Popular philosophy Books

Book SynopsisWhat if you aren’t who you think you are? What if you don’t really know the people closest to you? And what if your most deeply-held beliefs turn out to be … wrong? In Stop Being Reasonable, philosopher and journalist Eleanor Gordon-Smith tells six lucid, gripping stories that show the limits of human reason. From the woman who realised her husband harboured a terrible secret, to the man who left the cult he had been raised in since birth, and the British reality TV contestant who, having impersonated someone else for a month, discovered he could no longer return to his former identity, all of the people interviewed radically altered their beliefs about the things that matter most. What made them change course? How should their reversals affect how we think about our own beliefs? And in an increasingly divided world, what do they teach us about how we might change the minds of others? Inspiring, perceptive, and often moving, Stop Being Reasonable explores the place where philosophy and real life meet. Ultimately, it argues that when it comes to finding out what’s true or convincing others about what we know, being rational might involve our hearts as well as our minds. Trade Review‘Relevant and accessible … a witty book.’ -- Jonnie Wolf * The Observer *‘I knew how piercingly smart Eleanor Gordon-Smith is, and what a curious and resolute interviewer. But I was unprepared for how entertainingly she writes! I read this with pleasure.’ -- Ira Glass‘The book is slickly written and relies for its substance on contemporary epistemology and ethics, rather than the usual well-trodden paths of nudge theory and popular psychology.’ -- Dan Brotzel * Press Association *‘Gordon-Smith has written a book that not only questions long-held philosophical belief — can Descartes’ philosophy of doubt drive us from truth? — but one that engages with life in such a way that makes the argument feel existentially urgent.’ * Sydney Morning Herald *‘It is curious and intelligent and deeply researched and genuinely thoughtful, and at the same time consistently entertaining to read … If you want to introduce someone to philosophy, give them this book.’ -- Alex Tighe * Australian Book Review *‘Gordon-Smith does not have all the answers. But she gives us the tools we need to examine our biases and choose how we approach the decisions we need to make. For those of us who suspect the time for being reasonable — and not getting emotional — has passed, this is the book we need.’ -- Astrid Edwards * The Saturday Paper *‘I’ve never read anything quite like this book; it is empathetic, sharply intelligent, and accessible.’ -- Ellen Cregan * Kill Your Darlings *'A frank and thoughtful new voice ... this is an assured and companionable guide through the wilderness of contemporary ethics.' -- Shahidha Bari'This is a funny, sharp-edged and deeply serious book about a mainstream myth: that we all know what rationality demands. A pleasure to read.' -- Amia Srinivasan

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays, newly available in paperback, seeks to explore Agamben's work from philosophical and literary perspectives, thereby underpinning its place within larger debates in continental philosophy.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Notes on Contributors; The Enigma of Giorgio Agamben, Justin Clemens, Nicholas Heron, and Alex Murray; 1. K, Giorgio Agamben; 2. Integral Actuality: On Giorgio Agamben's Idea Of Prose, Alexander Garcia Duttmann; 3. The role of the shifter and the problem of reference in Giorgio Agamben, Justin Clemens; 4. 'Its silent working was a delusion', Jessica Whyte; 5. Politics and Poetics of Divine Violence: On a Figure in Giorgio Agamben and Walter Benjamin, Arne De Boever; 6. Idea of poetry, idea of prose, Nicholas Heron; 7. The fading memory of homo non sacer, Anton Schutz; 8. Soulblind, or On Profanation, Thanos Zartaloudis; 9. Face to Face with Agamben; or, the Other in Love, Julian Wolfreys; 10. Beyond Spectacle and the Image: the poetics of Guy Debord and Agamben, Alex Murray; 11. Dismantling theatricality: aesthetics of bare life, Barbara Formis; 12. Notes on Media and Biopolitics: 'Notes on Gesture', Deborah Levitt. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe new bestseller from one of Britain''s most pre-eminent philosophers and arguably the best known, A.C. GraylingEveryone wishes to live a life that is satisfying and fulfilling, in which there is achievement and pleasure, and which has the respect of people one, in turn, respects. And one of the fundamentals to living such a life is to reflect on the choices we make.In this new collection, A.C. Grayling invites the reader into a conversation with ideas. From personal questions about happiness and quality of life to wider public concerns such as war and democracy, these essays provide a springboard to thought and to exploring what is best about the human heart and mind.Trade Reviewprovocative... a stimulating handbook to the contemporary uses of philosophy * DAILY TELEGRAPH *

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Book SynopsisHow to know that you exist. How to be an object of desire. How to think like a bat. How to bring meaning to life. From the realm of the unconscious to the principles of logic, How to Outwit Aristotle will help you think like a philosopher. Witty and accessible, this is a superb introduction to the subject by one of Britain''s most engaging philosophical writers.Table of ContentsIntroduction. How to know that you exist. How to awake as a gigantic insect. How to fire the neurons in your head. How to be free. How to outwit Aristotle. How to know what knowledge is. How to stop worrying about the evil genius. How to be a ghost in the machine. How not to have feelings or beliefs. How to tell the future. How to be a philosophical scientist. How to turn noise into meaning. How to know what we are talking about. How to live on slippery slopes. How to judge whom to save. How not to eat people. How not to be harmed by your death. How to be God. How to sympathize with the devil. How to be a monkey endlessly typing. How to be seduced by logic. How to be an object of desire. How not to be nasty, brutish and short. How to tolerate the intolerable. How not to be a three-legged frog. How not to be squeezed by time. How to outdo artificial intelligence. How to deceive yourself. How to love what does not exist. How not to be left looking after the clothes. How to hear the Sirens' song in safety. How to think like a bat. How to see beauty. How to know when to stop. How to bring meaning to life. Glossary. Index.

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Book SynopsisMichael Hampe teaches philosophy at ETH Zurich.Trade ReviewThis is a work in the tradition - albeit with more varied arguments - of the Stoics, Marcus Aurelius and others. High praise. Moreover, it's very easy to read. * Times Higher Education *

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Book SynopsisWhat can epistemology tell us about love? Here two philosophers use their training in arguments and reasoning to uncover the role of ungrounded beliefs when we fall in love. This not a self-help book, it is a philosophy book. Free of advice, methods and strategies for being successful in love, it does not offer solutions for problems. What it gives us instead is a reading of love as it actually is. The authors illustrate the fallacies of love by drawing on personal experiences, literary characters and imaginary individuals. They provide examples of ungrounded beliefs in Aesop's Fables, Cinderella and Don Giovanni amongst others, and illustrate love as an inexhaustible source of misperceptions, misunderstandings and misconceptions. By tackling those characteristic and all-too familiar ways in which ungrounded love beliefs arise, the book forces us to question why baseless beliefs are maintained and reinforced, showing us that many love beliefs are built on anything but logic.Trade Review[A Short Philosophical Guide to Fallacies of Love] would be useful for anyone who wants to explore the intersection of informal logic, epistemology and love. * Teaching Philosophy *Love is one of the strongest emotions we experience, and it is a key driver of our actions. Love makes us write poetry, compose sonatas, and climb mountains, and can drive us to despair, up to the point where we kill in jealous rage. If you have ever wondered how we come to know about love – our own and others’ – and whether the feelings that drive our actions are justified, then this is the book for you. Díez and Iacona offer an authoritative discussion of the epistemology of love and provide a compelling analysis of its fallacies. It’s a must-read both for novices and veterans in matters of love. * Roman Frigg, Professor of Philosophy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK *Love is the object of libraries of books, many of which bemoan or celebrate its illusions, follies and deceptions en bloc. Diez and Iacona, on the other hand, itemize, for the first time, the main forms of the illusions to which love is heir. Each is clearly described, anatomized and illustrated. Few readers will fail to experience the shock or click of recognition on reading one or more of these portraits. They neither preach nor praise. They simply describe, one after another, the different illusions of lovers and the beloved. They write lucidly. The philosophical distinctions they employ are introduced with a light touch and deftly deployed. Their book is for everyone interested in understanding one of the most important parts of life - but perhaps not for lovers. * Kevin Mulligan, Honorary Professor of Analytic Philosophy, University of Geneva, Switzerland *It is said that people don’t pay much attention to philosophy because philosophy doesn’t pay much attention to people. Fallacies of Love is a rare example of philosophers giving what we care about its due, setting analytic acumen to work on real-life ways we all fall into traps in affairs of the heart. * Richard Davies, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bergamo, Italy *Acute and stylishly written, this book is one of the best I have ever read on love. Diez and Iacona's elucidation of love’s epistemology is interesting and illuminating. Their book opens up fresh perspectives and it is sure to become a reference point in future debates of this topic * Vera Tripodi, Adjunct Professor, University of Turin, Italy *Díez and Iacona’s book is a fun-to-read inquiry into one of the most common sources of misjudgments: love. Although poets and thinkers have considered the fallacies of love, the idea of the authors of fathoming love’s misguiding nature through the means of analytic epistemology is new, entertaining and instructing. * Giuliano Torrengo, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Milan, Italy *A provocative, enlightening and entertaining book. Through vivid and amusing examples, Díez and Icona use the tools of logic and epistemology to deconstruct the myth of romantic love, which has always been a tool of social control and a powerful anaesthetic. * Eulalia Pérez Sedeño Professor of Science, Technology and Society, Spanish Center for Science and Research, Spain *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Basic Ideas about Love What we talk about when we talk about love Some fundamental properties of love Truth, justification, and knowledge The fallacies of love Sex, gender, and stereotypes Some final remarks Chapter 2: The Invention of Reasons Rationalization The you-you fallacy The virtue fallacy Purported sour grapes Lost love's labours Inference to the worst explanation Chapter 3: The Power of Desire over Belief The glasses of love Belief without evidence Evidence without belief Love is blind The diamond fallacy Chapter 4: Wanting it all Complex cases of cognitive mistakes The divided lover The princess The Don Juan The emotional terrorizer Chapter 5: When Love Goes Away The end of love The sunk costs fallacy The sweet lemons fallacy Inertia and uncertainty Desamor Index

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Book Synopsis Philosophy For Life is the definitive introduction to the history of Western thought, but more than that, it is a toolkit for using philosophy in your daily life. As you read, you will develop your own critical and creative thinking, exploring the key ideas in Western Philosophy and the arguments that continue to shape our world. You will discover what philosophy is really about, learn to be a sceptic, meet Plato and Aristotle, explore the concept of mind, question free will, use philosophy to be happy, find out about Marx and materialism, see how philosophy relates to everything from comics to coffee in, and ask whether god exists. Philosophy is a life-tool, a set of skills for engaging with any subject, and in Philosphy For Life, you will discover a body of wisdom and a way to develop your own critical and creative thinking.ABOUT THE SERIESPeople have been learning with Teach Yourself since 1938. With a vast range of practi

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Book SynopsisIn Philosophy: Principles and Problems Roger Scruton shares the ideas and arguments which initially attracted him to the subject and those which have engaged his attention throughout his career. Through discussions of major philosophers, Kant and Wittgenstein in particular, he attempts to show how philosophy is relevant to life in the modern world. The topics he discusses range from the nature of truth, to Music, History, sex, morality and God. Read this book, therefore, to share a profound philosopher''s thoughts about some of the major problems of our time. The Bloomsbury Revelations edition includes a new preface from the author.Trade ReviewScruton's forthrightness is exemplary. He is cogent without being coercive and his brevity does not wholly conceal his wit. * Sunday Times *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Why? 2. Truth 3. The Demon 4. Subject and Object 5. Persons 6. Time 7. God 8. Freedom 9. Morality 10. Sex 11. Music 12. History Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisExplains Cormac McCarthy's consistent philosophical preoccupations across the span of his literary output.

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Book SynopsisExplains Cormac McCarthy's consistent philosophical preoccupations across the span of his literary output.Trade Review"O'Connor's navigation of the sea of philosophical themes across McCarthy's corpus is exactly the intervention McCarthy studies needed. This lucid, path-breaking book does more than simply codify our sense of McCarthy's personal philosophy. It also helps to clarify what it means for any writer to write philosophical literature." -Chris Eagle, Editor of Beyond Reckoning: Philosophical Approaches to Cormac McCarthy

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Book SynopsisThe Film Theory in Practice series fills a gaping hole in the world of film theory. By marrying the explanation of a film theory with the interpretation of a film, the volumes provide discrete examples of how film theory can serve as the basis for textual analysis. Realist Film Theory and Bicycle Thieves offers a concise introduction to realist film theory in jargon-free language and shows how this theory can be deployed to interpret Vittorio De Sica's 1948 Italian neo realist masterpiece Bicycle Thieves. Hilary Neroni explores the original realist film theorists from the 1940s: André Bazin, Siegfried Kracauer, and Cesare Zavattini, among others. But rather than seeing realist film theory as simply a theory of the past to be moved beyond, the book argues that the prevalence of realism in many different forms within practice and theory suggests the importance of updating this original realist film theory with an understanding of realism that would sustain its viability. ThTrade ReviewNeroni’s Realist Film Theory and Bicycle Thieves brilliantly distils the conceptual moves and political stakes of Neorealism, while making an original and compelling case for the contemporary revitalization of realist film theory. By emphasizing realism’s dependence on mediation, Neroni eloquently argues for the radical power of the realist form to reveal the ways in which our reality is structured. Her novel reading of Bicycle Thieves powerfully demonstrates how filmic realism’s vital relationship to melodrama enables viewers to forge new relationships to the social order. * Jennifer Friedlander, Edgar E. and Elizabeth S. Pankey Professor of Media Studies, Pomona College, USA, and author of Real Deceptions: The Contemporary Reinvention of Realism (2017) *Grounded in traditional theorists of realism such as Bazin and Kracauer, Neroni’s book takes a welcome and unexpected turn, adroitly charting the rise of a postwar Italian neorealism in which melodrama (of all genres!) was deployed to impugn the ideological structures through which individuals understood and experienced the world around them. Neroni’s indispensable close reading of Bicycle Thieves combines history, theory, and semiotic analysis to make clear how neorealist figures such as De Sica, Zavattini, and Visconti weaponized melodrama to expose and ultimately fracture the mediation of the social order, inspiring generations of filmmakers to follow. * Hugh S. Manon, Associate Professor of Screen Studies, Clark University, USA *Hilary Neroni’s new book is a refreshing and original reevaluation of reality, realism, and realist cinema with a range and scope that is both exhilarating and expansive. Lucidly written and theoretically rigorous—a significant accomplishment in itself—the book offers readers the history of realist theory in film as well as contemporary engagements with realism in global cinema. A must read for both beginner and advanced students and scholars of cinema. * Gautam Basu Thakur, Associate Professor and Director of Critical Theory, Boise State University, USA *Table of ContentsDedication Introduction 1. Realist Film Theory 2. Realist Film Theory and Bicycle Thieves Conclusion Index

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Book SynopsisA memoir of one young man's coming of age on a journey across America--told through the stories of the people of all ages, races, and inclinations he meets along the way. Life is fast, and I've found it's easy to confuse the miraculous for the mundane, so I'm slowing down, way down, in order to give my full presence to the extraordinary that infuses each moment and resides in every one of us. At 23, Andrew Forsthoefel headed out the back door of his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, with a backpack, an audio recorder, his copies of Whitman and Rilke, and a sign that read "Walking to Listen." He had just graduated from Middlebury College and was ready to begin his adult life, but he didn't know how. So he decided to take a cross-country quest for guidance, one where everyone he met would be his guide. In the year that followed, he faced an Appalachian winter and a Mojave summer. He met beasts inside: fear, loneliness, doubt. But he also encountered incredible kindness from strangers. Thousands shared their stories with him, sometimes confiding their prejudices, too. Often he didn't know how to respond. How to find unity in diversity? How to stay connected, even as fear works to tear us apart? He listened for answers to these questions, and to the existential questions every human must face, and began to find that the answer might be in listening itself. Ultimately, it's the stories of others living all along the roads of America that carry this journey and sing out in a hopeful, heartfelt book about how a life is made, and how our nation defines itself on the most human level.

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Book SynopsisFrom Socrates to Sartre, Avicenna to Angela Davis, this accessible guide will get you up to speed on the world’s greatest minds and help you to think like them.You’ve heard of Plato, but do you understand his Theory of Forms? What does René Descartes’ maxim ‘I think, therefore I am’ actually mean? And how is philosophy relevant to modern life?Drawing on the thoughts and words of iconic philosophers from the ancient world right through to the present day, each chapter deals with a specific philosophical theory. Explore the conflict between free will and determinism, the political concept of Machiavellianism, the difference between metaphysics and epistemology, and what dialectics actually is in this accessibly-written guide to the smartest minds in history.

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Book SynopsisMartin Heidegger (1889-1976) is one of the most influential – and controversial – philosophers of the twentieth century. He is mostly associated with existentialism (the study of human experience) and phenomenology (the study of consciousness), and his work was enormously influential.In this story, Heidegger is exploring the relationship between 'beings' and their environments. How much does each – the rock, the lizard and the human – understand of the world around them?By adapting famous animal parables, the Pocket Philosophy series seeks to introduce inquisitive readers of all ages – from 1 to 100! – to the biggest names in philosophy.

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Book SynopsisThis innovative and challenging book presents cogent answers from some of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century to fifteen of the most enduring questions posed by humanity. For questioning minds who seek alternative philosophical viewpoints, this is a unique and accessible assessment of humankind's common experience that offers a new vision for the next millenium.Table of ContentsPart 1: Can We Known and Know That we Know? 21 Relativism 23 Universal Insights presupposed by science and philosophy 39 Part II: is matter the whole story 41 The existence of the soul 43 the freedom of the will 70 Life after death 83 Reincarnation 87 Part III: Are religion and Morality Simply and Solely By-products of the Socio-Cultural Environment? 95 Psychology,sociology and religious belief 97 Right and Wrong 100 Atheism 108 Part IV : Is There a God? 115 The existence of God 117 God and Modern Science 154 The Problem of Evil 191 Pantheism 206 Divine actions in the world and human history 212 Part V: What Can We Know About God? 219 Omniscience, omnipotence, eternity and infinity 221

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Book SynopsisDr Jared Noel was a young doctor whose inspirational blog The Boredom Blog outlined six years of living with cancer. He died in October 2014, leaving his wife Hannah and baby daughter Elise.David Wyn Williams, PhD, is a writer and academic who is published as a journalist and as a theologian.

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Book SynopsisOutspoken interrogates the meaning and practice of being outspoken in a world of right-wing populism, global capitalism, and climate emergency. Some of the world’s most radical thinkers – Rosi Braidotti, Henry A. Giroux, Amelia Jones, and Slavoj Žižek, among others – chart progressive courses for political antagonism and social intervention.Trade Review“Original, interesting, and written by a team of leading figures in contemporary philosophy and critical theory, Outspoken defines our present moment in terms of an imbricated social and environment crisis and redirects our efforts beyond tried-and-true methods to new forms of political organization and artistic and commercial engagements.” Jeffrey W. Robbins, Lebanon Valley College and author of Radical Democracy and Political Theology

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Book SynopsisOutspoken interrogates the meaning and practice of being outspoken in a world of right-wing populism, global capitalism, and climate emergency. Some of the world’s most radical thinkers – Rosi Braidotti, Henry A. Giroux, Amelia Jones, and Slavoj Žižek, among others – chart progressive courses for political antagonism and social intervention.Trade Review“Original, interesting, and written by a team of leading figures in contemporary philosophy and critical theory, Outspoken defines our present moment in terms of an imbricated social and environment crisis and redirects our efforts beyond tried-and-true methods to new forms of political organization and artistic and commercial engagements.” Jeffrey W. Robbins, Lebanon Valley College and author of Radical Democracy and Political Theology

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Book SynopsisThis book shows how self-improvement culture became so toxicand why we need both a new concept of the self and a mission of social change in order to escape it. Mark Coeckelbergh delves into the history of the ideas that shaped this culture, critically analyzes the role of technology, and explores surprising paths out of the self-improvement trap.Trade ReviewThis scintillating “anti–self-help guide” is bold and convincing. * Publishers Weekly *In Self-Improvement, Mark Coeckelbergh explains why technology cannot cure what ails our soul. Artificial intelligence will not make us better human beings. An oppressive social environment is at the root of the rage for self-improvement. We need to work not on ourselves but on our society. Technology can help us improve it if we join together to make sensible changes. Self-Improvement is the guide we need to escape from the technologized self. -- Andrew Feenberg, author of Technosystem: The Social Life of ReasonCoeckelbergh's diagnoses of the extensive historical and contemporary sources of a toxic culture of 'improving ourselves to death,' specifically as relentlessly driven by contemporary AI and surveillance capitalism, ground his prescriptions for alternative understandings of ourselves and of possible good lives as interwoven both with our technologies and the larger environment. The upshot is a book of exceptional insight and urgently needed wisdom. -- Charles Ess, author of Digital Media EthicsSelf-Improvement connects the dots between innovations in print technology, the development of the literary genre of the 'confession,' and the way these practices are being currently amplified by social media platforms. Coeckelbergh's ability to identify what is truly interesting and to draw out the important connections between these different (and often times seemingly incompatible) materials is in full force here. Engaging, easy to follow, and full of the kinds of insights that make reading a text like this so satisfying. -- David J. Gunkel, author of Gaming the System: Deconstructing Video Games, Games Studies, and Virtual WorldsTable of Contents1. The Phenomenon: The Self-Improvement Imperative2. The History: Ancient Philosophers, Priests, and Humanists in Search of Self-Knowledge and Perfection3. The Society: Modern Self-Obsession from Rousseau to Hipster Existentialism4. The Political Economy: Self-Taming and Exploitation Under Wellness Capitalism5. The Technology: Categorized, Measured, Quantified, and Enhanced, or Why AI Knows Us Better Than Ourselves6. The Solution (Part I): Relational Self and Social Change7. The Solution (Part II): Technologies That Tell Different Stories About UsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe only global great ideas reader, with new chapters on Ethics & Empathy and Visual Arguments.

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Book SynopsisThe first look at the philosophy behind the Green Lantern comicstimed for the release of the Green Lantern movie in June 2011 The most recent Green Lantern seriesBlackest Nightpropelled GL to be the top-selling comic series for more than a year, the latest twist in seven decades of Green Lantern adventures. This book sheds light on the deep philosophical issues that emerge from the Green Lantern Corps''s stories and characters, from what Plato''s tale of the Ring of Gyges tells us about the Green Lantern ring and the desire for power to whether willpower is the most important strength to who is the greatest Green Lantern of all time. Gives you a new perspective on Green Lantern characters, story lines, and themes Shows what philosophical heavy hitters such as Aristotle, Descartes, and Kant can teach us about members of the Green Lantern Corp and their world Answers your most pressing Green Lantern questions, including: WhatTable of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS: No Gratitude Shall Escape. Our Sight. INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the Corps! Part One Will and Emotion: The Philosophical Spectrum. 1The Blackest Night for Aristotle’s Account of Emotions (Jason Southworth). 2 Flexing the Mental Muscle: Green Lanterns and the Nature of Willpower (Mark D. White). 3 Women Are from Zamaron, Men Are from Oa (Sarah K. Donovan and Nicholas P. Richardson). Part Two Emerald Ethics: It’s Not All Black and White. 4 Will They Let Just Anybody Join? Testing for Moral Judgment in Green Lantern Corps (Andrew Terjesen). 5 The Greatest Green Lantern: Aesthetic Admiration and the Praiseworthy Hero (Jane Dryden). 6 There Should Be No Forgiveness for Hal Jordan (Nicolas Michaud). 7 Morality, Atonement, and Guilt: Hal Jordan’s Shifting Motivations (Joseph J. Darowski). Part Three I’m with Green Lantern: Friends and Relationships. 8 Hard-Traveling Ethics: Moral Rationalism vs. Moral Sentimentalism (Andrew Terjesen). 9. “I Despise Messiness”: The Plato-Aristotle Debate in the Troubled Friendship of Green Lantern and Green Arrow (Brett Chandler Patterson). 10 Can’t Live With ‘Em, Can’t Live Without ‘Em: Green Lantern, Relationships, and Autonomy (Jane Dryden). Part 4. With This Ring, I Thee Swear: Power, Duty, and Law. 11 The Oaths of Soranik Natu: Can a Doctor Be a Green Lantern? (Ruth Tallman and Jason Southworth). 12 Crying for Justice: Retributivism for Those Who Worship Evil’s Might (Mark D. White). 13 Hate Crimes as Terrorism in Brother’s Keeper (Ron Novy). 14 Ring of Gyges, the Ring of the Green Lantern, and the Temptation of Power (Adam Barkman). Part Five Don’t Tell Krona: Metaphysics, Mind and Time. 15 All For One and One For All: Mogo, the Collective, and Biological Unity (Leonard Finkelman). 16 Green Mind: The Book of Oa, the Lantern Corps, and Peirce’s Theory of Communal Mind (Paul R. Jaissle). 17 Shedding an Emerald Light on Destiny: The problem with Time Travel (Amy Kind). Part Six Can Green Lantern Make a Boxing Glove He Can’s Lift? Powers and Limitations. 18. Another Glove? Green Lantern and the Limits of Imagination (Daniel P. Malloy). 19. “Beware my Power”: Leibniz and Green Lantern on God, Omnipotence, and Evil (Carsten Fogh Nielsen). 20. Magic and Science in the Green Lantern Mythos: Clarke’s Law, the Starheart, and Emotional Energy (Andrew Zimmerman Jones). CONTRIBUTORS: Tales of the Philosophy Corps. INDEX: The Book of Oa.

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Book SynopsisJames Cameron's critically acclaimed movie Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards and received countless accolades for its breath-taking visuals and use of 3D technology. But beyond its cinematic splendour, can Avatar also offer us insights into business ethics, empathy, disability, and the relationship between mind and body? Can getting to know the Na'vi, an alien species, enlarge our vision and help us to see both our world and ourselves in new ways? Avatar and Philosophy is a revealing journey through the world of Pandora and the huge range of philosophical themes raised by James Cameron's groundbreaking film Explores philosophical issues such as religion, morality, aesthetics, empathy, identity, the relationship of mind and body, environmental and business ethics, technology, and just war theory Examines a wide range of topics from the blockbuster movie, including attitudes toward nature, our responsibilities to nonhuTable of ContentsAcknowledgments: I See These People viii Introduction: Time to Wake Up 1 George A. Dunn Part I Seeing Eywa: “I’m With Her, Jake. She’s Real!” 5 1 The Silence of Our Mother: Eywa as the Voice of Feminine Care Ethics 7 George A. Dunn and Nicolas Michaud 2 “Eywa Will Provide”: Pantheism, Christianity, and the Value of Nature 19 Jason T. Eberl 3 The Tantra of Avatar 36 Asra Q. Nomani Part II Seeing the Na’vi: “You Will Teach Him Our Ways” 49 4 Learning to See the Na’vi 51 Stephanie Adair 5 It Doesn’t Take an Avatar: How to Empathize with a Blue-Skinned Alien 62 Andrew Terjesen 6 “I See You” through a Glass Darkly: Avatar and the Limits of Empathy 74 Massimiliano Cappuccio Part III Seeing Nature: “Try to See the Forest through Her Eyes” 87 7 Seeing the Na’vi Way: Respecting Life and Mind in All Organisms 89 Kyle Burchett 8 They’re Not Just Goddamn Trees: Hegel’s Philosophy of Nature and the Avatar of Spirit 104 James Lawler 9 “Everything Is Backwards Now”: Avatar, Anthropocentrism, and Relational Reason 115 Jeremy David Bendik-Keymer Part IV Seeing Our Bodies: “They’ve Got Great Muscle Tone” 125 10 The Identity of Avatars and Na’vi Wisdom 127 Kevin S. Decker 11 “I Got This”: Disability, Stigma, and Jake Sully’s Rejected Body 139 Ryan Smock 12 “See the World We Come From”: Spiritual versus Technological Transcendence in Avatar 151 Dan Dinello Part V Seeing Our Political Communities: “Sky People Cannot See” 165 13 “We Will Fight Terror with Terror”: Avatar and Just War Theory 167 Joseph J. Foy 14 The Community and the Individual in Avatar 180 Dale Murray 15 Avatar and Colonialism 190 Nathan Eckstrand Part VI Seeing Our Ethical Responsibilities: “Sometimes Your Entire Life Boils Down to One Insane Move” 201 16 “All That Cheddar”: Lessons in Business Ethics from the RDA Corporation 203 Matthew Brophy 17 “We Have an Indigenous Population of Humanoids Called the Na’vi”: Native American Philosophy in Avatar 215 Dennis Knepp 18 I See Animals: The Na’vi and Respect for Other Creatures 226 Wayne Yuen Part VII Seeing the Movie: “You Are Not Gonna Believe Where I Am” 239 19 The Digital Cabinet of Curiosities: Avatar and the Phenomenology of 3D Worlds 241 Robert Furze and Pat Brereton Notes on Contributors: Our Avatar Drivers 252 Index: My Last Video Log 258

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Book SynopsisThe essential companion to Stieg Larsson''s bestselling trilogy and director David Fincher''s 2011 film adaptation Stieg Larsson''s bestselling Millennium TrilogyThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet''s Nestis an international phenomenon. These books express Larsson''s lifelong war against injustice, his ethical beliefs, and his deep concern for women''s rights. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy probes the compelling philosophical issues behind the entire trilogy. What philosophies do Lisbeth Salander and Kant have in common? To catch a criminal, can Lisbeth and Mikael be criminals themselves? Can revenge be ethical? Drawing on some of history''s greatest philosophical minds, this book gives fresh insights into Larsson''s ingeniously plotted tale of crime and corruption. Looks at compelling philosophical issues such as a feminist reading of Lisbeth Salander, AristoteliTrade Review"In this excellent and timely addition to the series, Bronson (humanities, York University, Toronto) pulls together 18 international scholars and writers who examine both Stieg Larsson's novels and the movies based on them. Main characters Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist each receive a section devoted to essays on identity politics, feminist dimensions in culture, and other salient and philosophical concerns they personify. Larsson is treated in a third section of essays, with the final two sections taking on secrets and ethics. Contributors include Karen Adkins (philosophy, Regis Coll.), Ester Pollack (journalism, Stockholm University), Andrew Terjesen, who has contributed to other volumes in the series, and James E. Mahon (philosophy & law, Washington and Lee Univ.). They take up such specific considerations as Lisbeth's sexual identity, Mikael's investigatory methodology, and the ethical nature of social institutions; of course, each essay suggests philosophical assertions that can be and are argued against as well as for, making for a heady and welcome whole. You'll learn how Aristotle and Kant—among others—can be illuminated through the "Millennium Trilogy." VERDICT This volume belongs in both popular and scholarly collections." [The book is not an officially licensed product of the Larsson books or the movies.—Ed.]—Francisca Goldsmith, Infopeople Project, Berkeley, CA (Library Journal, November 15, 2011)Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Confi dential Sources xv Introduction: The Girl Who Kicked the Sophists' Nest 1 PART ONE: LISBETH "THE IDIOT" SALANDER 1 Labeling Lisbeth: Sti(e)gma and Spoiled Identity 7 Aryn Martin and Mary Simms 2 The Mis- Education of Lisbeth Salander and the Alchemy of the At- Risk Child 19 Chad William Timm 3 The Girl Who Turned the Tables: A Queer Reading of Lisbeth Salander 33 Kim Surkan PART TWO: MIKAEL "DO-GOODER" BLOMKVIST 4 Why Are So Many Women F***ing Kalle Blomkvist?: Larsson’s Philosophy of Female Attraction 49 Andrew Terjesen and Jenny Terjesen 5 Why Journalists and Geniuses Love Coffee and Hate Themselves 65 Eric Bronson 6 The Making of Kalle Blomkvist: Crime Journalism in Postwar Sweden 75 Ester Pollack PART THREE: STIEG LARSSON, MYSTERY MAN 7 The Philosopher Who Knew Stieg Larsson: A Brief Memoir 91 Sven Ove Hansson 8 "This Isn't Some Damned Locked- Room Mystery Novel": Is The Millennium Trilogy Popular Fiction or Literature? 107 Tyler Shores 9 Why We Enjoy Reading about Men Who Hate Women: Aristotle's Cathartic Appeal 120 Dennis Knepp 10 The Dragon Tattoo and the Voyeuristic Reader 128 Jaime Weida PART FOUR: "EVERYONE HAS SECRETS" 11 Hacker's Republic: Information Junkies in a Free Society 141 Andrew Zimmerman Jones 12 Kicking the Hornet's Nest: The Hidden "Section" in Every Institution 155 Adriel M. Trott 13 Secret Meetings: The Truth Is in the Gossip 166 Karen C. Adkins PART FIVE: 75,000 VOLTS OF VENGEANCE CAN'T BE WRONG, CAN IT? 14 The Principled Pleasure: Lisbeth's Aristotelian Revenge 181 Emma L. E. Rees 15 Acting Out of Duty or Just Acting Out?: Salander and Kant 189 Tanja Barazon 16 To Catch a Thief: The Ethics of Deceiving Bad People 198 James Edwin Mahon CONTRIBUTORS: The Knights of the Philosophic Table 211 INDEX: Code Words 217

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Book SynopsisUses a series of case studies to challenge assumptions about what defines a musical work and musical performance, seeking to go beyond philosophical and aesthetic templates from Western classical music to foreground the distinctive practices and aesthetics of jazz.

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Book SynopsisCora Diamond follows two major philosophers as they think about thinking, and about our ability to respond to thinking that has gone astray. Acting as both witness to and participant in the encounter, she provides fresh perspective on the value of Wittgenstein’s and Anscombe’s work, and demonstrates what genuinely independent thought can achieve.Trade ReviewCora Diamond’s work on the Tractatus is insightful, original, and stimulating; it has been deservedly influential. In this collection, she pursues new themes and deepens the exploration of others. Of particular interest are the fresh connections she draws between reflections on the Tractatus and issues in moral philosophy, where her rich and exciting work has been a game-changer for many. -- Alexander George, Amherst CollegeIt is becoming increasingly evident to many that Elizabeth Anscombe’s writings on Wittgenstein are just as wonderful as the rest of her work. This book shows what is less appreciated: that Cora Diamond is one of our finest readers of both Wittgenstein and Anscombe. -- James Conant, University of ChicagoThese excellent essays are crucially important in elucidating central questions in the works by Wittgenstein and Anscombe, two of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century. The issues discussed here are fundamental: how we are to understand thoughts, forms of words, and uses of language that relate to our self-understanding, but cannot fit the template we instinctively bring to bear on how language and thought are related to reality. -- James Doyle, Harvard UniversityIn times in which analytic philosophy needs to look at its history, an inspired practitioner of the discipline such as Diamond is a wonderful guide. She is one of the most original contemporary philosophical voices and this is an unusual book, out of step with the massification of academic work in philosophy…It is philosophy at its truest. -- Sofia Miguens * Wittgenstein Studies *Elucidates and extends Anscombe’s findings. This is required reading for scholars of Wittgenstein, Anscombe, and analytic metaphysics and ethics. * Choice *It is Diamond’s highly original reading of Ludwig Wittgenstein that stands out as her most important and perhaps most lasting contribution…The essays are quite demanding but the fruits gleaned by their engagement are well worth the effort. -- Jonathan Tran * Modern Theology *

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Book SynopsisAmericans encounter their homes in ways comforting and haunting: as an imagined refuge or a place of mastery and domination, a destination or a place to escape. Drawing on literature, personal experience, and the histories of slavery, incarceration, and homesteading, Thomas Dumm offers a meditation on the richness and poverty of the idea of home.Trade ReviewThomas Dumm has endowed new intellectual life in the politics of location. This is a wise, sensitive, poetic, and relentlessly thoughtful inquiry into the meanings of being at home today. Among other things, it offers a convincing and elaborate answer to Adorno’s old assertion that the highest form of morality involves systematic estrangement from the possibility of feeling at home in your own home. -- Paul Gilroy, author of The Black AtlanticThomas Dumm offers a series of reflections that is at once compelling and convincing, yet subtle and challenging—not just intellectually, but personally. This book is as much a meditation on our contemporary human condition as it is a scholarly contribution. -- Davide Panagia, University of California, Los AngelesHome in America is a beautiful book on a central paradox in American life: the fact that our home-oriented society finds it impossible to be present, to be and remain where we are, even as we claim to seek just that. Dumm zeroes in on a long dark history of the American home, a place of love and comfort, but also of slavery, rape, and abuse. While reading, I kept thinking that people don’t write books like this anymore, in this style that bespeaks the very longing that the book expresses, a kind of slow, meditative process of thinking rarely practiced these days. It allows us a deep connection to the moment, to being here, at home. This is a book we are sorely in need of. -- James Martel, San Francisco State University

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Book SynopsisModern liberal political philosophy is closely associated with post-1945 secularism. But Eric Nelson contends that the liberal tradition founded by John Rawls is an unwitting outgrowth of ancient theological debates about justice and evil. When we understand this, we can better untangle the knotted strands of liberal political thought.Trade Review[One] of the best treatments imaginable of the context and meaning of Rawls’s epoch-making book…Illuminating and original…Nelson also places Rawls in the theological tradition better than anyone so far…A great and rewarding book. -- Samuel Moyn * Commonweal *Effortlessly combines early Christian theology, modern political philosophy, historical scholarship, literature, and economic theory to present a cogent but unorthodox critique of one of the great foes of liberal democratic capitalism: the philosopher John Rawls. -- Tal Fortgang * Commentary *An excellent work, magnificently well done and provocative in all the right ways. -- Christopher Brooke, University of CambridgeSince the first publication of A Theory of Justice some critics have argued that John Rawls’s liberalism rests on a commitment to a questionable view of the self. Eric Nelson now raises the stakes with a critique that interrogates liberal accounts of human agency not just metaphysically but theologically. Nelson’s work is marked by a unique combination of erudite scholarship, lucidity, analytical forcefulness, and the willingness to question received views. He has developed an original case and argued it with great power. His book represents a challenge that cannot be ignored. -- Michael Rosen, Harvard University, author of DignityThe Theology of Liberalism is a remarkable, original, and provocative book with stylish and engaging prose that offers a major intervention across several fields that are all too often artificially segregated: intellectual history, normative political theory, and theology. By showing the afterlife of old debates about grace and theodicy, Nelson breathes new life into today’s contested discussions of freedom, equality, and the liberal tradition. -- Eric Gregory, Princeton UniversityNot everyone will be convinced by Eric Nelson’s assertion about the place of Pelagian theology in the foundations of what we now call early modern liberalism. But scholars need to take his arguments seriously, and those who do will profit from the thoughtfulness of his writing, the learned character of his analysis, and the originality of his insights. -- Jeremy Waldron, author of One Another’s EqualsFascinating…Nelson’s historical acuity makes his book well worth reading. -- Daniel Luban * Dissent *Tantalizing analysis…Nelson’s historical arguments are thorough and detailed. * Publishers Weekly *It will be read as long as Rawlsian liberalism remains a political philosophy to be reckoned with…There are few books that combine precise and original historical scholarship with theoretical depth and sophistication. This is one of them. -- James Hankins * Law & Liberty *Having so masterfully dismantled the reigning justification for redistributive justice, we can only wish that he now uses his extraordinary intellect and vast erudition to help us devise a new one. -- Helena Rosenblatt * Perspectives on Politics *An intricately reasoned and richly documented alternative to Rawlsian redistributive theory. -- David Hoekema * Christian Century *A coherent intellectual attempt to address the challenges arising from left-libertarianism. -- Roger Drinnon * Concordia Journal *This is an important book for readers interested in the intersection of theology and liberal theory. -- Aaron Klink * Religious Studies Review *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewProfound, beautifully written, and inspiring. It proves that Nussbaum deserves her reputation as one of the greatest modern philosophers. -- Aidan Johnson * Globe and Mail *At a time of growing national chauvinism, Martha Nussbaum’s excellent restatement of the cosmopolitan tradition is a welcome and much-needed contribution. Masterfully tracing the development of the idea of universal human dignity from antiquity to the present, she highlights the major contributions of this tradition to our thinking about morality and law, while also providing a persuasive critique of its limitations. Her revision of the tradition, articulated here…is illuminating and thought-provoking. -- Lior Erez * Times Higher Education *In a penetrating and salient collection of essays, Nussbaum…examines the cosmopolitan tradition and its relationship to the challenges of pluralism and globalism in contemporary life…A timely and insightful analysis of ethical dilemmas. * Kirkus Reviews *A lucid and accessible study of a concept with clear contemporary relevance. In an age of resurgent nationalism, a study of the idea and ideals of cosmopolitanism is remarkably timely. -- Ryan Patrick Hanley * Journal of the History of Philosophy *

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Book SynopsisWhat is the best possible society? How would its rulers govern and citizens behave? In an era when political idealism seems a relic of the past, these questions are more urgent than ever. Taking seriously Plato's claim that in an ideal society philosophers rule, Jonny Thakkar offers a daring experiment to breathe life into our political present.Trade ReviewJonny Thakkar’s book is incredibly stimulating, intelligent, and, at times, astonishingly original. It touches on a number of compelling themes in contemporary politics, political theory, and the history of ideas. It will spark terrific debates and push people to think in new ways about Plato, Rawls, and the place of ideal theory in political thinking. -- Marc Stears, Macquarie UniversityJonny Thakkar follows in a tradition of political philosophers and theorists such as Charles Taylor, Michael Sandel, Michael Ignatieff, and Michael Walzer: theorists who work at the highest levels of intellectual rigor, but who are committed to their theoretical work making a political difference. This book engages with recent Platonic scholarship as well as with contemporary political theory, and what emerges is a remarkable synthesis: a Platonically inspired idealist defense of modern democratic liberalism. -- Jonathan Lear, University of ChicagoThis book will challenge and provoke or edify different readers, but also possibly the same ones. Count me among the grateful latter. -- Victor Castellani * European Legacy *

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Book SynopsisCritics have maintained that John Rawls's theory of justice is unrealistic and undemocratic. Andrius Gališanka's incisive intellectual biography argues that in misunderstanding the origins and development of Rawls's argument, previous narratives fail to explain the novelty of his philosophical approach and so misunderstand his political vision.Trade ReviewGališanka tracks the development of Rawls’s philosophical work as it evolved from his early inquiries into theology and the roots of evil to his secular justification for distributive justice…Leaves us with a compelling account of Rawls’s evolution and reminds us how philosophically rigorous the justification of Rawlsian high liberalism is. -- Seyla Benhabib * The Nation *This book is a pathbreaking achievement. Drawing extensively on John Rawls’s private papers and integrating them expertly with the published writings, Andrius Gališanka develops a new and striking account of Rawls’s intellectual development from his college years to the publication of A Theory of Justice. It is certain to change our understanding of the core motivations and ultimate aims of one of the greatest political philosophers of all time. -- Charles Larmore, Brown UniversityDrawing on important new archival materials, Andrius Gališanka has written a landmark study of one of the giants of twentieth-century political philosophy. Powerfully highlighted by the author’s deep research and judicious analysis, this will be a crucial volume for intellectual historians, political theorists, and philosophers who engage with Rawls, and of broad interest to those seeking to understand the origins and implications of his theory of justice. -- Angus Burgin, Johns Hopkins UniversityJohn Rawls’s influence on moral and political philosophy is difficult to overstate. His books and articles have been intensely studied since the appearance of A Theory of Justice in 1971. But even those familiar with Rawls’s work may know little about how painstakingly he rehearsed his arguments prior to publication. Andrius Gališanka presents a careful study of everything Rawls wrote in the thirty years leading up to A Theory of Justice, with findings welcome even by Rawls experts. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the intellectual development of the twentieth century’s most important moral and political thinker. -- Paul Weithman, University of Notre DameThis compelling intellectual biography of John Rawls—which makes extensive use of the philosopher’s archives—has a great many virtues. Andrius Gališanka documents how Rawls’s commitment to respect for persons originating from his brand of Protestantism, in addition to his persistent search for what follows from considered judgments, made possible a classic of our time. -- Samuel Moyn, Yale UniversityScholars of the work of liberal academic political theorist John Rawls will find this book highly useful. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisDo robots have rights? What about ecosystems? For that matter, what are our rights online? Is state corruption a violation of human rights? Beliefs about rights are changing, leading to new questions. William Schulz and Sushma Raman, both experienced human rights advocates, lay out the central debates of today’s rights revolution.Trade ReviewThis enjoyable read examines how changing norms create opportunities to expand the scope of universal protections and rights. -- Dov Greenbaum * Science *A good read, thoughtful and provocative. Schulz and Raman know their subject thoroughly and present complex material in comprehensible prose that inspires both reflection and action. Writing at a time when authoritarian leaders advanced a human rights counterrevolution, the authors persuasively contend in effect that the best defense must include a strong offense. Completed prior to the further human rights setbacks resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the work advocating new rights still merits serious consideration. -- Howard Tolley, Jr. * Human Rights Quarterly *Raises some very provocative questions…[A] trail-blazing map through the new frontiers of rights…At times…a downright riveting read. -- Joann Mackenzie * Gloucester Times *William F. Schulz and Sushma Raman explore these new realms of knowledge and technology and begin to parse out what society will need to do to address human (and other) rights in the face of this onslaught of change…Clearly written and well argued. * The Humanist *In this essential work, Schulz and Raman explore what is needed to defend against the ever-present dangers to human rights. Perhaps just as importantly, they raise questions about what additional rights should be protected in our rapidly changing world. The Coming Good Society is an accessible primer for anyone who wishes to understand the current limitations in our notions of rights and the future challenges for which we must prepare. -- Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human RightsThe international human rights regimen never stops growing both in importance and in breadth. What sounds far-fetched today becomes normative tomorrow. Schulz and Raman outline brilliantly where that growth may take rights in the generations to come. Whether you agree with them in every instance is less important than that you take their questions seriously. This book makes it impossible not to do that. -- Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsSchulz and Raman take readers on a thought-provoking journey into the future of human rights and explain why we should all care. They draw on their extensive experience and their research at Harvard University’s Carr Center to address questions as fundamental and wide-ranging as ‘Does living in a surveillance society require us to think of the right to privacy in new ways?’ and ‘If gender is non-binary, do we need new rights on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity?’ This book is essential reading for human rights experts and newcomers alike. -- Darren Walker, President, The Ford FoundationWhen Amnesty International was founded in 1961, some human rights, such as those of women and LGBTQI persons and persons with disabilities, were in their infancies, if they were acknowledged at all. Schulz and Raman ask the fascinating question, ‘What rights are on the horizon now, perhaps just barely showing their faces, that may be widely recognized in the next generation or more?’ Their cogent answers challenge all of us to think deeply about what kind of society we and our children and our children’s children will want to live in. -- Margaret L. Huang, former Executive Director, Amnesty International USA

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Book SynopsisOn the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, assassination, his political thought remains underappreciated. Tommie Shelby and Brandon Terry, along with a cast of distinguished contributors, engage critically with King's understudied writings on a wide range of compelling, challenging topics and rethink the legacy of this towering figure.Trade ReviewFascinating and instructive…Shelby and Terry may offer the best solution to the pain of thinking about King and our loss of him…King’s philosophy, speaking to us through the written word, may turn out to constitute his most enduring legacy. -- Annette Gordon-Reed * New York Review of Books *To Shape a New World firmly situates Dr. King in the canon of American political thought. An extraordinary group of scholars grapple with the subtlety and nuance of King’s political philosophy, and they set the stage for a renewed engagement with his broader work. This is a must-read in our time. -- Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Princeton UniversityThe collection brings together a series of impressive scholars—Cornel West, Martha Nussbaum, and Robert Gooding-Williams among them—to look at King’s understudied writings on economic inequality, just-war theory, and voting rights…To Shape a New World is a compelling work of philosophy, all the more so because it treats King seriously without inoculating him from the kind of critique important to both his theory and practice. -- Shivani Radhakrishnan * Los Angeles Review of Books *To Shape a New World is a milestone in the study of Martin Luther King, Jr., essentially a sanctified figure in American life, whose actual ideas are rarely interrogated in any depth, either in the public realm or in academic circles. What makes this volume particularly striking is the exceptionally high quality of the essays, which are analytically rigorous, impressively researched, and often profoundly original. They highlight the limits of common narratives about King and the civil rights movement, showing the shifts in his own thinking and the unconventional nature of many of his arguments. This is a path-breaking book. -- Aziz Rana, Cornell UniversityThis is a powerful and invaluable collection of essays on Dr. King. I hope it will inspire an entirely new generation of readers to go back and immerse themselves in Dr. King’s language and thought and hear and heed his prophetic voice. -- Marian Wright Edelman, President, Children’s Defense FundKing’s theology, philosophy, and nonviolent prophetic engagement are needed now more than any time since his death. In his last speech, Dr. King said that when it comes to the struggle for love and justice, ‘nothing would be more tragic than for us to turn back now.’ We must embrace his challenge in this moment and commit to go forward together, not one step back. -- Rev. Dr. William J. Barber IIWhile his birthday has become a national holiday and schoolchildren across the nation and the world know the words of his most famous speeches, there are still many aspects of his life and work that remain lesser known. * Time *Looks at the work of Dr. King as a philosopher, rather than a political figure. By examining some lesser-known writings, the authors draw the conclusion that Dr. King was a much more radical thinker than his watered-down legacy would suggest. * Vox *King was not simply a compelling speaker, but a deeply philosophical intellectual…King drew on theological, economic, and historical ideas to inform his philosophical thinking…We still have much to learn from him. -- Olivia Goldhill * Quartz *King’s own scholarship is refreshingly illuminated in To Shape a New World. -- Colin Grant * Prospect *[An] ambitious, illuminating volume…The collection facilitates rigorous engagement with King’s thought in its own time and place but also presses the question of what we ought to do with it in this current ‘age of impunity and mendacity.’ -- Erin R. Pineda * Journal of the History of Philosophy *Reimagines King as a political thinker for our—and for all—time. * The Point *This book demonstrates the necessity of revisiting King’s philosophy and creed of nonviolence…Perhaps most importantly, this collection gives us a clear look at the mechanisms of the nonviolent approach, a different option to discrimination instead of submission or violent resistance. * Kirkus Reviews *[A] robust and wide-ranging collection...The book as a whole displays the pliability and dynamism of King’s thought, applying it to circumstances both recent (Barack Obama’s presidency) and far in the past (the practice of slavery in 18th- and 19th-century America). Throughout, King’s voice is placed within a community of philosophers…As the nation approaches the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, this work demonstrates, for anyone who needs convincing, the continued and vital importance of his thinking. * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisIn a culture of the Self that has become progressively more skeptical and materialistic, we spare little thought for the great ideals courage, contemplation, and compassion that once gave life meaning. Here, Mark Edmundson makes an impassioned attempt to defend the value of these ancient ideals and to resurrect Soul in the modern world.

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