Philosophy Books

Book Synopsis* Combines physics, philosophy, and history in a radical new approach to introducing the philosophy of physics. * Emphasizes the integral role that philosophical analysis plays in physics. * Presents many concrete examples in which struggles with conceptual issues drove innovation in physics.Trade Review"Marc Lange uses the philosophical tools of traditional metaphysics to analyze examples drawn from electromagnetic theory and quantum mechanics and in turn uses these examples to refine some of the basic concepts of traditional metaphysics. The result is an excellent introduction to the best sort of metaphysics, the sort that is informed by our best physical theories." Jeffrey Barrett, University of California, Irvine "This is philosophy of physics that meets even Feynman's challenge of making a difference for physics while it attains Hempel's standards of clarity. I can hardly imagine teaching the philosophy of physics, at any level, from introductory to graduate seminar, without using this book!" Alex Rosenberg, Duke University "Eschewing the technical jargon of philosophy of science, though he is a fluent contributor to journals and refers to current issues in appropriate notes, Lange employs a breezy, common language style, complete with discussion questions suitable for an undergraduate introductory class. [...] Highly recommended to philosphically inexperienced physicists as well as current students in philosophy of science. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty." P.D. Skiff, Bard College, Choice, January 2003 "An accomplished philosopher of science, Lange introduces the epistemological consequences of a central idea in physics - locality ... Eschewing the technical jargon of philosophy of science, though he is a fluent contributor to journals and feres to current issues in appropriate notes, Lange employs a breezy, commom language style, complete with discussion questions suitable for an undergraduate introductory class ... his introduction to the issues via concrete example is very effective and unique. Highly recommended to philosophically inexperienced physicists as well as current students in philosophy of science." ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface vi 1 What is Spatiotemporal Locality? 1 1 The Big Picture 1 2 Causal Relations between Events 3 3 Action by Contact 7 4 Spatial, Temporal, and Spatiotemporal Locality Defined 13 5 Intrinsic Properties and Noncausal Connections 17 Discussion Questions 23 Notes 24 2 Fields to the Rescue? 26 1 The Electric Force 26 2 The Electric Field and its Possible Interpretations 32 3 Potentials 42 4 Lines of Force 47 Discussion Questions 61 Notes 65 3 Dispositions and Causes 67 1 Introduction 67 2 Dispositions, Categorical Bases, and Subjunctive Conditionals 71 3 Are the Categorical Bases in Themselves Unknowable? 79 Discussion Questions 90 Notes 92 4 Locality and Scientific Explanation 94 1 Is Action at a Distance Impossible? 94 2 Brute Facts and Ultimate Explanations 95 3 Which Facts are Brute? 100 Discussion Questions 107 Notes 110 5 Fields, Energy, and Momentum 111 1 Introduction 111 2 The Argument from Conserved Quantities 112 3 Why Energy’s Ontological Status Matters 120 4 Energy in Classical Physics 125 5 Energy in the Fields 131 6 Energy Flow and the Poynting Vector 136 7 A Moral Regarding the Testability of Theories 153 Discussion Questions 157 Notes 162 6 Is there Nothing but Fields? 165 1 Is Electric Charge Real? 165 2 Faraday’s Picture 167 Discussion Questions 171 Notes 173 7 Relativity and the Unification of Electricity and Magnetism 175 1 Unification in Physics 175 2 How Relativity Unifies Electricity and Magnetism 180 3 Einstein’s Argument from Asymmetry 186 4 The Interdependence of Philosophy and Physics 199 Discussion Questions 201 Notes 203 8 Relativity, Energy, Mass, and the Reality of Fields 205 1 Classical Physics and the “Relativity of Motion” 206 2 Relativistic Invariants and the Unification that Relativity Achieves: Space and Time 210 3 Relativistic Invariants and the Unification that Relativity Achieves: Energy and Momentum 221 4 Mass and the Meaning of “e = mc2 ” 224 5 Fields – At Last! 240 6 Erasing the Line between Scientific Theory and its Philosophical Interpretation 249 Discussion Questions 250 Notes 252 9 Quantum Metaphysics 255 1 Is Quantum Mechanics Complete? 255 2 The Bell Inequalities 263 3 For Whom the Bell Tolls 271 4 Wrestling with Nonlocality 280 Discussion Questions 298 Notes 300 Final Exam 302 References 305 Index 316

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Book SynopsisThis brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the world''s great philosophers—Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Croce, Russell, Santayana, James, and Dewey—is a delight (The New York Times) and remains one of the most important books of our time.Will Durant chronicles the ideas of the great thinkers, the economic and intellectual environments which influenced them, and the personal traits and adventures out of which each philosophy grew. Durant’s insight and wit never cease to dazzle; The Story of Philosophy is an essential book for anyone who wishes to understand the history and development of philosophical ideas in the Western world.Trade ReviewThe New York Times A delight.Table of ContentsContentsPREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITIONINTRODUCTION: ON THE USES OF PHILOSOPHYCHAPTER IPLATOI. The Context of PlatoII. SocratesIII. The Preparation of PlatoIV. The Ethical ProblemV. The Political ProblemVI. The Psychological ProblemVII. The Psychological SolutionVIII. The Political SolutionIX. The Ethical SolutionX. CriticismCHAPTER IIARISTOTLE AND GREEK SCIENCEI. The Historical BackgroundII. The Work of AristotleIII. The Foundation of LogicIV. The Organization of Science1. Greek Science before Aristotle2. Aristotle as a Naturalist3. The Foundation of BiologyV. Metaphysics and the Nature of GodVI. Psychology and the Nature of ArtVII. Ethics and the Nature of HappinessVIII. Politics1. Communism and Conservatism2. Marriage and Education3. Democracy and AristocracyIX. CriticismX. Later Life and DeathCHAPTER IIIFRANCIS BACONI. From Aristotle to the RenaissanceII. The Political Career of Francis BaconIII. The EssaysIV. The Great Reconstruction1. The Advancement of Learning2. The New Organon3. The Utopia of ScienceV. CriticismVI. EpilogueCHAPTER IVSPINOZAHistorical and Biographical1. The Odyssey of the Jews2. The Education of Spinoza3. Excommunication4. Retirement and DeathII. The Treatise on Religion and the StateIII. The Improvement of the IntellectIV. The Ethics1. Nature and God2. Matter and Mind3. Intelligence and Morals4. Religion and ImmortalityV. The Political TreatiseVI. The Influence of SpinozaCHAPTER VVOLTAIRE AND THE FRENCH ENLIGHTENMENTI. Paris: ŒdipeII. London: Letters on the EnglishIII. Cirey: The RomancesIV. Potsdam and FrederickV. Les Délices: The Essay on MoralsVI. Ferney: CandideVII. The Encyclopedia and the Philosophic DictionaryVIII. Ecrasez l'InfameIX. Voltaire and RousseauX. DénouementCHAPTER VIIMMANUEL KANT AND GERMAN IDEALISMRoads to Kant1. From Voltaire to Kant2. From Locke to Kant3. From Rousseau to KantII. Kant HimselfIII. The Critique of Pure Reason1. Transcendental Esthetic2. Transcendental Analytic3. Transcendental DialecticIV. The Critique of Practical ReasonV. On Religion and ReasonVI. On Politics and Eternal PeaceVII. Criticism and EstimateVIII. A Note on HegelCHAPTER VIISCHOPENHAUERI. The AgeII. The ManIII. The World as IdeaIV. The World as Will1. The Will to Live2. The Will to ReproduceV. The World as EvilVI. The Wisdom of Life1. Philosophy2. Genius3. Art4. ReligionVII. The Wisdom of DeathVIII. CriticismCHAPTER VIIIHERBERT SPENCERI. Comte and DarwinII. The Development of SpencerIII. First Principles1. The Unknowable2. EvolutionIV. Biology: The Evolution of LifeV. Psychology: The Evolution of MindVI. Sociology: The Evolution of SocietyVII. Ethics: The Evolution of MoralsVIII. Criticism1. First Principles2. Biology and Psychology3. Sociology and EthicsIX. ConclusionCHAPTER IXFRIEDRICH NIETZSCHEI. The Lineage of NietzscheII. YouthIII. Nietzsche and WagnerIV. The Song of ZarathustraV. Hero-moralityVI. The SupermanVII. DecadenceVIII. AristocracyIX. CriticismX. FinaleCHAPTER XCONTEMPORARY EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHERSHenri Bergson1. The Revolt Against Materialism2. Mind and Brain3. Creative Evolution4. CriticismII. Benedetto Croce1. The Man2. The Philosophy of the Spirit3. What Is Beauty?4. CriticismIII. Bertrand Russell1. The Logician2. The Reformer3. EpilogueCHAPTER XICONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PHILOSOPHERSIntroductionI. George Santayana1. Biographical2. Scepticism and Animal Faith3. Reason in Science4. Reason in Religion5. Reason in Society6. CommentII. William James1. Personal2. Pragmatism3. Pluralism4. CommentIII. John Dewey1. Education2. Instrumentalism3. Science and PoliticsConclusionGlossaryBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisIntention is one of the masterworks of 20th-century philosophy. First published in 1957, it has acquired the status of a modern philosophical classic. The book attempts to show in detail that the natural and widely accepted picture of what we mean by an intention gives rise to insoluble problems and must be abandoned.Trade ReviewAnscombe's classic work is the font from which all subsequent philosophical thought about agency flows. -- Robert B. Brandom, University of PittsburghWhat Anscombe has done is to cut through a whole mess of philosophical clichés, and to give us a fresh, detailed picture of the concept of an action, and of related notions such as that of a reason for acting—and this in a way which brings out clearly the sources of a host of philosophical muddles in which one can find oneself in dealing with these concepts. To have done that is to have made a significant contribution to philosophy. -- Judith Jarvis Thomson * Journal of Philosophy *Anscombe's Intention is the most important treatment of action since Aristotle. -- Donald Davidson, University of California, BerkeleyIntention opened for philosophical exploration a territory of thought, and laid out the swamps and thickets capable of trapping unwary philosophers. It is still an indispensable guide. -- Cora Diamond, University of VirginiaAnscombe's fusion of the Aristotelian and analytical traditions is one of the highest peaks of 20th century philosophy; it has lost none of its power to destroy philosophical complacency and excite new philosophical thought. -- Michael Thompson, University of PittsburghOften quoted, sometimes read, rarely understood, Anscombe's Intention is nevertheless the defining moment in 20th-century philosophy of action. -- J. David Velleman, University of MichiganIntention is a classic of modern philosophical psychology. It is unashamedly Wittgensteinian in organization and style--and Wittgensteinian too in its breaking of new ground and unerring sense of a new question, an unnoticed connection, an unexamined assumption. The freshness and intensity of the writing remain most impressive. -- Crispin Wright, University of St. AndrewsElizabeth Anscombe's Intention is an extraordinary work: with penetrating acumen, delightfully dry wit, and not a single wasted breath, over the course of less than a hundred pages, it manages to make signal contributions to the philosophy of action, mind, and language, to moral philosophy, and to the interpretation of Aristotle and Wittgenstein. -- James ConantTable of Contents1. The subject introduced under three heads: expression of intention for the future, intentional action, and intention in acting. 2. Intuitive understanding of the difference between 'prediction' and 'expression of intention' rejected as a foundation for a philosophical account of expressions of intention. Prediction defined so as to comprise orders and expressions of intention as well as estimates of the future. The falsity of expressions of intention in the simple future tense (a) as lying and (b) as falsity because the intention is not carried out. 3. Usefulness of considering the verbal expression of intention for the future in order to avoid various dead ends. Uselessness of an introspective explanation of intention. Expressions of intentions distinguished from estimates of the future by the justification, if any, given for them. 4. Are there any statements of the form 'A intends X' which can be made with fair certainty? Descriptions of a man's actions often descriptions truly substitutable for 'X ' in 'A intends X'. Reasons why we suppose a man the sole authority on his own intentions. 5. Intentional actions defined as those to which a certain sense of the question 'Why?' is given application. Difficulty of defining the relevant sense and danger of moving in a circle in our explanations of 'reason for acting' and 'action'. 'I knocked the cup off the table because I was startled' gives an answer to a question 'Why?' about something done. 6. The question 'Why?' is refused application by the answer 'I did not know I was doing that'. The same action can have many descriptions, in some of which the agent knows it and in some not. 7. The question also refused application when the action was involuntary; but this notion cannot be introduced without treating as solved the very kind of problem we are discussing. Difficulties of the notion 'involuntary'. 8. 'Non-observational knowledge' introduced as e.g. the knowledge one has of some of one's own movements. There is also non-observational knowledge of the causation of a movement, as when I say why I gave a start. We can define one class of involuntary movements without begging any questions, as the class of movements known without observation, but where there is no room for non-observational knowledge of causality: e.g. the muscular spasm one sometimes has in dropping off to sleep. 9. In one sense of 'Why?' the answer mentions evidence; but an answer to a question 'Why?' about an action, which does not mention evidence, does not therefore necessarily give a reason for acting. The cases where it was difficult to distinguish a cause from a reason turn out to be ones where there is non-observational knowledge of the causation. 10. This kind of causation labelled 'mental causality'. Mental causes should be distinguished from motives of actions and objects of feelings. 11. And also from intentions with which a person acts, even though these may be expressed in the form 'I wanted...' Mental causality is not important in itself, but it is important to make these distinctions. 12. Motives have been sharply distinguished from intentions by philosophers, and described as causes. Popularly motive and intention are not so distinct; but 'motive' is a wider notion than' intention'. A motive is not a cause at all. 13. Among motives that are not intentions for the future we can distinguish between backward-looking motives like revenge (I killed him because he killed my brother) and motive-in-general (He did it out of friendship). Motive-in-general can also be called 'interpretative' motive. 14. What distinguishes backward-looking motives from mental causes? The notions of good and harm are involved in them. 15. In some cases the distinction between a mental cause and a reason is not sharp-E.g. 'I put it down because he told me to'. 16. Summary of results reached so far. 17. The question 'Why?' is not refused application when the answer is e.g. 'For no particular reason' or 'I don't know why I did it'. Consideration of the latter answer. 18. The fact that 'For no particular reason' is a possible answer to the question 'Why?' about an action does not shew that this answer always makes sense. But when we speak of it as not making sense, we mean that we cannot understand the man who says it, rather than that 'a form of words is excluded from the language'. The question 'Why?' identified as one expecting an answer in the range we have described, which range we use to define the class of intentional actions. 19. We do not mention any extra feature attaching to an action at the time it is done by calling it intentional. Proof of this by supposing there is such a feature. 20. Discussion whether intentional actions could still have the characteristic of being intentional although there were no such thing as expression of intention for the future, or further intention with which one acts. There would be no such thing as our question 'Why?' or intentional action if the only answer were: 'For no particular reason'. 21. Criticism of the Aristotelian proof of a final end for a man's actions. Still, we can now see that some chains of reasons for acting must occur if there is such a thing as intentional action at all. 22. Discussion of intention with which, when this mentions something future. In order for it to be possible to say that an agent does P in order that Q, he must treat an acknowledgement of 'But if P, Q won't happen 'as incompatible with his having that intention in acting. 23. Is there any description which is the description of an intentional action when intentional action occurs? An example is invented in which to examine the question: a man who moves his arm in pumping water to replenish a house water-supply to poison the inhabitants and is also doing other things with the pump handle at the same time. Any true descriptions of what he is doing which satisfy our criteria, are descriptions of intentional actions. Are there as many actions and as many intentions as there are such descriptions? 24. Difficulties. If 'he is poisoning the inhabitants' is one of these descriptions, when does he do this? How is moving his arm up and down an act of poisoning the inhabitants? 25. Supposing the man to know the water will poison the inhabitants, but to say 'I didn't care about that, I was only doing my job of pumping', this answer does not fall within the range of answers to 'Why?' by which we have defined intentional action. Can one determine one's intentions just by what one says they are? The interest of a man's intentions, apart from what he actually did. 26. Answer to the questions of 23. The A-D order: i.e. the order of descriptions of an action as intentional, such that each term of the series can be said to be an intention in the action as described by the previous term, and the last term an intention of the action as described by the first or any intermediate term. 27. Is there ever any place for an interior act of intention, which really determines what is or is not going on under the tide 'such-and-such a kind of action'? 28. Further enquiry into non-observational knowledge. Knowledge of one's own intentional actions-I can say what I am doing without looking to see. 29. But must there not be two objects of knowledge-.--what I am 'doing', i.e. my intention, and what is actually taking place, which can only be given by observation? Philosophical views on will and intention which have arisen from this problem. 30. An example to prove that it is wrong to try and push the real intention, or act of will, back to something initiating the movements that then take place. 31. Attempt at solution by comparing the facts which may falsify a statement of intentional action to the facts which may make an order fall to the ground. Inadequacy of this solution. 32. Example of man with a shopping list: the relation of this list to what he buys, and of what he buys to a list made by a detective following him. The character of a discrepancy between the list and what is bought in the two cases. Is there such a thing as 'practical knowledge' in the sense of ancient and medieval philosophy? 33. This notion can only be understood by first understanding what Aristotle called 'practical reasoning'. The practical syllogism is not a form of demonstration of what I ought to do. It is a different kind of reasoning from that of the proof syllogism, but this has been misunderstood in modern times. 34. Practical syllogisms are not confined to ones that look parallel to proof syllogisms. The starting point for a piece of practical reasoning is something wanted, and the first premise mentions something wanted. 35. Occurrence of evaluative terms in the first premise of practical syllogisms given by Aristotle. Not every statement of a reason for acting shews practical reasoning. 'I want' does not rightly occur in the premises, but the first premise must mention something wanted. 36. In the relevant sense of 'wanting' 'X' in 'A wants X' does not range over all describable objects or states of affairs. Volition and sense-knowledge cannot be described independently of one another. Problem of wanting a wife, and generally of wanting what the agent does not even suppose to exist yet. 37. If a man wants something, he can always be asked what for, or in what aspect it is desirable; until he gives a desirability-characterisation. 38. The question 'What for?' cannot significantly be asked in a continuation of the series of such questions, once a desirability-characterisation has been reached. The point illustrated by an example: 'It befits a Nazi to spend his last hour exterminating Jews'. This does not mean that the practical reasoning cannot be assailed so long as it is not fallacious. 39. The fact that a desirability-characterisation is required does not shew that any is compulsive in relation to wanting. Bonum est multiplex. 40. Comparison of the problem of the relation of 'wanting' to 'good' with that of the relation of 'judging' to 'true'. 41. The mark of practical reasoning is that the thing wanted is at a distance from the particular action. 42. The 'absurdity' of setting practical reasonings out in full. The point is to describe not what (psychologically) goes on, but an order; the same order as I described in discussing what 'the intentional action' was. 43. Contrast between 'the stove is burning' and 'the man is paying his gas bill': enormous apparent complexity of 'doing' in the latter case. 44. Consideration of 'If I do this, this will happen, if that, that' followed by action: cases in which this is, and in which it is not 'practical reasoning'. 45. Practical knowledge considered as the knowledge of what is done in the man who directs a project without seeing it. Problem: how is this knowledge, if his orders do not get carried out? 46. The description of something as e.g. building a house or writing on the blackboard employs the concept of human action, which we have seen to be defined by means of our question 'Why?' 47. The term 'intentional' relates to a form of description of events. Intention in animals. 48. Many descriptions of events effected by humans are formally descriptions of executed intentions. Elucidation of the notion of practical knowledge. 49. Account of 'voluntary' action. 50. Return to expression of intention for the future. What has been said about intention in present action also applies to future intention. A prediction is an expression of intention when our question 'Why?' applies to it. 51. Consideration of 'I just want to, that's all' in regard to an expression of intention for the future. 52. 'I am not going to-' as an expression of intention, and 'I am going to-' as an expression of belief. Cases where they might occur together.

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Book SynopsisThough the revised edition of A Theory of Justice, published in 1999, is the definitive statement of John Rawls’s view, much of the extensive literature on his theory refers to the first edition. This reissue makes it once again available for scholars and serious students of Rawls’s work.Trade ReviewJohn Rawls draws on the most subtle techniques of contemporary analytic philosophy to provide the social contract tradition with what is, from a philosophical point of view at least, the most formidable defense it has yet received…[and] makes available the powerful intellectual resources and the comprehensive approach that have so far eluded antiutilitarians. -- Marshall Cohen * New York Times Book Review *The most substantial and interesting contribution to moral philosophy since the war. -- Stuart Hampshire * New York Review of Books *I mean...to press my recommendation of [this book] to non-philosophers, especially those holding positions of responsibility in law and government. For the topic with which it deals is central to this country's purposes, and the misunderstanding of that topic is central to its difficulties. -- Peter Caws * New Republic *

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Book SynopsisThis is a primer on the Capabilities Approach, Martha Nussbaum’s innovative model for assessing human progress. She argues that much humanitarian policy today violates basic human values; instead, she offers a unique means of redirecting government and development policy toward helping each of us lead a full and creative life.Trade ReviewA remarkably lucid and scintillating account of the the human development approach seen from the perspective of one of its major architects. -- Amartya Sen, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in EconomicsNussbaum, who has done more than anyone to develop the authoritative and ground-breaking capabilities approach, offers a major restatement that will be required reading for all those interested in economic development that truly enhances how people live. -- Henry Richardson, Georgetown UniversityA marvelous achievement: beautifully written and accessible. With Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum is one of the founders of the 'capability approach' to justice; the most innovative and influential development in political philosophy since the work of John Rawls. This book, for the first time, puts in one place all the central elements of Nussbaum's systematic account of the approach, together with its sources and implications. -- Jonathan Wolff, University College LondonThe very best way to be introduced to the capability approach to international development. It is also a wonderfully lucid account of the origins, justification, structure, and practical implications of her version of this powerful approach to ethically-based change in poor and rich countries. -- David Alan Crocker, The University of Maryland School of Public PolicyOffering a forceful and persuasive account of the failings of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an accurate reflection of human welfare, the distinguished philosopher Nussbaum provides a framework for a new account of global development based on the concept of capabilities...The author argues that human development is best measured in terms of specific opportunities available to individuals rather than economic growth figures...This small book provides a strong foundation for beginning to think about how economic growth and individual flourishing might coincide. * Publishers Weekly *Nussbaum looks at what it really means for a country to experience prosperity. Traditionally, a country's economic well-being was measured by its gross domestic product. Nussbaum takes a more personal approach by focusing on how economic prosperity plays out in ordinary citizens' lives. She analyzes the life of a woman in India by taking a close look at her situation to see what capabilities and opportunities she--and women like her--might have. The key is not to look simply at the hand they've been dealt, but whether their particular society affords them opportunities to win with it. Nussbaum calls this the "capabilities approach," and it offers a novel way to measure prosperity on a national level by seeing how well a country can provide life-changing prospects for all its citizens...By demonstrating the philosophical underpinnings of this approach and how the theory plays out in the real world, Nussbaum makes a compelling case. Not only is this a more realistic measure of wealth, but it is also a far more compassionate one. For readers who enjoy economics laced with humanity. -- Carol J. Elsen * Library Journal *In her new book, Creating Capabilities, the philosopher and legal scholar Martha Nussbaum argues that we need to refocus our ideas about development on the scale of individuals: on concrete human lives and the way they actually unfold. Quantitative measures like per capita GDP, she writes, are poor measures of development; they can't capture the shape and texture of individual lives, even though individual lives are what matter. Development isn't about how rich your nation is, on average--it's about whether people can live in a way "worthy of human dignity."...Nussbaum's book comes at an interesting time, just as growth in the rich world is slowing. That slowdown makes her ideas relevant for rich people, too. Dignified life in the rich world isn't only about being "well-fed," either...Even amid a slowdown, there are other dimensions in which life can keep improving. -- Josh Rothman * Boston Globe online *Renowned philosopher Nussbaum concisely captures the essential ideas of a new paradigm of social and political thought, the "human development and capabilities" approach to global social justice, founded on the work of Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen, and now used by the World Bank, the IMF, the Arab Human Development Report, and the United Nations Development Programme. -- S. A. Mason * Choice *

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Book SynopsisTwenty-five years after his prescient Democracy’s Discontent, Michael Sandel updates his classic work for our more fractious age. He shows how, since the 1990s, Democrats and Republicans embraced a market faith that led to the toxic politics of our time. To rescue democracy, he argues, we must reimagine the economy and revitalize the civic project.Trade ReviewAmericans have lost faith in the possibility of self-government, and they are frightened by the disintegration of community they see happening all around them. Twenty-six years since Democracy’s Discontent was first published, Sandel writes that this way of thinking has brought us to a political precipice—a moment when the combination of frayed social bonds and intense political polarization calls into question the very future of the American experiment. -- Win McCormack * New Republic *Few books are as relevant a quarter-century after their appearance as when published—but Michael Sandel has made his classic Democracy’s Discontent even more so. Rethinking how the political economy of the middle of the twentieth century has mutated to the detriment of American citizenship, substituting consumerism and globalization for community and self-rule, this is a touchstone study for our times. -- Samuel Moyn, author of Not Enough: Human Rights in an Unequal WorldMichael Sandel’s deeply insightful analysis of the erosion of the political economy of citizenship has never been more timely than at the present moment. Essential—and ultimately hopeful—reading for all those who wonder if our democratic experiment will survive in the twenty-first century. -- Greta R. Krippner, author of Capitalizing on Crisis: The Political Origins of the Rise of Finance

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Book SynopsisJudith Shklar draws from a brilliant array of writers—Molière and Dickens on hypocrisy, Jane Austen on snobbery, Shakespeare and Montesquieu on misanthropy, Hawthorne and Nietzsche on cruelty, Conrad and Faulkner on betrayal—to reveal the nature and effects of the vices.Trade ReviewThese are civilized excursions, literate and sensitive, and I cherish the book for its effort to move us out of the metalanguage and into the heart of darkness. Once we acknowledge the ordinariness of ordinary vices, the banality of normal badness, we may find ourselves not so distant from the moral monsters of human history, who may simply be us, writ large. -- A. C. Danto * Times Literary Supplement *The book is a delight to read. At every turn of the argument it spurs one to think, and gives added pleasure with each new perplexity it raises. Readers who relish thinking for its own sake will be happy to join in the sheer exuberance of it. -- Ronald Beiner * Times Higher Education Supplement *A distinguished book, full of wit, humanity, and insight… It is also, and more importantly, a moral psychology for liberals. -- Michael WalzerTable of ContentsIntroduction: Thinking about Vices 1. Putting Cruelty First 2. Let Us not be Hypocritical 3. What is Wrong with Snobbery? 4. The Ambiguities of Betrayal 5. Misanthropy 6. Bad Characters for Good Liberals Notes Credits Index

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Book SynopsisTaylor shows that the modern turn inward is not disastrous but is in fact the result of our long efforts to define and reach the good. At the heart of this definition he finds the affirmation of ordinary life, a value that has decisively if not completely replaced an older conception of reason as connected to a hierarchy based on birth and wealth.Trade ReviewTaylor has taken on the most delicate and exacting of philosophical questions, the question of who we are and how we should live…and he has made this an adventure of self-discovery for his reader. To have accomplished so much is an important philosophical achievement. -- Martha Nussbaum * New Republic *Sources of the Self is in every sense a large book: in length and in the range of what it covers, but above all in the generosity and breadth of its sympathies and its interest in humanity… Few books on such large subjects are so engaging. -- Bernard Williams * New York Review of Books *A magnificent account, full, fair, well read, well written, complicated and high spirited—a credit, one might say, to the modern self that is capable of plumbing the depths of its own heritage in such a generous way. -- Jeremy Waldron * Times Literary Supplement *For sociologists, there is no more important philosopher writing in the world today than Charles Taylor. -- Alan Wolfe * Contemporary Sociology *Undoubtedly one of the most significant works in moral philosophy and the history of ideas to appear in recent decades. -- Frances S. Adeney * Theology Today *Surely one of the most important philosophical works of the last quarter of a century. -- Jerome BrunerTable of ContentsPreface PART I Identity and the Good 1. Inescapable Frameworks 2. The Self in Moral Space 3. Ethics of Inarticulacy 4. Moral Sources PART II Inwardness 5. Moral Topography 6. Plato's Self-Mastery 7. "In Interiore Homine" 8. Descartes's Disengaged Reason 9. Locke's Punctual Self 10. Exploring "l'Humaine Condition" 11. Inner Nature 12. A Digression on Historical Explanation PART III The Affirmation of Ordinary Life 13. "God Loveth Adverbs" 14. Rationalized Christianity 15. Moral Sentiments 16. The Providential Order 17. The Culture of Modernity PART IV The Voice of Nature 18. Fractured Horizons 19. Radical Enlightenment 20. Nature as Source 21. The Expressivist Turn PART V Subtler Languages 22. Our Victorian Contemporaries 23. Visions of the Post-Romantic Age 24. Epiphanies of Modernism 25. Conclusion: The Conflicts of Modernity Notes Index

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Book SynopsisEverywhere we hear of decline, of a world that was better before the influence of modernity. While some lament Western culture’s slide into relativism and nihilism and others celebrate the trend as a liberating sort of progress, Taylor calls on us to face the moral and political crises of our time, and to make the most of modernity’s challenges.Trade ReviewThe great merit of Taylor’s brief, non-technical, powerful book…is the vigour with which he restates the point which Hegel (and later Dewey) urged against Rousseau and Kant: that we are only individuals in so far as we are social… Being authentic, being faithful to ourselves, is being faithful to something which was produced in collaboration with a lot of other people… The core of Taylor’s argument is a vigorous and entirely successful criticism of two intertwined bad ideas: that you are wonderful just because you are you, and that ‘respect for difference’ requires you to respect every human being, and every human culture—no matter how vicious or stupid. -- Richard Rorty * London Review of Books *Charles Taylor is a philosopher of broad reach and many talents, but his most striking talent is a gift for interpreting different traditions, cultures and philosophies to one another… [This book is] full of good things. -- Alan Ryan * New York Times Book Review *Taylor’s crystalline insights rescue us from the plague on both houses in the debate over modernity and its discontents. -- Joseph Coates * Chicago Tribune *Reading Taylor’s unexpected but always perceptive judgments on modernity, one becomes forcefully aware of the critical potential of that old philosophical injunction ‘know thyself’. This little book points to the importance of public reflection and debate about who we are. It also forcefully draws attention to their absence from our public culture. -- Ben Rogers * The Guardian *Charles Taylor’s Ethics of Authenticity is a concise, clear discussion reexamining these and closely related ‘malaises’ of modernity while focusing on meaning, its importance in our lives, and why our attempts to find our identities matter—whether these identities be personal, social, political, aesthetic, or scientific. He affirms the moral ground underlying modern individualism, but challenges us to go beyond relativism to pluralism. -- Paul Roebuck * Ethics, Place and Environment *These lectures provide not only an inviting summary of [Taylor’s] recent thought but also, in many ways, a more revealing statement of his underlying convictions. Taylor’s own voice comes through clearly in this book—the voice of a philosophically reflective and hermeneutically rooted cultural critic. -- Joel Anderson * Philosophy and Social Criticism *

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Book SynopsisAn anthology of the work of Baruch de Spinoza which presents the text of Spinoza's masterwork, the "Ethics". It also includes selections from other works by Spinoza, and an introduction that gives an overview of Spinoza's life and the main themes of his philosophy.Table of ContentsIntroductionISpinoza's Life and PhilosophyIIBibliographical NoteIIIAbbreviations and Other ConventionsPreliminariesIA Portrait of the Philosopher as a Young Man3IIA Critique of Traditional Religion6IIIFragments of a Theory of Scientific Method48IVFrom a Non-Geometric Draft of the Ethics55VAn Early Attempt at Geometrizing Philosophy66VITwo Criticisms of Descartes71VIIThe Study Group has Questions about Definitions77VIIIThe Worm in the Blood82The EthicsIOf God85IIOf the Nature and Origin of the Mind115IIIOf the Origin and Nature of the Affects152IVOf Human Bondage, or the Powers of the Affects197VOf the Power of the Intellect, or on Human Freedom244Objections and RepliesITschirnhaus on Freedom266IIFreedom and Necessity267IIITschirnhaus on Problems about the Attributes and Infinite Modes269IVOn Knowledge of Other Attributes and Examples of Infinite Modes270VTschirnhaus on Knowledge of Other Attributes272VIEach Thing Is Expressed by Many Minds272VIITschirnhaus Presses His Objection273VIIISpinoza Replies Again273IXTschirnhaus on Deducing the Existence of Bodies274XOn the Uselessness of Descartes' Principles of Natural Things274XITschirnhaus Presses the Objection274XIISpinoza's Last Reply275Index277

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Book SynopsisThis concise book introduces nonphysicists to the core philosophical issues surrounding the nature and structure of space and time, and is also an ideal resource for physicists interested in the conceptual foundations of space-time theory. Tim Maudlin's broad historical overview examines Aristotelian and Newtonian accounts of space and time, and trTrade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2013 "Taking up the conceptual foundations of classical and modern physics, Maudlin explains in a clear manner how Einstein's special and general theories of relativity emerged from Newtonian mechanics and Galilean relativity... This is a solid work that deserves careful study and rewards readers accordingly."--Choice "I would highly recommend Philosophy of Physics to anyone who wants to get a deeper historical and philosophical perspective on the nature of space and time, as well as to any physics student who has been confused by the twin paradox."--Robert M. Wald, Physics Today "Maudlin has successfully undertaken a very difficult task: to write a book about the physical theories of space and time, accessible to every learned person with genuine interest in philosophy and the foundations of physics, with little mathematical prerequisites but without betraying the physical theories. We are really anxious to read the second volume of his work."--Chrysovalantis Stergiou, Metascience "An accessible and highly engaging introduction to the major issues in the physics of space and time."--Matt Farr, Philosophy in ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: The Aim and Structure of These Volumes xi Chapter One Classical Accounts of Space and Time 1 The Birth of Physics 1 Newton's First Law and Absolute Space 4 Absolute Time and the Persistence of Absolute Space 9 The Metaphysics of Absolute Space and Time 12 Chapter Two Evidence for Spatial and Temporal Structure 17 Newton's Second Law and the Bucket Experiment 17 Arithmetic, Geometry, and Coordinates 24 The Symmetries of Space and the Leibniz-Clarke Debate 34 Chapter Three Eliminating Unobservable Structure 47 Absolute Velocity and Galilean Relativity 47 Galilean Space-Time 54 Chapter Four Special Relativity 67 Special Relativity and Minkowski Space-Time 67 The Twins Paradox 77 Minkowski Straightedge, Minkowski Compass 83 Constructing Lorentz Coordinates 87 Chapter Five The Physics of Measurement 106 The Clock Hypothesis 106 Abstract Boosts and Physical Boosts 114 The "Constancy of the Speed of Light" 120 Deeper Accounts of Physical Principles 124 Chapter Six General Relativity 126 Curved Space and Curved Space-Time 126 Geometrizing Away Gravity 131 Black Holes and the Big Bang 140 The Hole Argument 146 Suggested Readings on General Relativity 152 Chapter Seven The Direction and Topology of Time 153 The Geometry of Time 153 Time Travel as a Technical Problem 162 The Direction of Time 165 Appendix: Some Problems in Special Relativistic Physics 171 References 177 Index 181

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 PROSE Award in Philosophy, Association of American Publishers "Provides valuable insights into an important and timely subject."--Michiko Kakutani, New York Times Book Review "[T]he book crackles with brilliant insights and erudition, while also managing to explain the arcane preoccupations of analytic philosophy in a way that's accessible to a wider audience."---Bookforum "How Propaganda Works deserves huge praise and should be read by anyone who cares about politics and language. Its trove of tools and insights is impossible to completely summarise here."--The National "As with other books that expose hidden patterns in American political life from a great height (those that come to mind are Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky's Manufacturing Consent and Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow), the lofty perspective of How Propaganda Works challenges researchers to fill in gaps with more detailed, particular explanations of how and why."--Stephen Siff, Journalism & Mass Communications Quarterly "Rich and thoughtful... The best way to fight propaganda is to become savvier about how it manipulates, how it actually works, as Stanley does in his work."--Desmog Canada "Brilliant and incisive."--Survival: Global Politics and Strategy "[A] timely and important work that contributes a good deal of theoretical understanding to a crucial yet relatively neglected topic of inquiry."--Spinwatch "A book uniquely suited to its time... An example of political philosophy at its finest."--Voegelinview "Stanley tracks propaganda's history across continents and through decades, illuminating its power to make people vote against their own best interests. And what he has found is [that] the words being used may be as important as the politics behind them."--Nick Osbourne, Boston Globe "Citing examples ranging from historical racism in America to Citizens United, Stanley's critique of propaganda and ideology will only prove more influential as public and political opinion is further polarized... [A] useful examination of propaganda's pervasiveness."--Kirkus Reviews "Stanley has produced a highly stimulating book that brings the issue of propaganda to the attention of political philosophers and draws on an impressive range of philosophical and social scientific sources to illustrate his analysis and provide support for his claims. It is bound to be widely discussed and debated."--Jonathan Wolff, Analysis "A searching, eclectic, lively and personal book."--Matthew Festenstein, Political TheoryTable of ContentsPreface IX Introduction: The Problem of Propaganda 1 1 Propaganda in the History of Political Thought 27 2 Propaganda Defined 39 3 Propaganda in Liberal Democracy 81 4 Language as a Mechanism of Control 125 5 Ideology 178 6 Political Ideologies 223 7 The Ideology of Elites: A Case Study 269 Conclusion 292 Acknowledgments 295 Notes 305 Bibliography 335 Index 347

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Singer] is persuasive on so many topics that he makes you wish we could turn the world off, then on again, in an attempt to reset it."---Dwight Garner, New York Times"A terrific recent book . . . that wrestles with how much we should donate to charity, and whether wearing a $10,000 watch is a sign of good taste, or of shallow narcissism."---Nicholas Kristof, New York Times"Could well inspire conversations—and arguments—that deepen and complicate the crucial moral and ethical issues that Singer presents." * Kirkus Reviews *"An accessible introduction to the work of a philosopher who would not regard being described as ‘accessible' as an insult. . . . Despite their brevity, the essays do not shirk the big moral questions." * The Economist *"Philosophy should be a more public endeavor, and Singer's work is an excellent entry point. In a fall that will be shaped by a political contest in many ways detached from genuinely pressing moral issues, it might also serve as a refreshingly complex source of ethical questioning."---Talya Zax, Forward"Singer demonstrates how to write pungently and succinctly about moral philosophy."---Daniel Johnson, Standpoint"The essays in the present volume address issues well beyond Singer's normal range of commentary. In sum, this book not only provides a broad-based introduction to Singer¹s moral philosophy but also will serve . . . as an excellent textbook for any course in applied ethics. For philosophers, Singer's work provides a model for how to transition from the ivory tower to the domain of public philosophy." * Choice *"Singer is a provocative, well-informed and hands-on philosopher, with a lucid and engaging writing style. The collection provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of themes that are central to Singer's ethics. . . . His essays are well-structured, engaging, and exemplarily clear. Moreover, his arguments tend to be nuanced and non-dogmatic, in spite of his well-known ethical agenda: here is an ethicist not looking for arguments to support a preconceived conclusion, but sincerely pondering the implications of his utilitarian stance."---Jeroen Hopster, Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics"Inspiring and enlivening; each essay is an easily digested nugget of acute, inventive reasoning and moral urgency, focused on practical, achievable results and the resistance of lazy, dogmatic thinking. . . . Any reader will find the book accessible; every reader will find it both thought-provoking and challenging."---Shane N. Glackin, Quarterly Review of Biology"The way Singer approaches his subject matter is awesome and instructive. He picks up news, anniversaries, but also personal encounters, and—within three or four sentences—shows the deeper ethical questions that lie behind these snippets."---Jan Friedrich, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice"This is a lovable book which deserves to be read and discussed."---Tommi Lehtonen, European Legacy"This book of clear analysis and challenging thinking encourages readers towards radical shifts of thinking and action."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer"Quick, punchy and clear. . . . [Singer] has an enviable mastery of his form, and the book provides a representative introduction to the breadth of his public thought."---Simone Gubler, Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisCOMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE introduces a whole new way of understanding what a firm does. Porter''s groundbreaking concept of the value chain disaggregates a company into ''activities'', or the discrete functions or processes that represent the elemental building blocks of competitive advantage. Now an essential part of international business thinking, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE takes strategy from broad vision to an internally consistent configuration of activities. Its powerful framework provides the tools to understand the drivers of cost and a company''s relative cost position. Porter''s value chain enables managers to isolate the underlying sources of buyer value that will command a premium price, and the reasons why one product or service substitutes for another. He shows how competitive advantage lies not only in activities themselves but in the way activities relate to each other, to supplier activities, and to customer activities. That the phrases ''competitive advantage'' and ''sustainable competitive advantage'' have become commonplace is testimony to the power of Porter''s ideas. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE has guided countless companies, business school students, and scholars in understanding the roots of competition. Porter''s work captures the extraordinary complexity of competition in a way that makes strategy both concrete and actionable.Trade ReviewFinancial Times The most influential management book of the past quarter century....A veritable goldmine of analytical concepts and tools to help companies get a much clearer grasp of how they can create and sustain competitive advantage.Philip Kotler S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Northwestern University Michael Porter has done it again. Having defined the "what" and "why" of competitive strategy in his earlier book, he now define the "how" in Competitive Advantage.Newsday A sharp, aggressive, and cogently reasoned book about competition that your smarter rivals will try to get to first.The Washington Post A brilliant structural analysis of what competitive advantage might mean....Antitrust Law & Economics Review A superb guide for business managers but also necessary background study for judges, antitrust agency officials, and economic experts in antitrust cases.

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Book Synopsisaeo New in paperback, this is a major contribution to the highly topical post--modernity debates. aeo Gianni Vattimo is the leading Italian philosopher of post--modernism, and an expert on Nietzsche, Heidegger and Gadamer. aeo Vattimo presents a distinct philosophical position based on his well--known notion of 'weak thoughta .Trade Review'An important contribution to the current philosophical debate about ... 'The Post-Modern Condition'.' Times Higher Education Supplement 'In the last few years, Gianni Vattimo has emerged as the leading Italian philosopher of post-modernism. His book The End of Modernity is a splendid contribution to modern philosophy ... There is no doubt that it will be one of the classics of the decade.' David Wood, University of Warwick 'Vattimo's is a most welcome philosophical contribution to a debate that all too often fails to acknowledge its historical dimension.' Comparative Literature 'Vattimo is a leading interpreter of Heidegger and a cultural critic of extraordinary scope and originality. The End of Modernity is a major contribution to the current debate over post-modernism.' Hayden White 'Vattimo has a lively mind, eclectic tastes, and a flair for making theoretical philosophical discourse interesting and arresting.' ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Nihilism as Destiny. . 1. An Apology for Nihilism. 2. The Crisis of Humanism. Part II: The Truth of Art. 3. The Death or Decline of Art. 4. The Shattering of the Poetic Word. 5. Ornament/Monument. 6. The Structure of Artistic Revolutions. Part III: The End of Modernity. . 7. Hermeneutics and Nihilism. 8. Truth and Rhetoric in Hermeneutic Ontology. 9. Hermeneutics and Anthropology. 10. Nihilism and the Post-modern in Philosophy. Bibliographical Note. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a fully updated and expanded new edition of An Introduction to Continental Philosophy, first published in 1996. It provides a clear, concise and readable introduction to philosophy in the continental tradition.Trade Review"West's ability as a story teller makes this a thoroughly interesting read regardless of one's degree of expertise in the subject. It is an exemplary introduction." Sociological Review "Thoughtful, thoroughly researched, well written, Continental Philosophy invites students and scholars to engage in a rich and interesting tradition." Teaching Philosophy "This second edition does more than introduce continental philosophy; it makes it interesting and intriguing." Philip Pettit, Princeton University "David West's interpretations of the major figures of continental philosophy are succinct and insightful. He reads continental philosophy as a reaction to Enlightenment rationalism and as a potential foundation for emancipatory politics. This edition includes a courageous critique of several important recent figures: Agamben, ?i?ek and Badiou. West provides an illuminating and thorough introduction to the continental tradition." William R. Schroeder, University of IllinoisTable of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition. Preface to the First Edition. 1 Introduction: What is Continental Philosophy? 2 Modernity, Enlightenment and their Continental Critics. From Modernity to Enlightenment. The Critical Philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Continental Critics of Enlightenment. The Hegelian Synthesis. 3 Dialectics of Emancipation: Marx, the Frankfurt School and Habermas. Feuerbach, Marx and Marxism. The Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School. Habermas and the Renewal of Critical Theory. 4 Historicism, Hermeneutics and Phenomenology. Dilthey, Philosophy of Life and Hermeneutics. Husserl and Phenomenology. Heidegger's Phenomenology of Being. Gadamer and the Universality of Hermeneutics. The Phenomenology of Political Action ÐHannah Arendt. 5 Beyond Theory: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Existentialism. Søren Kierkegaard. Friedrich Nietzsche. Jean-Paul Sartre and French Existentialism. 6 Beyond the Subject: Structuralism and Poststructuralism. Decentring the Subject. The Break with Humanism. Foucault's Genealogy of the Subject. Derrida's Deconstruction of Western Metaphysics. 7 Postmodernism. Varieties of Postmodernism. Philosophical Critique of Enlightenment and Modernity Postmodernity as a Stage of Western Society. Politics of Difference and Ethics of the Other. 8 Radical Departures. After the End of History. The Return of the Political - Agamben, Nancy, Lacoue-Labarthe Slavoj Žižek - The Fractious Subject of Ideology. In the Event of Alain Badiou. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of lectures shows the intensity of Kojève's study and thought and the depth of his insight into Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit.Table of Contents1. In Place of an Introduction2. Summary of the First Six Chapters of the Phenomenology of Spirit Complete Text of the First Three Lectures of the Academic Year 1937–19383. Summary of the Course in 1937–1938 Excerpt from the 1938–1939 Annuaire of the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Section des Sciences religieuses4. Philosophy and Wisdom Complete Text of the First Two Lectures of the Academic Year 1938–19395. A Note on Eternity, Time, and the Concept Complete Text of the Sixth through Eighth Lectures of the Academic Year 1938–19396. Interpretation of the Third Part of Chapter VIII of the Phenomenology of Spirit (conclusion) Complete Text of the Twelfth Lecture of the Academic Year 1938–19397. The Dialectic of the Real and the Phenomenological Method in Hegel Complete Text of the Sixth through Ninth Lectures of the Academic Year 1934-1935Appendix The Structure of the Phenomenology of Spirit

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Book SynopsisJulietta Singh challenges the drive toward the mastery over self and others by showing how the forms of self-mastery advocated by anticolonial thinkers like Fanon and Gandhi unintentionally reproduced colonial logic, thereby leading her to argue for a more productive human subjectivity that is not centered on concepts of mastery.Trade Review"A deft intervention in several different fields, Unthinking Mastery powerfully examines the insidious ways that the legacies of colonialism have infiltrated critical conversations in affect, queer, and ecocritical studies." -- Melinda Backer * ASAP/Journal *"Singh’s work stands out in its truly transdisciplinary approach and simultaneous mobilization of feminist, posthuman, and decolonial thought." -- Justyna Poary-Wybranowska * Contemporary Women's Writing *"While the approach of Unthinking Mastery is clearly interdisciplinary, the author turns foremost to the field of comparative literature to unravel forms of systemic dehumanizing violence that become obvious in forms of embodiment and language/narration. ... Her engagement not only touches on feminist and queer theories but also provides a powerful interconnection between environmental and postcolonial studies." -- Monika Jaeckel * Anthropocenes *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction. Reading against Mastery 1 1. Decolonizing Mastery 29 2. The Language of Mastery 65 3. Posthumanitarian Fictions 95 4. Humanimal Dispossessions 121 5. Cultivating Discomfort 149 Coda. Surviving Mastery 171 Notes 177 References 187 Index 197

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Book SynopsisCopleston, an Oxfor d Jesuit and specialist in the history of philosophy, created his history as an introduction for Catholic ecclesiastical seminaries. The 11-volume series gives an accessible account of each philosopher's philosophers.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAn Introduction by John van Wyhe vii About John van Wyhe xxv About Tom Butler-Bowdon xxv On the Origin of Species 1

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewProfessor Shirley has provided a translation which is fluent, eminently readable, and responsive to current research into Spinoza's thought. Where a particular passage is difficult or obscure, Shirley never attempts to interpose himself between the reader and Spinoza, nor to side with one or another competing school of interpretation. This makes his translation not just an ideal introduction for the reader new to Spinoza, but also a trustworthy source of insight for the more advanced reader. --Lee C. Rice, Marquette UniversityTable of ContentsContents: THE ETHICS -- Part One: Concerning God; Part Two: Of the Nature and Origin of the Mind; Part Three: Concerning the Origin and Nature of the Emotions; Part Four: Of Human Bondage, or the Nature of the Emotions; Part Five: Of the Power of the Intellect, or of Human Freedom; TREATISE ON THE EMENDATION OF THE INTELLECT; Selected Letters.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A scholar's edition at a student price!" --Harvey Mansfield, Harvard University"The translation of Latin variants and the index of Biblical citations mark this off as by far the best edition of the Leviathan." --Thomas Pangle, University of Toronto"Plainly the best edition of Leviathan. Superbly edited and indexed, with footnote passages from the Latin edition, a helpful glossary, biographical and autobiographical material, and a translation of Hobbes on the Nicene Creed, it will be an indispensable study tool. Curley’s introduction is masterly." --Jerome Schneewind, Johns Hopkins University

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Book SynopsisThis is an expanded edition of James Ellington's translation of Kant's essay, in which Kant replies to one of the standard objections to his moral theory as presented in the main text: that it requires us to tell the truth even in the face of harmful consequences.Trade ReviewI love teaching this edition of the Groundwork. It is highly readable while accurate, and affordable for undergraduates. --Mark LeBar, Ohio University

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Book SynopsisThis edition contains Donald Cress' completely revised translation of the Meditations (from the corrected Latin edition) and recent corrections to the Discourse on Method, bringing this version even closer to Descartes' original, while maintaining the clear and accessible style of a classic teaching edition.Trade Review"The new version of Cress's translation of Descartes's Meditations has attained an unusually high degree of readability . . . and, at the same time, of fidelity to the original. This combination . . . makes the work especially suitable for classroom use." —Roger Ariew, University of South Florida, and Marjorie Grene (1910-2009), Virginia Polytechnic Institute"An excellent edition and the price is fair." —Alan Soble, University of New Orleans

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An excellent introduction to Confucian ethics, the book has been extensively revised for this 2nd edition with an accessible text..." -- Practical Philosophy, Autumn 2002.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAdding the selections from the Speech on Capital Punishment is an excellent idea. --Mark Migotti, University of Calgary

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis elegant volume has been produced to a very high standard, is easy to handle, affordably priced, and, most importantly, renders Spinoza accurately into clear and graceful English. It will undoubtedly become an indispensable tool for all serious readers of Spinoza. . . . The supporting editorial material of this volume--the work of Michael L. Morgan--is. . . judicious and reliable. His eight-page Introduction offers a succinct interpretive overview of Spinoza's system that will be thought-provoking for specialists, while also basic enough to be accessible to novice Spinozists. Morgan also provides a very useful chronology of Spinoza's life, a brief introduction to each work, and a light apparatus of footnotes. --Adam Sutcliffe, The Jewish Quarterly ReviewSamuel Shirley's translations are fluent, eminently readable, and responsive to current research. Where a particular passage is difficult or obscure, Shirley never attempts to interpose himself between the reader and Spinoza, nor to side with one or another competing school of thought or interpretation. That makes his translations not just an ideal introduction for the reader new to Spinoza, but also a trustworthy source of insight for the more advanced reader. --Lee Rice, Marquette UniversityA truly marvelous accomplishment. . . . Shirley is undoubtedly the most significant translator of Spinoza's writings into English. His translations have the unique ability to integrate accuracy, lucidity, and facility of expression that is unparalleled by other translators of Spinoza. --Douglas Den Uyl, Bellarmine College

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Book SynopsisA 3-volume set that includes: "Critique of Pure Reason"; "Critique of Practical Reason"; and, "Critique of Judgment".Trade ReviewOn Critique of Pure Reason : The text rendered by Pluhar is the work of an expert translator. . . the virtues of his text are manifold; his translation exhibits an incontrovertible mastery of both English and German. Equally important is the fact that Pluhar has given the original a very close read during the act of translating. . . . Pluhar consistently resists the tendency to translate woodenly word-for-word. . . . In point of fact, accuracy of translation stands in no direct relation to literalness; it is much more a product of meticulous textual reading and skilful writing, and in this respect Pluhar has no modern equals in English Kant translation. --James Jakob Fehr, Kant-StudienOn Critique of Judgment : Pluhar maintains a fine, even tone throughout. . . . Those who have found the prospect of teaching the third Critique daunting will admire its clarity. . . . No one will be disappointed. --Timothy Sean Quinn, The Review of Metaphysics

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Book SynopsisIn what many consider to be his masterwork, Evola contrasts the characteristics of the modern world with those of traditional societies, from politics and institutions to views on life and death.Trade Review"Revolt Against the Modern World is destined to remain an essential work and frame-of-reference for anyone seriously involved in native European spirituality." * Michael Moynihan, Vortru *"Evola does not write in abstract philosophical language but in lively prose, filled with fascinating and concrete details. Given a basic grounding in history and culture, one can dip into the book anywhere and find new twists and reinterpretations. Such an encounter with a totally original mind is a rarity in these days of bland consensus, and a thrilling one whether one agrees with Evola or not." * Joscelyn Godwin, Gnosis Magazine *Table of ContentsRevolt Against the Modern World Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga A Short Introduction to Julius Evola Translator's Preface Foreword Part One - The World of Tradition 1. The Beginning 2. Regality 3. Polar Symbolism; the Lord of Peace and Justice 4. The Law, the State, the Empire 5. The Mystery of the Rite 6. On the Primordial Nature of the Patriciate 7. Spiritual Virility 8. The Two Paths in the Afterlife 9. Life and Death of Civilizations 10. Initiation and Consecration 11. On the Hierarchical Relationship Between Royalty and Priesthood 12. Universality and Centralism 13. The Soul of Chivalry 14. The Doctrine of the Castes 15. Professional Associations and the Arts; Slavery 16. Bipartition of the Traditional Spirit; Asceticism 17. The Greater and the Lesser Holy War 18. Games and Victory 19. Space, Time, the Earth 20. Man and Woman 21. The Decline of Superior Races Part Two - Genesis and Face of the Modern World Introduction 22. The Doctrine of the Four Ages 23. The Golden Age 24. The Pole and the Hyperborean Region 25. The Northern-Atlantic Cycle 26. North and South 27. The Civilization of the Mother 28. The Cycles of Decadence and the Heroic Cycle 29. Tradition and Antitradition 30. The Heroic-Uranian Western Cycle 31. Syncope of the Western Tradition 32. The Revival of the Empire and the Ghibelline Middle Ages 33. Decline of the Medieval World and the birth of Nations 34. Unrealism and Individualism 35. The Regression of the Castes 36. Nationalism and Collectivism 37. The End of the Cycle Conclusion Appendix: On The Dark Age Index

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Book SynopsisFeatures the central principles of what is broadly known as political liberalism.Trade ReviewMacpherson provides for his readers a tightly written, meaty, and often invigorating critical assessment of Locke's argument. In it one finds some of the best of Macpherson's now famous criticism of liberal-democratic government. --Gregory E. Pyrcz in Canadian Philosophical Review

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsContributors ix Editor’s Introduction and Acknowledgments: “We Are Not in This Alone” xviiKimberly S. Engels Foreword xixMichael Schur, creator of The Good Place Introduction xxiii Pamela Hieronymi and Todd May, philosophical advisors to The Good Place Part I “I Just Ethics’d You in the Face” 1 1 How Do You Like Them Ethics? 3David Baggett and Marybeth Baggett 2 Don’t Let the Good Life Pass You By: Doug Forcett and the Limits of Self-Sacrifice 15Greg Littmann 3 Luck and Fairness in The Good Place 25Scott A. Davison and Andrew R. Davison Part II “Virtuous for Virtue’s Sake” 35 4 Can Eleanor Really Become a Better Person? 37Eric J. Silverman and Zachary Swanson 5 The Good Place and The Good Life 47C. Scott Sevier 6 The Ethics of Indecision: Why Chidi Anagonye Belongs in The Bad Place 57Traci Phillipson Part III “All Those Ethics Lessons Paid Off” 65 7 Moral Absurdity and Care Ethics in The Good Place 67Laura Matthews 8 The Medium Place: Third Space, Morality, and Being In Between 75Catherine M. Robb 9 What We May Learn from Michael’s Solution to the Trolley Problem 87Andreas Bruns Part IV “Help Is Other People” 97 10 Some Memories You May Have Forgotten: Holding Space for Each Other When Memory Fails 99Alison Reiheld 11 The Good Other 110Steven A. Benko 12 Not Knowing Your Place: A Tale of Two Women 121Leslie A. Aarons Part V “Absurdity Needs to Be Confronted” 131 13 Marginal Comforts Keep Us in Hell 133Jake Jackson 14 “I Would Refuse to Be a God if It Were Offered to Me”: Architects and Existentialism in The Good Place 141Kimberly S. Engels Part VI “Searching for Meaning Is Philosophical Suicide” 153 15 Death, Meaning, and Existential Crises 155Kiki Berk 16 From Indecision to Ambiguity: Simone de Beauvoir and Chidi’s Moral Growth 166Matthew P. Meyer 17 Beyond Good and Evil Places: Eternal Return of the Superhuman 178James Lawler Part VII “The Dalai Lama Texted Me That” 189 18 Conceptions of the Afterlife: The Good Place and Religious Tradition 191Michael McGowan 19 Who Are Chidi and Eleanor in a Past-(After)Life? The Buddhist Notion of No-Self 202Dane Sawyer Part VIII “Sometimes a Flaw Can Make Something Even More Beautiful” 211 20 Hell Is Other People’s Tastes 213Darren Hudson Hick and Sarah E. Worth 21 Why Everyone Hates Moral Philosophy Professors: The Aesthetics of Shallowness 224T Storm Heter Part IX “Oh Cool, More Philosophy! That Will Help Us.” 237 22 An Epistemological Nightmare? Ways of Knowing in The Good Place 239Dean A. Kowalski 23 What’s the Use of Free Will? 249Joshua Tepley 24 From Clickwheel through Busty Alexa: The Embodied Case for Janet as Artificial Intelligence 260Robin L. Zebrowski 25 Why It Wouldn’t Be Rational to Believe You’re in The Good Place (and Why You Wouldn’t Want to Be Anyway) 270David Kyle Johnson Index 283

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Book SynopsisThe Elements of Moral Philosophy 9e by James Rachels and Stuart Rachels is a best-selling text for undergraduate courses in ethics. Thirteen thought-provoking chapters introduce readers to major moral concepts and theories in philosophy through clear, understandable explanations and compelling discussions.  Chapters are written so that they may be read independently of one another thus providing greater flexibility for students and instructors.**Available exclusively through McGraw-Hill Create, Discourses: A Database of Classical and  Contemporary Readings for Philosophy by Donald C. Abel  is an online collection of more than 450 readings that can be customized for your course.Table of ContentsThe Elements of Moral Philosophy, 9eCHAPTER 1: What is Morality? CHAPTER 2: The Challenge of Cultural RelativismCHAPTER 3: Subjectivism in EthicsCHAPTER 4: Does Morality Depend on Religion?CHAPTER 5: Ethical EgoismCHAPTER 6: The Social Contract TheoryCHAPTER 7: The Utilitarian ApproachCHAPTER 8: The Debate Over UtilitarianismCHAPTER 9: Are There Absolute Moral Rules?CHAPTER 10: Kant and Respect for PersonsCHAPTER 11: Feminism and the Ethics of CareCHAPTER 12: Virtue EthicsCHAPTER 13: What Would a Satisfactory Moral Theory Be Like?

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Book SynopsisAlasdair MacIntyre explores some central philosophical, political and moral claims of modernity and argues that a proper understanding of human goods requires a rejection of these claims. In a wide-ranging discussion, he considers how normative and evaluative judgments are to be understood, how desire and practical reasoning are to be characterized, what it is to have adequate self-knowledge, and what part narrative plays in our understanding of human lives. He asks, further, what it would be to understand the modern condition from a neo-Aristotelian or Thomistic perspective, and argues that Thomistic Aristotelianism, informed by Marx''s insights, provides us with resources for constructing a contemporary politics and ethics which both enable and require us to act against modernity from within modernity. This rich and important book builds on and advances MacIntyre''s thinking in ethics and moral philosophy, and will be of great interest to readers in both fields.Trade Review'For readers of Alasdair MacIntyre who have wondered how the views of his After Virtue, Whose Justice? Which Rationality? and Dependent Rational Animals hang together, this book is as good a response as we could have hoped for. In Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity, we see the fundamental continuity of the ideas that MacIntyre has developed and defended over the past forty years. It is a canonical statement of MacIntyre's mature views in moral, political, and social philosophy.' Mark Murphy, Georgetown University, Washington DC'Alasdair MacIntyre is one of the greatest living philosophers and any new book by him is bound to raise the highest expectations. Readers will not be disappointed by a book that represents the culmination of MacIntyre's life long project to situate ethical thought in its historical and political context. Beginning with academic discussions in meta-ethics, the work develops into a general theory of modernity from MacIntyre's Thomistic perspective. The range of reference is remarkable: from the work of Oscar Wilde and D. H. Lawrence to that of Aquinas and Marx. MacIntyre's scholarship and insight are evident on every page. Everyone – from moral and political philosophers to the reflective general reader – will greatly benefit from reading it.' Alan Thomas, Universiteit van Tilburg, The Netherlands'It's as important a work of philosophy as there has been in some time and a must-read for MacIntyre's followers, detractors, and everyone in between.' Christian Century'… astonishingly wide-ranging work …' Marx and Philosophy Review of Books'… especially where the misdeeds of the powerful are at issue, MacIntyre writes with great trenchancy; and one detects, underneath a cool and measured argumentative surface, the heart of an Amos or Isaiah, burning with righteous anger.' Commonweal'Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity is an essential addition to MacIntyre's distinguished body of work.' Richard Kraut, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews'[Ethics in the Conflicts of Modernity] is a rich and nuanced text that provides a foundational restatement of Thomistic practical philosophy for the 21st Century. It links moral philosophy, business ethics, and political philosophy in a way that contrasts with standard academic practice.' Caleb Bernacchio, Acta Philosophica'For over three decades, Alasdair MacIntyre has been arguing that Thomistic Aristotelianism offers the best path forward for contemporary politics and ethics. While his philosophical career began in the 1950s, it has been this project … that has established his reputation as one of the most significant philosophers of the twentieth century.' Jennifer A. Herdt, Studies in Christian EthicsTable of ContentsPreface; 1. Desires, goods, and 'good', the philosophical issues; 2. Theory, practice, and their social contexts; 3. Morality and modernity; 4. Neo-Aristotelian ethics and politics developed in contemporary Thomistic terms: issues of relevance and rational justification; 5. Four narratives; Index.

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Book SynopsisA lively and approachable meditation on how we can transform our digital lives if we let a little Nietzsche in.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDiscover the world''s greatest thinkers and their groundbreaking notions!Too often, textbooks turn the noteworthy theories, principles, and figures of philosophy into tedious discourse that even Plato would reject. Philosophy 101 cuts out the boring details and exhausting philosophical methodology, and instead, gives you a lesson in philosophy that keeps you engaged as you explore the fascinating history of human thought and inquisition. From Aristotle and Heidegger to free will and metaphysics, Philosophy 101 is packed with hundreds of entertaining philosophical tidbits, illustrations, and thought puzzles that you won''t be able to find anywhere else. So whether you''re looking to unravel the mysteries of existentialism, or just want to find out what made Voltaire tick, Philosophy 101 has all the answers--even the ones you didn''t know you were looking for.

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Book SynopsisQuentin Meillassoux teaches Philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, France.Ray Brassier is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.Trade Review"'Rarely do we encounter a book which not only meets the highest standards of thinking, but sets up itself new standards, transforming the entire field into which it intervenes. Quentin Meillassoux does exactly this.' Slavoj Zizek"Table of ContentsTranslator's Preface; Preface by Alain Badiou; 1. Ancestrality; 2. Metaphysics, Fideism, Speculation; 3. The Principle of Factuality; 4. Hume's Problem; 5. Ptolemy's Revenge.

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Book SynopsisIn the second edition of this witty and infectious book, Madsen Pirie builds upon his guide to using - and indeed abusing - logic in order to win arguments. By including new chapters on how to win arguments in writing, in the pub, with a friend, on Facebook and in 140 characters (on Twitter), Pirie provides the complete guide to triumphing in altercations ranging from the everyday to the downright serious. He identifies with devastating examples all the most common fallacies popularly used in argument. We all like to think of ourselves as clear-headed and logical - but all readers will find in this book fallacies of which they themselves are guilty. The author shows you how to simultaneously strengthen your own thinking and identify the weaknesses in other people arguments. And, more mischievously, Pirie also shows how to be deliberately illogical - and get away with it. This book will make you maddeningly smart: your family, friends and opponents will all wish that you had never readTrade ReviewA highly thought provoking, enjoyable and entertaining read -- Zoe Page * The BookBag *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. What is an Argument 2. What does a Successful Argument Look Like? 3. What counts as Evidence? 4. Oral Arguments a) arguing with a friend b) arguing in a group c) arguing in a formal debate d) Presenting your case in a meeting 5. Written Arguments a) arguing in a letter, article of newspaper b) arguing on the internet c) how to argue on facebook d) winning an argument in 140 characters (arguing on twitter) 79 A-Z entries, including: Abusive analogy Blinding with science The complex question Damning the alternatives Exclusive premises The gambler's fallacy Hedging Irrelevent humour Loaded words The red herring Shifting ground Trivial objections Wishful thinking

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe Reader is a kind of belated debutante ball for Hans Blumenberg, inviting a new audience to view Blumenberg not only at his entrance to scholarly life in the 1940s but also to key moments in his ascent of the rarefied staircase of German intellectual history, leading to rooms unintended for commoners. * Critical Inquiry *The Reader provides us with an impressive cross-sectional sample of important essays by Blumenberg, essays that will make his ideas available in a serious form, but without the months-long labors necessary for any reader to make his or her way through the six to eight hundred page tomes that constitute the cornerstones of Blumenberg's approach. * PHILOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY *A landmark contribution to English-language work on Blumenberg. It gathers in a single paperback volume Blumenberg's most important essays, many of which also appear here in English for the first time. This will allow Blumenberg's thought to be read, cited, taught, and studied in English-speaking contexts on an entirely different scale and in entirely different ways than before... Here, in pieces intended for solo publication that range in length from four to approximately forty pages, the Reader presents a version of Blumenberg's thought that is sharper, spryer, more focused and more accessible than those that have appeared before. * The Germanic Review *Bajohr, Fuchs, and Kroll have gathered, in the best translation this great prose stylist has received, fundamental short texts by Blumenberg that were the seeds of his later encyclopedic volumes * Common Knowledge *Bound to provide much needed nourishment, History, Metaphors, Fables provides readers with a sample broad enough to appreciate the prolific scope of the author's interests, in subject matters and genres alike, yet reasoned enough to prevent a loss of bearings. The resulting compilation should enable inquiries for guiding threads across a vast and variegated corpus. * Contributions to the History of Concepts *Table of Contents1. The Linguistic Realityof Philosophy (1946/1947) 2. World Pictures and World Models (1961) 3. "Secularization": Critique of a Category ofHistorical Illegitimacy (1964) 4. The Concept of Realityand the Theory of the State(1968/1969) 5. Preliminary Remarks on the Concept of Reality(1974) 6. Light as a Metaphorfor Truth: At the PreliminaryStage of Philosophical Concept Formation (1957) 7. Introduction to Paradigms for a Metaphorology(1960) 8. An Anthropological Approach to the ContemporarySignificance of Rhetoric(1971) 9. Observations Drawn from Metaphors(1971) 10. Prospect for a Theory of Nonconceptuality (1979) 11. Theory of Nonconceptuality (circa 1975, excerpt) 12. The Relationship between Nature and Technologyas a Philosophical Problem(1951) 13. "Imitation of Nature":: Towarda Prehistory ofthe Idea of the Creative Being (1957) 14. Phenomenological Aspects on Life-Worldand Technization (1963) 15. Socrates and the objet ambigu: Paul Valéry'sDiscussion of the Ontology of the AestheticObject and Its Tradition (1964) 16. The Essential Ambiguity of the AestheticObject (1966) 17. Speech Situation and Immanent Poetics (1966) 18. The Absolute Father(1952/1953) 19. The Mythos and Ethos of Americain the Workof William Faulkner (1958) 20. The Concept of Realityand the Possibility of theNovel (1964) 21. Pensiveness (1980) 22. Moments of Goethe (1982) 23. Beyond the Edge of Reality: Three Short Essays (1983) 24. Of Nonunderstanding: Glosses on Three Fables (1984) 25. Unknown Aesopica: From Newly Found Fables (1985) 26. Advancing into Eternal Silence: A Centuryafterthe Sailing of the Fram (1993)

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Book Synopsis'You're 82 years old. You've shrunk six centimetres, you only weigh 45 kilos yet you're still beautiful, graceful and desirable' – so begins André Gorz's 'open love letter' to the woman he has lived with for 58 years and who lies dying next to him. As one of France's leading post-war philosophers, André Gorz wrote many influential books, but nothing he wrote will be read as widely or remembered as long as this simple, passionate, beautiful letter to his dying wife. In a bittersweet postscript a year after Letter to D was published, a note pinned to the door for the cleaning lady marked the final chapter in an extraordinary love story. André Gorz and his terminally ill wife, Dorine, were found lying peacefully side by side, having taken their lives together. They simply could not live without one another. An international bestseller, Letter to D is the ultimate love story – and all the more poignant because it's true.

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Book SynopsisMarcus Aurelius Antoninus was the sixteenth emperor of Rome -- and by far the most powerful and wealthy man in the world. Yet he was also an intensely private person, with a rich interior life and deep reservoirs of personal insight. He collected his thoughts in notebooks, gems which have come to be called his Meditations. Never intended for publication, the work survived his death and has proved an inexhaustible source of wisdom and one of the most important Stoic texts of all time. In often passionate language, the entries range from essays to one-line aphorisms, and from profundity to bitterness.Marcus wrote to console himself in the face of the shortness of life, the shoddiness of the world, and the challenges of being human. He asks the very same questions that every thinking person must ask themselves today: Does the universe have a moral purpose, and what is my role in it? What exactly is it to be a good person, and how do I get there? Life is short: what does that mean for me? How can I get to know myself better? Anyone who is puzzled by such questions or searching for answers will profit from this timeless book, which is both an important historical document and a personal spiritual diary.This annotated edition will be the definitive translation of this classic and much-beloved text, with copious notes that will illuminate one of the greatest works of popular philosophy for new readers and enrich the understanding of even the most hardcore Stoic.

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Book SynopsisBhagavata Purana's 10th Canto details Krsna's daily activities by Vyasadeva, emphasizing God as a person with likes and adventures. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's "Krishna Book" spreads Krsna's activities in English. Chanting fosters God consciousness, as promoted by George Harrison for peace and love.

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