Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPaul Ricoeur (1913-2005) was one of the outstanding French philosophers of the 20th century and his work is widely read in the English-speaking world. This unique volume comprises the lectures that Ricoeur gave on Plato and Aristotle at the University of Strasbourg in 1953-54.Table of ContentsEditor’s IntroductionThe Goal and Plan of the CourseI. PlatoPart I: “True Being” or the IdeaIntroduction to Plato, Part IChapter 1 The Meaning of the Platonic “Eidos”Chapter 2 Essence and LanguageChapter 3 Science and EssenceI. “Opinion” as the Negative of ScienceChapter 4 Science and EssenceII. Right Opinion as “Intermediary”Chapter 5 Science and EssenceIII. The Mathematical “Intermediary”Chapter 6 Science and Essence (Conclusion)IV. The “Terminus” of Science: ContemplationPart II: The Idea of Being and Non-BeingIntroduction to Plato, Part IIChapter 1 The Question of Being in the ParmenidesChapter 2 The Success and Failures of Platonism in the SophistChapter 3 The Genesis of the Sensible in the TimaeusPart III: Being and the “Divine”Introduction to Plato, Part IIIChapter 1 The Problem of the “Divine” and pre-Socratic PhilosophyChapter 2 The “Divine” in PlatoII. AristotleIntroduction to AristotlePart I: Being as BeingChapter 1 The “Genetic” Interpretation of Aristotle’s MetaphysicsChapter 2 Philosophy: Its Intention and Its MemoryChapter 3 Philosophy and Its “Aporias”Chapter 4 The Object of “First Philosophy”Part II: Being and SubstanceIntroduction to Aristotle, Part IIChapter 1 Sensible Substance: Substance as SubstrateChapter 2 Sensible Substance (continued): Substance as FormChapter 3 Substance and the IndividualChapter 4 “Separated” Substance

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrench Huguenots were colonial New York City's most successful artisans, turning out unrivaled works of furniture that were distinguished by unique designs and arcane details.Trade ReviewWell-researched tome that is 'the story of a subterranean culture on the move, its membership fragmented by chronic warfare, exclusion, and political instability and actively in search of new modes of security.' Maine Antique Digest 2005 Imaginative and innovative treatment of the French Reformation. Renaissance Quarterly 2006 This lavish volume presents a wide-ranging and complex reading of its rather amorphous subject. -- Carla Gardina Pestana Journal of American History 2006 Fortress of the Soul demands deep respect from its readers... quite evidently the product of decades of scholarly labor. -- Glenn Adamson Studies in the Decorative Arts 2007 Ambitious in its goals, complex in its interpretation and methodology, and groundbreaking in its approach. -- Gayle K. Brunelle Itinerario: European Journal of Overseas History 2006 Fortress of the Soul... opens up prospects for new directions in early American scholarship. -- Mark A. Peterson William and Mary Quarterly 2007 Throughout, the Fortress of the Soul displays considerable erudition and substantial energy. -- Raymond A. Mentzer Sixteenth Century Journal 2007 It is clear that this study will be a landmark study, a monument in the intellectual and material history of the early modern Atlantic world. -- John L. Brooke Winterthur Portfolio 2007 Kamil's innovative historical monograph richly deserves to be described as interdisciplinary. Journal of Interdisciplinary History 2007 A monumental work on a number of levels. -- Mary Henninger-Voss Technology and Culture 2007 A brilliant, controversial book, full of fireworks, some real Huguenot rockets, and some metaphysical damp squibs. -- Mark Greengrass Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of Great Britain & Ireland 2006Table of ContentsList of Figures and MapsPrefaceIntroductionPart I: The Art of the EarthChapter 1. A Risky Gift: The Entrance of Charles IX into La Rochelle in 1565Chapter 2. Palissy's Fortress: The Construction of Artisanal SecurityChapter 3. Personal History and "Spiritual Honor": Philibert Hamelin's Consideration of Straight Lines and the Rehabilitation of the Nicodemite as Huguenot Artisan of SecurityChapter 4. War and Sûreté: The Context of Artisanal Enthusiasm in Aunis-SaintongeChapter 5. Scenes of Reading: Rustic Artisans and the Diffusion of Paracelsian Discourses to New WorldsChapter 6. American Rustic Scenes: Bernard Palissy, John Winthrop the Younger, and Benjamin FranklinChapter 7. The River and Nebuchadnezzar's Dream: War, Separation, "the Sound," and the Materiality of TimeChapter 8. The Art of the EarthPart II: The Fragmentation of the BodyChapter 9. "In Patientia Sauvitas," or, The Invisible Fortress DepartsChapter 10. Being "at the Île of Rue": Science, Secrecy, and Security at the Siege of La Rochelle, 1627–1635Chapter 11. The Geography of "Your Native Country": Relocation of Spatial Identity to the New World, 1628–1787Chapter 12. La Rochelle's Transatlantic Body: The Commons Debates of 1628Chapter 13. "Fraudulent father-Frenchmen": The Huguenot Counterfeit and the Threat to England's Internal SecurityChapter 14. "The destruction that wasteth at noonday": Hogarth's Hog Lane and the Huguenot Fortress of MemoryPart III: The Secrets of the CraftChapter 15. Hidden in Plain Sight: Disappearance and Material Life in Colonial New YorkChapter 16. Fragments of Huguenot-Quaker Convergence in New York: Little Histories (Avignon, France, 1601–1602; Flushing, Long Island, 1657–1726)Chapter 17. Reflections on a Three-Legged Chair: Sundials, "Family Pieces," and Political Culture in Pre-Revolutionary New YorkNotesIndex

Read more less

Book SynopsisExamines the two main insights that govern Claude Bruaire's ontology of gift (ontodology). First, gift is being in its spiritual way of being. Second, being itself (ipsum esse) is gift only because the fullness proper to pure act is first of all an absolutely free donation in itself and to itself before being donation to another (creation).

Read more less

Book Synopsis2012 New York Times Top 10 Book of the Year Slate.com 2012 Staff Pick In this astonishing and profound work, an irreverent sleuth traces the riddle of existence from the ancient world to modern times.Trade Review"If Jim Holt's deft and consuming Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story has anything to tell us, it's that such a comment is less about literary riffing than deep philosophy." -- David Ulin - Los Angeles Times"There could have been nothing. It might have been easier. Instead there is something. The universe exists, and we are here to ask about it. Why? In Why Does the World Exist?, Jim Holt, an elegant and witty writer comfortably at home in the problem’s weird interzone between philosophy and scientific cosmology, sets out in search of such answers. ...There is no way to do justice to any of these theories in a brief review, but Holt traces the reasoning behind each one with care and clarity—such clarity that each idea seems resoundingly sensible even as it turns one’s brain to a soup of incredulity.... I can imagine few more enjoyable ways of thinking than to read this book." -- Sarah Bakewell - New York Times Book Review, Front page review"Winding its way to no reassuringly tidy conclusion, this narrative ultimately humanizes the huge metaphysical questions Holt confronts, endowing them with real-life significance. A potent synthesis of philosophy and autobiography." -- Booklist, Starred Review"The pleasure of this book is watching the match: the staggeringly inventive human mind slamming its fantastic conjectures over the net, the universe coolly returning every serve.... Holt traffics in wonder, a word whose dual meanings—the absence of answers; the experience of awe—strike me as profoundly related. His book is not utilitarian. You can’t profit from it, at least not in the narrow sense.... And yet it does what real science writing should: It helps us feel the fullness of the problem." -- Kathryn Schulz - New York Magazine"A guided tour of ideas, theories and arguments about the origins of the universe…. Through discussions with philosophers of religion and science, humanists, biologists, string theorists, as well as research into the scholarship of days past—from Heidegger, Parmenides, Pythagoras and others—and an interview with John Updike, Holt provides a master's-level course on the theories and their detractors. The interludes find the author positioning himself as an existential gumshoe, but also working through the sudden loss of a pet and, later, the death of his mother. Holt may not answer the question of his title, but his book deepens the appreciation of the mystery." -- Kirkus Reviews"It’s the mystery William James called “the darkest in all philosophy”: “[W]hy is there something rather than nothing?” For Jim Holt, it is a question that may never find an answer, but one endlessly worth asking. In this highly engaging book, Holt visits great thinkers in mathematics, quantum physics, artificial intelligence, theology, philosophy, and literature. These conversations don’t lead him toward any conclusion, but they make for a lively, thoughtful read, whether your worldview tends toward Spinoza (in which “reality is a self-sustaining causal loop: the world creates us, and we in turn create the world”) or like Stephen Hawking, still searching for the final theory of everything." -- Kate Tuttle - Boston Globe"He [Jim Holt] leaves us with the question Stephen Hawking once asked but couldn't answer, ‘Why does the universe go through all the bother of existing?’" -- Ron Rosenbaum - Slate"In Why Does the World Exist? Mr. Holt picks up this question about being versus nothingness and runs quite a long and stylish way with it. He combines his raffish erudition with accounts of traveling to tap the minds of cosmologists, theologians, particle physicists, philosophers, mystics and others." -- Dwight Garner - New York Times"… an eclectic mix of theology, cutting-edge science (of the cosmological and particle-physics variety) and extremely abstract philosophising, rendered (mostly) accessible by Mr. Holt’s facility with analogies and clear, witty language." -- The Economist"I’ve [read] Why Does the World Exist? by Jim Holt to get my existential buzz." -- Bruce Springsteen"A reminder that the quest for foundational truths is not only a supremely human activity but also one that brings us, if not absolute truth (which may be unknowable), at least better and better approximations of the truth… A gifted essayist and critic… Holt intersperses his intellectual investigation with brief but revealing glimpses of his own life, including the death of his mother, when existential musings on the nature of being seem anything but abstract." -- Jay Tolson - The American Scholar"[Holt] is a spirited interlocutor and a deft explainer, patiently making sense of subjects ranging from Platonism to quantum mechanics, while nonetheless marveling at their seemingly fantastical nature… This cheerful persistence—combined with anecdotes celebrating the thrills of travel, good food, and drink—helps to sweeten what is, finally, a somber vision, in which reality may take the form of ‘infinite mediocrity’ and ‘the life of the universe, like each of our lives, may be a mere interlude between two nothings.’" -- New Yorker"The author takes on the origin of everything in this wonderfully ambitious book encompassing mathematics, theology, physics, ethics and more." -- Michael S. Roth - The Washington Post"Jim Holt’s Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story is a portrait gallery of leading modern philosophers…. Their answers give us vivid glimpses of the speakers… Holt’s philosophers belong to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries… When and why did philosophy lose its bite? How did it become a toothless relic of past glories? These are the ugly questions that Jim Holt’s book compels us to ask." -- Freeman Dyson - New York Review of Books

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisMetaphysics and Epistemology: A Guided Anthology presents a comprehensive introductory overview of key themes, thinkers, and texts in metaphysics and epistemology. Presents a wide-ranging collection of carefully excerpted readings on metaphysics and epistemology Blends classic and contemporary works to reveal the historical development and present directions in the fields of metaphysics and epistemology Provides succinct, insightful commentaryto introduce the essence of eachselection at the beginning of chapters which also serve to inter-link the selected writings Table of ContentsSource Acknowledgments x Preface and Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii Part I The Philosophical Image 1 1 Life and the Search for Philosophical Knowledge 3 Plato, Republic 2 Philosophical Questioning 14 Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy 3 Philosophy and Fundamental Images 20 Wilfrid Sellars, “Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man” 4 Philosophy as the Analyzing of Key Concepts 27 P.F. Strawson, Analysis and Metaphysics 5 Philosophy as Explaining Underlying Possibilities 33 Robert Nozick, Philosophical Explanations Part II Metaphysics: Philosophical Images of Being 41 How Is the World at all Physical? 43 6 How Real Are Physical Objects? 43 Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy 7 Are Physical Objects Never Quite as They Appear To Be? 48 John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding 8 Are Physical Objects Really Only Objects of Thought? 54 George Berkeley, The Principles of Human Knowledge 9 Is Even the Mind Physical? 60 D.M. Armstrong, “The Causal Theory of the Mind” 10 Is the Physical World All There Is? 66 Frank Jackson, “Epiphenomenal Qualia” How Does the World Function? 74 11 Is Causation Only a Kind of Regularity? 74 David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding 12 Is Causation Something Singular and Unanalyzable? 81 G.E.M. Anscombe, “Causation and Determination” How Do Things Ever Have Qualities? 88 13 How Can Individual Things Have Repeatable Qualities? 88 Plato, Parmenides 14 How Can Individual Things Not Have Repeatable Qualities? 95 D.M. Armstrong, Nominalism and Realism How Are There Any Truths? 102 15 Do Facts Make True Whatever Is True? 102 Bertrand Russell, “The Philosophy of Logical Atomism” 16 Are There Social Facts? 107 John Searle, Mind, Language and Society 17 Is There Only Personally Decided Truth? 114 Plato, Theaetetus How Is There a World At All? 120 18 Has the World Been Designed by God? 120 David Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion 19 Is God’s Existence Knowable Purely Conceptually? 131 St. Anselm, Proslogion 20 Has This World Been Actualized by God from Among All Possible Worlds? 145 G.W. Leibniz, Monadology 21 Does This World Exist Because It Has Value Independently of God? 149 Nicholas Rescher, Nature and Understanding 22 Can Something Have Value in Itself? 158 Plato, Euthyphro How Are Persons Persons? 161 23 Is Each Person a Union of Mind and Body? 161 René Descartes, “Meditation VI” 24 Is Self-Consciousness what Constitutes a Person? 164 John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding 25 How Strictly Does Self-Consciousness Constitute a Person? 170 Roderick M. Chisholm, “Identity through Time” 26 Are Persons Constituted with Strict Identity At All? 177 Derek Parfit, Reasons and Persons 27 Are We Animals? 187 Eric T. Olson, “An Argument for Animalism” How Do People Ever Have Free Will and Moral Responsibility? 196 28 Is There No Possibility of Acting Differently To How One Will in Fact Act? 196 Aristotle, De Interpretatione 29 Could Our Being Entirely Caused Coexist with Our Acting Freely? 200 David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding 30 Would Being Entirely Caused Undermine Our Personally Constitutive Emotions? 206 P.F. Strawson, “Freedom and Resentment” 31 Is a Person Morally Responsible Only for Actions Performed Freely? 213 Harry G. Frankfurt, “Alternate Possibilities and Moral Responsibility” 32 Is Moral Responsibility for a Good Action Different to Moral Responsibility for a Bad Action? 218 Susan Wolf, “Asymmetrical Freedom” How Could a Person Be Harmed by Being Dead? 224 33 Is It Impossible To Be Harmed by Being Dead? 224 Epicurus, “Letter to Menoeceus” 34 Is It Impossible To Be Harmed by Being Dead at a Particular Time? 226 Lucretius, De Rerum Natura 35 Would Immortality Be Humanly Possible and Desirable? 229 Bernard Williams, “The Makropulos Case: Reflections on the Tedium of Immortality” 36 Can a Person be Deprived of Benefits by Being Dead? 236 Fred Feldman, Confrontations with the Reaper Further Readings for Part II 240 Part III Epistemology: Philosophical Images of Knowing 245 Can We Understand What It Is to Know? 247 37 Is Knowledge a Supported True Belief? 247 Plato, Meno 38 When Should a Belief be Supported by Evidence? 251 W.K. Clifford, “The Ethics of Belief ” 39 Is Knowledge a Kind of Objective Certainty? 256 A.J. Ayer, The Problem of Knowledge 40 Are All Fallibly Supported True Beliefs Instances of Knowledge? 260 Edmund L. Gettier, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” 41 Must a True Belief Arise Aptly, if it is to be Knowledge? 264 Alvin I. Goldman, “A Causal Theory of Knowing” 42 Must a True Belief Arise Reliably, if it is to be Knowledge? 268 Alvin I. Goldman, “Discrimination and Perceptual Knowledge” 43 Where is the Value in Knowing? 273 Catherine Z. Elgin, “The Epistemic Efficacy of Stupidity” 44 Is Knowledge Always a Virtuously Derived True Belief? 279 Linda Trinkaus Zagzebski, Virtues of the Mind Can We Ever Know Just through Observation? 287 45 Is All Knowledge Ultimately Observational? 287 David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding 46 Is There a Problem of Not Knowing that One Is Not Dreaming? 292 René Descartes, “Meditation I” 47 What Is It Really to be Seeing Something? 295 David Lewis, “Veridical Hallucination and Prosthetic Vision” 48 Is There a Possibility of Being a Mere and Unknowing Brain in a Vat? 302 Hilary Putnam, Reason, Truth and History 49 Is It Possible to Observe Directly the Objective World? 311 John McDowell, “The Disjunctive Conception of Experience as Material for a Transcendental Argument” Can We Ever Know Innately? 317 50 Is It Possible to Know Innately Some Geometrical or Mathematical Truths? 317 Plato, Meno 51 Is There No Innate Knowledge At All? 325 John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Can We Ever Know Just through Reflection? 335 52 Is All Knowledge Ultimately Reflective? 335 René Descartes, Discourse on Method 53 Can Reflective Knowledge Be Substantive and Informative? 340 Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason 54 Is All Apparently Reflective Knowledge Ultimately Observational? 349 John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic 55 Is Scientific Reflection Our Best Model for Understanding Reflection? 355 C.S. Peirce, “Some Consequences of Four Incapacities” and “How To Make Our Ideas Clear” 56 Are Some Necessities Known through Observation, Not Reflection? 363 Saul A. Kripke, Naming and Necessity Can We Know in Other Fundamental Ways? 369 57 Is Knowing-How a Distinct Way of Knowing? 369 Gilbert Ryle, “Knowing How and Knowing That” 58 Is Knowing One’s Intention-in-Action a Distinct Way of Knowing? 376 G.E.M. Anscombe, Intention 59 Is Knowing via What Others Say or Write a Distinct Way of Knowing? 383 Jennifer Lackey, “Knowing from Testimony” 60 Is Knowing through Memory a Distinct Way of Knowing? 391 Bertrand Russell, The Analysis of Mind Can We Fundamentally Fail Ever To Know? 399 61 Are None of our Beliefs More Justifiable than Others? 399 Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism 62 Are None of Our Beliefs Immune from Doubt? 407 René Descartes, “Meditation I” 63 Are We Unable Ever To Extrapolate Justifiedly Beyond Our Observations? 410 David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding Can Skeptical Arguments Be Escaped? 417 64 Can We Know at Least Our Conscious Mental Lives? 417 René Descartes, “Meditation II” 65 Can We Know Some Fundamental Principles by Common Sense? 422 Thomas Reid, Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man 66 Do We Know a Lot, but Always Fallibly? 434 Karl R. Popper, “On the Sources of Knowledge and of Ignorance” 67 Is It Possible to have Knowledge even when Not Knowing that One Is Not a Brain in a Vat? 444 Robert Nozick, Philosophical Explanations Further Readings for Part III 452

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Philosophy of Death Reader presents a collection of classic readings from across the centuries and the continents. Organised around central metaphysical questions from whether soul is immortal to what can experience death, it brings together pivotal readings from ancient, modern and contemporary philosophers. The twenty-four readings require no background in philosophy. Featuring writings from Vedanta, the ancient Greeks, the Buddhist tradition, Christian eschatology, and recent analytic philosophy, they flow thematically and cover:- Key metaphysical topics including immortality, rebirth and the after- Scientific perspectives on biology and the brain- Axiological questions surrounding old age, the soul and how to live with mortality Accompanied throughout by editor's notes, introductory material, and discussion questions, this cross-cultural reader draws themes together, encourages further study and introduces a broad range of philosophical thinking about death.Trade ReviewThis new multicultural collection covers all the major themes in the philosophy of death from classical antiquity to the contemporary period. The readings are wisely chosen, and the volume is intelligently laid out with clear and helpful contextual introductions to each section and selection. Highly recommended for individual readers and classroom assignment. * Levon Chorbajian, Professor of Sociology, University of Massachusetts, USA *This is an excellent collection of primary source material on key topics in the philosophy of death, such as the nature of post-death existence and the (un)desirability of immortality. The selections, which represent ancient and contemporary thinkers from primarily Western and Indian philosophical traditions, are thoughtfully organized and given helpful and accessible introductions and annotations by the editor. This book is very well-suited for undergraduate courses in the philosophy of death, as it skillfully presents thought-provoking debates carried on across the centuries and invites students to join. * Mark Berkson, Professor of Religion, Hamline University, USA *A timely and wide-ranging collection that covers the classic discussions through to the contemporary on a theme that we might well like to ignore, but cannot: the facts of own mortality. The introductions to each section helpfully position the papers. A must-read for every student of death. * Beverley Clack, Professor in the Philosophy of Religion, Oxford Brookes University, UK *Table of ContentsPreface: What This Book Is (Not) About Acknowledgements General Introduction: What Is the Meaning of “Life”? For Discussion or Essays Further Readings on Brains, Death, and “Consciousness” Part I: Our Immortal Souls Introduction to Part One: Personal Survival and Immortality 1. The Soul Will Not Fade Away (from Phaedo, c. 360 BC) Plato 2. Letter to Menoeceus (third century BC) Epicurus 3. Ten Reasons for Believing in Immortality (1929) John Haynes Holmes 4. Next Stop Goofville (1929) Clarence Darrow 5. Death, Nothingness, and Subjectivity (1994) Thomas W. Clark For Discussion or Essays Further Readings on Personal Survival and Immortality Part II: Rebirth Introduction to Part Two: Survival in a Different Body 6. The Katha Upanishad: Death as a Teacher (fifth cen. B.C.) Anonymous 7. The Questions of King Milinda (first cen. AD?) Anonymous 8. The World Outlook of the People (14th cen.) Madhava Acharya 9. Nirodha, the Cessation of Dukkha (1959) Walpola Rahula For Discussion or Essays Further Readings on Rebirth Part III: Resurrection and the Afterlife Introduction to Part Three: Resurrection and the Afterlife 10. Resurrection of the Same Body (13th century) Aquinas, Thomas 11. Of a Particular Providence and of a Future State (1739-40) David Hume 12. The Soul Survives and Functions after Death (1973) H.H. Price 13. Persons and the Metaphysics of Resurrection (2007) Lynne Rudder Baker For Discussion or Essays Further Readings on Resurrection and the Afterlife Part IV: Problems with Immortality Introduction to Part Four 14. On Mortality and the Soul (c. 50 B.C.) Lucretius 15. The Hunger of Immortality (1913) Miguel de Unamuno 16. The Makropulos Case: Reflections on the Tedium of Immortality (1972) Bernard Williams 17. Immortality without Boredom (2009) Lisa Bortolotti and Yujin Nagasawa 18. Death and Eternal Recurrence (2013) Lars Bergström For Discussion or Essays Further Readings on Problems with Immortality and the Eternal Return Part V: Living with Mortality Introduction to Part Five: Living with Mortality 19. “Supreme Happiness” (Fourth cen. B.C.) Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi) 20. Death (1986) Thomas Nagel 21. The Collective Afterlife (2013) Samuel Scheffler 22. The Significance of Doomsday (2013) Susan Wolf 23. Death, Failure, and Neoliberal Ideology (2016) Beverley Clack For Discussion or Essays Further Readings on Living with Mortality Readings that appear in this book Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisTaking into account significant developments in the metaphysical thinking of E. J. Lowe over the past 20 years, More Kinds of Being: A Further Study of Individuation, Identity, and the Logic of Sortal Terms presents a thorough reworking and expansion of the 1989 edition of Kinds of Being. Brings many of the original ideas and arguments put forth in Kinds of Being thoroughly up to date in light of new developments Features a thorough reworking and expansion of the earlier work, rather than just a new edition Reflects the author''s conversion to what he calls ''the four-category ontology,'' a metaphysical system that takes its inspiration from Aristotle Provides a unified discussion of individuation and identity that should prove to be essential reading for philosophers working in metaphysics. Trade Review"The two issues I have raised only serve to highlight the originality of Lowe's work. More Kinds of Beingis a remarkable book. It sets the stage for numerous debates in metaphysics, philosophical logic, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind that are sure to continue much longer than another two decades." (Mind, 1 January 2013) "Throughout, one finds the usual clarity, thoroughness, and systematic thinking that are a mark of all of Lowe's ever expanding and remarkable corpus. This book should be in every college and university library." (CHOICE, July 2010) "More Kinds of Being is densely and masterfully argued, written with great clarity, and makes a number of important original contributions to the field. It is certainly essential reading for anyone interested in contemporary analytical metaphysics. This is a metaphysical study of lasting value and significance." (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, August 12, 2010)Table of ContentsPreface* vii Acknowledgements xi 1 Introduction 1 The Varieties of 'Is' 3 Individuals, Kinds, and Realism 4 Semantics, Metaphysics, and Necessity 6 New Developments* 8 2 Sortal Terms and Criteria of Identity 12 3 Individuals, Sorts, and Instantiation 29 4 Number, Unity, and Individuality* 42 5 The Absoluteness of Identity: A Defence 57 Appendix: Some Formal Principles and Arguments 72 6 Identity and Constitution 77 7 Parts and Wholes 92 8 Persons and Their Bodies 104 Matter and Organisms 104 Organisms and Persons 113 Is There a Criterion of Personal Identity? 125 9 Sortal Terms and Natural Laws 141 10 Plural Quantification and Sortal Reference* 164 11 Laws, Dispositions, and Sortal Logic 179 Appendix: An Axiomatic System of Sortal Logic 194 12 What Sorts of Things Are There?* 198 The Syntax and Semantics of Complex Sortal Terms 198 On the Identity of Sorts 212 Bibliography* 217 Index 223

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe message of modern physics is that physical reality has, at its frontiers, all the aspects of a transcendent order. At the foundation of things, elementary particles can exert instantaneous long-distance influences on each other, can be meaningfully said to have mind-like properties, and can exist in states which are, as Heisenberg wrote, "not quite real, but between the idea of a thing and a real thing." Thus, just as dead atoms form living organisms and stupid molecules form intelligent brains, metaphysical entities form physical reality. This remarkable book clearly explains the concepts of quantum physics in order to show how science and spirituality are not separate.Trade Review"Schäfer's book . . . aims to show how some traditional religious and philosophical notions can be understood or redefined in terms of modern science. . . . One of the clearest introductory explanations of quantum mechanics on the market." —Quentin Smith, co-author of Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology"A clear and fascinating account of why the ideas of modern physics lead [Schäfer] to a transcendent view of the nature of reality." —Sir John Polkinghorne, president emeritus and Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge University"Lothar Schäfer's . . . claim that modern physics provides persuasive evidence of a universe permeated by mind is both challenging and vigorously argued." —John Brooke, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion, Oxford University"In Search of Divine Reality . . . brings in elements of information and discussion that are extremely valuable and not easily found in other books." —Bernard d'Espagnat, professor emeritus of physics, University of Paris

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisFirst published in 1927, this text explores the relationship between dreams, time, and reality. It shows how a scientific experiment probes the nature of time and the barrier dividing past and future, and offers a scientific argument for human immortality.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhilosopher-logican, Gottlob Frege's (1848-1924) work has recieved much attention. In his goal to solidify the foundations of mathematics and scientific work, Frege concieved a comprehensive philosophy of language and developed the main thesis of logicism, that mathematics is reducible to logic. This volume contains essays covering a range of issues related to Frege and his work. It discusses topics either in a Fregean spirit or in a dialogue with Frege's original views. Key papers concern the ontological status of propositions and concepts, attempts to improve on the semantics of singular terms, the question of how to construe the content of concept-expressions and other themes within the common ground in which ontology and philosophical semantics intersect.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis study analyses the fifty year evolution of Ervin Laszlo's contribution to science and philosophy. It records the major turning points in his thinking and discusses who and what influenced this evolution and with what result. Laszlo's search for answers to questions such as man's relationship to nature and the cosmos, and the nature of underlying factors of evolution which connect all things were not satisfied by working only on the basis of the General Evolutionary Systems Theory. Wittgenstein said "In every serious philosophical question uncertainty extends to the very roots of the problem. We must always be prepared to learn something totally new." Laszlo did discover something entirely new -- the theory of the information field -- after immersing himself in a range of areas of study such as cosmology, consciousness studies, quantum physics, metaphysics and various Eastern traditions. The integration of his earlier works with his more recent studies lies behind his explanation of the existence of the Akashic Field. The Akashic Field is a term that refers to an interactive universe communicating in a subtle manner, which connects everything with every other thing everywhere. This is a pure information field where communication takes place without the need for the transportation of physical energy; thus interaction can occur instantaneously regardless of distance and time. Coherence and consciousness are the bases of Laszlo's Akashic field. He proposed a 'system theoretic paradigm', which focuses on a general understanding of the cosmos and the implications for entities such as human beings. This entails the observation and explanation of human and cosmic evolution as viewed in unity or inter-connectedness where macro and micro are essentially interlinked. Laszlo's philosophical work extends to sociology when describing concurrent worldwide issues closely related to the existence of the Akashic Field. His humanist ideals are evidenced by his efforts to help humans understand the context and causes for their recent challenges and the possibilities that may lie ahead. Ervin Laszlo's half-century of exceptional philosophical work gives us the most coherent picture of the nature of the world to date.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe refer to time constantly and we measure its passing – but do we know what it actually is? In What Is Time?, Truls Wyller enquires into time’s complex nature, juxtaposing the latest scientific theories with our personal experience of chronology. The book examines the notion of time in physics, history, religion, anthropology, philosophy and literature, and Wyller concludes by proposing his own theory of time: that the temporal character of any series of events is essentially practical, and derived from human life. Written from a philosophical perspective, the book gives an accessible, rounded portrait of the nature of time, and is essential reading for those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the motion of our everyday existence.Trade Review"Wyller wades back into the thicket with What Is Time? An Enquiry, published in Norway in 2011 and now available in English translation. . . . The question remains a conundrum to the unaided intellect and too big for any one discipline to monopolize it. Wyller, a professor emeritus of philosophy and religious studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, naturally gives a tip of the hat to Augustine, though the majority of his references are to scientists, philosophers, and the occasional literary figure from the last two or three centuries. . . . A graceful overview." -- Scott McLemee * Inside Higher Ed *"There are few things that are as integral to the human experience as time. But how can we understand time itself? Wyller ventures to answer this question by looking at philosophy, science, religion, literature, and human psychology. It is clear that time can be defined in spectacularly different ways, from the most rigorous (time as the fourth dimension in Einstein’s general theory of relativity) to the most abstract (time as a literary construct in the retelling of a story). Interestingly, the author uses the concept of ‘now’ to demonstrate the relational nature of time to humans, which, in a very real way, sets human and scientific time apart." * Nature Astronomy *“With this erudite yet very accessible book, Wyller tackles the most central question in the study of time: How do we reconcile the time of physics with time as we experience it? His answer—drawing on history, philosophy, science, and literature—is that time is constituted by consciousness itself. Delightful, synoptic, and laudably interdisciplinary.” -- Adrian Bardon, Wake Forest University, author of “A Brief History of the Philosophy of Time”Table of ContentsIntroduction: Which Time? 1 The Clock and its Past: On Traditional and Modern Time Conceptions 2 Physics Time: Einstein 3 Philosophy's Time: Bergson, Husserl, Heidegger 4 Recurrence Time in Life, Religion, History and Literature 5 Is There Any Time out There? 6 The Human Now References Further Reading Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWill our universe continue to expand 100 billion years from now? Does human life and all intelligence inevitably come to an end as the universe evolves? Could our present space be converted catastrophically in to a new kind of space governed by different physical laws? Can we construct a theology of the future universe? Would the continuation of the universe for eternity be a good thing? The Far-Future Universe presents eighteen provocative essays offering speculations on various scenarios for the future, from the perspectives of cosmology, physics, biology, humanity and theology. Other contributors consider global time, artificial intelligence, religious ideas about the end of the world, and the nature of existence. Stimulating, challenging and exciting, these visions of the far future are a starting point for further reflection and speculation.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisA distinguished Platonic scholar discusses the impact of the Greek discovery of the ""cosmos"" on man's perception of his place in the universe, describes the problems this posed, and interprets Plato's response to this discovery.Starting with the Presocratics, Vlastos describes the intellectual revolution that began with the cosmogonies of Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes in the sixth century B.C. and culminated a century later in the atomist system of Leucippus and Democritus. What united these men was that for all of them nature remained the inviolate, all-inclusive principle of explanation, precluding any appeal to a supernatural cause or ordering agency.In a detailed analysis of the astronomical and physical theories of the Timaeus, Vlastos demonstrates Plato's role in the reception and transmission of the discovery of the new conception of the universe. Plato gives us the chance to see that movement from a unique perspective: that of a fierce opponent of the revolution who was determined to wrest from its brilliant discovery, annex its cosmos, and redesign it on the pattern of his own idealistic and theistic metaphysics.This book is a reprint of the edition published in 1975 by the University of Washington Press. It includes a new Introduction by Luc Brisson.Trade ReviewPresented by a brilliant modern philosopher who has lived with Plato’s work, this beautifully written account ought to be read by every educated person"". - Choice Reviews

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis translation is the result of a collaboration between Arnold Hermann and Dr. Sylvana Chrysakopoulou. Heeding the challenge of balancing intelligibility with faithfulness—while maintaining sufficient consistency to allow the discernment of technical terms—great pains have been taken to secure both accuracy and accessibility. In his Foreword, Douglas Hedley gives an insightful account of the way the Parmenides was received by different cultures and philosophical schools throughout the centuries to the present day.Hermann’s Introduction, aimed at first time readers and professional interpreters alike, offers an overview of the most noted philosophical problems addressed in the dialogue, and of its historical background. In view of the fact that certain individual issues have been exhaustively explored by generations of scholars, Hermann chooses to focus also on subjects that have at times been passed over, or trivialized: the debt the dialogue may owe to the works of earlier thinkers, or whether it constitutes a response to certain critics of the Theory of Forms; as for the Theory itself, whether it is bolstered or superseded by the dialogue’s conclusions, or whether there is such a thing as a “simple,” unparticipated Form, and if there is, why it cannot be the subject of an account; also, the issue of the “interweaving of Forms,” (the Sophist) is discussed, in light of its possible relevance to the Second Part of the Parmenides. Finally, Hermann provides an overview with a listing and summaries of the individual conclusions to each of the eight central arguments of the dialgoue’s Second Part (plus Coda).Trade ReviewIn his 70-page introduction, Arnold Hermann himself is somewhat more restrained. He sees the First Part of the dialogue as targeting ‘naive misreadings’ (15) of the Theory of Forms, and the Second Part as ‘a successful attempt to illuminate the difficulties raised by the First’ (17). For instance (to take an easy example), a form is ‘itself by itself’, and such simplicity or straightforwardness is explored in Argument I of the Second Part. Or again, since Forms have to interweave, they can be seen as complex, such as the ‘One Being’ of Argument II. These are not original lines of thought, but the introduction well conveys the author's enthusiasm for a dialogue that strikes many as rather dry. Throughout, Hermann corroborates his views by drawing connections with the thought of the Parmenides and Zeno, and other Platonic passages"". - Heythrop Journal

Read more less

Book SynopsisPhysics 7.3 is one of the crucial texts in Aristotle's theory of change, in which he deals with the question of what alteration is and what it is not. Aristotle discusses change in various parts of his writings, and seems to provide a broad range of notions: movement and change of place, alteration in aspect and form, temporal change, variation in the way a given being is perceived, the change in relationship between beings, qualitative and accidental alterations.This volume presents the results of the ESAP-HYELE conference on ""Aristotle, Physics 7.3: What is Alteration?"", which took place in Vitznau, Switzerland in 2007. The contributors are part of a team of Aristotelian scholars that first came together in 1995, and have since been meeting every spring. The purpose of their gatherings was to read and interpret line by line a short, but important chapter of Aristotle's works. In this way, attention was focused on key texts of particular exegetic and theoretical interest. Each session started with the presentation of a translation and a first analysis of the main problems; these then became the subject of an intense debate which illustrates the different schools of thought and methodological approaches.This volume sets out to provide the reader with new insights into Aristotle's: Physics 7.3.Trade ReviewThis book is a very useful tool for understanding Phys. VII.3 in several respects: first, because it focuses on a limited portion of text which focuses on aspects of textual exegesis and philosophy, and secondly because VII.3 currency in relation to other writings of Aristotle and thus it provides a 'global interpretation, and finally because we appreciate the effort that was made by the authors to compare their positions and hermeneutics to connect with each other, as well as the efforts of curators to harmonize the content of the whole book. The final outcome is certainly that of a volume indispensable for future studies on the subject"". - Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Aristotle’s Empiricism, Jean De Groot argues that an important part of Aristotle’s natural philosophy has remained largely unexplored. She shows that much of Aristotle’s analysis of natural movement is influenced by mathematical mechanics that emerged from late Pythagorean thought. De Groot draws upon the pseudo-Aristotelian Physical Problems XVI to reconstruct the context of mechanics of Aristotle’s time and to trace the development of kinematic thinking from Archytas to the Aristotelian Mechanics. She argues that the influence of kinematics on Aristotle pinpoints the original meaning of his concept of power, or potentiality, as a physicalistic meaning addressed to the problem of movement.De Groot identifies epistemic features of kinematics as a scientific enterprise, including economy of explanation and direct inference to a principle. She shows how these features are woven into Aristotle’s thinking in the motion books of the Physics, On the Heavens, and Movement of Animals. The book places in doubt both the view that Aristotle’s natural philosophy codifies opinions held by convention and, alternatively, the view that the cogency of his scientific ideas depends on metaphysics.Trade ReviewThis book presents an ‘other’ or alternative Aristotle to the caricature and straw man set up through the mistaken Baconian capitulation to Democratean ‘sense data’, a non-empirical ideology that distorts rather than enhances our radical, unavoidable, pre-philosophic experience of power and necessity. This is a revolutionary book that transforms our view of Aristotle and specifically our evaluation of his natural philosophy"". - Heythrop Journal

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book considers the merits of Thomas Aquinas's arguments for the existence of God. Aquinas portrays philosophical reason as a form of wisdom that can attain to true knowledge of God. Should his views matter for contemporary Christian theology? What are the Aristotelian presuppositions required for these arguments to make sense, and are such presuppositions rationally defensible today? Particularly, should the modern Kantian and Heideggerian objections to any possible philosophical approach to God (as onto-theology) apply to the arguments of Aquinas? The author argues robustly in favor of the recovery of a sapiential conception of Thomistic philosophy.Trade ReviewA restatement of Aquinas's natural theology that takes account of the controversies in which Maritain, Gilson, and Rahner engaged has been badly needed for quite some time. So has an extended and creative reply to Heidegger's accusations of ontotheology. To have met both needs in one book is an impressive and unexpected achievement. This book should become a focus for discussions within and about Thomism from now on."" - Alasdair Macintyre, University of Notre Dame""Scientism and fideism share the conviction that there is no path leading from human experience to God. By way of contrast, models of wisdom have defined themselves from antiquity on their abilities to show the transcendent significance of the ordinary. Thomas Joseph White's Wisdom in the Face of Modernity looks at several of the leading attempts to discern in the human experience of our self-doubting times reasons for the affirmation of God: which is, at the same time, an affirmation of human dignity. Metaphysics is a privileged space, where mercy and truth come together again."" - Richard Schenk, OP""Few Thomists since Maritain and Journet have been ready to accept the challenges of philosophical modernity head on. Fr. Thomas Joseph White refuses to concede the philosophical battle to the spirit of the times; still less does he allow himself to become a Thomist fellow traveler of Kant or Heidegger. Instead he offers a spirited and stimulating argument against the secular tilt of modern philosophy, in defense of St. Thomas on the natural knowledge of God."" - Bruce D. Marshall, Southern Methodist University

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less