Philosophy: metaphysics and ontology Books

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Book SynopsisWhat are the absolute and relative? What are their specific features? What is the main distinction between them? An investigation into the roles of the terms absolute and relative as they pertain to human mentality is one of the most difficult problems of philosophy. The absolute and the relative denote independence and dependence, and any sphere of real essence cannot exist without a certain degree of independence and dependence (i.e., without the absolute and the relative). Every field of science implies a certain level of the absolute and relative. The author reviews and gives a detailed analysis of the structure of essence - real essence and special essences; he investigates the source of relativity in the empirical knowledge, pre-scientific knowledge, scientific knowledge and philosophical knowledge. It is presented that human knowledge is relative by itself, although in most cases, consciously or mainly unconsciously, humans creates the absolute, neglecting the relative nature of reality and take into consideration only absolute aspects in practical and mental activities. Thus, the absolute created is the psuedoabsolute, which, by virtue of its human origins, is relative. However, it functions in both the practical and theoretical life of homo sapiens as a genuine absolute. Hence, the psuedoabsolute is a relative absolutized by people. The psuedoabsolute is a dialectical unity of the absolute and relative and, as a "third reality," plays a great role in the spiritual life of humankind. The author presents his theory of the pseudoabsolute, its concept and form, and investigates the pseudoabsolute nature of the human mental world (cognition, value, faith) as one of its fundamental regularities. The whole range of problems of gnoseology, epistemology, axiology and religious faith are interpreted from the standpoint of the philosophy of the pseudoabsolute. The book represents a comprehensive account of the principles of the philosophy of the pseudoabsolute and is intended for readers interested in the issues of theoretical philosophy. It is also meant for a wide range of readers interested in the relative and absolute nature of human mentality.

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Book SynopsisRobert Hannas The Rational Human Condition is a five-volume book series, including: Volume 1. Preface and General Introduction, Supplementary Essays, and General Bibliography Volume 2. Deep Freedom and Real Persons: A Study in Metaphysics Volume 3. Kantian Ethics and Human Existence: A Study in Moral Philosophy Volume 4. Kant, Agnosticism, and Anarchism: A Theological-Political Treatise Volume 5. Cognition, Content, and the A Priori: A Study in the Philosophy of Mind and Knowledge The fifth volume in the series, Cognition, Content, and the A Priori, was published by Oxford University Press in 2015. So, with the present publication of the first four volumes in the series by Nova Science in 2019, all five volumes of The Rational Human Condition are now available in hard-copy and as e-books. All five books share a common aim, which is to work out a true general theory of human rationality in a thoroughly nonideal natural and social world. This philosophical enterprise is what Hanna calls rational anthropology. In the eleventh and most famous of his Theses on Feuerbach, Marx wrote that philosophers have only interpreted the world in different ways; the point is to change it. Hanna completely agrees with Marx that the ultimate aim of philosophy is to change the world, not merely interpret it. So, Marx and Hanna are both philosophical liberationists: that is, they both believe that philosophy should have radical political implications. But, beyond Marx, Hanna also thinks that the primary aim of philosophy (understood as rational anthropology) and its practices of synoptic reflection, writing, teaching, and public conversation is to change lives for the betterand ultimately, for the sake of the highest good. Then, and only then, can the human race act upon the world in the right way. The four volumes of The Rational Human Condition will therefore appeal not only to philosophers, but also to any other philosophically-minded person interested in the intellectual and practical adventure of synoptic, reflective thinking about the nature of our rational, but still ineluctably human, all-too-human lives.

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Book SynopsisPhilosophical reflection on death dates back to ancient times, but death remains a most profound and puzzling topic. Samantha Brennan and Robert Stainton have assembled a compelling selection of core readings from the philosophical literature on death. The views of ancient writers such as Plato, Epicurus, and Lucretius are set alongside the work of contemporary figures such as Thomas Nagel, John Perry, and Judith Jarvis Thomson.Brennan and Stainton divide the anthology into three parts. Part I considers questions about the nature of death and our knowledge of it. What does it mean to be dead? Is it possible to survive death? Is the end of life a mystery? Part II asks how we should view death. What (if anything) is so bad about dying? If death is nothingness, should it be feared or regretted? Part III examines ethical questions related to killing, particularly abortion, euthanasia and suicide. Is killing ever permissible? Under what conditions or circumstances?Trade Review“Most undergraduate philosophy programs feature a course which deals, at least in part, with issues of life and death: abortion, suicide, euthanasia, etc. Those of us who have taught such a course know the problem: how to locate a suitable collection of readings. Samantha Brennan and Rob Stainton have solved that problem. The essays in this volume cover the territory from the nature and badness of death to the ethics of killing. They suit my teaching needs exactly and probably will yours as well.” — Wayne Sumner, University Professor Emeritus of Law and Philosophy, University of Toronto“Philosophy and Death: Introductory Readings is an intriguing anthology that includes key texts, both ancient and recent, on the philosophy of death. It will enrich and respond to the interests many undergraduate students have concerning the nature of death and its implications for how we live our lives. The book includes articles on the broad epistemological, metaphysical, ethical, and axiological questions about death, coupled with applications to the topics of abortion, euthanasia, and suicide. This approach makes it relevant and useful to courses in both theoretical and applied philosophy.” — Christine Overall, Queen's University“Philosophy and Death is a well-organized, even-handed, and comprehensive anthology about the nature of death, personal identity, the evil of death, and the wrongness of killing. It consists of a sensible mix of contemporary and historical pieces, including well-known selections from Plato and Epicurus; classic articles on death, immortality, abortion and euthanasia by Nagel, Williams, Thomson, and Rachels; and other thought-provoking papers on resurrection, feminism, and the wrongness of killing animals. It is certain to be of great value to anyone teaching undergraduate courses on philosophical issues pertaining to death, and would also serve as a fine introduction to philosophical thought more generally.” — Benjamin Bradley, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Syracuse UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionPart I: Epistemology, Metaphysics and DeathA. Epistemological IssuesPaul Edwards (1969). “Existentialism and Death: A Survey of Some Confusions and Absurdities”B. Personal Identity and Survival Plato. Excerpts from Phaedo John Perry (1978). Excerpts from A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality Stephen T. Davis (1988). “Traditional Christian Belief in the Resurrection of the Body” C. The Nature of Death Louis Pojman (1992). “What is Death? The Crisis of Criteria” Jeff McMahan (1995). “The Metaphysics of Brain Death” Fred Feldman (1992). “The Enigma of Death” Part II: The Badness of DeathA. Ancient Reflections on the Badness of Death Epicurus. “Letter to Menoeceus” and “The Principal Doctrines” Titus Lucretius Carus. Excerpts from Book Three of On the Nature of Things B. Some Recent Responses Thomas Nagel (1979). “Death” Harry S. Silverstein (1980). “The Evil of Death” C. The Goodness of Immortality Bernard Williams (1973). “The Makropulos Case: Reflections on the Tedium of Immortality” John Martin Fischer (1994). “Why Immortality is Not So Bad” D. Gender and the Badness of DeathSamantha Brennan (2006). “Feminist PhilosophersTurn Their Thoughts to Death”Part III: The Ethics of KillingA. Three Case Studies in the Ethics of KillingAbortion Judith Jarvis Thomson (1971). “A Defense of Abortion” Don Marquis (1989). “Why Abortion is Immoral” Walter Sinnot-Armstrong (1999). “You Can’t Lose What YouAin’t Never Had: A Reply to Marquis on Abortion” Euthanasia James Rachels (1975). “Active and Passive Euthanasia” Bonnie Steinbock (1979). “The Intentional Termination of Life” Suicide Richard Brandt (1975). “The Morality and Rationality of Suicide” John Rawls, Judith Jarvis Thomson, Robert Nozick, Ronald Dworkin, T.M. Scanlon, and Thomas Nagel (1997). “Assisted Suicide:The Philosopher’s Brief” B. The Wrongness Of Killing Jonathan Glover (1977). “The Sanctity of Life” Jeff McMahan (2002). “The Wrongness of Killing and the Badness of Death” Samantha Brennan (2001). “The Badness of Death, the Wrongness of Killing, and the Moral Importance of Autonomy” Sources

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Book SynopsisThis is an edition of what are arguably Leibniz’s three most important presentations of his metaphysical system: the Discourse on Metaphysics, from 1686, and The Principles of Nature and of Grace and The Monadology, from 1714. Based on the Latta and Montgomery translations and revised by the editor, these texts set out the essentials of Leibniz’s mature metaphysical views. The edition includes an introductory essay and a set of appendices of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century texts, which help illuminate and contextualize Leibniz’s ideas. Among these are extensive passages from Leibniz’s Theodicy, many of which are cited in The Monadology. Trade Review“Peter Loptson’s edition of classical translations of the Discourse in Metaphysics and some related texts makes accessible in convenient form three of Leibniz’s most essential philosophical studies, as well as some instructive supplemental materials. It also provides an informative introduction that helpfully contextualizes the relevant historical and philosophical background. The book will be welcomed by all Anglophones who study and teach the thought of this great philosopher.” — Nicholas Rescher, Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh“This is an excellent edition for students first encountering Leibniz’s difficult philosophical system. In addition to the three classic expressions of Leibniz’s metaphysics and epistemology, the editor provides a fascinating selection of texts that situate these works in their historical context. And of especially great value is Loptson’s excellent introduction—which can be read with profit by beginning students and Leibniz scholars alike.” — Brandon C. Look, University of KentuckyTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionGottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextsDiscourse on MetaphysicsThe Principles of Nature and of Grace, Based on ReasonThe MonadologyAppendix A: From Anne, Viscountess Conway, Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy (1690)Appendix B: From Antonie van Leeuwenhoek’s 1699 Letter to Antonio MagliabechiAppendix C: From Pierre Bayle, Historical and Critical Dictionary (1695-1702)Appendix D: From G.W. Leibniz, Theodicy (1710)Appendix E: From David Hume, An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (1748)Appendix F: From Voltaire, Candide (1759)Appendix G: From Thomas Reid, Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man (1785)Further Reading and Select BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book introduces the central issues of metaphysics and epistemology, from skepticism, justification, and perception to universals, personal identity, and free will. Though topically organized, the book integrates positions and examples from the history of philosophy. Plato, Descartes, and Leibniz are discussed alongside Quine, Kripke, and Haslanger. Peripheral ideas and related historical asides are offered in boxes interspersed within the text, providing further depth without disrupting the author’s lucid explanations of central themes and arguments. Original illustrations by Gillian Wilson are included throughout, giving interesting and clear visual representations of many of the book’s examples and thought experiments.Trade Review“Jack Crumley’s Introducing Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality hits the sweet spot for an introduction to metaphysics and epistemology. Engagingly written, the book provides an accessible overview of the field for the unfamiliar; yet there’s enough detailed discussion to complement many of the typical primary readings in a first-year or sophomore course. The book merits serious consideration as a textbook for university instructors.” — Phil Corkum, University of Alberta“This is one of the best introductory philosophy books currently on the market. The primary goal is to help novices understand complex philosophical issues. However, Professor Crumley does not hesitate to stimulate the interests of experts with his fascinating examples, written in an extremely engaging manner. I wish I had such a book when I was an undergraduate student.” — Prasanta S. Bandyopadhyay, Montana State University“Jack Crumley has written an excellent introduction to epistemology and metaphysics. It is very well organized and clearly and attractively written, covering the main topics from both historical and contemporary angles with great competence and deep learning. The text is graced with vivid examples, wonderful visual illustrations and insightful implications for domains other than philosophy. It is a book to be enjoyed not only by students and their teachers but also by a larger public. Even professional philosophers have a lot to learn from its pages, as I have. I recommend this text very enthusiastically.” — Radu J. Bogdan, Tulane University“Introducing Philosophy is beautifully written. Among its virtues is the delicate balance it presents between contemporary problems and their history. This leaves plenty of room for instructors to contribute with their own emphases and perspectives. I predict it will be widely used.” — Alirio Rosales, University of British Columbia and University of the Fraser ValleyTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: SkepticismChapter 2: KnowledgeChapter 3: Theories of JustificationChapter 4: New Directions in EpistemologyChapter 5: PerceptionChapter 6: UniversalsChapter 7: ThingsChapter 8: The Nature of MindChapter 9: Personal IdentityChapter 10: Free WillChapter 11: God’s Nature & Existence

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Book SynopsisAn Introduction to Metaphysics offers an engaging survey of central metaphysical topics, including truth, universals, the nature of mind, personal identity, free will, time, and the existence of God. The book is pitched at an intermediate undergraduate level and is suitable for students without background knowledge in these areas. Topically organized, it examines a variety of historical and contemporary positions relevant to each of the included themes. Memorable and amusing drawings by Gillian Wilson are interspersed throughout the text to illustrate concepts and examples.Trade ReviewJack Crumley's Introducing Philosophy: Knowledge and Reality hits the sweet spot for an introduction to metaphysics and epistemology. Engagingly written, the book provides an accessible overview of the field for the unfamiliar; yet there's enough detailed discussion to complement many of the typical primary readings in a first-year or sophomore course. The book merits serious consideration as a textbook for university instructors." - Phil Corkum, University of Alberta"Jack Crumley has written an excellent introduction to epistemology and metaphysics. It is very well organized and clearly and attractively written, covering the main topics from both historical and contemporary angles with great competence and deep learning. The text is graced with vivid examples, wonderful visual illustrations and insightful implications for domains other than philosophy. It is a book to be enjoyed not only by students and their teachers but also by a larger public. Even professional philosophers have a lot to learn from its pages, as I have. I recommend this text very enthusiastically." - Radu J. Bogdan, Tulane UniversityTable of Contents Chapter 1: Truth I – Three Classic Views Chapter 2: Truth II – The 20th Century, Necessity, and Possible Worlds Chapter 3: Realism and Antirealism Chapter 4: Universals Chapter 5: Things Chapter 6: The Nature of Mind Chapter 7: Personal Identity Chapter 8: Free Will Chapter 9: Time Chapter 10: God's Nature and Existence Chapter 11: Why is there Something rather than Nothing? Glossary

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Book SynopsisThis volume provides new translations of René Descartes's two most important philosophical works. The Discourse offers a concise presentation and defense of Descartes' method of intellectual inquiry - a method that greatly influenced both philosophical and scientific reasoning in the early modern world. Considered a foundational text in modern philosophy, the Meditations presents numerous powerful arguments that to this day influence debates in epistemology, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of religion. Descartes's timeless writing strikes an uncommon balance of novelty and familiarity, offering arguments concerning knowledge, science, and metaphysics (including the famous 'I think, therefore I am') that are as compelling in the 21st century as they were in the 17th. Ian Johnston's translations are modern, clear, and thoroughly annotated, ideal for readers unfamiliar with Descartes's intellectual context. An approachable introduction engages both the historical and the philosophical aspects of the text, helping the reader to understand the concepts and arguments contained therein.Trade ReviewBroadview Press has produced an excellent translation of Descartes's famous Meditations on First Philosophy. It is accurate, philosophically sensitive, and it rivals any of the translations currently available. Andrew Bailey's introduction of the text, and his biography of Descartes, is a real plus, and will serve students well." - Kurt Smith, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania "A very helpful translation. The language is clear, and the supplementary material and notes lay out a cross-section of the interpretive debates, and provide tips for how a reader might approach them." - David Cunning, University of Iowa "Descartes was living and writing at a tumultuous time, and Bailey does a nice job of sketching the intellectual environment into which the Meditations was launched, while pre-emptively warding off a number of common misunderstandings of Descartes's aims." - Seth Bordner, University of AlabamaTable of Contents Introduction Who Was René Descartes? What Was Descartes's Overall Philosophical Project? Some Useful Background Information Some Common Misconceptions How Important and Influential Was Descartes's Work? Timeline Suggestions for Critical Reflection Suggestions for Further Reading Translator's Note What is the Structure of the Discourse?Discourse on the Method Preface Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six What is the Structure of the Meditations? Meditations on First Philosophy Dedication to the Sorbonne Preface to the Reader Synopsis of the Six Following Meditations First Meditation: Concerning Those Things Which Can Be Called into Doubt Second Meditation: Concerning the Nature of the Human Mind and the Fact that It Is Easier to Know than the Body Third Meditation: Concerning God and the Fact that He Exists Fourth Meditation: Concerning Truth and Falsity Fifth Meditation: Concerning the Essence of Material Things, and, Once Again, Concerning the Fact that God Exists Sixth Meditation: Concerning the Existence of Material Things and the Real Distinction between Mind and Body

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Book SynopsisIn Spacious Body, Jeffrey Maitland brings his knowledge and personal experience of Buddhism, phenomenology, alchemy, psychoanalysis, and the bodywork system of Rolfing to bear in forging concepts adequate to an understanding of embodied experience.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a simple explanation of how the mind evolved. One of the many interesting facts emerging from this study is that vision appeared long before there was any brain of significance. Perception therefore had to be direct awareness of forms, patterning, smells, and so on. Survival depended on sensory input being an immediate representation of reality. The world as seen could not have been something pieced together and mulled over in a brain which didn''t exist. Memory and learning are said to occur at a molecular level for much the same reasons. Today''s social insects exhibit enormously complex behaviour, yet their brains are microscopic. All such facts, gleaned from both the past and present, have a major impact upon theories about how our own minds operate.

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Book SynopsisNumbers -- Their Meaning and Magic, Vol. I by Isidore Kozminksy introduces the reader to Numerology, the symbols and meanings of numbers. It compares odd and even numbers and describes their significance in prophesizing. This work is meant to add knowledge about numerology in an elementary way to bring the reader to the magical gateway which has fascinated students for many years. During his lifetime, Kozminsky wrote several valuable books on astrology, numerology --  the scientific and practical application of numbers.

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Book SynopsisNumbers -- Their Meaning and Magic, Vol. II by Isidore Kozminksy introduces the reader to Numerology, the symbols and meanings of numbers. This work is meant to bring the reader to the magical gateway which has fascinated students for many years. He briefly covers the Quaballah of Pythagoras with examples, and the Arabic, Secret Message and Modern Quaballahs. During his lifetime, Kozminsky wrote several valuable books on astrology, numerology- the scientific and practical application of numbers.

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Book SynopsisA master of vibrations and numerology, Balliett successfully achieves her mission of explaining the mysteries that lay just beneath our everyday plane of existence. The author takes deliberate care in explaining how the frequency of different vibrations affect almost everything around us and how we can either blindly submit to these vibrations or actually tune in to them and hence calibrate our own vibrational attunement to a higher and more spiritual level. Mrs. L. Dow Balliett, was born March 1, 1847 as Sarah Joanna Dennis, to Quaker parents on the East Coast of the United States. In Atlantic City, Mrs. Dow held numerous leadership roles in countless civic, cultural and musical organizations, leaving her mark in history. She is best known to modern numerologists as the founder of the Master Number system, whereby the numbers 11 and 22 are not reduced. She combined Pythagoras'' work with Biblical reference. She and her female student, Juno Jordan, of the California Institute of Numerical Research, founded, proved, and helped numerology become the system known today as Pythagorean."A fascinating and informative book showing that numbers are spiritually connected to everything. This is a must read for all students of esoterica and occult practices." -- Dr. Israel Regardie

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Book SynopsisA master of vibrations and numerology, Balliett successfully achieves her mission of explaining the mysteries that lay just beneath our everyday plane of existence. The author takes deliberate care in explaining how the frequency of different vibrations affect almost everything around us and how we can either blindly submit to these vibrations or actually tune in to them and hence calibrate our own vibrational attunement to a higher and more spiritual level. Mrs. L. Dow Balliett, was born March 1, 1847 as Sarah Joanna Dennis, to Quaker parents on the East Coast of the United States. In Atlantic City, Mrs. Dow held numerous leadership roles in countless civic, cultural and musical organizations, leaving her mark in history. She is best known to modern numerologists as the founder of the Master Number system, whereby the numbers 11 and 22 are not reduced. She combined Pythagoras'' work with Biblical reference. She and her female student, Juno Jordan, of the California Institute of Numerical Research, founded, proved, and helped numerology become the system known today as Pythagorean."A fascinating and informative book showing that numbers are spiritually connected to everything. This is a must read for all students of esoterica and occult practices." -- Dr. Israel Regardie

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Book SynopsisIn this Small Gem, Mrs. L. Dow Balliett, a master of vibrations and numerology, teaches us about the Name or Level of Consciousness, the Mission of the Birth Force and Comic Adjustment through Food Choice and even the practice of Harmony through Dress. A very interesting and special feature in this book is her lecture on The Music of the Spheres. The author takes deliberate care in teaching how the frequency of different vibrations affect almost everything around us and how we can either blindly submit to these vibrations or actually tune in to them and hence calibrate our own vibrational attunement to a higher and more spiritual level.

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Book SynopsisMartin Heideggers Being and Time (1927) challenged earlier thinking about the basic structures of human being, our involvement in practical affairs, and our understanding of history, time, and being. Blitz clarifies Heideggers discussions, offers alternative analyses of phenomena central to Heideggers argument, and examines the connection between Heideggers position in Being and Time and his support of Nazism. As Blitz explains in his new afterword, When I began to study Martin Heidegger nearly fifty years ago, my goal was to explore the meaning of Being and Time for political philosophy. I wished to discover what it might offer for clarifying the grounds on which the basic concepts and alternatives of political philosophy rest. Would a close reading of it help us understand the questions of justice, freedom, the common good, natural rights, virtue, human happiness, and the philosophic life? These questions are as important today as they were then. Although Blitz often questions and criticises Heideggers views, he presents them with scrupulous care and clarity. Specialists and students in the areas of political theory, phenomenology, metaphysics, and moral philosophy will find this to be an invaluable resource.

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Book Synopsis"As iron filings configure themselves around a magnet, so these essays display Eva Branns form of oppositional, or polar, thinking. To introduce her book, Eva Brann calls up the image of Iron Filings as they "settle themselves along the lines of force that form a field of influence around a bar magnet that has itself been allowed to settle itself in its natural direction. The whole configuration makes, by natures wit, a suggestive figure for the thinking mind -- at least of a cross-section in its life." So these essays range from Ms. Branns thoughts "Of God, "Of Novels, "Of Booklessness, to, well, a surprising diversity of topics which comes, unsurprisingly to completion with an essay "Of Endings. Eva Brann thinks a thought and then thinks a thought somewhat on the other side of the first thought -- hence the display of thought like iron filings around two ends of a magnet.

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Book SynopsisPhilosophy begins in the middle of ordinary experience. Consider these four aspects of daily life: we have conversations which require us to strive to make ourselves understood and to understand others; we easily pick out nameable items in the world and also sense how the things around us hang together; we count things and do simple arithmetic, and are sure we know what were doing; we give reasons for knowing the things we claim to know. Philosophy gets off the ground when we ask how it is possible that we are already doing these things. Wakefulness and World takes up this question by reading works by Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Hegel. The invitation is two-fold: to accompany the author in reading some philosophical texts and to think together about the manifest and puzzling intelligibility of the world.

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Book SynopsisThe present trend in computer ontology is toward the development of artificial intelligence and human ontology is an intervention to positively support it with natural human intelligence such that it is infused with the pluralism that characterises human social structures. This book utilises a meta-narrative that examines the life of an academically failed physician and his relatively academically successful daughter. The short individual narrative beads that are threaded into this larger narrative represent a multi-genre science and fantasy of medicine. On one hand it balances a post-modern stance with its incredulity toward absolute evidence based truth on the other a tolerant pluralism that simply recognises all approaches as credible as long as the resultant is geared toward positive outcomes (and not driven by fear of negative outcomes).The book portrays a non-linear narrative ontology interspersed in linear discourses on its relevance to human cognition and ontology.

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Book SynopsisThe work of three present-day Sankritist-philosophers, God and the World's Arrangement allows readers to engage directly with writings of the classical Indian philosophers Śaṅkara and Vācaspati, as well as some of their most acute critics, on the question of whether the existence of a creator God can be known by reason alone. Carefully selected and annotated with the needs of students foremost in mind, these new translations will be of interest to anyone wishing to see up close a newly set gem of our philosophical inheritance from global antiquity.Trade Review"Students and scholars should welcome this outstanding translation and commentary. Offering core passages of Nyāya and Vedānta in accessible English will expand the horizon of contemporary philosophy of religion and make more evident the often-overlooked elements of natural theology in non-Western philosophy." —Charles Taliaferro, Overby Distinguished Chair, St. Olaf College"Philosophers are waking up to the fact that the philosophy of religion includes more than Christian theology. Guha, Dasti, and Phillips have given us an invaluable resource for globalizing our teaching of the philosophy of religion, and for teaching Indian philosophy. But they have done more than that. This beautiful volume provides a model for the translation of Indian philosophical texts, and for presenting them to a Western audience. Sūtras and commentaries are translated into clear, accessible contemporary philosophical English with no clutter, and without any sacrifice of philological precision. The essays that contextualize the texts are both learned and readable, and substantially enhance the texts themselves, whether the reader is a professional philosopher or a student." —Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy, Logic and Buddhist Studies, Smith College"Building on a long tradition of textual study, an increasing number of universities today demonstrate interest in Asian perspectives on philosophy, religion, theology, politics, and other disciplines—even for general education. This book offers a welcome and a needed addition to teachers and students that want to learn about Asia through a careful reading of primary source material. It covers some broad topics recognizable in the philosophy of religion, and it gives precision through the presentation of specific texts from the Indian tradition. This book offers a clear picture into the scholastic and commentarial writing from two monuments in the Indian tradition, Shakara and Vacaspati. The discussion around the primary source material offers helpful contextualization, and the primary readings introduce students to a complex and a detailed world of philosophy, theology, and the unique modes of commentarial writing in Shankara, Vacaspati, and related theologians, philosophers, and root texts of their time." —Jonathan Edelmann, Department of Religion, University of Florida "The scarcity of accessible English translations of Sanskrit texts that retain the philosophical rigor of the original has been a great challenge in Indian philosophy. . . . This book sets an example of how traditional Indian ways of establishing one’s argument through exegesis could be explained in simple language. A valuable read to students of Indian philosophy."—Swami Narasimhananda, Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, in Philosophy East and West

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Book SynopsisThe work of three present-day Sankritist-philosophers, God and the World's Arrangement allows readers to engage directly with writings of the classical Indian philosophers Śaṅkara and Vācaspati, as well as some of their most acute critics, on the question of whether the existence of a creator God can be known by reason alone. Carefully selected and annotated with the needs of students foremost in mind, these new translations will be of interest to anyone wishing to see up close a newly set gem of our philosophical inheritance from global antiquity.Trade Review"Students and scholars should welcome this outstanding translation and commentary. Offering core passages of Nyāya and Vedānta in accessible English will expand the horizon of contemporary philosophy of religion and make more evident the often-overlooked elements of natural theology in non-Western philosophy." —Charles Taliaferro, Overby Distinguished Chair, St. Olaf College"Philosophers are waking up to the fact that the philosophy of religion includes more than Christian theology. Guha, Dasti, and Phillips have given us an invaluable resource for globalizing our teaching of the philosophy of religion, and for teaching Indian philosophy. But they have done more than that. This beautiful volume provides a model for the translation of Indian philosophical texts, and for presenting them to a Western audience. Sūtras and commentaries are translated into clear, accessible contemporary philosophical English with no clutter, and without any sacrifice of philological precision. The essays that contextualize the texts are both learned and readable, and substantially enhance the texts themselves, whether the reader is a professional philosopher or a student." —Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy, Logic and Buddhist Studies, Smith College"Building on a long tradition of textual study, an increasing number of universities today demonstrate interest in Asian perspectives on philosophy, religion, theology, politics, and other disciplines—even for general education. This book offers a welcome and a needed addition to teachers and students that want to learn about Asia through a careful reading of primary source material. It covers some broad topics recognizable in the philosophy of religion, and it gives precision through the presentation of specific texts from the Indian tradition. This book offers a clear picture into the scholastic and commentarial writing from two monuments in the Indian tradition, Shakara and Vacaspati. The discussion around the primary source material offers helpful contextualization, and the primary readings introduce students to a complex and a detailed world of philosophy, theology, and the unique modes of commentarial writing in Shankara, Vacaspati, and related theologians, philosophers, and root texts of their time." —Jonathan Edelmann, Department of Religion, University of Florida

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Book Synopsisn 2020 archeologists examining a 2,800 year old temple site in Arad, Jerusalem, revealed that cannabis resins had been burnt on an altar in a small enclosed chamber. Another find of cannabis used for medical purposes both topically and burnt were recovered at a 4th century CE site in Bet Shemesh Israel, testifying to the use of cannabis in the region over a 1,200 year period. In the 1900s the Russian archeologist Victor Sarianidi uncovered 3 large 4,000 year old temple sites in the Bactria Margiana Archeological Complex, and claimed evidence of cannabis, ephedra and poppy in the preparation of the sacred drinks of the Avesta and Vedas, haoma and soma. Sacred Zoroastrian texts refer specifically to the use of cannabis infused wines for revelation. Multiple Indo-European sites ranging from Europe to Central China, have revealed that cannabis was burnt and consumed in beverages in funerary rituals dating as far back as 5,500 years ago and continuing for thousands of years. In India cannabis is still taken in devotion to the oldest continually worshipped god in the world, Shiva. What was cannabis’ role with our distant ancestors, is cannabis the Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World?Trade ReviewLiber 420 "Bennett has done it again. Going right to the primary sources, he has produced an extraordinary volume outlining the history and occult secrets of cannabis. Should you be interested in knowing how and why cannabis found employment in the occult arts throughout history, take heart in knowing that you hold in your hands the definitive work written by a brilliant historian." Tom Hatsis, author of The Witches' Ointment: The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic (2015)"In his latest effort, Bennet has uncovered and amassed an overwhelming amount of evidence in support of his claim that cannabis played a central role in many of the Western esoteric traditions, including Alchemy, ceremonial magickand yes, even factions of Freemasonry! Liber 420 is sure to cause a stir within the Masonic community!" P.D. Newman, 32° Scottish Rites Freemason and author of Alchemically Stoned: The Psychedelic Secret of Freemasonry (2017)"The Holy Grail of historical cannabis books. A tremendous scholarly work, ridiculously well-researched and referenced, that entertains and delights, replete with amazing artwork and fresh ideas about the church versus 'the devil's weed,' cannabis as a religious sacrament, the hashishin, witches, baptism by fire, and my favoritethe elixir of immortality." Julie Holland, MD, Editor The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis; Ecstasy : The Complete Guide : A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA"Bennett explores some interesting themes in his latest book regarding the use of liquid concoctions in certain lost Masonic rites and occult orders." Dr. David Harrison, author of The Genesis of Freemasonry (2009) and The Lost Rites and Rituals of Freemasonry (2017)"He has followed the white rabbit through the Picatrix and the Solomonic texts, to the Rosicrucians, to the Masons and the occult lodges of the 19th Century, through alchemy, witchcraft, and much more. Cannabis and other mind-altering substances have been an underground and occluded fact of the Western Mystery Tradition all along." Aaron Leitch, author of Secrets of the Magickal Grimoires: The Classical Texts of Magick Deciphered (2005)" Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal Herbs & the Occult ... is literally anything and everything you'd want to know about the occulted use of cannabis in religion, mystery traditions, magickal rituals, alchemy and much more" Occulture"I highly recommend this grand treatise... Well researched, well written, well illustrated. Given the size of this book, the price is quite reasonable." David Allen Hulse, author of The Key of it All: The eastern mysteries and The Western Mysteries: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages & Magickal Systems of the World"The latest book to arrive on my desk this morning is Liber 420 by Chris Bennett. It is an Excellent bookvery well researched. Even if you are not interested in cannabis, it is an excellent survey of the development of magic, alchemy, the Templars and Freemasonry from a fresh perspective. 777 pages of well written information with many B/W illustrations never seen before." Stephen Skinner, Author of Sacred Geometry: Deciphering the Code and Techniques of Solomonic Magic

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Book SynopsisEvents in the contemporary world are available through a great variety of media and most of them consist of images, seemingly reflecting some "reality". Yet there is no clear understanding what constitutes reflection, image, cultural symbolic designs and who is the reflecting Self. The text investigates the difference between visuality, images, vision and the different concepts of reality which are at the base of our understanding of the great varieties of means for reflection - from theological to technical.

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Book SynopsisIn a metaphorical sense a thing is complex if it comprehends a magnitude of homogeneous or different things. However, it depends on the kind of comprehension, if we conceive something that consists of many things as complex or not. It is perhaps most distinctive for complex phenomena that their properties and behaviour are not reducible to the properties and behaviour of their elements. This poses some challenging metaphysical problems. The articles in this anthology do not follow a leitmotif -- aside from that all of them have a look at complexity problems in different areas of scientific research and show in which ways the challenges of complexity can be answered.

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Book SynopsisThis volume of Danish Yearbook of Philosophy contains articles read as papers at the Symposium on Social Constructivism held in Copenhagen in 1992.Table of ContentsHow to do the sociology of knowledge, Barry Barnes; social constructivism without paradox, Finn Collin; social constructivism teaching itself a lesson, Steve Fuller; self-defining worlds, Kirsten Hastrup; construction and fiction, Karin Knorr Cetina; what matters? on Parfit's ideas of personal identity and morality, Paul Luebcke.

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Book SynopsisDanish Yearbook of Philosophy - Volume 29Table of ContentsL'heritage Husserlien chez Koyre et Bachelard, Soren Gosvig Olesen; beyond realism and idealism in Husserl's late concept of constitution, Dan Zahavi; some derivations of Bell's inequality, Kaj Borge Hansen; once more, Jan Faye Bohr-Hoffding; die ontologie des intentionalen, Soren Harnow Klausen.

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Book SynopsisDanish Yearbook of Philosophy - Volume 33Table of ContentsKasper Lippert-Rasmussen: Are killing and letting die morally equivalent? jvind Larsen: Imaginary democracy Erich Klawonn: The ontological concept of consciousness

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Book SynopsisIn this remarkable book, William Buhlman, author of the bestselling Adventures Beyond the Body, offers the reader a comprehensive guidebook to understanding and exploring the fascinating phenomenon of out-of-body experiences (OBEs).

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Book SynopsisOur experience of objects (and consequently our theorizing about them) is very rich. We perceive objects as possessing individuation conditions. They appear to have boundaries in space and time, for example, and they appear to move independently of a background of other objects or a landscape. In Ontology Without Boundaries Jody Azzouni undertakes an analysis of our concept of object, and shows what about that notion is truly due to the world and what about it is a projection onto the world of our senses and thinking. Location and individuation conditions are our product: there is no echo of them in the world. Features, the ways that objects seem to be, aren''t projections. Azzouni shows how the resulting austere metaphysics tames a host of ancient philosophical problems about constitution (Ship of Theseus, Sorities), as well as contemporary puzzles about reductionism. In addition, it''s shown that the same sorts of individuation conditions for properties, which philosophers use to dis

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Book SynopsisYitzhak Melamed here offers a new and systematic interpretation of the core of Spinoza''s metaphysics. In the first part of the book, he proposes a new reading of the metaphysics of substance in Spinoza: he argues that for Spinoza modes both inhere in and are predicated of God. Using extensive textual evidence, he shows that Spinoza considered modes to be God''s propria. He goes on to clarify Spinoza''s understanding of infinity, mereological relations, infinite modes, and the flow of finite things from God''s essence. In the second part of the book, Melamed relies on this interpretation of the substance-mode relation and the nature of infinite modes and puts forward two interrelated theses about the structure of the attribute of Thought and its overarching role in Spinoza''s metaphysics. First, he shows that Spinoza had not one, but two independent doctrines of parallelism. Then, in his final main thesis, Melamed argues that, for Spinoza, ideas have a multifaceted (in fact, infinitely faceted) structure that allows one and the same idea to represent the infinitely many modes which are parallel to it in the infinitely many attributes. Thought turns out to be coextensive with the whole of nature. Spinoza cannot embrace an idealist reduction of Extension to Thought because of his commitment to the conceptual separation of the attributes. Yet, within Spinoza''s metaphysics, Thought clearly has primacy over the other attributes insofar as it is the only attribute which is as elaborate, as complex, and, in some senses, as powerful as God.Trade ReviewMelamed remarks that 'it is better to observe the beast' of Spinoza's bold metaphysics 'than to tame it'. Anyone seeking to understand the magnificent beast will benefit enormously from his skilled observations of it. * Don Garret, Journal of Philosophy *Spinoza's Metaphysics will stimulate and inform discussion of Spinoza for years to come. * Journal of the History of Philosophy *Focused on some of the most fundamental issues in the interpretation of Spinoza's metaphysics, this volume is original, deeply informed, and compellingly argued. There is no question that this is excellent work that will be of great interest to scholars and students interested in understanding Spinoza's metaphysics. * Don Garrett, Professor of Philosophy, New York University *One of Melamed's most important contributions is that he rehabilitates the traditional view of Spinoza as a pantheist. * Michah Gottlieb, Jewish Review of Books *Table of ContentsContents ; Introduction ; Chapter 1: The Substance-Mode Relation as a Relation of Inherence and Predication ; Chapter 2: Immanent Cause, Acosmism, and the Distinction between 'Modes of God' and 'Modes of an Attribute' ; Chapter 3: Inherence, Causation, and Conception ; Chapter 4: The Infinite Modes ; Chapter 5: Spinoza's Two Doctrines of Parallelism ; Chapter 6: The Multifaceted Structure of Ideas and the Priority of Thought ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn the 1950s, John Reber convinced many Californians that the best way to solve the state''s water shortage problem was to dam up the San Francisco Bay. Against massive political pressure, Reber''s opponents persuaded lawmakers that doing so would lead to disaster. They did this not by empirical measurement alone, but also through the construction of a model. Simulation and Similarity explains why this was a good strategy while simultaneously providing an account of modeling and idealization in modern scientific practice. Michael Weisberg focuses on concrete, mathematical, and computational models in his consideration of the nature of models, the practice of modeling, and nature of the relationship between models and real-world phenomena. In addition to a careful analysis of physical, computational, and mathematical models, Simulation and Similarity offers a novel account of the model/world relationship. Breaking with the dominant tradition, which favors the analysis of this relation tTrade ReviewMichael Weisberg has given us a lovely book on models. It has very broad coverage of issues intersecting the nature of models and their use, an extensive consideration of long ignored concrete models with a rich case study, a discussion and classification of the many diverse kinds of models, and a particularly groundbreaking and innovative discussion of similarity concerning how models relate to the world ... his analysis is both clear and rich. * William C. Wimsatt, Biology and Philosophy *[This book] is lively, well-written, and should be accessible to novice audiences as well as informative and provocative to disciplinary insiders. It skillfully makes use of a relatively small set of carefully explained and not-overly-complicated examples to give an account that succeeds in being sophisticated and attentive to the details of scientific practice without getting overly mired in the details of 'case studies' that sometimes plague the literature on scientific modeling. * Eric Winsberg, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *[Simulation and Similarity] is well written and detailed in its exposition, providing concrete examples to ground the discussion. It is a very interesting complement to standard mathematical modeling treatments for scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. * R. A. Kolvoord CHOICE *...a compelling account of models and can be highly recommended to philosophers of science as well as to scientists of any particular discipline, especially those practicing modeling and simulation in their everydays work. * V. S. Pronskikh, Metascience *Table of ContentsContents ; Preface ; 1 Introduction ; 1.1 Two Aquatic Puzzles ; 1.2 Models of Modeling ; 2 Three Kinds of Models ; 2.1 Concrete Model: The San Francisco Bay-Delta Model ; 2.2 Mathematical Model: Lotka-Volterra Model ; 2.3 Computational Model: Schelling's Segregation Model ; 2.4 Common Features of these Models ; 2.5 Only Three Types of Models? ; 2.6 Fewer Than Three Types of Model? ; 3 The Anatomy of Models: Structure & Construal ; 3.1 Structure ; 3.1.1 Concrete Structures ; 3.1.2 Mathematical ; 3.1.3 Computational ; 3.2 Model Descriptions ; 3.3 Construal ; 3.4 Representational Capacity of Structures ; 4 Fictions and Folk Ontology ; 4.1 Against Maths: Individuation, Causes, and Face Value Practice ; 4.2 A Simple Fictions Account ; 4.3 Enriching the Simple Account ; 4.3.1 Waltonian Fictionalism ; 4.3.2 Fictions without Models ; 4.4 Why I am not a Fictionalist ; 4.4.1 Variation ; 4.4.2 Representational Capacity of Different Models ; 4.4.3 Making Sense of Modeling ; 4.4.4 Variation in Practice ; 4.5 Folk ontology ; 4.6 Maths, Interpretation, and Folk Ontology ; 5 Target Directed Modeling ; 5.1 Model Development ; 5.2 Analysis of the Model ; 5.2.1 Complete Analysis ; 5.2.2 Goal-directed Analysis ; 5.3 Model/Target Comparison ; 5.3.1 Phenomena and Target Systems ; 5.3.2 Establishing the fit between Model and Target ; 5.3.3 Representations of Targets ; 6 Idealization ; 6.1 Three Kinds of Idealization ; 6.1.1 Galilean idealization ; 6.1.2 Minimalist idealization ; 6.1.3 Multiple Models Idealization ; 6.2 Representational Ideals and Fidelity Criteria ; 6.2.1 Completeness ; 6.2.2 Simplicity ; 6.2.3 1-Causal ; 6.2.4 Maxout ; 6.2.5 P-General ; 6.3 Idealization and Representational Ideals ; 6.4 Idealization and Target Directed Modeling ; 7 Modeling Without a Specific Target ; 7.1 Generalized Modeling ; 7.1.1 How Possibly Explanations ; 7.1.2 Minimal Models and First Order Causal Structures ; 7.2 Hypothetical Modeling ; 7.2.1 Contingent Non-existence: xDNA ; 7.2.2 Impossible Targets: Infinite Population Growth and Perpetual Motion ; 7.3 Targetless Modeling ; 7.4 A Moving Target: The Case of Three-sex Biology ; 8 An Account of Similarity ; 8.1 Desiderata for Model/World Relations ; 8.2 Model Theoretic Accounts ; 8.3 Similarity ; 8.4 Tversky's Contrast Account ; 8.5 Attributes and Mechanisms ; 8.6 Feature Sets, Construals, and Target Systems ; 8.7 Modeling Goals and Weighting Parameters ; 8.8 Weighting Function and Background Theory ; 8.9 Satisfying the Desiderata ; 9 Robustness Analysis and Idealization ; 9.1 Levins and Wimsatt on Robustness ; 9.2 Robust Theorems ; 9.3 Three Kinds of Robustness ; 9.3.1 Parameter Robustness ; 9.3.2 Structural Robustness ; 9.3.3 Representational Robustness ; 9.4 Robustness and Confirmation ; 10 Conclusion: The Practice of Modeling ; References

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Book SynopsisDeath has long been a pre-occupation of philosophers, and this is especially so today. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Death collects 21 newly commissioned essays that cover current philosophical thinking of death-related topics across the entire range of the discipline. These include metaphysical topics--such as the nature of death, the possibility of an afterlife, the nature of persons, and how our thinking about time affects what we think about death--as well as axiological topics, such as whether death is bad for its victim, what makes it bad to die, what attitude it is fitting to take towards death, the possibility of posthumous harm, and the desirability of immortality. The contributors also explore the views of ancient philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato and Epicurus on topics related to the philosophy of death, and questions in normative ethics, such as what makes killing wrong when it is wrong, and whether it is wrong to kill fetuses, non-human animals, combatants in waTrade ReviewThis handbook offers a diverse survey of contemporary work with some discussion of its historical touchstones (particularly the thought of Epicurus and Lucretius). Topics range from ordinary-language analysis of the concept of death, and the associated problems personal identity and temporal persistence, to value-oriented examination of whether death is bad or evil, the possibility and value of immortality, and what constitutes the wrongness of killing. Contributors make frequent and helpful use of thought experiments and references to popular culture to ensure that difficult concepts and arguments are clear. The argumentation will be accessible for those possessing basic familiarity with analytic methodology. * D.A. Forbes, CHOICE *As a collection on cutting-edge work in metaphysics of death and, to a lesser extent, related ethical issues, this is a solid collection that both engages recent debates and furnishes multiple possible directions that these debates may take. * James Bodington, Metapsychology Online Reviews16/03/16 *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Philosophy of Death ; Ben Bradley, Fred Feldman, Jens Johansson ; 1. When Do Things Die? ; Cody Gilmore ; 2. Death and the Disintegration of Personality ; Fred Feldman ; 3. The Person and the Corpse ; Eric Olson ; 4. Personal Identity and the Survival of Death ; Dean Zimmerman ; 5. The Evil of Death: What Can Metaphysics Contribute? ; Theodore Sider ; 6. Death and Eternal Recurrence ; Lars Bergstrom ; 7. Death in Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle ; Gareth B. Matthews ; 8. When Death Is There, We Are Not: Epicurus on Pleasure and Death ; Phillip Mitsis ; 9. The Badness of Death and the Goodness of Life ; John Broome ; 10. The Symmetry Problem ; Roy Sorensen ; 11. The Timing Problem ; Jens Johansson ; 12. Death, Value, and Desire ; Christopher Belshaw ; 13.Death and Rational Emotion ; Kai Draper ; 14. Retroactive Harms and Wrongs ; Steven Luper ; 15. Immortality ; John Martin Fischer ; 16. The Makropulos Case Revisited: Reflections on Immortality and Agency ; Connie Rosati ; 17. The Wrongness of Killing and the Badness of Death ; Matthew Hanser ; 18. Abortion and Death ; Don Marquis ; 19. The Morality of Killing in War ; Frances Kamm ; 20. The Significance of Death for Animals ; Alastair Norcross ; 21. Capital Punishment ; Torbjorn Tannsjo ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn Systematicity, Paul Hoyningen-Huene answers the question What is science? by proposing that scientific knowledge is primarily distinguished from other forms of knowledge, especially everyday knowledge, by being more systematic. Science is here understood in the broadest possible sense, encompassing not only the natural sciences but also mathematics, the social sciences, and the humanities. The author develops his thesis in nine dimensions in which it is claimed that science is more systematic than other forms of knowledge: regarding descriptions, explanations, predictions, the defense of knowledge claims, critical discourse, epistemic connectedness, an ideal of completeness, knowledge generation, and the representation of knowledge. He compares his view with positions on the question held by philosophers from Aristotle to Nicholas Rescher. The book concludes with an exploration of some consequences of Hoyningen-Huene''s view concerning the genesis and dynamics of science, the relationship of science and common sense, normative implications of the thesis, and the demarcation criterion between science and pseudo-science.Trade ReviewSystematicity constitutes a welcome contribution to the general philosophy of science. The research agenda for general philosophy of science has been shifting over the last three decades as many philosophers of science have focused on issues in the philosophy of the special sciences, philosophy of physics, philosophy of biology, and the like. In Systematicity, Hoyningen-Huene shows that there is still important and interesting work to be done in general philosophy of science. One leaves the book with a deeper appreciation for the nature of science, as the subtitle suggests, and why science rightly holds the important place it does in contemporary Western cultures. The book has the marks of being written by a mature scholar, erudite, wide ranging, and carefully argued. * K. Brad Wray, Metascience *Hoyningen-Huene presents a thought-provoking image of science that is very useful for the debate on the nature of science within science education. * Esther M. van Dijk, Science & Education *provides a fresh perspective on science ... Recommended. * V.V. Raman, CHOICE *This is a well-organized, well-written, and compellingly argued text on a topic of considerable importance. * Travis Dumsday, Review of Metaphysics *This book is a pleasure to read. It is well written, delicately crafted, scrupulously sign-posted, and very carefully and closely argued including of course the appropriate hedging at crucial points. Its perspective on the histories of both Science and philosophy is expansive, and its author strikes an impeccably impartial tone on disputes that are purely intramural in characteror irrelevant to the subject at hand. * Mariam Thalos, Mind *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1 Introduction ; 1.1 Historical Remarks ; 1.2 The Question "What Is Science?" in Focus ; 2 The Main Thesis ; 2.1 Science and Systematicity ; A) A Little History ; B) Preliminary Remarks ; 2.2 The Concept of Systematicity ; 2.3 The Structure of the Argument ; 3 The Systematicity of Science Unfolded ; 3.1 Descriptions ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Axiomatization ; C) Classification, Taxonomy, and Nomenclature ; D) Periodization ; E) Quantification ; F) Empirical Generalizations ; G) Historical Descriptions ; 3.2 Explanations ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Explanations Using Empirical Generalizations ; C) Explanations Using Theories ; D) Explanations of Human Actions ; E) Reductive Explanations ; F) Historical Explanations ; G) Explanation and Understanding in the Humanities in General ; H) Explanations in the Study of Literature ; 3.3 Predictions ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Predictions Based on Empirical Regularities of the Data in Question ; C) Predictions Based on Correlations with Other Data Sets ; D) Predictions Based on (Fundamental) Theories or Laws ; E) Predictions Based on Models ; F) Predictions Based on Delphi Methods ; 3.4 The Defense of Knowledge Claims ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Non-Evidential Considerations ; C) Empirical Generalizations, Models, and Theories ; D) Causal Influence ; E) The Verum Factum Principle ; F) The Role of Mathematics in the Sciences ; G) Historical Sciences ; 3.5 Critical Discourse ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Norms and Institutions ; C) Practices in Science Fostering Critical Discourse ; 3.6. Epistemic Connectedness ; A) Preliminaries: The Problem ; B) Failing Answers ; C) The Concept of Epistemic Connectedness ; D) Revisiting the Examples ; 3.7 The Ideal of Completeness ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Examples ; 3.8 The Generation of New Knowledge ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Data Collection ; C) The Exploitation of Knowledge from Other Domains ; D) The Generation of New Knowledge as an Autocatalytic Process ; 3.9 The Representation of Knowledge ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Examples ; 4 Comparison with Other Positions ; 4.1 Aristotle ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.2 Rene Descartes ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.3 Immanuel Kant ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.4 Logical Empiricism ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.5 Karl R. Popper ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.6 Thomas S. Kuhn ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.7 Paul K. Feyerabend ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.8 Nicholas Rescher ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 5 Consequences for Scientific Knowledge ; 5.1 The Genesis and Dynamics of Science ; A) Conceptual Clarifications ; B) The Genesis of a Science ; C) The Dynamics of Science ; 5.2 Science and Common Sense ; A) The Preservation of Common Sense ; B) The Deviations from Common Sense ; C) Additional Remarks ; 5.3 Normative Consequences ; 5.4 Demarcation from Pseudo-Science ; A) A Little History ; B) Systematicity Theory's Demarcation Criterion ; 6 Conclusion ; Notes ; Literature ; Literature

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Book SynopsisSocial ontology, in its broadest sense, is the study of the nature of social reality, including collective intentions and agency. The starting point of Tuomela''s account of collective intentionality is the distinction between thinking and acting as a private person (I-mode) versus as a we-thinking group member (we-mode). The we-mode approach is based on social groups consisting of persons, which may range from simple task groups consisting of a few persons to corporations and even to political states. Tuomela extends the we-mode notion to cover groups controlled by external authority. Thus, for instance, cooperation and attitude formation are studied in cases where the participants are governed from above as in many corporations.The volume goes on to present a systematic philosophical theory related to the collectivism-versus-individualism debate in the social sciences. A weak version of collectivism (the we-mode approach) depends on group-based collective intentionality. We-mode collTrade Review"This book is an important contribution to the social ontology literature" -- EthicsTable of ContentsPreface Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Groups and We-Thinking Chapter 3: Collective Intentions Chapter 4: Acting for Social Reasons Chapter 5: Collective Acceptance and the Formation of Group Attitudes Chapter 6: Cooperation and Authority Chapter 7: We-Reasoning in Game-Theoretic Context Chapter 8: Institutional Facts and Institutions Chapter 9: Group Solidarity: All for One and One for All References Index

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Book SynopsisCombining Minds is about the idea of minds built up out of other minds, whether this is possible, and what it would mean if it were. Roelofs surveys many areas of philosophy and psychology, analysing and evaluating denials and affirmations of mental combination that have been made in regard to everything from brain structure, to psychological conflict, to social cooperation. In each case, he carefully distinguishes different senses in which subjectivity might be composite, and different arguments for and against them, concluding that composite subjectivity, in various forms, may be much more common than we think. Combining Minds is also the first book-length defence of constitutive panpsychism against all aspects of the ''combination problem''. Constitutive panpsychism is an increasingly prominent theory, holding that consciousness is naturally inherent in matter, with human consciousness built up out of this basic consciousness the same way human bodies are built up out of physical maTrade ReviewThe book is a trove of intricate, careful, intellectually honest metaphysics. * Eric Schwitzgebel, University of California, Riverside, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (NDPR) *

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Book SynopsisThis treatise offers a new solution to the famous puzzle of the so-called "gymnastic" half of Plato's "Parmenides". The author shows that the work serves to introduce a metaphysics which had outgrown problems commonly associated with Plato's middle dialogues, creating a bridge to his later work.Trade Review`Constance Meinwald's commentary on the Parmenides is both highly original and extremely illuminating ... She offers what I think is a brilliant reconstruction of the antinomies as presented by Parmenides ... Not the least merit of Meinwald's book is that it is accessible to a wide audience ... her arguments are neatly divided into manageable sections; and she writes in a style which is lucid, free of unnecessary jargon, and wholly straightforward ... On the evidence of this book, her future works will be well worth waiting for.' Heythrop Journal'M.'s analysis is generally illuminating. She is notably successful in assessing the strategic functions ... Her analyses work more convincingly, I believe, where the first four sections - the consequences of the positive hypothesis - are concerned than they do with the consequences of the negative hypothesis. Constance Meinwald has produced an intelligent and well argued book, which deserves to be widely discussed - and surely will be. The style is clear and spare, and her case is geenerally well presented.' J.D.G. Evans, Queen's University, Belfast, The Classical Review, 1992

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Book SynopsisThis volume collects together some influential essays in which Simon Blackburn explores one of the most profound and fertile of philosophical problems: the way in which our judgements relate to the world. This debate has centered on realism, or the view that what we say is validated by the way things stand in the world, and a variety of oppositions to it. Prominent among the latter are expressive and projective theories, but also a relaxed pluralism that discourages the view that there are substantial issues at stake. The figure of the `quasi-realist'' dramatizes the difficulty of conducting these debates. Typically philosophers thinking of themselves as realists will believe that they alone can give a proper or literal account of some of our attachments - to truth, to facts, to the independent world, to knowledge, and to certainty. The quasi-realist challenge, developed by Blackburn in this volume, is that we can have those attachments without any metaphysic that deserves calling realTrade Review`The papers span nearly twenty years, and although some are well known, it is useful to have them in one volume ... a rich field.' * Times Literary Supplement *All these essays have been published previously, and everyone in the field will be glad to have them conveniently collected. They well display their author's virtues in advancing philosophical debate...He is alwya candid rather than cagey, laying his cards on the table and not pretending to a stronger hand than he can display.He reminds us that the truth is to be sought in the open air of frank discussion and not in the hermetic chambers of dominant fashion. * Utilitas *

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Book SynopsisThis volume collects the most important articles on the metaphysics of modality by noted philosopher Alvin Plantinga. The book chronicles Plantinga''s thought from the late 1960''s to the present. Plantinga here is concerned with fundamental issues in metaphysics: what is the nature of abstract objects like possible worlds, properties, propositions, and such phenomena? Are there possible but non-actual objects? Can objects that do not exist exemplify properties? In this thorough and searching book, Plantinga addresses these and many other questions that continue to preoccupy philosophers in the field. This volume contains some of the best work in metaphysics from the past 30 years, and will remain a source of critical contention and keen interest among philosophers of metaphysics and philosophical logic for years to come.

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Book SynopsisAfrican Philosophy is a collection of previously unpublished essays that address epistemological and metaphysical concerns that have emerged from the sub-Saharan regions of Africa. The primary focus of the book is on traditional African conceptions of mind, person, personal identity, truth, knowledge, understanding, objectivity, and reality. The collection also discusses traditional African conceptions of causation, destiny, and free will.Trade ReviewThis anthology is one of a kind in the growing literature in African philosophy: it is a breath of fresh air. * African American Review *Table of ContentsContributors 1: Introduction: Seeing through the Conceptual Languages of Others 2: K. Anthony Appiah: Akan and Euro-American Concepts of the Person 3: Kwasi Wiredu: Truth and an African Language 4: Segun Gbadegesin: An Outline of a Theory of Destiny 5: Leke Adeofe: Personal Identity in African Metaphysics 6: D. A. Masolo: The Concept of the Person in Luo Modes of Thought 7: I. A. Menkiti: Physical and Metaphysical Understanding: Nature, Agency, and Causation in African Traditional Thought 8: Albert Mosley: Witchcraft, Science, and the Paranormal in Contemporary African Philosophy 9: Lee M. Brown: Understanding and Ontology in Traditional African Thought Selected Bibliography of Epistemological and Metaphysical Perspectives in African Philosophical Thought Index of Names Index of Subjects

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Book SynopsisThis is a paperback reprint of a cloth edition published in 1994. Adams presents an in-depth interpretation of three important parts of Leibniz''s metaphysics, thoroughly grounded in the texts as well as in philosophical analysis and critique. The three areas discussed are the metaphysical part of Leibniz''s philosophy of logic, his essentially theological treatment of the central issues of ontology, and his theory of substance. Adams'' work helps make sense of one of the great classic systems of modern philosophy.Trade ReviewA finely detailed and elaborately worked-out apology for the German metaphysician ... This is an austere and often daunting work which makes few concessions to those who are not already closely interested in Leibniz's philosophy. Its range is impressive ... On any showing, it must be counted a formidable scholarly achievement. * Times Literary Supplement *Leibniz could not have hoped for a more thoughtful and penetrating, more careful, sensitive, and positive, examination of his ideas than this ... Given the evident "love of truth" exhibited in Adam's book, he surely would have welcomed it. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Adams offers a detailed analysis of an impressive range of texts ... This is an important contribution to Leibniz studies. Not only does Adams display a most impressive mastery both of Leibniz's writings and of those of other philosophers of his era, but his interpretations are ingenious and his arguments subtle and original. I am sure that this is a book that Leibniz scholars will need to consult, and that it will stimulate much discussion ... it is an outstanding example of its kind. * G.H.R. Parkinson, University of Reading, British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Vol. 4/No. 2, 1996 *A thorough and well-researched book that deserves to be placed in every library, next to Russell's classic Leibniz text. * Choice *

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