Philosophy of mind Books
Oxford University Press Inc The Philosophy of Quantitative Methods
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Oxford University Press Memory and the Self
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Oxford University Press Inc Perceiving Reality
Book SynopsisWhat turns the continuous flow of experience into perceptually distinct objects? Can our verbal descriptions unambiguously capture what it is like to see, hear, or feel? How might we reason about the testimony that perception alone discloses? Christian Coseru proposes a rigorous and highly original way to answer these questions by developing a framework for understanding perception as a mode of apprehension that is intentionally constituted, pragmatically oriented, and causally effective. By engaging with recent discussions in phenomenology and analytic philosophy of mind, but also by drawing on the work of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, Coseru offers a sustained argument that Buddhist philosophers, in particular those who follow the tradition of inquiry initiated by Dign?ga and Dharmak?rti, have much to offer when it comes to explaining why epistemological disputes about the evidential role of perceptual experience cannot satisfactorily be resolved without taking into account the structurTrade ReviewA well-crafted and important work, a work that will without doubt influence the discussion of Buddhist epistemology, and the analysis of the relation between Buddhist thought and phenomenology for years to come. * Mind *This excellent book takes cross-cultural philosophy to a new high point by combining Indian Buddhist philosophy with Western phenomenology and philosophy of mind. Offering a rich account of perceptual consciousness, Coseru also casts new light on attention, sensation, self-awareness, and conceptualization. Philosophers of mind and Buddhist scholars alike will find many new insights throughout this groundbreaking book. * Evan Thompson, author of Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology and the Sciences of Mind *Perceiving Reality is a masterful study of Buddhist epistemology. It is first and foremost a substantial contribution to the philosophical literature, developing a compelling account of epistemic authority in the context of the phenomenology of perception. It is also an excellent study of Indian Buddhist epistemological inquiry. The philology is impeccable. But it is always in the service of philosophy. Philosophers and Buddhologists must pay attention to Coseru's book. * Jay Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Philosophy, Smith College *Perceiving Reality is a sophisticated defense of phenomenological naturalism in the philosophy of mind. A striking feature of this book is the outstanding re-descriptions of Indian Buddhist theory in a vibrant contemporary language, testament to the great dexterity with which Coseru moves in the thought-worlds of both classical Buddhism and contemporary phenomenology. Essential reading in the case it makes for comparative philosophy of mind; in particular, the significance of Indian Buddhist analysis in modern discussions of intentionality, self-consciousness, and conceptual content. * Jonardon Ganeri, author of The Self: Naturalism, Consciousness, and the First-Person Stance *In both the breadth of his study and the important questions it raises, Coseru's work accomplishes a great deal. It will find an important place in the study of Buddhist philosophy. * H-Net *The insights of [Coseru's] phenomenological interpretation of Buddhist theories of perception and self-awareness allow these ancient ideas to become live options for current debates in the philosophy of mind. Moreover, the ample references to empirical research lay the groundwork for further Buddhist engagement with the scientific study of consciousness and cognition. * Philosophy East and West *Table of ContentsContents ; Abbreviations ; Acknowledgments ; 1. Introduction: Taking the Structure of Awareness Seriously ; 2. Naturalizing Buddhist Epistemology ; 2.1. Doctrine and Argument ; 2.2. Reason and Conceptual Analysis ; 2.3. Interpretation and Discourse Analysis ; 2.4. Cognition as Enactive Transformation ; 2.5. Logic and the Subjectivity of Thought ; 2.6. Phenomenological Epistemology and the Project of Naturalism ; 3. Sensation and the Empirical Consciousness ; 3.1. No-self and the Domains of Experience ; 3.2. Two Dimensions of Mind: Consciousness as Discernment and Sentience ; 3.3. Attention and Mental Proliferation ; 3.4. Cognitive Awareness and Its Object ; 4. Perception, Conception, and Language ; 4.1. Shared Notions about Perceptual Knowledge ; 4.2. Debating the Criteria for Reliable Cognition ; 4.3. Cognitive Aspects and Linguistic Conventions ; 4.4. Epistemology as Cognitive Event Theory ; 5. An Encyclopedic and Compassionate Setting for Buddhist Epistemology ; 5.1. Dependent Arising and Compassion ; 5.2. Mapping the Ontological and Epistemological Domains ; 5.3. Perception and the Principle of Clarity ; 6. Perception as an Epistemic Modality ; 6.1. The Conditions for Perceptual Knowledge ; 6.2. Perception, Conception, and the Problem of Naming ; 6.3. Phenomenal Content, Phenomenal Character, and the Problem of Reference ; 6.4. Cognitive Errors and Perceptual Illusions ; 7. Foundationalism and the Phenomenology of Perception ; 7.1. Intrinsic Ascertainment and the "Given" ; 7.2. Particulars and Phenomenal Objects ; 7.3. Foundationalism and Its Malcontents ; 7.4. Naturalism and Its Discontents ; 7.5. Beyond Representation: An Enactive Perception Theory ; 8. Perception, Self-Awareness, and Intentionality ; 8.1. Reflexivity and the Aspectual Nature of Intentional Reference ; 8.2. Phenomenal Objects and the Cognitive Subconscious ; 8.3. The Intentional Structure of Awareness ; 8.4. An Epistemological Conundrum: Explaining the Subject-Object Relation ; 9. In Defense of Epistemological Optimism ; 9.1. A Moving Horizon ; 9.2. Embodied Consciousness: Beyond "Seeing" and "Seeing As" ; 9.3. Epistemic Authority Without Manifest Truth ; Bibliography
£38.94
Oxford University Press Simulation and Similarity
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
£45.12
Oxford University Press Wrong of Injustice
Book SynopsisThis book examines contemporary structural social injustices from a feminist perspective. It asks: what makes oppression, discrimination, and domination wrongful? Is there a single wrongness-making feature of various social injustices that are due to social kind membership? Why is sexist oppression of women wrongful? What does the wrongfulness of patriarchal damage done to women consist in? In thinking about what normatively grounds social injustice, the book puts forward two related views. First, it argues for a paradigm shift in focus away from feminist philosophy that is organized around the gender concept woman, and towards feminist philosophy that is humanist. This is against the following theoretical backdrop: Politically effective feminism requires ways to elucidate how and why patriarchy damages women, and to articulate and defend feminism''s critical claims. In order to meet these normative demands an influential theoretical outlook has emerged: for emancipatory purposes feminTrade ReviewTaken as a whole, the monograph is an outstanding contribution to feminist philosophical scholarship, and one that I anticipate will alter the course of a number of discussions in this field in fruitful ways. * Katharine Jenkins, University of Nottingham, Mind *Mari Mikkola's The Wrong of Injustice is a tour de force that combines a critique of recent philosophical debates about the notion of gender with an argument that feminist philosophy should adopt a "humanist" normative position rather than a specifically feminist one. ... The book is an important and ambitious contribution to feminist philosophy and deserves to be studied by both specialists and students. It would be ideal for an advanced undergraduate or graduate seminar owing to its careful exposition and critique of many of the main themes within contemporary feminist philosophy. ... Mikkola's book displays an impressive breadth of research and a multitude of dense, detailed arguments. ... It displays a mastery of diverse philosophical literatures from feminist metaphysics to the (not necessarily feminist) social philosophy of discrimination, domination, and oppression. * Natalie Stoljar, Ethics *Mikkola's book The Wrong of Injustice undertakes a bold paradigm shift in feminist philosophy. She has provided oodles of arguments to support it; but also, as in any paradigm shift, the real power of the work comes from clearing space for new and enlightening ways of thinking. There are many of us looking for non-ideal theory--not just non-ideal commitments--to guide the normative dimension of our work. Mikkola's book provides a model, in fact, a landmark, to guide us as we move ahead. * Sally Haslanger, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *Mikkola's book is a powerful and original argument for neo-humanist feminism. * Charlotte Witt, University of New Hampshire *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Dehumanization as the Wrong of Social Injustice 1.1. Introduction 1.2. Against the Gender Controversy 1.3. Going Beyond Gender: Humanist Feminism 1.4. Methodological Commitments 1.5. Structure of the Book Part I: Against the Gender Controversy Chapter 2: The Gender Controversy 2.1. Biological Determinism and Gender Terminology 2.2. Gender Construction 2.3. Uniformity of Gender 2.4. Sex Classification 2.5.Usefulness of the Sex/Gender Distinction 2.6. Women as a Social Kind Chapter 3: Nominalist Responses to the Semantic and Ontological Puzzles 3.1. The 'Positive' Category of Women 3.2. Women as a Social Series 3.3. Unity, Normativity, and Oppression 3.4. Women as a Resemblance Class 3.4.1. Tenability of Gender Realism 3.4.2. Plausibility of Resemblance Nominalism Chapter 4: Realist Responses to the Semantic and Ontological Puzzles 4.1. Women as FMP-Category 4.2. Social Subordination and Privilege as Marks of Gender 4.2.1. Ameliorative Analysis of woman 4.2.2. Benefits of the Revisionary Analysis 4.3. Gendered Social Identity as Positionality 4.4. Historical Essentialism 4.4.1. Gender as a Natural Kind 4.4.2. Feminist Politics and Historical Essentialism 4.5. Upshot of the Discussion Chapter 5: Deflating the Puzzles 5.1. Deflating the Semantic Puzzle 5.2. Deflating the Ontological Puzzle 5.2.1. Conventionalism is Unintuitive 5.2.2. The Abolitionist Implication is Undesirable 5.2.3. The Trait/ Norm Covariance Model 5.2.4. Ontological Commitments, and the Trait/ Norm Covariance Model 5.3. The Gender Controversy Deflated Part II: Normativity Anew Chapter 6: Dehumanization 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Why Humanism 6.3. Rape as Dehumanizing 6.3.1. The Objectification Argument 6.3.2. The 'Soul Murder' Argument 6.4. Dehumanization in General 6.4.1. Our Legitimate Interests 6.4.2. Moral Injury 6.5. Dehumanization and Feminism Chapter 7: Forms of Injustice and Emancipatory Social Theory 7.1. Introduction 7.2. Emancipatory Social Theory: Desiderata 7.3. Forms of Injustice 7.3.1. Discrimination 7.3.2. Domination 7.3.3. Oppression: A First-Stab 7.3.4. Oppression: A Second-Stab Chapter 8: Contours of Injustice and Feminist Social Theory 8.1. Introduction 8.2. Contours of Injustice 8.3. Feminist Social Theory and Dehumanization 8.4. The Argument So Far Chapter 9: Overcoming Dehumanization 9.1. Freedom 9.2. Human Flourishing 9.3. Equality 9.3.1. The Basic Picture 9.3.2. Objections and Clarifications 9.3.3. Democratic Equality 9.4. Humanist Feminism: Final Remarks Bibliography
£42.74
Oxford University Press The Good Life
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Oxford University Press Oxford Handbook of Religion and Emotion
Book SynopsisThe academic study of religion recently has turned to the investigation of emotion as a crucial aspect of religious life. Researchers have set out in several directions to explore that new terrain and have brought with them an assortment of instruments useful in charting it. This volume collects essays under four categories: religious traditions, religious life, emotional states, and historical and theoretical perspectives. In this book, scholars engaged in cutting edge research on religion and emotion describe the ways in which emotions have played a role in Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other religions. They analyze the manner in which key components of religious life -- ritual, music, gender, sexuality and material culture -- represent and shape emotional performance. Some of the essays included here take a specific emotion, such as love or hatred, and observe the place of that emotion in an assortment of religious traditions and cultural settings. Other essays analyzeTrade ReviewA rich and valuable kaleidoscopic overview. * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsPart 1: Religious Traditions 1. Buddhism, Maria Heim 2. Islam, Anna Gade 3. Hinduism, June McDaniel 4. Japanese Religion, Gary Ebersole 5. Judaism, Joel Gereboff 6. Christianity, Andrew Tallon 7. New Religious Movements, Doug Cowan Part 2: Religious Life 8. Ritual, Pamela Klassen 9. Sexuality, Jeffrey Kripal 10. Gender, Melissa Raphael 11. Music, Frank Burch Brown 12. Material Culture, John Kieschnick Part 3: Emotional States 13. Ecstasy, Helene Basu and Angelika Malinar 14. Terror, Harvey Whitehouse 15. Hope, W. Watts Miller 16. Melancholy, Julius Rubin 17. Love, Nancy Martin and Joseph Runzo 18. Hatred, John Corrigan Part 4: Historical and Theoretical Perspectives 19. Augustine, James Wetzel 20. Medieval Mysticism, Niklaus Largier 21. Kierkegaard, David Kangas 22. Jonathan Edwards, Michael McClymond 23. William James, Jeremy Carrette 24. Durkheim, W.S.F. Pickering 25. Schleirmacher and Otto, Jacqueline Mariña 26. Constructivism and its Critics, John Kloos 27. Emotions Research and Religious Experience, Robert Roberts
£46.99
Oxford University Press In Praise of Desire
Book SynopsisJoining the ancient debate over the roles of reason and appetite in the moral mind, In Praise of Desire takes the side of appetite. The book makes the claim that acting for moral reasons, acting in a praiseworthy manner, and acting out of virtue amount to nothing more than acting out of intrinsic desires for the right or the good, correctly conceived. In Praise of Desire shows that a desire-centered moral psychology can be richer than philosophers commonly think, accommodating the full complexity of moral life.Trade ReviewPraise of Desire combines Arpaly and Schroeder's treat strengths to produce a book populated with engaging and naturalistic examples, argued with great systematic sophistication... The authors powerfully illuminate the nature and importance of the role played by the aspect under which we undertake actions in determining whether we count as responding fittingly to the situations in which we find ourselves and the amount of praise and blame due us for doing so. * Justin Jennings, Journal of Moral Philosophy *The great accomplishment of In Praise of Desire is that it shows that a robust theory of virtue and moral responsibility can be founded on a behavioral and neural basis. As such, it is an excellent contribution to moral psychology. * Polaris Koi, doctoral candidate in Philosophy at the University of Turku, Finland, Metapsychology *pleasingly forthright and readable book...As Arpaly and Schroeder say in their conclusion, their aim has been to spark a debate rather than provide a final theory. With its integration of considerations from ethics, philosophy of mind and the empirical science, this book provides an excellent beginning. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *... is a fantastic book. Its ambitions are high, its arguments are insightful and its prose is clear and crisp. I recommend it in the highest possible terms to anyone working on the intersections of moral psychology, philosophy of action, philosophy of mind, practical reason, and normative ethics. * Ethics *...I think the book is impressive, necessary reading for all moral psychologists and appropriate for a graduate (or sophisticated undergraduate) seminar on moral psychology. * Analysis *This book makes an important contribution to the literature supporting the kind of position the authors favour, but beyond that, virtually all the topics covered, whether or not structural parts of the authors' larger argument, involve philosophically interesting discussions very much worth considering. * Mind *Table of ContentsIntroduction Section I: Reason Chapter 1: Deliberation Chapter 2: How Deliberation Works Chapter 3: Thinking and Acting for Reasons Section II: Desire Chapter 4: Love and Care Chapter 5: What Desires Are Not Chapter 6: What Desires Are Section III: Virtue Chapter 7: Credit and Blame Chapter 8: Virtue Chapter 9: Virtue and Cognition Section IV: Puzzles Chapter 10: Inner Struggle Chapter 11: Addiction Conclusion Works Cited Index
£34.67
Oxford University Press Inc Charles S. Peirces Phenomenology
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Oxford University Press Elements of Mind
Book SynopsisThis accessible and lively introduction considers the main problems and debates in contemporary philosophy of mind. The central theme of the book is that intentionality, or the mind''s direction upon its objects - sometimes described as the mind''s power to represent or be ''about'' things - is the essential feature of all mental phenomena. Crane engages in a subsidiary theme, the mind-body problem, asking to what extent a physicalist reductive account of mental phenomena is possible, or even necessary. Proposing an original and unified theory of all the phenomena of mind, Crane opposes those currently popular conceptions of the mind which divide mental phenomena into two very different kinds, the intentional and the qualitative. In the light of his theory, Crane gives an account of the main problems of the philosophy of mind: the mind-body problem, the problem of intentionality (or mental representation), the problem of consciousness, and the problem of perception. He also attempts toTrade Review'... an immensely well-informed an up-to-date discussion... Replete with controversial and original insights, it is sure to stimulate the interest of students and specialists alike.' THESTable of Contents1. Mind ; 2. Body ; 3. Consciousness ; 4. Thought ; 5. Perception ; Bibliography ; Index
£49.99
Oxford University Press The Global Village
Book SynopsisThis is Marshall McLuhan''s last book, written in collaboration with his longtime friend, Bruce Powers. It updates McLuhan''s landmark study, Understanding Media, which was published 25 years ago.^l^l The premise is the distinction between what McLuhan and Powers call Visual Space - or the left-brain, linear, quantitative reasoning tradition of the West beginning with Plato and Aristotle - as against what they call Acoustic Space - right-brain, qualitative, pattern-producing reasoning, the holistic approach of the East. They argue that with the advent of the global village - as a result of electronic communications - these two mind sets are slamming into each other at the speed of light. In their words, In the last half of the 20th century the East will rush westward and the West will embrace orientalism, all in a desperate attempt to cope with each other, to avoid violence. But the key to peace is to understand both these systems simultaneously.Trade Review'The Global Village is studded with the controversial genius, insight and originality for which McLuhan was famous.' Telecommunications Policy`Thank you, Professor Powers, for bringing McLuhanian thinking back into the light and for bringing it up to date.' Futures
£67.77
Oxford University Press, USA Representation and the MindBody Problem in Spinoza
Book SynopsisThis first extensive study of Spinoza''s philosophy of mind concentrates on two problems crucial to the philosopher''s thoughts on the matter: the requirements for having a thought about a particular object, and the problem of the mind''s relation to the body. Della Rocca contends that Spinoza''s positions are systematically connected with each other and with a principle at the heart of his metaphysical system: his denial of causal or explanatory relations between the mental and the physical. In this way, Della Rocca''s exploration of these two problems provides a new and illuminating perspective on Spinoza''s philosophy as a system.Trade Reviewexhibits ... analytic rigour and clarity of expression ... offers some original and compelling interpretations of important elements of Spinoza's theory of mind. * Tad M. Schmaltz,Mind, Vol. 109, No.435, July 2000. *The considerable strengths of his discussion in this book provide reason for those interested in this area of Spinoza's thought to track this further development. * Tad M. Schmaltz,Mind, Vol. 109, No.435, July 2000. *"A very rigorous, sophisticated and subtle treatment of central issues in Spinoza's philosophy of mind and knowledge....Della Rocca puts forward interpretations which are likely to be the subject of discussion among Spinoza for some years to come. In general, Della Rocca shows himself to be an original, subtle, and often brilliant expositor of Spinoza."--Nicholas Jolley, University of California, San Diego"It will be a classic--'must' reading for Spinoza scholars, historians of philosophy in general, advanced students of the history of philosophy, and anyone interested in early modern cognitive psychology. It is one of the most exciting works in the history of philosophy that I have read in a long time....It deserves the widest possible readership."--Don Garrett, University of Utah
£140.12
Oxford University Press, USA Measuring the Intentional World Realism Naturalism and Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences
Book SynopsisScientific realism has been advanced as an interpretation of the natural sciences but never the behavioural sciences. This exciting book introduces a novel version of scientific realism--Measured Realism--that characterizes the kind of theoretical progress in the social and psychological sciences that is uneven but indisputable. Trout proposes a theory of measurement--Population-Guided Estimation--that connects natural, psychological, and social scientific inquiry. Presenting quantitative methods in the behavioural sciences as at once successful and regulated by the world, Measuring the Intentional World will engage philosophers of science, historians of science, sociologists of science, and scientists interested in the foundations of their own disciplines.Trade ReviewThere is much of value in Trout's book. The careful sorting out of often confused realist claims is welcome. His recognition that the social sciences sometimes have measurement and testing procedures akin to those of the natural sciences is also a welcome antidote to the long tradition of arguing about their scientific status without looking at what they actually do. Trout's claim that assessments of realism issues require carefully looking at specific theories seems to me particularly valuable. * Philosophical Review *This is an interesting, complex, and important book. Indeed, it may well be the most important book in the philosophy of the social sciences since Rosenberg's Sociobiology and the Preemption of Social Science (1980). In addition to developing an original and intriguing naturalistic account of psychology and the social sciences, Trout offers the reader a most nuanced analysis of various forms of scientific realism, as well as a well-developed version of naturalistic epistemology. * Teaching Philosophy *A radical book, and essential reading for courses in philosophy of science, statistics, and research methods. * Choice *
£79.80
Oxford University Press Understanding Truth
Book SynopsisIn this book, Scott Soames illuminates the notion of truth and the role it plays in our ordinary thought, as well as in our logical, philosophical, and scientific theories. The main questions investigated include Why do we need a truth predicate at all?, What theoretical tasks does it allow us to accomplish?, and How must we understand the content of any predicate capable of accomplishing these tasks?. The main aim of the book is to integrate and extend the most important insight on truth from a variety of sources.Trade ReviewSoames's introduction to partially defined predicates is exemplary, one that presupposes virtually no background in logic or maths. ... Soames's interpretation of Kripke's 'truth value gaps' in terms of partially defined predicates ... is arguably the best available interpretation on the market; and Soames's discussion of this interpretation, like his other discussions, is a paradigm of clarity. For these reasons alone the book is well worth reading. * Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol.79, no.2 *While there are many introductions to Kripke's theory of truth there are none that rival Soames's presentation ... Soames's presentation of the theory is not only clear, careful, and rigorous, but is likewise, and atypically user-friendly. * Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol.79, no.2 *One ... feature is the sheer clarity of the writing and the care with which arguments are given and discussed. In this way the book serves as an example of how to write philosophy; and this is no snall accomplishment, especially in the face of its frequent absence in contemporary philosophical books. * Australasian Journal of Philosophy, vol.79, no.2 *
£39.42
Oxford University Press Deconstructing the Mind
Book SynopsisIn this book, Stich unravels - or deconstructs - the doctrine called eliminativism. Eliminativism claims that beliefs, desires, and many other mental states we use to describe the mind do not exist, but are fictional posits of a badly mistaken theory of folk psychology. Stich makes a U-turn in his book, opening up new and controversial positions.Trade ReviewStich's argument, presented in the first chapter, will surely become a classic essay in the study of mind....Surely ought not to be missed. * Choice *Table of Contents1.: Deconstructing the Mind 2.: with William Ramsey and Joseph Garon: Connectionism, Eliminativism, and the Future of Folk Psychology 3.: with Ian Ravenscroft: What Is Fold Psychology? 4.: with Shaun Nichols: How Do Minds Understand Minds? Mental Simulation versus Tacit Theory 5.: with Stephen Laurence: Intentionality and Naturalism 6.: Naturalism, Positivism, and Pluralism References Index
£39.42
Oxford University Press Thought Experiments
Book SynopsisIn this book, Roy Sorensen presents the first general theory of the thought experiment. He analyses a wide variety of thought experiments, ranging from aesthetics to zoology, and explores what thought experiments are, how they work, and what their positive and negative aspects are. Sorensen also sets his theory within an evolutionary framework and integrates recent advances in experimental psychology and the history of science.Trade Reviewstimulating ... written in a vivid jaunty style ... The array of philosophical positions and teh many examples are presented with such clarity and freshness ... that this book can be recommended both as an unusual but engaging introduction to philosophy and as a sensitive analysis and defence of the cognitive power of thought experiments. * Times Higher Education Supplement *simply and clearly written, and virtually all of it is instructive and enjoyable to read. * George Schlesinger, University of North Carolina *Roy A. Sorensen's book is a useful collection of reflections on the definition and logic of thought experiments. It contains some splendid examples ... There are painstaking lists of respects in which thought experiments are, and are not, like ordinary experiments. * Simon Blackburn, Times Literary Supplement *Roy Sorensen's aim in his stimulating book is to demystify and defend the place of thought experiments in both science and philosophy ... This book is written in a vivid, jaunty style ... There is sustained argument, but also rapid movement from one case to another. The array of philosophical positions and the many examples are presented with such clarity and freshness, however, that this book can be recommended both as an unusual but engaging introduction to philosophy and as a sensitive analysis and defence of the cognitive power of thought experiments. * Times Higher Education Supplement *The book is tightly reasoned, and written in an engaging, often jocular style, Sorensen advances and defends his model in the manner of someone sincerely and pragmatically seeking comprehension, and is never didactic or ponderous. * James W. McAllister, University of Leiden, Mind, Vol. 102, No. 408, Oct '93 *The first full-scale treatment of thought experiments ... The book is clearly written and largely nontechnical. It bears on the nature of theorizing in general, owing to its careful treatment of a wide range of cases of theoretical activity. Recommended for all libraries. * Choice *[An] important new book ... Sorensen articulates what is sure to become one of the central views about thought experiments, but he also provides an excellent introduction to this wonderful subject. The topic has rather suddenly become a growth industry. Besides its other virtues, Roy Sorensen's Thought Experiments also offers a very good leg in. * Canadian Journal of Philosophy *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Our Most Curious Device ; 2. Scepticism About Thought Experiments ; 3. Mach and Inner Cognitive Africa ; 4. The Wonder of Armchair Inquiry ; 5. Kuhntradictions ; 6. The Logical Structure of Thought Experiment ; 7. Conflict Vagueness and Precisification ; 8. The Evolution of Thought Experiment ; 9. Are Thought Experiments? ; 10. Fallacies and Antifallacies ; Notes ; Select Bibliography ; Subject Index ; Name Index
£39.42
Oxford University Press The Human Animal
Book SynopsisMost philosophers writing about personal identity in recent years claim that what it takes for us to persist through time is a matter of psychology. In this groundbreaking new book, Eric Olson argues that such approaches face daunting problems, and he defends in their place a radically non-psychological account of personal identity. He defines human beings as biological organisms, and claims that no psychological relation is either sufficient or necessary for an organism to persist. Rejecting several famous thought experiments dealing with personal identity, he instead argues that one could survive the destruction of all of one''s psychological contents and capabilities as long as the human organism remains alive.Trade ReviewA very clear and powerfully argued defence of a most important and surprisingly neglected view. * Derek Parfit, author of Reasons and Persons (All Souls College, Oxford) *For hundreds of years, almost all philosophers writing on the topic have supposed that personal identity is either entirely a matter of psychology or at least has an important and essential psychological component. This important book presents a powerful challenge to that assumption. If Dr. Olson is right, we are living animals and what goes on in our minds is wholly irrelevant to questions about our persistence through time. If this book receives the attention it deserves, it will transform philosophical thinking about personal identity. * Peter van Inwagen, author of An Essay on Free Will, Material Beings, and Metaphysics (University of Notre Dame) *Olson's excellent and enjoyable book should be read by everyone with an interest in metaphysics. For those seriously interested in the philosophy of personal identity, or in our existence and identity, the matter is more serious; without much delay, you've got to get your hands on The Human Animal * Peter Unger, New York University *A significant contribution to the field. It issues several important challenges to proponents of a psychological approach to personal identity. * Carol Rovane, Yale University *Olson develops his main argument with a masterly touch. It is particularly refreshing to read a discussion of personal identity which is metaphysically serious. He has produced in me a deepened sense of the virtues of animalism, and I expect his book to do so in anyone who reads it. * Times Literary Supplement *The book as a whole is admirably succinct, clear, and forcefully argued, and is a fresh and enjoyable read. * IMind *This is the most original piece of writing on these matters that I have read in several years. I recommend it highly. * Philosophical Books *
£64.60
Oxford University Press, USA Consciousness and Cognition Philosophy of Mind
Book SynopsisThis title argues that our conception of consciousness is based upon fundamental errors. It discusses three important philosophical puzzles, each of which presents the same problem. In highlighting this, the errors in our conception of consciousness and cognition are also revealed.
£63.65
Oxford University Press Inc Dreaming Souls
Book SynopsisWhat, if anything do dreams tell us about ourselves? What is the relationship between types of sleep and types of dreams? Does dreaming serve any purpose? Or are dreams simply meaningless mental noise--''unmusical fingers wandering over the piano keys''?With expertise in philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience, Owen Flanagan is uniquely qualified to answer those questions. And in Dreaming Souls he provides both an accessible survey of the latest research on sleep and dreams and a compelling new theory about the nature and function of dreaming. Flanagan argues that while sleep has a clear biological function and adaptive value, dreams are merely side effects, ''free-riders'', irrelevant from an evolutionary point of view. But dreams are hardly unimportant. Indeed, Flanagan argues that dreams are self-expressive, the result of our need to find or create meaning, even when we are sleeping. Rejecting Freud''s theory of manifest and latent content--of repressed wishes appearing in disguiseTrade Review"Flanagan's Dreaming Souls is, quite simply, a masterpiece: learned, lively, and surpassingly smart. Owen's voice in this book is so honest, direct, lovable and funny, it kept reminding me of Frank McCourt. And yet it IS neurophilosophy. It is about the whys and wherefores of our dreaming brains."--Patricia S. Churchland, Presidential Professor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, author of Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain "Owen Flanagan does it again. He takes one of the most fascinating and elusive topics in mind/brain research, the 'why' of dreams, and ropes it into a coherent notion that one and all can understand. I won't spoil it for you and tell you his intriguing idea. But I will tell you, I think he is on to something big."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, author of Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind and The Mind's Past "Are dreams just the noise that the brain makes during sleep? Flanagan makes us take this question seriously as he builds dream consciousness into his new brain-based philosophy of mind."--J. Allan, Director of Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Harvard Medical School and author of Sleep, The Dreaming Brain, and most recently Consciousness "How important to have a philosopher dedicate himself to the basic questions of human psychology. Owen Flanagan challenges and synthesizes contemporary theories of mind to arrive at a provocative understanding of the relationship of dream and dreamer."--Peter D. Kramer, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, author of Listening to Prozac and Should You Leave? "An informative review of current research on sleep and dreams and a new theory about the nature and function of dreaming, presented with clarity, wit, and finesse.... Science writing at its best."--Kirkus Reviews "Excellent book to start off a science-oriented philosophy of mind...course. The style and content are engaging, and Flanagan provides an excellent introduction to the philosophical issues surrounding mind/brain research."--Ilya Farber, George Washington University "[An] intriguing book....Flanagan has developed an original, plausible, and empirically grounded account of the activity of dreaming. He has demonstrated...successfully, that his account is superior to the depth psychological and somatic noise alternatives. And he has done so in the form of an engaging, accessible, and often amusing book."--The American Journal of Psychology "Flanagan's Dreaming Souls is, quite simply, a masterpiece: learned, lively, and surpassingly smart. Owen's voice in this book is so honest, direct, lovable and funny, it kept reminding me of Frank McCourt. And yet it IS neurophilosophy. It is about the whys and wherefores of our dreaming brains."--Patricia S. Churchland, Presidential Professor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, author of Neurophilosophy: Toward a Unified Science of the Mind-Brain "Owen Flanagan does it again. He takes one of the most fascinating and elusive topics in mind/brain research, the 'why' of dreams, and ropes it into a coherent notion that one and all can understand. I won't spoil it for you and tell you his intriguing idea. But I will tell you, I think he is on to something big."--Michael S. Gazzaniga, Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College, author of Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind and The Mind's Past "Are dreams just the noise that the brain makes during sleep? Flanagan makes us take this question seriously as he builds dream consciousness into his new brain-based philosophy of mind."--J. Allan, Director of Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Harvard Medical School and author of Sleep, The Dreaming Brain, and most recently Consciousness "How important to have a philosopher dedicate himself to the basic questions of human psychology. Owen Flanagan challenges and synthesizes contemporary theories of mind to arrive at a provocative understanding of the relationship of dream and dreamer."--Peter D. Kramer, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, author of Listening to Prozac and Should You Leave? "An informative review of current research on sleep and dreams and a new theory about the nature and function of dreaming, presented with clarity, wit, and finesse.... Science writing at its best."--Kirkus Reviews "In his fascinating new book, Dreaming Souls, Flanagan submits that, while sleep is certainly an evolutionary adaptation, and consciousness probably is, too, consciousness during sleep is merely a by-product of the two."--Jim Holt, Lingua Franca "Flanagan's writing is conversational--gracious, humorous, and intelligent. He examines objections to theories without being demeaning or condescending...a thought-provoking and entertaining read."--Choice "In contrast to Jouvet, Hobson and Winson, the American philosopher Owen Flanagan thinks that both sleep and consciousness are products of evolution, but consciousness during sleep (dreaming) is merely an accident of nature, a side effect of the two. Both consciousness and sleep have a clear biological function, but dreams don't. During sleep, the brain stocks up neurotransmitters that will be used the next day. By accident, pulses that originate from this stockpiling chore (coming from the brain stem) also reactivate more or less random parts of memory. Unaware that the body is actually sleeping, the sensory circuits of the cerebral cortex process these signals as if they were coming from outside and produce a chaotic flow of sensations. Thus we dream. Dreams are just the noise the brain makes while working overnight. If Flanagan is correct, dreams are meaningless and pointless." -- Piero Scaruffi, Thymos.comTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Prologue: "To Sleep: Perchance to Dream" 1: Heart Throbs 2: The Dreaming Mind 3: Sleepy Heads 4: Dreams: The Spandrels of Sleep 5: Self-Expression in Dreams 6: Philosophical Perplexities Epilogue: Here Comes the Sun Selected Bibliography Index
£14.99
Oxford University Press The Last Word
Book SynopsisIn The Last Word, Thomas Nagel, a leading philosopher and Professor of Law, presents a sustained defense of reason against the attacks of subjectivism, delivering systematic rebuttals against its many relativistic claims in the fields of language, logic, ethics, and science. He proposes that reason reflects objective principles whose validity is independent of different points of view, and continues to argue that reason is universal because its only prerequisite is the ability to think systematically and with intelligence. Dismissing relativism as theoretical chic and inconsequential intellectual flourish, he predicts its ultimate stultifying effect on public discourse. The Last Word is a vigorous defense of reason and its universal narratives. Resisting what he describes as the eventual demise of intellectual discourse, Nagel''s work sets a new standard in the debate: this book presents the clarity and simplicity of objective reason.Nagel''s construction of a coherent framework beyondTrade ReviewReview from previous edition "Nagel's book is a ringing defense of the rationalist conception of reason, and an uncompromising attack on the subjectivist conception...The case that Nagel presents in these chapters should disturb all those who have been lulled, or bludgeoned, into the flabby relativism that is so rampant in contemporary intellectual culture..Nagel's argument is not only correct, it is also urgent...The Last Word is a book that should be read and pondered in this golden age of relativism." * Colin McGinn, The New Republic *"Thomas Nagel stands out among today's best philosophers in retaining closer links with big puzzles and mysteries that first attract most people to philosophy. He has a livelier sense of their depth and power than is conspicuous elsewhere in the academic study of philosophy, and admirably resists the widespread tendency to dent a thing's existence because it is difficult or perhaps impossible to understand." * The Times Literary Supplement *"...(Nagel's) book, which is concise, spare, and well-argued, will prolong discussion by setting it on a new path...what he has to say is challenging, impressive, and thought-provoking." * International Philosophical Quarterly *"...now comes Professor Nagel's fascinating, even brilliant, book..." * Commonweal *
£34.67
Oxford University Press The Nature of Melancholy
Book SynopsisSpanning 24 centuries, this anthology collects over thirty selections of important Western writing about melancholy and its related conditions by philosophers, doctors, religious and literary figures, and modern psychologists. Truly interdisciplinary, it is the first such anthology. As it traces Western attitudes, it reveals a conversation across centuries and continents as the authors interpret, respond, and build on each other''s work. Editor Jennifer Radden provides an extensive, in-depth introduction that draws links and parallels between the selections, and reveals the ambiguous relationship between these historical accounts of melancholy and today''s psychiatric views on depression. This important new collection is also beautifully illustrated with depictions of melancholy from Western fine art.Trade ReviewRadden's invaluable anthology ... scrupulously presents the key texts ... does an excellent job of tracing the history of efforts to find a language capable of sheltering humanity from that storm [in the mind]. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPART 1: ARISTOTLE TO FREUD; PART 2: AFTER FREUD
£50.35
Oxford University Press What is an Emotion Classic and Contemporary Readings
Book SynopsisWhat is an Emotion?, 2/e, draws together important selections from classical and contemporary theories and debates about emotion. Utilizing sources from a variety of subject areas including philosophy, psychology, and biology, editor Robert Solomon provides an illuminating look at the affective side of psychology and philosophy from the perspective of the world''s great thinkers. Part One of the book features five classic readings from Aristotle, the Stoics, Descartes, Spinoza, and Hume. Part Two offers classic and contemporary theories from the social sciences, presenting selections from such thinkers as Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud alongside recent work from Paul Ekman, Catherine Lutz, and others. Part Three presents some of the extensive work on emotion that developed in Europe over the past century. Part Four includes essays representing the discussion of emotions among British and American analytic philosophers. The volume is enhanced by a comprehensive introduction by the editor and a multidisciplinary bibliography. What is an Emotion? is appropriate for any course in which the nature of emotion plays a major role, including philosophy of emotion, philosophy of mind, history of psychology, emotion and motivation, moral psychology, and history and psychology of consciousness courses. The second edition provides much more material on emotions in the sciences and more from recent philosophical theories, encompassing recent shifts in theorizing on three fronts: the wealth of new information on the central nervous system and the brain; new developments in cross-cultural research and anthropology; and the recent emphasis on cognition in emotion, both in philosophy and the social sciences. New selections include work by Antonio Damasio, Ronald De Sousa, Paul Ekman, Nico Frijda, Patricia Greenspan, Paul Griffiths, Richard Lazarus, Catherine Lutz, Martha Nussbaum, and Michael Stocker.Trade Review"An excellent addition to a course in History of Psychology. This volume's thematic consistency lets students see the changes that have occurred in psychological thought over the centuries."--Michael Nielsen, Georgia Southern UniversityTable of ContentsI. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND; ARISTOTLE; THE STOICS; RENE DESCARTES; BENEDICT SPINOZA; DAVID HUME; II. THE MEETING OF PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY; CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN; WILLIAM JAMES; WALTER B. CANNON; JOHN DEWEY; SIGMUND FREUD; STANLEY SCHACHTER AND JEROME E. SINGER; PAUL EKMAN; RICHARD LAZARUS; NICO FRIJDA; CATHERINE LUTZ; ANTONIO DAMASIO; III. THE CONTINENTAL TRADITION; FRANZ BRENTANO; MAX SCHELER; MARTIN HEIDEGGER; JEAN-PAUL SARTRE; IV. CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS AND EMOTION; GILBERT RYLE; ERROL BEDFORD; ANTHONY KENNY; ROBERT C. SOLOMON; CHESHIRE CALHOUN; RONALD DE SOUSA; MICHAEL STOCKER; PATRICIA GREENSPAN; PAUL GRIFFITHS
£83.59
Oxford University Press What Are We A Study in Personal Ontology Philosophy of Mind
Book SynopsisFrom the time of Locke, discussions of personal identity have often ignored the question of our basic metaphysical nature: whether we human people are biological organisms, spatial or temporal parts of organisms, bundles of perceptions, or what have you. The result of this neglect has been centuries of wild proposals and clashing intuitions.What Are We? is the first general study of this important question. It beings by explaining what the question means and how it differs from others, such as questions of personal identity and the mind-body problem. It then examines in some depth the main possible accounts of our metaphysical nature, detailing both their theoretical virtues and the often grave difficulties they face.The book does not endorse any particular account of what we are, but argues that the matter turns on more general issues in the ontology of material things. If composition is universal--if any material things whatever make up something bigger--then we are temporal parts of organisms. If things never compose anything bigger, so that there are only mereological simples, then we too are simples--perhaps the immaterial substances of Descartes--or else we do not exist at all (a view Olson takes very seriously). The intermediate view that some things compose bigger things and others do not leads almost inevitably to the conclusion that we are organisms. So we can discover what we are by working out when composition occurs.Trade ReviewIn this invigorating new book, Eric Olsen investigates what we are, metaphysically speaking...The book is engagingly written in a conversational style...filled with many stimulating arguments. * Lynne Rudder Baker MIND *For anyone who wants to understand the question "What are we?"- and who wants to see how to begin to answer that question in a principled way- there is no better guide than Olson's book. * Trenton Merricks, Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. The Question; 2. Animals; 3. Constitution; 4. Brains; 5. Temporal Parts; 6. Bundles; 7. Souls; 8. Nihilism; 9. What Now?
£68.40
OUP USA NaturalBorn Cyborgs
Book SynopsisFrom Robocop to the Terminator to Eve 8, no image better captures our deepest fears about technology than the cyborg, the person who is both flesh and metal, brain and electronics. But philosopher and cognitive scientist Andy Clark sees it differently. Cyborgs, he writes, are not something to be feared-we already are cyborgs.In Natural-Born Cyborgs, Clark argues that what makes humans so different from other species is our capacity to fully incorporate tools and supporting cultural practices into our existence. Technology as simple as writing on a sketchpad, as familiar as Google or a cellular phone, and as potentially revolutionary as mind-extending neural implants-all exploit our brains'' astonishingly plastic nature. Our minds are primed to seek out and incorporate non-biological resources, so that we actually think and feel through our best technologies. Drawing on his expertise in cognitive science, Clark demonstrates that our sense of self and of physical presence can be expanded to a remarkable extent, placing the long-existing telephone and the emerging technology of telepresence on the same continuum. He explores ways in which we have adapted our lives to make use of technology (the measurement of time, for example, has wrought enormous changes in human existence), as well as ways in which increasingly fluid technologies can adapt to individual users during normal use. Bio-technological unions, Clark argues, are evolving with a speed never seen before in history. As we enter an age of wearable computers, sensory augmentation, wireless devices, intelligent environments, thought-controlled prosthetics, and rapid-fire information search and retrieval, the line between the user and her tools grows thinner day by day. This double whammy of plastic brains and increasingly responsive and well-fitted tools creates an unprecedented opportunity for ever-closer kinds of human-machine merger, he writes, arguing that such a merger is entirely natural.A stunning new look at the human brain and the human self, Natural Born Cyborgs reveals how our technology is indeed inseparable from who we are and how we think.Trade ReviewHighly interesting, provocative and easy to read.... Natural-Born Cyborgs is impressive and entertaining, giving the book a potentially wide audience that includes those interested in cognitive science, performance art and the philosophy of mind. * Nature *In this lively and provocative treatise, Clark declares that we are, in fact, 'human technology symbionts' or 'natural-born cyborgs,' always seeking ways to enhance our biological mental capacities through technology, an intriguing claim he supports with a brisk history of biotechnology mergers, which currently range from pacemakers to the way a pilot of a commercial airplane is but one component in an elaborate 'biotechnological problem-solving matrix.' * San Diego Union-Tribune *A book that is at once profound, ground breaking, and delightful reading. Clark, more than anybody, understands how human nature is shaped by the technology and culture through which it finds expression. Bravo! * Jerome Bruner, University Professor, New York University, and author of Making Stories *This is a marvelous book, one I intend to use and reuse. I want to teach a course using it. I want to tell my friends. The neatest part is that it is both fun and deep, a hard trick to pull off, but Clark managed wonderfully. He combines a broad array of insights and stories into a charming, yet profound, excursion into what it means to be human as more and more we rely upon * and may even be coupled toour technology. I read it in a day, but I know I will return to it often.Donald Norman, Professor of Computer Science, Northwestern University, and author of Emotional Design *Andy Clark has given us an exciting yet realistic vision of what lies ahead. If you've ever wondered what Cyborgs are really all about, this is where you will find your answers. * Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics, University of Reading, and author of I, Cyborg *Clark does an excellent job of explaining the increasing symbiosis between humans and the machines they create. * Dallas Morning News *Andy Clark's lucid book is itself one act in the larger Cognitive Drama that it so clearly portrays. We humans are already 'Cyborgs,' and have been for thousands of years, blissfully and profitably embedded in a culture-wide family of Powerful Cognitive Mechanisms, one of which is The Widely-Read Book * like this one! Read it, and see yourself as never before.Paul M. Churchland, past president of the American Philosophical Association, and author of The Engine of Reason, The Seat of the Soul *
£18.49
Oxford University Press Getting Even
Book SynopsisWe have all been victims of wrongdoing. Forgiving that wrongdoing is one of the staples of current pop psychology dogma; it is seen as a universal prescription for moral and mental health in the self-help and recovery section of bookstores. At the same time, personal vindictiveness as a rule is seen as irrational and immoral. In many ways, our thinking on these issues is deeply inconsistent; we value forgiveness yet at the same time now use victim-impact statements to argue for harsher penalties for criminals. Do we have a right to hate others for what they have done to us? The distinguished philosopher and law professor Jeffrie Murphy is a skeptic when it comes to our views on both emotions. In this short and accessible book, he proposes that vindictive emotions (anger, resentment, and the desire for revenge) actually deserve a more legitimate place in our emotional, social, and legal lives than we currently recognize, while forgiveness deserves to be more selectively granted. MurphyTrade Review"Getting Even is probably the best book to date on the costs and benefits of forgiveness."--First Things - the Journal of Religion and Public Life"Getting Even: Forgiveness and Its Limits is a well-written and accessible yet deepy serious examination of the costs of forgiveness and the dangers of cheap grace."--First Things - the Journal of Religion and Public Life"Jeffrie Murphy has written a wonderful and sensitive book on an almost forbidden topic, the topic of revenge. But it is also a book about forgiveness, and it is striking a judicious balance between these two that makes Murphy's book such a challenge and a success. Unlike the herd of authors writing on forgiveness, he suggests difficult objections and deep reasons for reservation. But neither does his book display real enthusiasm for revenge, although he gives it a good run and 'two cheers.' If the book ends up with a rather Christian account of forgiveness that will please many readers, Murphy takes them through some psychologically difficult but philosophically clear and very readable terrain to get there."--Robert C. Solomon, Quincy Lee Centennial Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor, The University of Texas at Austin"In a voice that is reasonable, incisively witty, finely tuned to human emotion, and wise, Murphy teaches us how to think about our most difficult moral dilemmas. When should we forgive? When might it be healthy to hold a grudge? We would all do well to think through these questions from both a personal and moral perspective with this thoughtful and fascinating meditation."--Sharon Lamb, Professor of Psychology, St. Michael's College, author of The Secret Lives of Girls and The Trouble with Blame"Jeffrie Murphy has been a distinctive voice in the discussion of how we should respond to wrongdoing (our own and others'): a humane, philosophically astute, morally sensitive and imaginative voice that reminds us of the merits as well as the dangers of such often deprecated responses as anger, resentment and a desire to 'get even', and that brings out the difficulty as well as the significance of such responses as forgiveness, mercy and repentance. Anyone who cares about how we should respond, whether morally or legally, to the wrongs and evils that we do to each other-that is to say, anyone who aspires to be either a moral agent or a citizen--will find stimulation and sustenance in this book."--R.A. Duff, University of Stirling, Scotland
£28.02
Oxford University Press Not Passions Slave
Book SynopsisThe idea that we are in some significant sense responsible for our emotions is an idea that Robert Solomon has developed for almost three decades. Here, in a single volume, he traces the development of this theory of emotions and elaborate it in detail. Two themes run through his work: the first presents a cognitive theory of emotions in which emotions are construed primarily as evaluative judgments. The second proposes an existentialist perspective in which he defends the idea that, as we are responsible for our emotions. Indeed, sometimes it even makes sense to say that we choose them. While the first claim has gained increasing currency in the literature, his claim about responsibility for emotions has continued to meet with considerable resistance and misinterpretation. The new emphasis on evolutionary biology and neurology has (mistakenly) reinforced the popular prejudice that emotions happen to us and are entirely beyond our control. This volume is also a kind of intellectual meTrade Review"The twelve essays by Robert C. Solomon that comprise Not Passion's Slave serve as a kind of intellectual memoir of their author, who has, for the last thirty years, been at the heart of a revival of philosophical interest in the emotions."--Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsNOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX
£24.22
Oxford University Press Structures of Agency
Book SynopsisThis is a collection of published and unpublished essays by distinguished philosopher Michael E. Bratman of Stanford University. They revolve around his influential theory, know as the planning theory of intention and agency. Bratman''s primary concern is with what he calls strong forms of human agency--including forms of human agency that are the target of our talk about self-determination, self-government, and autonomy. These essays are unified and cohesive in theme, and will be of interest to philosophers in ethics and metaphysics.
£38.94
Oxford University Press Experimental Philosophy
Book SynopsisExperimental philosophy is a new movement that seeks to return the discipline of philosophy to a focus on questions about how people actually think and feel. Departing from a long-standing tradition, experimental philosophers go out and conduct systematic experiments to reach a better understanding of people's ordinary intuitions about philosophically significant questions. Although the movement is only a few years old, it has already sparked an explosion of new research, challenging a number of cherished assumptions in both philosophy and cognitive science. The present volume provides an introduction to the major themes of work in experimental philosophy, bringing together some of the most influential articles in the field along with a collection of new papers that explore the theoretical significance of this new research.Trade Reviewan admirable introduction to the experimental philosophy movement * Richard Holton, Times Literary Supplement *This book is the first to package what is exciting and new about this movement; it collects the most important papers by the leading experimental philosophers...As such it is essential reading...This is an exciting read-it's not often that something so radical and new comes along in philosophy. * Finn Spicer The Philosophers' Magazine *Table of Contents1. An Experimental Philosophy Manifesto ; 2. Normativity and Epistemic Institutions ; 3. Semantics, Cross-Cultural Style ; 4. Identification, Situational Constraint, and Social Cognition: Studies in the Attribution of Moral Responsibility ; 5. Is Incompatibilism Intuitive? ; 6. Moral Responsibility and Determinism: The Cognitive Science of Folk Intuitions ; 7. The Concept of Intentional Action: A Case Study in the Uses of Folk Psychology ; 8. Bad Acts, Blameworthy Agents, and Inentional actions: Some Problems for Juror Impartiality ; 9. Intentional Action: Two-and-a-Half Folk Concepts? ; 10. Empirical Philosophy and Experimental Philosophy ; 11. Abstract + Concrete=Paradox ; 12. How Are Experiments Relevant to Intuitions?
£33.72
Oxford University Press Supersizing the Mind
Book SynopsisStudies of mind, thought and reason have tended to marginalize the role of bodily form, real-world action, and environmental backdrop. In recent years, both in philosophy and cognitive science, this tendency has been identified and, increasingly, resisted. The result is a plethora of work on what has become known as embodied, situated, distributed, and even ''extended'' cognition. Work in this new, loosely knit field depicts thought and reason as in some way inextricably tied to the details of our gross bodily form, our habits of action and intervention, and the enabling web of social, cultural, and technological scaffolding in which we live, move, learn, and think. But exactly what kind of link is at issue? And what difference might such a link or links make to our best philosophical, psychological, and computational models of thought and reason? These are among the large unsolved problems in this increasingly popular field. Drawing upon recent work in psychology, linguistics, neurosTrade Reviewan important book for all cognitive-science theorists of all stripes... Supersizing the Mind will set the terms for many of the coming debates * Evan Thompson, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsForward: By David Chalmers / Acknowledgements / Introduction: BRAINBOUND versus EXTENDED / I: From Embodiment to Cognitive Extension - 1. The Active Body: 1.1 A Walk on the Wild Side; 1.2 Inhabited Interaction; 1.3 Active Sensing; 1.4 Distributed Functional Decomposition; 1.5 Sensing for Coupling; 1.6 Information Self-Structuring; 1.7 Perception, Qualia, and Sensorimotor Expectations; 1.8 Time and Mind; 1.9 Dynamics and (Soft) Computation.; 1.10 Out from the Bedrock; 2. The Negotiable Body: 2.1 Where the Rubber Meets the Road; 2.2 What's in an Interface?; 2.3 New Systemic Wholes; 2.4 Substitutes; 2.5 Incorporation Vs Use; 2.6 Towards Cognitive Extension; 2.7 Three Grades of Embodiment; 3. Material Symbols: 3.1 Language as Scaffolding; 3.2 Augmenting Reality; 3.3 Sculpting Attention; 3.4 Hybrid Thoughts?;3.5 From Translation to Coordination; 3.6 Second-order Cognitive Dynamics; 3.7 Self-made Minds.;4. World, Incorporated: 4.1 Cognitive Niche Construction: A Primer; 4.2 Cognition in the Globe: A Cameo; 4.3 Thinking Space; 4.4 Epistemic Engineers; 4.5 Exploitative Representation and Wide Computation; 4.6 Tetris: The Update; 4.7 The Swirl of Organization; 4.8 Extending the Mind; 4.9 BRAINBOUND versus EXTENDED: The Case So Far.; II. Boundary Disputes - 5. Mind Re-bound?: 5.1 EXTENDED Anxiety; 5.2 Pencil Me In; 5.3 The Odd Coupling; 5.4 Cognitive Candidacy; 5.5 The Mark of the Cognitive?; 5.6 Kinds and Minds; 5.7 Perception and Development; 5.8 Deception and Contested Space; 5.9 Folk Intuition and Cognitive Extension; 5.10 Asymmetry and Lopsideness; 5.11 Similarity vs Complementarity; 5.12 Hippo-World; 6. The Cure for Cognitive Hiccups (HEMC, HEC, HEMC): 6.1 Rupert's Challenge; 6.2 HEC versus HEMC; 6.3 Parity and Cognitive Kinds (Again); 6.4 The Persisting Core; 6.5 Cognitive Impartiality; 6.6 A Brain Teaser; 6.7 Thoughtful Gestures; 6.8 Material Carriers; 6.9 Loops as Mechanisms; 6.10 Anarchic Self-Stimulation; 6.11Autonomous Coupling; 6.12 Why the HEC?; 6.13 The Cure; 7. Rediscovering the Brain: 7.1 Matter into Mind; 7.2.Honey, I Shrunk the Representations; 7.3 Change Spotting: The Sequel; 7.4 Thinking about Thinking: The Brain's Eye View.: 7.5 Born-Again Cartesians?; 7.6 Surrogate Situations; 7.7 Plug Points; 7.8 Brain Control; 7.9 Asymmetry Arguments; 7.10 Extended in a Vat; 7.11 The (Situated) Cognizer's Innards; III: The Limits of Embodiment - 8. Painting, Planning, and Perceiving: 8.1 Enacting Perceptual Experience; 8.2 The Painter and the Perceiver; 8.3 Three Virtues of the Strong Sensorimotor Model; 8.4 A Vice: Sensorimotor (Hyper) Sensitivity; 8.5 What Reaching Teaches; 8.6 (Tweaked)Tele-Assistance; 8.7 Sensorimotor Summarizing; 8.8 Virtual Content, Again; 8.9 Beyond the Sensorimotor Frontier; 9. Disentangling Embodiment: 9.1 Three Threads; 9.2 The Separability Thesis; 9.3 Beyond Flesh-eating Functionalism. ; 9.4 Ada, Adder, and Odder; 9.5 A Tension Revealed; 9.6 What Bodies Are; 9.7 Participant Machinery and Morphological Computation; 9.8 Quantifying Embodiment; 9.9 The Heideggerian Theatre / 10. Conclusions: Mindsized Bites / Appendix: The Extended Mind (Andy Clark and David Chalmers)
£93.10
Oxford University Press The Collective Memory Reader
Book SynopsisThere are few terms or concepts that have, in the last twenty or so years, rivaled collective memory for attention in the humanities and social sciences. Indeed, use of the term has extended far beyond scholarship to the realm of politics and journalism, where it has appeared in speeches at the centers of power and on the front pages of the world''s leading newspapers. The current efflorescence of interest in memory, however, is no mere passing fad: it is a hallmark characteristic of our age and a crucial site for understanding our present social, political, and cultural conditions. Scholars and others in numerous fields have thus employed the concept of collective memory, sociological in origin, to guide their inquiries into diverse, though allegedly connected, phenomena. Nevertheless, there remains a great deal of confusion about the meaning, origin, and implication of the term and the field of inquiry it underwrites.The Collective Memory Reader presents, organizes, and evaluates pasTrade ReviewThis collection is impressive on so many levels that it is difficult to avoid the pat assessment that this is a 'must-have book' for all scholars and students, novice or veteran, interested in the encompassing subject matter. * Cynthia Comacchio, Wilfrid Laurier University *Table of ContentsPREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; INTRODUCTION: JEFFREY K. OLICK, VERED VINITZKY-SEROUSSI, AND DANIEL LEVY; INTRODUCTION TO PART ONE; EDMUND BURKE, FROM REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE; ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE, FROM DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA; FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, FROM ON THE USES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HISTORY FOR LIFE; ERNST RENAN, FROM WHAT IS A NATION?; SIGMUND FREUD, FROM TOTEM AND TABOO: RESEMBLANCES BETWEEN THE PSYCHIC LIVES OF SAVAGES AND NEUROTICS AND MOSES AND MONOTHEISM; KARL MARX, FROM THE EIGHTEENTH BRUMAIRE OF LOUIS BONAPARTE; KARL MANNHEIM, FROM THE SOCIOLOGICAL PROBLEM OF GENERATIONS; WALTER BENJAMIN, FROM THE STORYTELLER AND THESES ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY; ERNST GOMBRICH, FROM ABY WARBURG: AN INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY; THEODOR ADORNO, FROM VALERY PROUST MUSEUM AND IN MEMORY OF EICHENDORFF; LEV VYGOTSKY, FROM MIND IN SOCIETY; FREDERIC BARTLETT, FROM REMEMBERING: A STUDY IN EXPERIMENTAL AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY; CARL BECKER, FROM EVERYMAN HIS OWN HISTORIAN; GEORGE HERBERT MEAD, FROM THE NATURE OF THE PAST; CHARLES HORTON COOLEY, FROM SOCIAL PROCESS; EMILE DURKHEIM, FROM THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF RELIGIOUS LIFE; MAURICE HALBWACHS, FROM THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY; MARC BLOCH, FROM MEMOIRE COLLECTIVE, TRADITION ET COUTUME: A PROPOS D'UN LIVRE RECENT [COLLECTIVE MEMORY, CUSTOM, AND TRADITION: ABOUT A RECENT BOOK]; CHARLES BLONDEL, FROM REVUE CRITIQUE: M. HALBWACHS LES CADRES SOCIAUX DE LA MEMOIRE [CRITICAL REVIEW OF M. HALBWACHS LES CADRES SOCIAUX DE LA MEMOIRE]; ROGER BASTIDE, FROM THE AFRICAN RELIGIONS OF BRAZIL: TOWARD A SOCIOLOGY OF THE INTERPENETRATION OF CIVILIZATIONS; LLOYD WARNER, FROM THE LIVING AND THE DEAD: A STUDY OF THE SYMBOLIC LIFE OF AMERICANS; E.E. EVANS-PRITCHARD, FROM THE NUER: A DESCRIPTION OF THE MODES OF LIVELIHOOD AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF A NILOTIC PEOPLE; CLAUDE LEVI-STRAUSS, FROM THE SAVAGE MIND; INTRODUCTION TO PART TWO; HANS-GEORG GADAMER, FROM TRUTH AND METHOD; EDWARD CASEY, FROM REMEMBERING: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY; PETER BURKE, FROM HISTORY AS SOCIAL MEMORY; ALLAN MEGILL, FROM HISTORY, MEMORY, IDENTITY; ALON CONFINO, FROM COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND CULTURAL HISTORY: PROBLEMS OF METHOD; YOSEF YERUSHALMI, FROM ZAKHOR: JEWISH HISTORY AND JEWISH MEMORY; JAN ASSMANN, FROM MOSES THE EGYPTIAN: THE MEMORY OF EGYPT IN WESTERN MONOTHEISM AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND CULTURAL IDENTITY; PETER BERGER, FROM INVITATION TO SOCIOLOGY: A HUMANISTIC APPROACH; EVIATAR ZERUBAVEL, FROM SOCIAL MEMORIES: STEPS TOWARDS A SOCIOLOGY OF THE PAST; JEFFREY K. OLICK, FROM COLLECTIVE MEMORY: THE TWO CULTURES; ROBERT BELLAH, RICHARD MADSEN, WILLIAM M. SULLIVAN, ANN SWIDLER, STEVEN M. TIPTON, FROM HABITS OF THE HEART: INDIVIDUALISM AND COMMITMENT IN AMERICAN LIFE; ANTHONY SMITH, FROM THE ETHNIC ORIGINS OF NATIONS; YAEL ZERUBAVEL, FROM RECOVERED ROOTS: COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND THE MAKING OF ISRAELI NATIONAL TRADITION; BARRY SCHWARTZ, FROM ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND THE FORGE OF AMERICAN MEMORY; INTRODUCTION TO PART THREE; MICHEL FOUCAULT, FROM FILM IN POPULAR MEMORY: AN INTERVIEW WITH MICHEL FOUCAULT; POPULAR MEMORY GROUP, FROM POPULAR MEMORY: THEORY, POLITICS, METHOD; RAPHAEL SAMUEL, FROM THEATRES OF MEMORY; JOHN BODNAR, FROM REMAKING AMERICA: PUBLIC MEMORY, COMMEMORATION AND PATRIOTISM IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY; ROY ROSENZWEIG AND DAVID THELEN, FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE PAST: POPULAR USES OF HISTORY IN AMERICAN LIFE; ERIC HOBSBAWM, FROM INTRODUCTION: INVENTING TRADITIONS; TERENCE RANGER, FROM THE INVENTION OF TRADITION REVISITED: THE CASE OF COLONIAL AFRICA; ORLANDO PATTERSON, FROM SLAVERY AND SOCIAL DEATH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY; RICHARD SENNETT, FROM DISTURBING MEMORIES; MICHAEL SCHUDSON, FROM THE PAST IN THE PRESENT VERSUS THE PRESENT IN THE PAST; GLADYS LANG AND KURT LANG, FROM RECOGNITION AND RENOWN: THE SURVIVAL OF ARTISTIC REPUTATION; LORI DUCHARME AND GARY ALAN FINE, FROM THE CONSTRUCTION OF NONPERSONHOOD AND DEMONIZATION: COMMEMORATING THE 'TRAITOROUS' REPUTATION OF BENEDICT ARNOLD; WULF KANSTEINER, FROM FINDING MEANING IN MEMORY: A METHODOLOGICAL CRITIQUE OF COLLECTIVE MEMORY STUDIES; RON EYERMAN, FROM THE PAST IN THE PRESENT: CULTURE AND THE TRANSMISSION OF MEMORY; JEFFREY ALEXANDER, FROM TOWARD A CULTURAL THEORY OF TRAUMA; INTRODUCTION TO PART FOUR; ANDRE LEROI-GOURHAN, FROM GESTURE AND SPEECH; JACK GOODY, FROM MEMORY IN ORAL AND LITERATE TRADITIONS; MERLIN DONALD, FROM ORIGINS OF THE MODERN MIND: THREE STAGES IN THE EVOLUTION OF CULTURE AND COGNITION; ALEIDA ASSMANN, FROM CANON AND ARCHIVE; PAUL CONNERTON, FROM HOW SOCIETIES REMEMBER; HARALD WELZER, SABINE MOLLER, KAROLINE TSCHUGGNALL, OLAF JENSEN, TORSTEN KOCH, FROM OPA WAR KEIN NAZI: NATIONALSOZIALISMUS UND HOLOCAUST IM FAMILIENGEDACHTNIS [GRANDPA WASN'T A NAZI: NATIONAL SOCIALISM IN FAMILY MEMORY]; MARIANNE HIRSCH, FROM THE GENERATION OF POSTMEMORY; JOHN THOMPSON, FROM TRADITION AND SELF IN A MEDIATED WORLD; GEORGE LIPSITZ, FROM TIME PASSAGES: COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE; BARBIE ZELIZER, FROM WHY MEMORY'S WORK ON JOURNALISM DOES NOT REFLECT JOURNALISM'S WORK ON MEMORY; DANIEL DAYAN AND ELIHU KATZ, FROM MEDIA EVENTS: THE LIVE BROADCASTING OF HISTORY; REINHARDT KOSELLECK, FROM WAR MEMORIALS: IDENTITY FORMATIONS OF THE SURVIVORS; JAMES YOUNG, FROM AT MEMORY'S EDGE: AFTER-IMAGES OF THE HOLOCAUST IN CONTEMPORARY ART; VERED VINITZKY-SEROUSSI, FROM COMMEMORATING A DIFFICULT PAST: YITZHAK RABIN'S MEMORIALS; M. CHRISTINE BOYER, FROM THE CITY OF COLLECTIVE MEMORY: ITS HISTORICAL IMAGERY AND ARCHITECTURAL ENTERTAINMENTS; DANIELE HERVIEU-LEGER, FROM RELIGION AS A CHAIN OF MEMORY; HARALD WEINRICH, FROM LETHE: THE ART AND CRITIQUE OF FORGETTING; ROBIN WAGNER-PACIFICI, FROM MEMORIES IN THE MAKING: THE SHAPES OF THINGS THAT WENT; INTRODUCTION TO PART FIVE; EDWARD SHILS, FROM TRADITION; IAN HACKING, FROM MEMORY SCIENCES, MEMORY POLITICS; PATRICK HUTTON, FROM HISTORY AS ART OF MEMORY; ANTHONY GIDDENS, FROM LIVING IN A POST-TRADITIONAL SOCIETY; DAVID GROSS, FROM LOST TIME: ON REMEMBERING AND FORGETTING IN LATE MODERN CULTURE; JAY WINTER, FROM REMEMBERING WAR: THE GREAT WAR BETWEEN MEMORY AND HISTORY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY; ANDREAS HUYSSEN, FROM PRESENT PASTS: MEDIA, POLITICS, AMNESIA; PIERRE NORA, FROM REASONS FOR THE CURRENT UPSURGE IN MEMORY; CHARLES MAIER, FROM A SURFEIT OF MEMORY? REFLECTIONS ON HISTORY, MELANCHOLY AND DENIAL; FRED DAVIS, FROM YEARNING FOR YESTERDAY: A SOCIOLOGY OF NOSTALGIA; SVETLANA BOYM, FROM NOSTALGIA AND ITS DISCONTENTS; MICHEL-ROLPH TROUILLOT, FROM ABORTIVE RITUALS: HISTORICAL APOLOGIES IN THE GLOBAL ERA; DANIEL LEVY AND NATAN SZNAIDER, FROM MEMORY UNBOUND: THE HOLOCAUST AND THE FORMATION OF COSMOPOLITAN MEMORY; MARK OSIEL, FROM MASS ATROCITY, COLLECTIVE MEMORY, AND THE LAW; AVISHAI MARGALIT, FROM THE ETHICS OF MEMORY; MARC AUGE, FROM OBLIVION; PAUL RICOEUR, FROM MEMORY-FORGETTING-HISTORY; CREDITS; INDEX
£53.20
Oxford University Press Thinking Without Words
Book SynopsisThinking without Words provides a challenging new theory of the nature of non-linguistic thought. Many scientific disciplines treat non-linguistic creatures as thinkers, explaining their behavior in terms of their thoughts about themselves and about the environment. But this theorizing has proceeded without any clear account of the types of thinking available to non-linguistic creatures. One consequence of this is that ascriptions of thoughts to non-linguistic creatures have frequently been held to be metaphorical and not to be taken at face value. Bermúdez offers a conceptual framework for treating human infants and non-human animals as genuine thinkers. Whereas existing discussions of thought at the non-linguistic level have concentrated on how such thoughts might be physically realized, Bermúdez approaches the problem by considering what is required in explaining behavior in psychological terms. In developing a positive account of non-linguistic thought he shows how the experimentalTrade ReviewBermúdez does what has waited a long time to be done, namely, he widens the scope of non-linguistic thought in analytic philosophy. The case he builds is strong and highly interesting, and it lies on firm conceptual and empirical ground.... The positive theory Bermúdez develops in Thinking should vaporise the last doubts of the analytic philosophers concerning the possibility of non-linguistic thought. The book is excellent in this respect and that is why I recommend it to anyone still having doubts about the issue. * Psyche *Bermúdez has done his homework; he has read a lot of psychology (and neurology; and anthropology) all of which he is prepared to mine for philosophical payoff. That's admirable, and you'll like the bibliography even if you don't like text. * Jerry Fodor, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University *Table of Contents1. The Problem of Thinking without Words ; 2. Two Approaches to the Nature of Thought ; 3. Minimalist Approaches to Nonlinguistic Thought ; 4. Ascribing Thoughts to Nonlinguistic Creatures: Toward and Ontology ; 5. Ascribing Thoughts to Nonlinguistic Creatures: Modes of Presentation ; 6. Rationality without Language ; 7. Practical Reasoning and Protologic ; 8. Language and Thinking about Thoughts ; 9. The Limits of Thinking without Words
£28.02
Oxford University Press The Situated Self
Book SynopsisJ.T. Ismael''s monograph is an ambitious contribution to metaphysics and the philosophy of language and mind. She tackles a philosophical question whose origin goes back to Descartes: What am I? The self is not a mere thing among things-but if so, what is it, and what is its relationship to the world? Ismael is an original and creative thinker who tries to understand our problematic concepts about the self and how they are related to our use of language in particular.Trade ReviewAn exciting read because it is a fresh and vivid challenge to dualist and physicalist views about the mind, language, and the self.... Ismael's book is not just another philosophy book - it is feminist scientific theory in the making about mind and language.... Dynamic, thought provoking, and innovative is the only way to describe J. T. Ismael's The Situated Self. It is a definite must read for those wanting to get their heads into a serious scientific theory driven work in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. * Feminism and Philosophy *An exciting read because it is a fresh and vivid challenge to dualist and physicalist views about the mind, language, and the self.... Ismael's book is not just another philosophy book - it is feminist scientific theory in the making about mind and language.... Dynamic, thought provoking, and innovative is the only way to describe J. T. Ismael's The Situated Self. It is a definite must read for those wanting to get their heads into a serious scientific theory driven work in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of language. * Feminism and Philosophy *Table of ContentsI: THE SITUATED MIND ; II: UNDERSTANDING ARGUMENTS FOR DUALISM ; III: SELVES
£38.94
Oxford University Press The Fundamentalist Mindset
Book SynopsisThis penetrating book sheds light on the psychology of fundamentalism, with a particular focus on those who become extremists and fanatics. What accounts for the violence that emerges among some fundamentalist groups? The contributors to this book identify several factors: a radical dualism, in which all aspects of life are bluntly categorized as either good or evil; a destructive inclination to interpret authoritative texts, laws, and teachings in the most literal of terms; an extreme and totalized conversion experience; paranoid thinking; and an apocalyptic world view. After examining each of these concepts in detail, and showing the ways in which they lead to violence among widely disparate groups, these engrossing essays explore such areas as fundamentalism in the American experience and among jihadists, and they illuminate aspects of the same psychology that contributed to such historical crises as the French Revolution, the Nazi movement, and post-Partition Hindu religious practiTrade ReviewThe Fundamentalist Mindset captures well a timely discussion that beckons the reader to further research and reflection. * Claude Barbre, Journal of Religion and Health *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements i Preface iii Martin E. Marty Introduction 1 Charles B. Strozier and David M. Terman Part I: What is the Fundamentalist Mindset? 9 1 Definitions and Dualisms 10 Charles B. Strozier and Katharine Boyd 2 Theories of Group Psychology, Paranoia, and Rage 18 David M. Terman 3 The Apocalyptic 41 Charles B. Strozier and Katharine Boyd 4 The Charismatic Leader and the Totalism of Conversion 60 Charles B. Strozier, Katharine Boyd, and James W. Jones Part II: Motivations for Violence 71 5 The Paranoid Gestalt 72 David M. Terman 6 The Apocalyptic Other 97 Charles B. Strozier 7 Triggering the Fundamentalist Mind: Having Control Under Control 111 Bettina Muenster and David Lotto 8 Fundamentalist Faith States: Affect Regulation and the Attachment Relationship to God 126 Daniel Hill Part III: Christian and American Contexts 139 9 Eternal Warfare: Violence on the Mind of American Apocalyptic Christianity 140 James W. Jones 10 Opening the Seven Seals of Fundamentalism 164 Charles B. Strozier 11 The Unsettling of the Fundamentalist Mindset: Shifts in Apocalyptic Belief in Contemporary Conservative Christianity 188 Lee Quinby Part IV: Global and Historical Contexts 212 12 Motivations for Jihadi Violence 213 Farhad Khosrokhavar 13 Ordering Chaos: the Nazi Millennialism and the Quest for Meaning 238 David Redles 14 The French Revolution and the Paranoid Gestalt 273 David P. Jordan 15 Hindu Victimhood and India's Muslim Minority 304 John R. McLane Conclusion: A Fundamentalist Mindset? 336 James W. Jones
£26.12
Oxford University Press Youve Changed Sex Reassignment and Personal Identity Studies in Feminist Philosophy
Book SynopsisIs sex identity a feature of one''s mind or body, and is it a relational or intrinsic property? Who is in the best position to know a person''s sex, do we each have a true sex, and is a person''s sex an alterable characteristic? When a person''s sex assignment changes, has the old self disappeared and a new one emerged; or, has only the public presentation of one''s self changed? You''ve Changed examines the philosophical questions raised by the phenomenon of sex reassignment, and brings together the essays of scholars known for their work in gender, sexuality, queer, and disability studies, feminist epistemology and science studies, and philosophical accounts of personal identity. An interdisciplinary contribution to the emerging field of transgender studies, it will be of interest to students and scholars in a number of disciplines.Trade ReviewYou've Changed' is a thoughtful and engaging collection of eleven philosophical essays on sex reassignment, from a range of scholars with varying points of view.... The writing is interesting and lively, and there is a well-organized and insightful introduction by the editor, Laurie Shrage. Naturally, this book will be of interest to those working in gender and sexuality studies, queer studies, feminist philosophy, and science studies. But it should also be of interest to those interested in the epistemological, metaphysical, and moral aspects of personal identity. The theorizing here offers a set of reflections on identity from a new and important perspective, and several authors argue that ethics, politics and values are essential to understanding identity. This claim is worth considering from a broader perspective than just sex and gender. * Patricia Marino, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *The breadth of scope of the volume on 'trans' identities is awe-inspiring. Christine Overall's essay, like all essays in the volume, is praiseworthy for its sophisticated and serious effort. Gayle Salamon's essay, 'The Sexual Schema: Transportation and Transgender in Phenomenology of Perception,' is particularly brilliant for its appraisal of Merleau-Ponty's text and how it manages to illustrate how Merleau Ponty's work in general - once shunned for being too 'airy-fairy,' poetical, or qualitative - proves quite useful to discussions of trans identities. * The Feminist Review *You've Changed' is a brilliant collection of essays on the transgender and intersex experience... This illuminating book clearly has much to offer anyone studying queer or gender studies. However, it should not be overlooked by others, as this collection also presents some provocative food-for-thought to those with interests in race, body image, intimate relationships - even the meaning of 'identity' itself. * Contemporary Sociology *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Christine Overall: "Sex/Gender Transitions and Life-Changing Aspirations" ; 2. Georgia Warnke: "Transsexuality, and Contextual Identities" ; 3. Jacob Hale: "Tracing a Ghostly Memory in My Throat: Reflections on Ftm Feminist Voice and Agency" (previously published in Men Doing Feminism, Tom Digby, ed., Routledge 1998) ; 4. Naomi Zack: "Transsexuality and Daseia Y. Cavers-Huff" ; 5. Gayle Salamon: "The Sexual Schema: Transposition and Transgenderism in Phenomenology of Perception" ; 6. Talia Mae Bettcher: "Trans Identities and First Person Authority" ; 7. Kim Q. Hall: "Queer Breasted Experience" ; 8. Cressida Heyes: "Changing Race, Changing Sex: The Ethics Self-Transformation" (previously published in Journal of Social Philosophy, 37:2 (Summer 2006)) ; 9. Diana Tietjens Meyers: "Artifice and Authenticity: Gender Technology and Agency in Two Jenny Saville Portraits" ; 10. Laurie Shrage: "Sex and Miscibility" ; 11. Graham Mayeda: "Who Do You Think You Are? When Should the Law Let You Be Who You Want to Be?" ; Index
£32.29
Oxford University Press Seeing Knowing and Doing
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£71.23
Clarendon Press Essays on Aristotles de Anima
Book SynopsisAristotle''s philosophy of mind has recently attracted renewed attention and respect from philosophers. This volume brings together outstanding new essays on De Anima by a distinguished international group of contributors including, in this paperback efdition, a new essay by Myles Burnyeat. The essays form a running commentary on the work, covering such topics as the relation between body and soul, sense-perception, imagination, memory, desire, and thought. the authors, writing with philosophical subtlety and wide-ranging scholarship, present the philosophical substance of Aristotle''s views to the modern reader. they locate their interpretations firmly within the context of Aristotle''s thought as a whole.Trade Reviewquite simply a blockbuster ... will form the indispensable starting-point for all future work * Greece and Rome *
£63.65
Clarendon Press Subjective Intersubjective Objective Philosophical Essays Volume 3 Paperback
Book SynopsisSubjective, Intersubjective, Objective is the long-awaited third volume of philosophical writings by Donald Davidson, whose influence on philosophy since the 1960s has been deep and broad. His first two collections, published by OUP in the early 1980s, are recognized as contemporary classics. Now Davidson presents a selection of his work on knowledge, mind, and language from the 1980s and the 1990s. We all have knowledge of our own minds, knowledge of the contents of other minds, and knowledge of the shared environment. Davidson examines the nature and status of each of these three sorts of knowledge, and the connections and differences among them. Along the way he has illuminating things to say about truth, human rationality, and the relations among language, thought, and the world.This new volume offers a rich and rewarding feast for anyone interested in philosophy today, and is essential reading for anyone working on its central topics.Trade ReviewDavidson's philosophical project is one of the most remarkable and productive of the twentieth century. * Kirk Ludwig, Mind Journal *There is a wealth of fascinating ideas here ... Davidson's project is ambitious, but his vision is immensely powerful and its execution highly ingenious. It is a very considerable achievement at the intersection of epistemology, philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. * Philosophical Investigations *Davidson writes philosophy like Wagner wrote operas: nothing less than everything is ever at stake. * Jerry Fodor, London Review of Books *Ces essais contiennent les principes de sa théorie de la connaissance. Réconcilier, comme ce volume s'en donne le programme, connaissance de soi, connaissance d'autrui, et connaissance du monde commun, n'est pas un programme aisé. Quoi qu'il en soit, l'ambition est là, et la constance, la profondeur de la recherche de Davidson depuis une vingtaine d'années sont manifestes. A peu près tous les thèmes classiques de la philosophie analytique sont ici retravaillés, approfondis, et modifiés, dans une prose extrêmement travaillée. Peu de philosophes ont eu une influence si forte sur la philosophie de ces derniè res dé cennies, aussi bien dans les pays anglophones qu'en Europe. Qu'on suive ou non Davidson dans son ambitieux projet, qui ne vise rien moins qu'à concilier naturalisme et normativité, la lecture de ce volume est un must. * Pascal Engel, Revue Philosophique *Table of Contents1. FIRST PERSON AUTHORITY (1984) ; 7. RATIONAL ANIMALS (1982) ; 10. A COHERENCE THEORY (1983)
£44.17
Oxford University Press Recreative Minds
Book SynopsisRecreative Minds develops a philosophical theory of imagination that draws upon recent theories and results in psychology. Ideas about how we read the minds of others have put the concept of imagination firmly back on the agenda for philosophy and psychology. Currie and Ravenscroft present a theory of what they call imaginative projection; they show how it fits into a philosophically motivated picture of the mind and of mental states, and how it illuminates and is illuminated by recent developments in cognitive psychology. They argue that we need to recognize a category of desire-in-imagination, and that supposition and fantasy should be classed as forms of imagination. They accommodate some of the peculiarities of perceptual forms of imagining such as visual and motor imagery, and suggest that they are important for mind-reading. They argue for a novel view about the relations between imagination and pretence, and suggest that imagining can be, but need not be, the cause of pretendingTrade ReviewRecreative Minds is an insightful and wide-ranging discussion of the nature of imagination and its role in human cognition. Topics covered include the distinctions amongst different kinds of imagining (for example, between belief-like imaginings and perception-like imaginings), the mechanisms underlying visual and motor imagery, the role of emagination in mind-reading (that is, in mental-state attribution), the nature and developmental significance of childhood pretence, our emotional responses to literature and theatre, and explanations of autism and schizophrenia as (distinct) kinds of disorder of the imagination. Currie and Ravenscroft write clearly and engagingly throughout, and their careful dissection of many of the issues and arguments that they consider is quite masterful. The book deserves to be widely read by both philosophers and psychologists interested in any of the above topics. * Peter Carruthers, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *an excellent and wide-ranging discussion of the character and role of the imagination: read it and profit * Peter Carruthers, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of Contents1. PROJECTIONS AND RECREATIONS ; 3. THE SIMULATION PROGRAM ; 6. IMPRACTICAL REASON ; 9. EMOTION AND THE FICTIONAL
£49.40
Oxford University Press Engaging Reason
Book SynopsisEngaging Reason offers a penetrating examination of a set of fundamental questions about human thought and action. In these tightly argued and interconnected essays Joseph Raz examines the nature of normativity, reason, and the will; the justification of reason; and the objectivity of value. He argues for the centrality, but also demonstrates the limits, of reason in action and belief. He suggests that our life is most truly our own when our various emotions, hopes, desires, intentions, and actions are guided by reason. He explores the universality of value and of principles of reason on one side, and on the other side their dependence on social practices, and their susceptibility to change and improvement. He concludes with an illuminating explanation of self-interest and its relation to impersonal values in general and to morality in particular.Joseph Raz has been since the 1970s a prominent, original, and widely admired contributor to the study of norms, values, and reasons, not jusTrade ReviewOne comes away with a feeling of having been chided for one's simple-mindedness by a teacher determined to coax one towards a grasp of complicated truth. * Political Studies *It will be of enormous interest to those working in ethics and those in the occupied territories within the philosophy of mind, known as the philosophy of action ... written from a stand-point of insight, intelligence and complexity of thought, and it deserves to be widely read and discussed. * Jonathan Wolff, Times Higher Education Supplement *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; 1. WHEN WE ARE OURSELVES; 2. AGENCY, REASON AND THE GOOD; 3. INCOMMENSURABILITY AND AGENCY; 4. EXPLAINING NORMATIVITY: ON RATIONALITY AND THE JUSTIFICATION OF REASON; 5. EXPLAINING NORMATIVITY: REASON AND THE WILL; 6. NOTES ON OBJECTIVITY AND VALUE; 7. MORAL CHANGE AND SOCIAL RELATIVISM; 8. MIXING VALUES; 9. THE VALUE OF PRACTICE; 10. THE TRUTH IN PARTICULARISM; 11. THE MORAL POINT OF VIEW; 12. THE AMORALIST; 13. THE CENTRAL CONFLICT: MORALITY AND SELF-INTEREST; INDEX.
£135.00
Clarendon Press Kants Theory of Imagination Bridging Gaps in Judgement and Experience Oxford Philosophical Monographs
Book SynopsisSarah Gibbons here departs from previous scholarship on Kant by demonstrating the centrality of imagination to Kant's philosophy as a whole. She shows that imagination performs a vital function in `bridging gaps' between the different elements of cognition and experience. Thus, the role imagination plays in Kant's works expresses his fundamental insight into the complexity of human cognition.Trade ReviewThis work goes well beyond many books on the Critique of Judgement in the breadth and importance of the issues it raises. * Paul Guyer, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism *Her work is ... a further addition to the growing body of "psychological Kant interpretation". * International Philosophical Quarterly *Gibbons's strength is her ability to explore and synthesize a wide range of material, both in terms of content and works, in order to elaborate a more complete picture of imagination than is available in any single work ... Gibbons's book is a welcome addition to the literature on Kant. * The Review of Metaphysics *She does not attempt to provide a definitive account of imagination, she instead invites the reader to accompany her on 'an open-ended journey' devoted to exploring the ways that imagination plays a crucial role in Kant's thinking. ... a tantalizing book, one that contains a considerable number of insights. * British Journal of the History of Philosophy *
£137.50
Clarendon Press The Varieties of Reference
Book SynopsisGareth Evans, one of the most brilliant philosophers of his generation, died in 1980 at the age of thirty-four. He had been working for many years on a book about reference, but did not complete it before his death. The work was edited for publication by John McDowell, who contributes a Preface.Trade Review`A brilliant example of contemporary analysis ... I would enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interested in problems of reference, logic, epistemology, philosophy of mind, or existence - and that should be every philosopher.'Philosophical Studies `a powerful, coherent work' Times Literary Supplement
£39.14
Oxford University Press Points of View
Book SynopsisA. W. Moore argues in this bold and ambitious book that it is possible to think about the world ''from no point of view''. He examines this idea, explains its significance, and considers reasons for thinking that such a thing is not possible. In particular, drawing on the work of Kant and Wittgenstein, he considers transcendental idealism. This leads to the heart of his project: a study of ineffability and nonsense. His fundamental idea is that transcendental idealism is nonsense resulting from the attempt to express certain inexpressible insights. This idea is applied to a wide range of fundamental philosophical issues, including the nature of persons, the subject-matter of mathematics, anti-realism, value, and God; Moores original approach forges unexpected connections between the various questions he addresses. Points of View is a lucid and lively study of the relation between reality and our representations of it, the upshot of which is a powerful critique of our own finitude.Trade Reviewsuperb * Tom Stoneham, Oxford Magazine *Table of Contents[NO CHAPTER-TITLES - THE BOOK IS SET OUT MORE LIKE A NOVEL THAN A MONOGRAPH]
£55.10
Oxford University Press Disembodied Spirits and Deanimated Bodies The Psychopathology of Common Sense International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry International Perspectives in Philosophy Psychiatry
Book SynopsisHow can we better understand and treat those suffering from schizophrenia and manic-depressive illnesses? This important new book takes us into the world of those suffering from such disorders. Using self descriptions, its emphasis is not on how mental health professionals view sufferers, but on how the patients themselves experience their disorder. Central to the book is the idea that schizophrenic persons live like disembodied spirits or deanimated bodies. As disembodied spirits, they feel like abstract entities which contemplate their own existence and the world from outside. As deanimated bodies, schizophrenic people feel deprived of the possibility of living personal experiences - perceptions, thoughts, emotions - as their own. A new volume in the International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry series, this book will be of great interest to all those working with sufferers from such disorders - helping them to better understand their mental lives and providing important inTrade ReviewIn this marvellous book, Stanghellini reinvigorates and resurrects psychopathology as more than just the listing of symptoms, re-presenting it as the 'science of the meanings of abnormal human phenomena' . . . The book, from the successful and influential OUP series International Perspectives in Philosophy and Psychiatry, is, like the others, a joy to read . . . All mental health professionals are likely to gain, both clinically and intellectually, from reading this book, and carers, patients and philosophers will find much to help them engage with the potentially disorientating and frightening reality of psychosis. * Mental Health Today *Table of ContentsPrologue - the tattooed room ; 1. The genealogy of psychopathology ; 2. The origins of the psychopathology of the social being ; 3. The ascetic misunderstanding and social phenomenology ; 4. Aporias of intersubjectivity ; 5. The social world of melancholic and schizophrenic persons ; 6. The senses of common sense ; 7. The internal statue ; 8. Cyborgs and scanners ; 9. Voices and consciousness ; 10. This is not a delusion ; Epilogue
£73.15
Oxford University Press Philosophy without Intuitions
Book SynopsisThe claim that contemporary analytic philosophers rely extensively on intuitions as evidence is almost universally accepted in current meta-philosophical debates and it figures prominently in our self-understanding as analytic philosophers. No matter what area you happen to work in and what views you happen to hold in those areas, you are likely to think that philosophizing requires constructing cases and making intuitive judgments about those cases. This assumption also underlines the entire experimental philosophy movement: only if philosophers rely on intuitions as evidence are data about non-philosophers'' intuitions of any interest to us. Our alleged reliance on the intuitive makes many philosophers who don''t work on meta-philosophy concerned about their own discipline: they are unsure what intuitions are and whether they can carry the evidential weight we allegedly assign to them. The goal of this book is to argue that this concern is unwarranted since the claim is false: it is Trade Reviewa wonderfully clear, largely well-argued case against a central assumption of many contemporary metaphilosophers ... I highly recommend it. * Daniel Cohnitz, Disputatio *engaging and exciting ... Philosophy Without Intutions represents a clear jolt to contemporary metaphilosophical orthodoxy. It is a vivid and powerful call for philosophers to examine their assumptions about philosophy. Anyone interested in the role of intuitions in philosophy or the proper description of contemporary philosophical practice will benefit from studying it. * Jonathan Ichikawa, International Journal for Philosophical Studies *an excellent contribution to the ongoing debate * Stephen Ingram, Metaphilosophy *Table of ContentsPART I: THE ARGUMENT FROM 'INTUITION'-TALK; PART II: THE ARGUMENT FROM PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE
£31.34
Oxford University Press The Early Modern Subject
Book SynopsisThe Early Modern Subject explores the understanding of self-consciousness and personal identity--two fundamental features of human subjectivity--as it developed in early modern philosophy. Udo Thiel presents a critical evaluation of these features as they were conceived in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He explains the arguments of thinkers such as Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Wolff, and Hume, as well as their early critics, followers, and other philosophical contemporaries, and situates them within their historical contexts. Interest in the issues of self-consciousness and personal identity is in many ways characteristic and even central to early modern thought, but Thiel argues here that this is an interest that continues to this day, in a form still strongly influenced by the conceptual frameworks of early modern thought. In this book he attempts to broaden the scope of the treatment of these issues considerably, covering more than a hundred years of philosophical debate inTrade ReviewThiels book is a tremendously rich source on early modern debates regarding consciousness and personal identity. This book is the first pick for everyone who wants to gain insight into the abundance of early modern discussions of these topics. * Christian Barth, Philosophy in Review *Thiel's Early Modern Subject is essential reading for any scholar interested in self-consciousness and personal identity. The book is of interest to ancient and medieval specialists and contemporary philosophers will find the work of use as well given that the early modern framework dominates current discussion of these issues. A welcome feature is the extensive discussion of not only the canonical figures of the period ... but alos less prominent figures of the period. ... This expansive approach captures a real sense of liveliness in the early modern debate. * Angela M. Coventry, Mind *Table of ContentsPART I: THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY BACKGROUND; PART II: LOCKE'S SUBJECTIVIST REVOLUTION; PART III: PROBLEMS WITH LOCKE. CRITIQUE AND DEFENCE; PART IV: SUBJECTIVITY AND IMMATERIALIST METAPHYSICS OF THE MIND; PART V: SUSBSTANCE, APPERCEPTION AND IDENTITY: LEIBNIZ, WOLFF, AND BEYOND; PART VI: BUNDLES AND SELVES: HUME IN CONTEXT
£45.12
Oxford University Press Empathy
Book SynopsisEmpathy has for a long time, at least since the eighteenth century, been seen as centrally important in relation to our capacity to gain a grasp of the content of other people''s minds, and predict and explain what they will think, feel, and do; and in relation to our capacity to respond to others ethically. In addition, empathy is seen as having a central role in aesthetics, in the understanding of our engagement with works of art and with fictional characters. A fuller understanding of empathy is now offered by the interaction of research in science and the humanities. Empathy: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives draws together nineteen original chapters by leading researchers across several disciplines, together with an extensive Introduction by the editors. The individual chapters reveal how important it is, in a wide range of fields of enquiry, to bring to bear an understanding of the role of empathy in its various guises. This volume offers the ideal starting-point for tTrade ReviewI found the volume very stimulating and the breadth of discussion refreshing [...] I highly recommend it to people interested in empathy and empathy-related phenomena. * Heidi Lene Maibom, Mind *Table of ContentsSECTION I. EMPATHY AND MIND; SECTION II. EMPATHY AND AESTHETICS; SECTION III. EMPATHY AND MORALITY
£41.32
Oxford University Press A Metaphysics for Freedom
Book SynopsisA Metaphysics for Freedom argues that agency itself-and not merely the special, distinctively human variety of it-is incompatible with determinism. For determinism is threatened just as surely by the existence of powers which can be unproblematically accorded to many sorts of animals, as by the distinctively human powers on which the free will debate has tended to focus. Helen Steward suggests that a tendency to approach the question of free will solely through the issue of moral responsibility has obscured the fact that there is a quite different route to incompatibilism, based on the idea that animal agents above a certain level of complexity possess a range of distinctive ''two-way'' powers, not found in simpler substances. Determinism is not a doctrine of physics, but of metaphysics; and the idea that it is physics which will tell us whether our world is deterministic or not presupposes what must not be taken for granted-that is, that physics settles everything else, and that we arTrade ReviewProvocative to compatibilists and incompatibilists alike, Steward's book is a refreshing and important contribution to the ongoing metaphysical discussion of freedom. * The Review of Metaphysics *I would encourage all fellow libertarians to read this this book and take heart from the range, power and coherence of the arguments presented. Those arguments are excellent ammunition for future debates * Les Reid, Philosophy Now *Steward introduces a novel position in the freewill debate ... Anyone interested in mind and agency must read this book. * Clayton Littlejohn, TPM *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. The Problem ; 2. 'Up to Us-ness', Agency and Determinism ; 3. Action as Settling: Some Objections ; 4. Animal Agency ; 5. The Epistemological Argument ; 6. Indeterminism and Intelligibility ; 7. Responding to the Challenge from Chance: Some Objections ; 8. Agency, Substance Causation, and Top-Down Causation ; Conclusion ; References ; Index
£36.09
Oxford University Press, USA Aristotle on the Apparent Good
Book SynopsisAristotle holds that we desire things because they appear good to us--a view still dominant in philosophy now. But what is it for something to appear good? Why does pleasure in particular tend to appear good, as Aristotle holds? And how do appearances of goodness motivate desire and action? No sustained study of Aristotle has addressed these questions, or even recognized them as worth asking. Jessica Moss argues that the notion of the apparent good is crucial to understanding both Aristotle''s psychological theory and his ethics, and the relation between them. Beginning from the parallels Aristotle draws between appearances of things as good and ordinary perceptual appearances such as those involved in optical illusion, Moss argues that on Aristotle''s view things appear good to us, just as things appear round or small, in virtue of a psychological capacity responsible for quasi-perceptual phenomena like dreams and visualization: phantasia (''imagination''). Once we realize that the apTrade Review"[an] excellent book" * Stephen Makin, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPART I: THE APPARENT GOOD; PART II: THE APPARENT GOOD AND NON-RATIONAL MOTIVATION; PART III: THE APPARENT GOOD AND RATIONAL MOTIVATION
£34.67