceptualize such unseen forces, researchers have long invoked thought experiments involving demons, devils, golems or genies . . . Canales has given us a glimpse into this haunted realm."---Ramin Skibba, Nature"At the very same time that science was said to be demystifying the world, Canales shows us, scientists were populating it all over again with the demonic. . . . [Canales] links her demonology to what she calls 'the audacity of our imagination,' our ability to imagine what does not yet exist or seems as if it cannot be real."---Casey Cep, New Yorker"In this fascinating and informative book Canales treats the reader to a rich feast of scientific demons, tracing their histories and relevance from atomic and molecular physics to computer science and biology, including a chapter on demons in the global economy."---V. V. Raman, Choice"A welcome, in-depth historical investigation of the many functions that demons have played and continue to play in science and technology."---Rawad El Skaf, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

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Book SynopsisFor centuries people have debated the nature of the human self. Running beneath these various arguments lie three certainties -- we are born, reproduce sexually, and die.Trade Review"...[T]his book is passionate and temperate, thoughtful and bold. It is also beautifully written and a pleasure to read." Esther Reed, Reviews in Religion and Theology "All of us were born; all of us will die; all of us are sexual. Beverley Clack's new book takes an intelligent and thought-provoking look at these basic human realities, showing how spiritual meaning and physical reality conjoin. It is a wide-ranging and carefully argued book that makes unexpected and imaginative connections. It is also a book of compassionate humanity." Grace M. Jantzen, University of Manchester "Western accounts of the best human life have usually pictured masculine reason and will as battling to transcend and escape from nature, sex and death, and have been marked by a weirdly negative attitude especially for the female reproductive apparatus. Beverley Clack rejects that whole tradition and instead sees the good life as growing out of an acceptance of the body, transience, sex and death. She boldly tackles, not just Augustine and Freud, but also Sade, head-on. This is a vigorous and enjoyable study, and (of course) she's right." Don Cupitt, Emmanuel College, Cambridge "This is an engaging and thoughtful piece of work, convincing in its own terms"Elizabeth Stuart, Theology "...it [the book] leads readers to engage philosophically with arguments that have the potential to change their fundamental attitudes" Stan van Hooft, Philosophy in ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction. Chapter 1: Transcending Mortality: Plato's Philosophy and Augustine's Theology. Chapter 2: Transcending the Void: Sex and Death in Sartre and Beauvoir's Existentialism. Chapter 3: Eros, Thanatos and the Human Self: Sigmund Freud. Chapter 4 : Sex and Death in a Meaningless Universe: The Marquis de Sade. . Chapter 5: Living in Accordance with Nature: Seneca. Conclusion: Sex, Death, and the Meaningful Life. Notes. References and Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Feyerabend was definitely one of the great thinkers of twentieth century philosophy."—Philosophy Now "Feyerabend famously quipped that the only rule of method is that anything goes. Philosophy of Nature sheds light on his transition from critical rationalist to epistemological anarchist. Ranging from Stonehenge and Homer to Bohr and Einstein, the book creatively explores the relations of mythological thought to philosophy and science."—Howard Sankey, University of Melbourne "In this book, we can see another side of this multi-faceted figure: Feyerabend as a historical philosopher of nature and as an analyst of the development of ancient Greek philosophy. This puts some of his apparently outrageous positions into perspective and reveals their sometimes quite sophisticated background."—Paul Hoyningen-Huene, Leibniz Universität HannoverTable of ContentsPaul Feyerabend, an Historical Philosopher of Nature vii Editorial Notes xxviii Paul Feyerabend: Philosophy of Nature 1 Preliminary Note 3 1. Presuppositions of Myths, and the Knowledge of their Inventors 5 1.1. Stone Age Art and Knowledge of Nature 9 1.2. Megalithic Astronomy (Stonehenge) 15 1.3. Critique of Primitivist Interpretations of the Prehistoric Era 22 1.4. The Dynamic Worldview of Stone Age Humans 26 2. The Structure and Function of Myths 34 2.1. Theories of Myth 36 2.2. The Theory of Nature Myths and Structuralism 46 3. Homer’s Aggregate Universe 50 3.1. The Paratactic World of Archaic Art 51 3.2. Worldview and Knowledge in Homer’s Epics 65 3.3. Views of Reality and the Language of Science: Some Basic Considerations 77 4. Transition to an Explicitly Conceptual Approach to Nature 87 4.1. The New World of the Philosophers: Advantages and Disadvantages 91 4.2. Historical Factors for the Emergence of Philosophy 96 4.3. Predecessors in Hesiod’s and Oriental Cosmogonies 104 5. Philosophy of Nature through Parmenides 113 5.1. Hesiod and Anaximander: Changing Worldviews 114 5.2. Xenophanes: Critic of Religion and Epistemologist 134 5.3. Parmenides: The Origins of Western Philosophy of Nature 147 6. Western Philosophy of Nature from Aristotle to Bohr 158 6.1. Aristotle’s Research Program 159 6.2. Descartes: The Mathematical Approach to Nature 169 6.3. Galileo, Bacon, Agrippa: Empiricism without Foundations 173 6.4. Hegel: The Dynamics of Concepts 185 6.5. Newton, Leibniz, Mach: Problems of Mechanism 192 6.6. Einstein, Bohr, Bohm: Signs of a New Era 197 7. Conclusion 205 Paul Feyerabend: Previously Unpublished Documents 209 Letter to Jack J. C. Smart, December 1963 211 Preparation (Request for a Sabbatical, 1977) 220 Report on 1980 Sabbatical 232 Bibliography 235 Index 250

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Book SynopsisIn this engaging and wide-ranging new book, Nikk Effingham provides an introduction to contemporary ontology - the study of what exists - and its importance for philosophy today.Trade Review"An exciting, well-written, fun introduction to contemporary ontology."Choice Magazine"This is a delightful introduction, both to various ontological topics and to the general aims and methods of ontology itself. Effingham writes with an informal style and a lightness of touch that makes even the more esoteric and technical issues come alive, and the book is an instructive joy to read."Helen Beebee, University of Manchester"Nikk Effingham has done a terrific job - he provides fine, clear introductions to a range of important debates, woven through with methodological reflections, whilst his chatty, engaging style conveys the sheer pleasure of becoming an ontologist."Katherine Hawley, University of St AndrewsTable of Contents Acknowledgements Preface Chapter One: The Basics Chapter Two: Methodology Chapter Three: Properties Chapter Four: Numbers Chapter Five: Possible Worlds Chapter Six: Space Chapter Seven: Time Chapter Eight: Mereology Chapter Nine: Material Constitution Chapter Ten: Works of Music Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWhen a doctor tells you there's a one percent chance that an operation will result in your death, or a scientist claims that his theory is probably true, what exactly does that mean? Understanding probability is clearly very important, if we are to make good theoretical and practical choices.Trade Review"This is a remarkable book in that, while using the absolute minimum of mathematics, it manages to explain all the main views in the philosophy of probability clearly and accurately. Indeed it covers some recent approaches on which active research is taking place at the moment." Donald Gillies, University College London "Easy and fun to read, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to a wide range of important theories and issues about the nature of probability." Timothy Williamson, University of OxfordTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Probability: A Two Faced Guide to Life? Chapter 2: The Classical Interpretation Chapter 3: The Logical Interpretation Chapter 4: The Subjective Interpretation Chapter 5: The Objective Bayesian Interpretation Chapter 6: Group Level Interpretations Chapter 7: The Frequency Interpretation Chapter 8: The Propensity Interpretation Chapter 9: Fallacies, Puzzles, and a Paradox Chapter 10: Interpreting Probability in the Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences Appendix A. The Axioms and Laws of Probability B. Bayes�s Theorem References

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Book SynopsisWhen a doctor tells you there's a one percent chance that an operation will result in your death, or a scientist claims that his theory is probably true, what exactly does that mean? Understanding probability is clearly very important, if we are to make good theoretical and practical choices.Trade Review"This is a remarkable book in that, while using the absolute minimum of mathematics, it manages to explain all the main views in the philosophy of probability clearly and accurately. Indeed it covers some recent approaches on which active research is taking place at the moment." Donald Gillies, University College London "Easy and fun to read, this book is a thought-provoking introduction to a wide range of important theories and issues about the nature of probability." Timothy Williamson, University of OxfordTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Probability: A Two Faced Guide to Life? Chapter 2: The Classical Interpretation Chapter 3: The Logical Interpretation Chapter 4: The Subjective Interpretation Chapter 5: The Objective Bayesian Interpretation Chapter 6: Group Level Interpretations Chapter 7: The Frequency Interpretation Chapter 8: The Propensity Interpretation Chapter 9: Fallacies, Puzzles, and a Paradox Chapter 10: Interpreting Probability in the Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences Appendix A. The Axioms and Laws of Probability B. Bayes�s Theorem References

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