Philosophy Books

Book Synopsis"Patience, patience, because the great movements of history have always begun in those small parenthesis that we call 'in the meantime.'" --John Berger The last book that John Berger wrote was this precious little volume about time titled What Time Is It?, now posthumously published for the first time in English by Notting Hill Editions. Berger died before it was completed, but the text has been assembled and illustrated by his longtime collaborator and friend Sel uk Demirel, and has an introduction by Maria Nadotti. What Time Is It? is a profound and playful meditation on the illusory nature of time. Berger, the great art critic and Man Booker Prize-winning author, reflects on what time has come to mean to us in modern life. Our perception of time assumes a uniform and ceaseless passing of time, yet time is turbulent. It expands and contracts according to the intensity of the lived moment. We talk of time "saved" in a hundred household appliances; time, like money, is exchanged for the content it lacks. Berger posits the idea that time can lengthen lifetimes once we seize the present moment. "What-is-to-come, what-is-to-be-gained empties what-is."Trade ReviewPraise for John Berger and Sel uk Demirel "John Berger writes about what is important, not just interesting. In contemporary English letters he seems to me peerless; not since Lawrence has there been a writer who offers such attentiveness to the sensual world."--Susan Sontag "In his ceaselessly inventive work, Sel uk often uses parts of the body in ways that are characteristically Turkish...as if the comedy of the human condition were there in the human body, in the melancholy of anatomy."--John Berger Praise for Cataract "I love this small book of intricate insight."--Michael Ondaatje

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a rich introduction to Heidegger that reveals Poggeler's sound scholarship and philosophical criticism.

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Book SynopsisA grand declaration of war, this 1888 polemic examines what we worship and why. Intended by Nietzsche as an introduction to his philosophy, it assails idols of Western philosophy and culture.

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Book SynopsisEmmanuel Levinas’s interview with Françoise Armengaud in 1988 is one of the only statements we have from the philosopher, who became influential in various disciplines through his ethics that focuses on the fine arts specifically. Presented in English for the first time here, this interview brings us Levinas’s understanding of “obliteration” as an uncanny, disruptive, and even “unavailable” concept. Discussing the work of the French sculptor Sacha Sosno, Levinas parses the complex relationship between ethics and aesthetics, examining how they play out in artistic operations and practices. In doing so, he turns away from the “ease and lighthearted casualness of the beautiful” to shed light instead on the processes of material wear and tear and the traces of repair that go into the creation and maintenance of works of art, and which ultimately give them a profound uniqueness of presence. This evocative interview uncovers a hidden thread of aesthetic thinking in Levinas’s work and introduces a new way of looking at artistic practices in general.

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Book SynopsisChiara Bottici brings fresh perspective to the formation of political and power relationships and the paradox of a world rich in imagery yet seemingly devoid of imagination. She identifies the imaginal's critical role in powering representative democracies and its amplification through globalization.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent book, very original and elegantly written. Chiara Bottici's contribution to the field of politics is an original one, since, even though there exist other theories about the social imaginary, Bottici's is pivotal in allowing us to understand contemporary politics and its paradoxes. It is a great addition to the field of academic discussions about politics, religion, imagination, and conceptual history. -- María Pía Lara, Universidad Autónoma MetropolitanaChiara Bottici's Imaginal Politics is an original, suggestive, and solid contribution to political philosophy broadly understood. The strength of Bottici's work lies in its scope and potential for unifying several strands of inquiry into one integrated theory of the imaginal and working out the consequences of this notion for a variety of disciplines. The whole field of 'politics and the imagination' is rapidly expanding, and I would not be surprised if this book were to turn into one of the key references in the field. -- Alessandro Ferrara, University of Rome Tor Vergata, and former president of the Italian Association of Political PhilosophyIn her new book, Chiara Bottici continues her pathbreaking work in imaginal cultural analysis. Neither properly imaginary nor precisely imaginative, the imaginal is the image broken free of the restraints of both indexicality and referentiality, becoming in the process free-floating agencies in modernity's advertising, spectacular, sports, military, and political games. -- Hayden White, University Professor, Emeritus, University of California, Santa CruzInsightful, wide-ranging, and exciting. -- Laura Hengehold * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart 1. Imagining1. From Phantasia to Imagination2. From Imagination to the Imaginary and Beyond?3. Toward a Theory of the ImaginalPart 2. Politics4. A Genealogy of Politics: From Its Invention to the Biopolitical Turn5. Imaginal Politics6. Contemporary Transformations Between Spectacle and VirtualityPart 3. The Global Spectacle7. The Politics of the Past: The Myth of the Clash of Civilizations8. The Repositioning of Religion in the Public Sphere: Imaginal Consequences9. Imagining Human Rights: Gender, Race, and ClassThe Freedom of Equals: A Conclusion and a New BeginningNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisNoëlle McAfee uses psychoanalytic theory to explore the subterranean anxieties behind current crises and the ways in which democratic practices can help work through seemingly intractable political conflicts. Fear of Breakdown contends that politics needs something that only psychoanalysis has been able to offer.Trade ReviewIn exploring the fear of breakdown that underlies human existence, Noëlle McAfee creates a genuine intellectual breakthrough—her book is a stunningly original exploration of the political significance of mourning. This is one of the most thrilling books I have read in years. -- Mari Ruti, author of Penis Envy and Other Bad Feelings: The Emotional Costs of Everyday LifeFear of Breakdown is a tour de force that provides us with a new framework that resolves some of the tensions between psychoanalysis and politics through an interpretation of D. W. Winnicott’s notion of breakdown. McAfee offers us nothing less than a rethinking of key terms of politics—citizenship, deliberation, false consciousness, and nationalism, to name a few. A must-read for anyone concerned with the crisis of democracy. -- Drucilla Cornell, coauthor of The Spirit of Revolution: Beyond the Dead Ends of ManHercules had twelve labors but, if Noëlle McAfee is right, democratic citizens have only six tasks to undertake for the Herculean task of reclaiming democracy. Guided by Winnicott’s penetrating insight that the fear of breakdown is a fear of what has already happened, McAfee develops a vision of politics as a deliberative practice of political working through, open to 'radical questioning and learning anew.' A joy to read. -- Bonnie Honig, author of Public Things: Democracy in DisrepairWhere Freud’s rather dark account of human nature tended to hypostatize the antisocial aspects of the psyche, subsequent psychoanalytic theorists on the left have tended to err in the opposite direction, painting an overly socialized picture of the human animal. McAfee avoids both errors and develops a progressive view of politics that does not simplify the complexities of the human nature. Her analysis of Winnicott’s notion of the ‘fear of breakdown’ is especially useful for conceptualizing the current political landscape. -- Joel Whitebook, author of Freud: An Intellectual BiographyAmbitious and provocative . . . a learned and thought-provoking call for a radical reimagination of democratic institutions. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsBy Way of a PrefaceIntroduction1. Defining Politics2. Psychoanalysis and Political Theory3. Politics and the Fear of Breakdown4. Practicing Democracy5. Democratic Imaginaries6. Becoming Citizens7. Definitions of the Situation8. Deliberating Otherwise9. Political Works of Mourning10. Public Will and Action11. Radical Imaginaries12. Nationalism and the Fear of BreakdownConclusion: Working Through the BreakdownNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisTo our modern ears the word “creature” has wild, musky, even monstrous, connotations. And yet the terms “creaturely” and “love,” taken together, have traditionally been associated with theological debates around the enigmatic affection between God and His key creation, Man. In Creaturely Love, Dominic Pettman explores the ways in which desire makes us both more, and less, human. In an eminently approachable work of wide cultural reach and meticulous scholarship, Pettman undertakes an unprecedented examination of how animals shape the understanding and expression of love between people. Focusing on key figures in modern philosophy, art, and literature (Nietzsche, Salomé, Rilke, Balthus, Musil, Proust), premodern texts and fairy tales (Fourier, Fournival, Ovid), and contemporary films and online phenomena (Wendy and Lucy, Her, memes), Pettman demonstrates that from pet names to spirit animals, and allegories to analogies, animals have constantly appeared in our writings and thoughts about passionate desire.By following certain charismatic animals during their passage through the love letters of philosophers, the romances of novelists, the conceits of fables, the epiphanies of poets, the paradoxes of contemporary films, and the digital menageries of the Internet, Creaturely Love ultimately argues that in our utilization of the animal in our amorous expression, we are acknowledging that what we adore in our beloveds is not (only) their humanity, but their creatureliness.Trade Review"Pettman has written yet another absorbing, witty, moving, and smart book about the question of human exceptionalism, this time in relation to desire and love, attending especially to literary and artistic works. The book makes a significant contribution particularly to a revisionist reading of modernist literary/artistic history with relation to the presence of the nonhuman animal, or the creaturely."—Carla Freccero, University of California, Santa Cruz"Dominic Pettman writes thoughtful, light-fingered books on significant questions that are simultaneously timely and timeless. In Creaturely Love, he takes up the perennial awkwardness that haunts every effort to etherealize romance: the proximity of our loving bodies to the critter-creatures that rut and tread and mount and cover each other just outside our windows. Drawing on the newest (and some of the oldest) thinking about humans and animals, Pettman here recalls us to ourselves—by ruminating on just how hard it is to say what exactly that might mean."—D. Graham Burnett, Princeton University"Bettman’s ideas and readings will doubtless find application in future scholarship; his text makes readers eager to see all genres of cultural production in the new framework this exciting work provides."—The Goose"The book offers an interesting engagement with the complexity of expressions of affection."—CHOICE connectTable of ContentsContentsPrefaceIntroduction: On the Stupidity of Oysters1. Divining Creaturely Love2. Horsing Around: The Marriage Blanc of Nietzsche, Andreas-Salomé, and Rée3. Groping for an Opening: Rilke between Animal and Angel4. Electric Caresses: Rilke, Balthus, and Mitsou5. Between Perfection and Temptation: Musil, Claudine, and Veronica6. The Biological Travesty7. “The Creature Whom We Love”: Proust and Jealousy8. The Love Tone: Capture and Captivation9. “The Soft Word That Comes Deceiving”: Fournival’s Bestiary of Love10. The Cuckold and the Cockatrice: Fourier and Hazlitt11. The Animal Bride and Horny Toads12. Unsettled Being: Ovid’s Metamorphoses13. Fickle Metaphysics14. Nymphomania and Faunication15. Senseless Arabesques: Wendy and Lucy16. The Goat in the Machine (A Reprise)Conclusion: On Cetaceous MaidensEpilogue: Animal Magnetism and Alternative Currents (or Tesla and the White Dove)AcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of these lecture courses for an understanding of the development of Heidegger's thinking; yet in the very act of illuminating this development, they also throw new light on many of the most fundamental ideas figuring in 'Being and Time' itself. This book will be essential reading for anyone looking for the argumentation behind Heidegger's unique conception of human existence."--Ian Lyne, University of DurhamTable of ContentsTranslator's Foreword Publisher's Note I. The Idea of Philosophy and the Problem of Worldview Preliminary Remarks Introduction Part I. The Idea of Philosophy as Primordial Science 1. The Search for a Methodological Way 2. Critique of Teleological-Critical Method Part II. Phenomenology as Pre-Theoretical Primordial Science 1. Analysis of the Structure of Experience 2. The Problem of Presuppositions 3. Primordial Science as Pre-Theoretical Science II. Phenomenology and Transcendental Philosophy of Value Introduction Part I. Historical Presentation of the Problem 1. The Genesis of Philosophy of Value as the Cultural Philosophy of the Present 2. Windelband's Grounding of Modern Transcendental Philosophy of Value 3. The Further Development of Value-Philosophy by Rickert Part II. Critical Considerations \ Appendix I: On the Nature of the University and Academic Study Appendix II: The Idea of Philosophy and the Problem of Worldview Short Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisSimondon is a secret password among certain discussions within philosophy today. As a philosopher of technology, Simondon’s work has a place at the forefront of current thinking in media, technology, psychology, and philosophy with complex accounts of man’s relationship to technology and the realm that continues to form itself via this tension between man and his technical universe. In this introduction to Simondon’s oeuvre, the reader has access to the grounding of one of the most fundamental and critical questions that has been the focus of philosophy for millennia: the relationship between man and animal.

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Book SynopsisIn Science Fiction and Extro-Science Fiction, Quentin Meillassoux addresses the problem of chaos and of the constancy of natural laws in the context of literature. With his usual argumentative rigor, he elucidates the distinction between science fiction, a genre in which science remains possible in spite of all the upheavals that may attend the world in which the tale takes place, and fiction outside-science, the literary concept he fashions in this book, a fiction in which science becomes impossible. With its investigations of the philosophies of Hume, Kant, and Popper, Science Fiction and Extro-Science Fiction broadens the inquiry that Meillassoux began in After Finitude, thinking through the concrete possibilities and consequences of a chaotic world in which human beings can no longer resort to science to ground their existence. It is a significant milestone in the work of an emerging philosopher, which will appeal to readers of both philosophy and literature. The text is followed by Isaac Asimov’s essay “The Billiard Ball.”

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Book SynopsisWhat relation is there between the existence of a work of art and that of a living being? Between the existence of an atom and that of a value like solidarity? These questions become our own each time a reality—whether it is a piece of music, someone we love, or a fictional character—is established and begins to take on an importance in our lives. Like William James or Gilles Deleuze, Souriau methodically defends the thesis of an existential pluralism. There are indeed different manners of existing and even different degrees or intensities of existence: from pure phenomena to objectivized things, by way of the virtual and the “super-existent,” to which works of art and the intellect, and even morality, bear witness. Existence is polyphonic, and, as a result, the world is considerably enriched and enlarged. Beyond all that exists in the ordinary sense of the term, it is necessary to allow for all sorts of virtual and ephemeral states, transitional realms, and barely begun realities, still in the making, all of which constitute so many “inter-worlds.”

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Gaukroger displays a remarkably broad range: his sweep of knowledge is truly impressive. . . . Many of his local observations are startling, in a good way; he asks those of us who study the figures he discusses to step back and reflect on their ultimate objectives, their successes, and, yes, their failures."---Christopher Shields, MIND"Gaukroger’s narrative is creative and convincing, extremely dense and elegant at the same time, based on a jaw-dropping breadth and depth of scholarship. . . . All this is a rather convoluted way of saying that to my mind, our losses are not as great as they may seem: the fact that we have Stephen Gaukroger’s brilliant studies to read makes up in no small part for the failures of philosophy."---Jeroen Bouterse, 3 Quarks Daily

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Book SynopsisOne of the Washington Post's Best Nonfiction Books of 2022 A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it.Trade Review"Reality+sometimes reads like two books in one. It stands as a welcoming work for first-time readers of philosophy, full of genial references to cultural touchstones such as 'The Matrix' and 'Rick and Morty.' Simultaneously, it remains substantial enough for those familiar with the field and its ongoing conversations…Reality+ is frequently weird, wild and wonderful; it captivates the common reader by refusing to condescend." -- Jess Keiser - The Washington Post"In this accessible yet thought-provoking book, readers will encounter everything from Plato's allegory of the cave and John Wheeler's it-from-bit hypothesis to how mind and body might interact in virtual worlds, whether reality is a mathematical structure, and whether we might just be Boltzmann brains floating in a dream world. Chalmers also tackles techno-centric questions like whether smartphones extend our minds, whether the Internet is making us smart or stupid, the threat of deepfakes and alternative facts, and whether there can be an objective reality in a multiverse of virtual worlds." -- Jennifer Ouellette - Ars Technica"[A] brain-bending new book by the philosopher David Chalmers—Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problem of Philosophy—has turned me into a hard-core simulationist. After reading and talking to Chalmers, I've come to believe that the coming world of virtual reality might one day be regarded as every bit as real as real reality." -- Farhad Manjoo - The New York Times"[R]ich, scintillating…[Chalmers] wrestles with how age-old philosophical conundrums can be reinterpreted in the age of Reality+." -- John Thornhill - Financial Times"[A] sprawling, brain-tenderising beast of a book—but a hugely entertaining one at that." -- Kit Wilson - The Times"Chalmers is a joy: an exuberant guide through challenging terrain, quick with anecdotes and arguments, wit and wild ideas." -- Kieran Setiya - The Times Literary Supplement"Everyone should read this important book to understand where we may be heading and how it will be rationalized." -- Josh Glancy - The Sunday Times"Chalmers' central idea, that "there is more to reality than we thought," is seductive, and I was surprised to find his arguments delightfully—or perhaps worryingly—convincing. He has taken a subject most people would dismiss as pure science fiction and produced a brilliant and very readable philosophical investigation." -- PD Smith - The Guardian"Crafted with the general reader in mind, this is an object lesson in philosophical reasoning and a bold, often awe-inspiring discussion of its implications. Philosophy-minded readers weaned on The Matrix and ready for the metaverse will want to take a look." -- Publishers Weekly"A David Chalmers book is a competition. On the one hand the writing is so clear and engaging that you want to keep turning pages; on the other, the ideas are so surprising and profound that you are continually stopping to think about them. Reality+ is a treasure trove of provocative reflections on cosmology, consciousness, artificial intelligence, ethics, and more. Reading it will change the way you think about the universe." -- Sean Carroll, author of Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime"Fasten your seatbelt and put your helmet on, David Chalmers is going to take you on an amazing trip. Reality+ is wild, profound, and playful, placing famous arguments from the history of philosophy next to surprising observations about video games. Cleverly disguised as light reading, this book carries a large payload of new ideas about existence, knowledge, and what makes life worth living." -- Jennifer Nagel, University of Toronto"As humanity enters a brave new world of artificial superintelligence and computer-generated virtual realities, how can we humble hunter-gatherers, descended from cavemen, begin to grasp our astonishing technological future? The answer lies in this book. We must think about the ultimate nature of reality. In Reality+ David Chalmers provides the roadmap to your future." -- Susan Schneider, NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, Exploration, and Scientific Innovation, and author of Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind"A stunning achievement. In effortless prose David Chalmers explores new ways to think about everything from consciousness to computation, deities to democracy. Reality+ shows time and again how familiar topics take on interesting new forms when viewed through the lens of virtual reality." -- Scott Sturgeon, author of The Rational Mind"What is real anyway? Exploring the deepest doubts about reality from Zhuangzi to Descartes, David J. Chalmers stirs our own doubts and leads us into the real worlds of future virtual reality. A gripping book." -- Susan Blackmore, author of The Meme Machine and Seeing Myself

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Book SynopsisThis interdisciplinary book develops a dialectical narrative about the beginning of the universe by combining Hegel's philosophy with texts about the Big Bang theory. Scientific accounts of the Big Bang indicate that the first second of existence was an eventful period in which the universe progressed through six different epochs. Bringing together cosmological narratives and Hegel's writings (particularly The Science of Logic), Gregory Phipps reads this movement as a dialectical progression, a sequence of transitions among interlinked concepts like being and nothing, finitude and infinitude, and space and time. He also draws upon Hegel's concept of absolutes to outline a model of the multiverse. In doing so, Phipps brings Hegel's philosophy into dialogue with contemporary science, arguing that Hegelian readings of the first second offer speculative snapshots of a hypothetical multiverse that contains the full (and probably infinite) scope of existence. For scholars and enthusiasts ali

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Book SynopsisAre we free or determined? Are things really the way they appear to be? What’s the difference between right and wrong? Can God’s existence be demonstrated?Discovering Philosophy looks at these and other fundamental questions that have bedeviled thinkers for centuries. Designed for students who are more comfortable with secondary than primary sources, Discovering Philosophy is both accessible and intellectually challenging. While it examines the ideas of traditional philosophers, it also considers perspectives that have historically been underrepresented (feminist philosophers and Native American thought), draws examples from popular culture, and considers cutting-edge philosophical questions raised by scientific discoveries (are dolphins nonhuman persons with rights?).Each chapter includes discussion questions, boxed highlights, and suggestions for further reading.Trade Review"Using an engaging writing style with a friendly tone, this book makes the philosophical quest for wisdom relatable. Incorporating examples spanning from antiquity to contemporary times, Discovering Philosophy provides an inviting context, especially for students wanting to become more at ease with doing philosophy."—Dr. Raymond Marion Watkins, Central Carolina Technical College"Discovering Philosophy illuminates the wonders of philosophy with insight and substance, balancing intellectual rigor and practical application, exploring central figures and important concepts. This is a fantastic introduction to philosophy!"—B. Patrick Williams, Chair, Philosophy and Religious Studies, Chemeketa Community College

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

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Book SynopsisIn our busy and hurried lives, we are losing the ability to be inactive. Human existence becomes fully absorbed by activity – even leisure, treated as a respite from work, becomes part of the same logic. Intense life today means first of all more performance or more consumption. We have forgotten that it is precisely inactivity, which does not produce anything, that represents an intense and radiant form of life. For Byung-Chul Han, inactivity constitutes the human. Without moments of pause or hesitation, acting deteriorates into blind action and reaction. When life follows the rule of stimulus–response and need–satisfaction, it atrophies into pure survival: naked biological life. If we lose the ability to be inactive, we begin to resemble machines that simply function. True life begins when concern for survival, for the exigencies of mere life, ends. The ultimate purpose of all human endeavour is inactivity. In a beautifully crafted ode to the art of being still, Han shows that the current crisis in our society calls for a very different way of life: one based on the vita contemplative. He pleads for bringing our ceaseless activities to a stop and making room for the magic that happens in between. Life receives its radiance only from inactivity.Trade Review“Han’s message about the importance of recovering the art of inactivity makes a serious point: if we stay on the hamster wheel of activity, we risk self-destruction.” Parliament Magazine“A synthesis and expansion of Han’s earlier work on contemplation … reads like a précis for a new stage in Han’s writings, one with roots in his garden.”The LampTable of Contents1. Views of Inactivity 2. A Marginal Note on Zhuangzi 3. From Acting to Being 4. Absolute Lack of Being 5. The Pathos of Action 6. The Coming Society Notes

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Book SynopsisThe Shape of Knowledge is the outcome of a meaningful experience that occurred in 2012. In it are developed the foundations of a new science of philosophy, which promises to provide a solution to the disparity preventing our discourse from progress. Through the language of the Western canon, The Shape of Knowledge exposes the ubiquitous structure that conditions our capacity to reason the truth for our world. Then, through an investigation of the phenomenon of self-reference, in both the processes and products of thought, this structure is shown to necessitate its own existence. Underscoring it all is a principle of complementarity, which arises as the modality of the rationalisation of paradox. Experience is shown to be a relative process of making sense of the nonsensical nature of reality, and the emergence of paraphilosophy is our means of reconciling the present war of opposites—having now served its purpose—with the nondual nature of self-consciousness. Paraphilosophy is not an idea to be believed—it is the idea of the idea, which is our creative spirit. So this work is at root an inquiry into oneself.

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Book SynopsisWe often think of people as falling into one of two very different categories: those into science, math, and engineering; or into history, philosophy, and literature. Haufe reveals the unexpected unity underlying different disciplinary efforts to understand our experiences. He makes a vital contribution to wider debates about knowledge-generation.Trade Review'Constantly interesting and engagingly written, this timely book is destined to generate a lot of interest, both inside and outside academia.' Peter Vickers, Durham University'Many books denounce or praise the humanities. Only a few tell us how they work. In this elegant, witty, sometimes paradoxical book, informed by deep knowledge of the history of science, Chris Haufe shows that the humanities can and do produce powerful knowledge. He also argues that they could create much more of it if scholars and funders understood how communities and disciplines frame productive inquiries.' Anthony Grafton, Princeton UniversityTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. 'What would the community think?'; 3. Canon and consensus; 4. Knowing what matters; 5. In defense of how things seem; 6. Reading what lies within; 7. Humanities victorious?; 8. Of interest; 9. The hoax and the humanities.

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Book SynopsisReprint With 8 col.illustrations, the Story of a Near-Death Experience NDEs (near-death experiences) may have gained interest in the past few decades, but they were well documented in the Srimad-Bhagavatam thousands of years ago. What does the near-death experience teach us? The sharp philosophical and metaphysical debates that punctuate the action as Ajamila confronts the messengers of death and finds deliverance are bound to excite the interest of those concerned with life''s deepest questions.

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Book SynopsisReprint. Introduction to Bhagavad-gita is a valuable companion to any edition of the Bhagavad-gita, and every bit as informative as the book it was intended to introduce. Srila Prabhupada wrote it in 1968 as his introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Isbefore he even knew if he''d be able to publish the entire Gitaand included within it the essence of all the Gita''s teachings.He begins the Introduction by advocating submissive aural reception as the proper mood for being able to understand the Bhagavad-gita at all. If we think the Gita is just another book, he says, we''re missing the point; its speaker, Krishna, is the Supreme Person Himself, and those who accept Him as such can get incalculable benefit from hearing His words. Introduction to Bhagavad-gita concisely explains all the Gita''s major themes, such as the difference between the self and the material body, how to prepare to leave the body at death, and how our eternal dharma (essential nature) differs from what''s known as religion.

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Book SynopsisUplne vydanie's povodnymi Sanskrtskymi textami, sprepisom do latinky, so slovenskymi, synonymami,'s prekladmi a's podrobnymi vykladmi Dodatky O autorovi Citovane pisma Vykladovy slovnik mien a vecnych pojmov Samskrt a klue k vyslovnosti Register Samskrtskych versov Register citovanych versov Vseobecny index

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Book SynopsisPhilosophy: The Power of Ideas offers a comprehensive overview of Western Philosophy, Eastern Influences, Feminist Philosophy and Postcolonial thought. Known for its engaging, conversational writing style, each chapter provides clear introductions to even the most difficult philosophical concepts and includes selected primary readings from some of the most important thinkers of all time.**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 ContentsChapter 1 Dark Blue Velvet Chapter 2 Philosophical QuotationsPart One METAPHYSICS AND EPISTEMOLOGY: EXISTENCE AND KNOWLEDGEChapter 3 The Pre-SocraticsChapter 4 Socrates, PlatoChapter 5 AristotleChapter 6 Philosophers of the Hellenistic and Christian ErasChapter 7 The Rise of Modern Metaphysics and EpistemologyChapter 8 The Eighteenth and Nineteenth CenturiesChapter 9 The Continental Tradition Chapter 10 The Pragmatic and Analytic Traditions Part Two MORAL AND POLITICAL PHILOSOPHYChapter 11 Moral Philosophy Chapter 12 Political Philosophy Chapter 13 Recent Moral and Political Philosophy Part Three PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION: REASON AND FAITHChapter 14 Philosophy and Belief in God Chapter 15 Feminist Philosophy Chapter 16 Eastern Influences Chapter 17 Postcolonial Thought Chapter 18 Five Philosophical Issues

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Book SynopsisIn their trenchant panoramic overview ranging from antiquity to the present-day John and Anna Rist write with authority and ennui about nothing less than the loss of the foundational culture of the West. The authors characterize this culture as the ''original tradition'', viewing its erosion as one which has led to anxiety about the entire value of Western thought. The causes of the disintegration are discussed with an intensity rare in academe. Critics of modernity ordinarily concentrate on the Enlightenment and the book certainly offers deep analysis of Enlightenment thought. But it goes further. Thus the cruelty of modern totalitarianism is now depicted as in the spirit of the French Revolution and its implacable hostility to a vanished primordial heritage, while scientism, bureaucracy and consumerism appear as the only rivals to a threatening nihilism. The book argues that Western thought has created a set of conflicting moral and spiritual customs: to the detriment of coherence,Table of Contents1. Confusion introduced; 2. Athens, Rome, Jerusalem; 3. From Constantine to Henry VIII; 4. Man enlightened: Montaigne to Kant; 5. Totalitarian man: theory and practice; 6. Scientistic humanism; 7. World War, bureaucracy, consumerism; 8. Sexual liberation and the subversion of the person; 9. Personalism, virtue ethics and the original tradition; 10. Culture, what culture? 2021.

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Book SynopsisIn this synthetic introduction to the history of the philosophy of art, Noël Carroll elucidates and analyzes selected writings on art by Plato, Aristotle, Hutcheson, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Tolstoy, and Bell. Carroll’s narrative tracks developments between major positions in philosophy of art, ranging from the idea that art is unavoidably embedded in society to the evolution of the notion that art is autonomous ("art for art’s sake"), thereby setting the stage for continuing debates in the philosophy of art.Presupposing no prior background, and useful on its own or accompanying the reading of primary works, Classics in Western Philosophy of Art is ideal as a text for introductory undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy of art and aesthetics, or for anyone interested in learning about the origin of some of our most fundamental conceptions of art in the Western tradition.Trade Review"Indispensable turn-by-turn directions for those navigating the ideas of nine philosophers who set the stage for thinking about art and society. Clear and comprehensive, Noël Carroll is the perfect guide to the history of aesthetics."—Dominic McIver Lopes, University of British Columbia"Carroll’s Classics in Western Philosophy of Art is a masterful series of commentaries on nine classical writings on art by philosophers in the Western tradition—learned and penetrating in exegesis, equally penetrating in critique. It’s not just one philosopher after another. Carroll takes note of what later writers say, explicitly or implicitly, about earlier writers, and imagines what those earlier writers might have said in response. He is host to a conversation. How I wish these commentaries had been available when I was still teaching philosophy of art! I would have been spared my own exegetical labors over these often-difficult texts, and my teaching would have been immeasurably improved."—Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University

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Book SynopsisThe first Tao of cats, written by 37 felines for cat lovers around the world.

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Book SynopsisRecently discovered manuscripts from the mid-1950s, when Michel Foucault was a lecturer at the University of Lille, testify to the significance of the philosopher’s early work. Elisabetta Basso offers a groundbreaking and in-depth analysis of Foucault’s Lille manuscripts that sheds new light on the origins of his philosophical project.Trade ReviewBasso provides a true archaeology of the first steps of Foucault’s project. With historical depth and theoretical insight, this book offers a groundbreaking approach to a long-unknown aspect of Foucault’s early thought. Young Foucault will be an indispensable companion for all readers interested in Foucault’s work and life. -- François Ewald, general editor of Foucault's lectures at the Collège de FranceIn this richly researched and highly original book, Elisabetta Basso offers a fascinating account of the earliest Foucault. She explores not only the depth of the young philosopher’s preoccupation with phenomenological and existential psychiatry but also the decisive role this early interest played in shaping the later, historical work that was to make him famous. -- Louis Sass, author of Madness and Modernism: Insanity in the Light of Modern Art, Literature, and ThoughtTable of ContentsA Genealogy of Archaeology, by Bernard E. HarcourtIntroduction: New Avenues for Research1. Archives and Intellectual Networks2. The Binswanger Dossier 3. Archaeological MethodConclusionAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThrough several historical case studies from the last 300 years, Luis de Miranda shows how the phrase 'esprit de corps' acts as a combat concept with a clear societal impact. He also reveals how interconnected, yet distinct, French, English and American modern intellectual and political thought is.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a book for many sorts of readers. It offers a full-scale biography of one of the greatest American philosophers and public intellectuals of the twentieth century; an important contribution to the history of pragmatism; and a pathbreaking new approach in the sociology of ideas. The book demonstrates how much American sociology, philosophy, and history can profit when they are brought more closely together again."--Hans Joas, University of Chicago "Rorty granted Gross access to his papers and correspondence, and Gross uses this material very effectively. . . . This inside view of one of the most well-connected academics in the world can't help but fascinate us."--Barry Allen "Notre Dame Philosophical Review " "Essential for academic sociology, philosophy, intellectual history, and biography collections in academic libraries, as well as for public libraries collecting comprehensively in those subjects."--Library Journal "Combining biographical description and sociological analysis, Gross has produced a trenchant study that aims to identify the structural forces that helped shape one of America's most controversial and widely discussed philosophers."--Choice "Gross's careful archival research, innovative theoretical synthesis and substantive contributions are likely to help inspire a range of new studies on the sociology of philosophy and the humanities. The book is well worth a careful read. . . . The story of academic social mobility that Gross tells is compelling, the book is a terrific read that is likely to become a classic, and the theory of 'intellectual self-concept' is well worth building on and developing."--Neil McLaughlin "Canadian Journal of Sociology " "I highly recommend Neil Gross's biography to all persons who are interested in Rorty, contemporary philosophy, and the socioogy of ideas. This is a first rate work."--Brad Frazier "Metapsychology " "Sociology does not usually engage intellectual biography. In his Richard Rorty, Neil Gross gracefully does so, and he does much more as well. He shows how a 'self concept' must be central to any sociological account of significant intellectual achievement. In doing so, he challenges more deterministic conceptions and restores integrity to the creative process."--Jeffrey Alexander, Yale University "The contemporary American philosopher Richard Rorty (1931-2007) was the epitome of a successful academic--educated and then employed a prestigious institutions, he saw his influence extend into sociology, cultural studies, and literary criticism. Harvard assistant professor Gross concentrates on Rorty's professional successes in academia and sends a discouraging message to both the graduate student and the academy. Using Rorty's career as a case study, Gross observes the 'social hierarchy' among disciplines and notes that academics are largely motivated by desires for intellectual prestige, that 'radical intellectual innovation is most likely to come, not from young scholars, but from those who are sufficiently established as to be able to take bold professional risks, ' and that 'aspiring intellectuals compete with one another for the limited attention of mentors.' Citing the case of Rorty's first wife, Amelie--who was also trained as a philosopher, but was repeatedly forced to sacrifice her career for Rorty's--Gross illuminates the unequal opportunities for the ambitious wives of male intellectuals. The book's subtle yet scathing critique of the tenure and promotion systems within universities reveals how such systems actually inhibit innovation in young scholars. A specialized sociological study of the academy, this book will appeal to all those concerned with the state of research in higher education." --Publishers Weekly "More than an exhaustively researched and skillfully crafted biography of one of the most influential intellectuals of our time, Neil Gross's Richard Rorty is also an exemplary exercise in the 'new sociology of ideas.' By situating Rorty in the multiple contexts, personal, institutional, and discursive, in which his thought developed, and tracing the intellectual self-concept he forged in response, Gross provides a compelling model for twenty-first-century intellectual history." --Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley

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Book SynopsisThe new edition of a comprehensive and rigorous but concise introduction to symbolic logic.Logic Primer offers a comprehensive and rigorous introduction to symbolic logic, providing concise definitions of key concepts, illustrative examples, and exercises. After presenting the definitions of validity and soundness, the book goes on to introduce a formal language, proof theory, and formal semantics for sentential logic (chapters 1–3) and for first-order predicate logic (chapters 4–6) with identity (chapter 7). For this third edition, the material has been reorganized from four chapters into seven, increasing the modularity of the text and enabling teachers to choose alternative paths through the book. New exercises have been added, and all exercises are now arranged to support students moving from easier to harder problems. Its spare and elegant treatment makes Logic Primer unique among textbooks. It presents the material with minima

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Book SynopsisCertain philosophers of Antiquity compared the world to a large animal; but if the world were an animal, it would have a skin similar to the skin that envelops each living being and gives it unity. The world is neither an animal nor a machine but an interminable jumble whose destination is nothing other than the maelstrom in which the very idea of the world slips away. The world has no skin other than the turbulence that makes histories, customs, moments of grandeur and decadence. Because it is not a skin, this extension of space-time is much more fragile than the skins that are already always fragile, because everything here touches its extremities. The world is everything that passes between us – ourselves and everything that happens to us, everything that becomes of our contacts, our gazes, our movements; and through referrals from skin to skin, from the fleeting to the immemorial, you reach, without even knowing it, the entire actuality of the world: the act of its existence. This act is made up of works and disasters, splendours, horrors, and catastrophes. As long as it is ours, it is the act of an infinite emergence that is all the sense there is: a sense that incessantly goes from skin to skin and is itself never enveloped by anything. The texts in this volume are all oriented by the concern for what is currently happening to us – we, late humanoids – when we arrive at an extremity of our history, whether this extremity should turn out to be a stage, a rupture, or quite simply a last breath.Trade Review"In this weaving together of texts, what emerges is a way of thinking the here and now, when everything appears to be falling apart, when progress isn't progressing; an extreme fragility of existence that opens onto 'exemplary stories of the 'flesh''."—Professor Philip Armstrong, Ohio State University "... a significant collection of Nancy's work."—Phenomenological ReviewsTable of ContentsOvertureI. A Time to Come without Past or FutureII. From Ontology to TechnologyIII. Juan Manuel Garrido: Not the Universal, But the UnknownIV. Right Here in the PresentV. The Accident and the SeasonVI. Jean-Christophe Bailly: Havâ / ZamânVII. The Fragile Skin of the WorldVIII. Taking On Board (Of the World and of Singularity) Notes

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Book SynopsisDespite growing interest in her philosophy, Simone de Beauvoir remains widely misunderstood. She is typically portrayed as a mere intellectual follower of her companion, Jean-Paul Sartre. In Philosophical Writings, Beauvoir herself shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Beauvoir''s philosophical work suffers from a lack of English-language translation or, worse, mistranslation into heavily condensed popular versions. Philosophical Writings provides an unprecedented collection of complete, scholarly editions of philosophical texts that cover the first twenty-three years of Beauvoir''s career, including a number of recently discovered works. Ranging from metaphysical literature to existentialist ethics, Philosophical Writings brings together diverse elements of Beauvoir''s work while highlighting continuities in the development of her thought. Each of the translations features detailed notes and a scholarly introduction explaining its larger sigTrade Review"A valuable addition to collections of philosophy, feminism, and modern French literature. Recommended."--Choice"What emerges from the essays Philosophical Writings collects will neither shock nor surprise Beauvoir scholars but is sure to delight. . . . The editors and contributors to Philosophical Writings have crafted an engaging text that is sure to encourage a deeper interest in the study of Beauvoir and her place in the philosophical canon."--Hypatia"This work is a treasure. Now, English-speaking readers who are not fluent in French will have the opportunity to read these selections for themselves. Each piece is preceded by a very helpful introduction and commentary by a well-known Beauvoir scholar, who places the piece in context and notes how it relates to one or more of Beauvoir's better-known works that have long been translated into English. Each selection also has its own translator (distinct from the commentator). The translations read beautifully, and they also have appropriately detailed scholarly notes, which make the selections even more accessible to students. . . . There is no other book to compete with this one."--Claudia Card, editor of Cambridge Companion to Simone de Beauvoir"I am amazed by this volume, which alone makes it clear that Beauvoir's philosophy informs rather than is derived from Sartre's. Philosophical Writings is an outstanding gem. This series will change the history of philosophy."--Kelly Oliver, author of Witnessing: Beyond Recognition

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Book SynopsisThis new edition of Scriptures of the World''s Religions uses selections from scriptures to examine the world''s religions. It emphasizes religions that are practiced today and features English translations that are accessible to the layperson. This edition examines the collected sacred texts revered by these religions themselves. There are special benefits to exploring the world''s religions through selections from their scriptures. In most cases, the sacred texts are the oldest written documents in the tradition, and we gain a sense of immediate connection with these religions by studying the same documents that followers have been reading for millennia.Table of ContentsChapter 1 - Hinduism Chapter 2 - Jainism Chapter 3 - BuddhismChapter 4 - Sikhism Chapter 5 - Confucianism Chapter 6 - Daoism Chapter 7 - Shintō Chapter 8 - Zoroastrianism Chapter 9 - Judaism Chapter 10 - Christianity Chapter 11 - Islam Chapter 12 - Baha’i Faith Chapter 13 - Indigenous Religions

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together leading scholars in social and political philosophy to develop new perspectives on recognition and its role in social life. It begins with a debate between Axel Honneth and Judith Butler, the first sustained engagement between these two major thinkers on this subject.Trade ReviewThis fascinating encounter between Judith Butler and Axel Honneth—accompanied by a terrific collection of critical essays—advances the theoretical conversation about the political valence of recognition, casts a clarifying eye on its past, and shows how much patient labor is required to achieve understanding across differences in philosophical approach and political perspective. Indispensable! -- Patchen Markell, Cornell UniversityThis book brings together a diverse array of scintillating essays from some of the most important proponents and critics of recognition theory today. One pervasive theme is the ambiguity of recognition—its dangers as well as its indispensability to human life. In this respect Recognition and Ambivalence implicitly makes Rousseau rather than Hegel into the true founder of recognition theory, while at the same time developing it in ways that illuminate such contemporary phenomena as racism, gender inequality, postcolonial domination, reification, and emancipatory social movements. -- Frederick Neuhouser, author of Rousseau's Critique of Inequality: Reconstructing the Second DiscourseRecognition and Ambivalence explores key issues regarding the merits and problems of considering the concept of recognition as a primary driver of critical social theory. By encouraging the contributors to think through the potential ambivalences, and negative impact, of such a focus, the editors have provided a uniquely valuable volume that facilitates a nuanced and qualified defense of critical recognition theory by taking us beyond the current debates that have engaged supporters and detractors. -- Shane O'Neill, coauthor of Recognition Theory as Social Research: Investigating the Dynamics of Social ConflictTable of ContentsIntroduction, by Heikki Ikäheimo, Kristina Lepold, and Titus Stahl1. Recognition Between Power and Normativity: A Hegelian Critique of Judith Butler, by Axel Honneth2. Recognition and the Social Bond: A Response to Axel Honneth, by Judith Butler3. Intelligibility and Authority in Recognition: A Reply, by Axel Honneth4. Recognition and Mediation: A Second Reply to Axel Honneth, by Judith Butler5. Historicizing Recognition: From Ontology to Teleology, by Lois McNay6. Recognizing Ambivalence: Honneth, Butler, and Philosophical Anthropology, by Amy Allen7. How Should We Understand the Ambivalence of Recognition? Revisiting the Link Between Recognition and Subjection in the Works of Althusser and Butler, by Kristina Lepold 8. Recognition, Constitutive Domination, and Emancipation, by Titus Stahl9. Return to Reification: An Attempt at Systematization, by Heikki Ikäheimo10. Negativity in Recognition: Post-Freudian Legacies in Contemporary Critical Theory, by Jean-Philippe Deranty11. Beyond Needs: Recognition, Conflict, and the Limits of Institutionalization, by Robin Celikates12. Freedom, Equality, and Struggles of Recognition: Tully, Rancière, and the Agonistic Re-Orientation, by David OwenContributorsIndex

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