Topics in philosophy Books

Book SynopsisAN ECONOMIST, GUARDIAN AND NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR A gripping narrative of the intertwined lives of the four philosophers whose ideas reshaped the twentieth centuryThe year is 1919. Walter Benjamin flees his overbearing father to scrape a living as a critic. Ludwig Wittgenstein, scion of one of Europe''s wealthiest families, signs away his inheritance, seeking spiritual clarity. Martin Heidegger renounces his faith and aligns his fortunes with Husserl''s phenomenological school. Ernst Cassirer sketches a new schema of human culture on a cramped Berlin tram. The stage is set for a great intellectual drama. Over the next decade the lives and thought of this quartet will converge and intertwine, as each gains world-historical significance, between them remaking philosophy.Time of the Magicians brings to life this miraculous burst of intellectual creativity, unparalleled in philosophy''s history, and with it an entire era, from post-war exuberance to economic crisis and the emergence of National Socialism. With great art, Wolfram Eilenberger traces the paths of these titanic figures through the tumult. He captures their personalities as well as their achievements, and illuminates with singular clarity the philosophies each embodied as well as espoused. It becomes an intellectual adventure story, a captivating journey through the greatest revolution in Western thought told through its four protagonists, each with their own penetrating gaze and answer to the question which has animated philosophy from the very beginning: What are we?Trade ReviewA tremendous feat of scholarship but also a technical masterpiece, knitting together the four men's love lives, money troubles, ontological anxieties and the wider ferment of the Weimar republic with uncommon dexterity -- Oliver Moody * The Times *Splendid, highly entertaining, attentive -- Jonathan Derbyshire * Financial Times *Magnificent, elegantly composed and beautifully narrated -- David Motadel * The Times Literary Supplement *Eilenberger's survey of high thoughts and low politics among German-language philosophers of the 1920s is a salutary tale for today, not just a gripping panorama of century-old dreams and feuds * Economist *Accessible and deeply human ... He draws these four intellectual magi out of the shadows of their writings -- John Kaag * The New York Times *Like any great story, Eilenberger's is not made up, but retrieved. Events have a way of narrating themselves when they encounter a gifted storyteller -- Costica Bradatan * Los Angeles Review of Books *A book of riches - full of stories as well as ideas, all brought together with a fine light touch -- Sarah Bakewell

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Book SynopsisRoland Barthes was born in 1915 and studied French literature and classics at the University of Paris. After teaching French at universities in Romania and Egypt, he joined the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, where he devoted himself to research in sociology and lexicology. He was a professor at the College de France until his death in 1980.Trade ReviewLove, here, is a state of the imagination, with the lover desperate to interpret the dire ambiguities inseparable from his role. This is a speculative book, and a melancholy one, an exploration of the idiom of anxiety. Barthes's love is a passion in the old, suffering sense of the word * Observer *May be the most detailed, painstaking anatomy of desire that we are ever likely to see or need again... All readers will find something they recognize in Barthes' recreation of the lover's fevered consciousness: The book is an ecstatic celebration of love and language and...readers interested in either or both...will enjoy savouring its rich and dark delights * Washington Post Book World *Barthes's work, along with that of Wilde and Valéry, gives being an aesthete a good name... Defending the senses, he never betrayed the mind -- Susan Sontag

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Book SynopsisNarratives produce the ties that bind us. They create community, eliminate contingency and anchor us in being. And yet in our contemporary information society, where everything has become arbitrary and random, storytelling becomes storyselling and narratives lose their binding force. Whereas narratives create community, storytelling brings forth only a fleeting community – the community of consumers. No amount of storytelling could recreate the fire around which humans gather to tell each other stories. That fire has long since burnt out. It has been replaced by the digital screen, which separates people rather than bringing them together. Through storytelling, capitalism appropriates narrative: stories sell. They are no longer a medium of shared experience. The inflation of storytelling betrays a need to cope with contingency, but storytelling is unable to transform the information society back into a stable narrative community. Rather, storytelling as storyselling is a pathological phenomenon of our age. Byung-Chul Han, one of the most perceptive cultural theorists of contemporary society, dissects this crisis with exceptional insight and flair.Table of ContentsPreface From Narration to InformationThe Poverty of ExperienceThe Narrated LifeBare LifeThe Disenchantment of the WorldFrom Shocks to LikesTheory as NarrativeNarration as HealingNarrative CommunityStoryselling Notes

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Book SynopsisPeter Vardy's much acclaimed introduction to the study of ideas about God now revised and updated.A clear, well-written guide to philosophical thinking about God. Starting with the question of what it means to say we believe in God, and looking at the nature of truth, Peter Vardy goes on to examine ideas about God and their influence on Christian thinking.Peter Vardy takes the reader through the arguments, using amusing illustrations and analogies. He writes for the lay person or student, not assuming any specialist knowledge, and not imposing any particular view.This is about the best elementary textbook in the philosophy of God I have come across an extremely useful book.'Hugh Meynell, The TabletThis is a masterpiece of coherence. Step by step the reader is led clearly and humorously through the philosophical maze which confuses our thinking about God.'Linda Smith, Head of Religious Education, King's College, London

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Translated with an uncanny sense for the overall point of Augustine's doctrine. In short, a very good translation. The Introduction is admirably clear." -- Paul Vincent Spade, Indiana University.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Midlife will help you recast your regrets and longing for the possibilities of youth into a more affirming vision for the rest of your life."---Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic

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Book SynopsisIDEAS THAT HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLDThe best of an extraordinary 70 year archive, gathered in one volume for the first time. The prestigious BBC Reith Lectures have been enriching the world with new ideas since 1948. Every year, a world-leading thinker is invited to speak on a topic of their choosing, spanning art, science, nature, technology, history, religion, society, culture, politics and much more. Unearthing forgotten gems as well as sharing the latest in intellectual thought, Remarkable Minds is a time capsule into our changing world that provides wise words for turbulent times. With a foreword by Anita Anand, presenter of the Reith Lectures, and an introduction by Gwyneth Williams, controller of Radio 4, 2010-2019.Trade Reviewa rich and remarkable volume * Free Press Journal *

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Book Synopsis''Engaging, smart and wise, Mini-Philosophy is a diverse taster menu of ideas on life, the mind and the world. Nutritious, bite-sized portions of philosophy that whet the appetite for more'' - David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone ClocksWhy do people enjoy watching scary movies? Should we bet on the existence of God? Why is pleasure better than pain? And when is a duck not a duck? Mini Philosophy is a fascinating journey into what some of the greatest minds of the last 2500 years have to say about the big questions in life, and why they are relevant to us today. Covering everything from Sun Tzu''s strategy for winning at board games to Freud''s insights into our ''death drive''; why De Beauvoir believed the mothering instinct is a myth to why Schopenhauer probably wasn''t much fun at parties, these mini meditations will expand your mind (and bend it too).Trade ReviewEngaging, smart and wise, Mini-Philosophy is a diverse taster menu of ideas on life, the mind and the world. Nutritious, bite-sized portions of philosophy that whet the appetite for more. * David Mitchell *A neat idea, deftly executed. If this doesn't light your philosophical fuse, you don't have one. * Julian Baggini *A joyfully playful and thought-provoking capsule encyclopedia of philosophical ideas, from Aristotle to Alan Turing, pondering on the nature of self, how we see and understand the world, and the delusions we use to comfort ourselves. An Epicurean delight. * Mick Brown *Lively, sharp and wide-ranging, a sparky bite-sized companion for the wilds and wilderness of philosophy * Eleanor Gordon-Smith *

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Book SynopsisFor all of neuroscience's advances, we've made little progress on its biggest question: How do simple cells in the brain create intelligence?Jeff Hawkins and his team discovered that the brain uses maplike structures to build a model of the world-not just one model, but hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. This discovery allows Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought.A Thousand Brains heralds a revolution in the understanding of intelligence. It is a big-think book, in every sense of the word. One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2021One of Bill Gates' Five Favorite Books of 2021

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Book SynopsisAlready a classic, this landmark account of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. The Dream of Reason takes a fresh look at the writings of the great thinkers of classic philosophy and questions many pieces of conventional wisdom. The book invites comparison with Bertrand Russell''s monumental History of Western Philosophy, but Gottlieb''s book is less idiosyncratic and based on more recent scholarship (Colin McGinn, Los Angeles Times). A New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Best Book, and a Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2001.Trade ReviewA delight. It is written with both wit and scholarship, providing a wonderful overall picture of Western philosophy up to the Renaissance. -- Sir Roger Penrose[Gottlieb] writes with fluency and lucidity, with a gift for making even difficult matters seem comprehensible. -- Richard Jenkins * New York Times *Gottlieb is as enjoyable as he is intellectually stimulating. -- Robert Conquest * Los Angeles Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Midlife has a self-soothing quality. . . . [It] teaches a lesson about midlife: it’s sometimes best to go with the flow."---Joshua Rothman, New Yorker"Mr. Setiya hopes to lift sufferers out of this dip [of midlife] and help them flourish by conveying the insights of modern philosophy. . . . For a philosophy professor, [he] can be refreshingly unstuffy. He doesn't see a flashy sports car as a midlife crisis-mobile, that trite substitute for lost youth and virility. No, he sees it as an opportunity to change from goal-oriented, utilitarian thinking to a life-affirming experience of being in the moment."---Eric Felten, Wall Street Journal"Setiya serves as an engaging companion for those in the throes of the dreaded midlife crisis, as he brings the wisdom of the ages to bear on the contemporary malaise. A self-help book with a strong--but not heavy-handed--philosophical foundation." * Kirkus *"[Setiya’s] book is a reminder that philosophy, at its best, can be both wise and humane."---Anil Gomes, Times Literary Supplement"Setiya is a clear-thinking, plain-speaking companion who doesn't take himself too seriously."---Jeremy Clarke, Literary Review"A model for how to write philosophy clearly and non-technically without lapsing into banality or truism. . . . Warm, lucid and sane."---Joe Moran, Times Higher Education"A concise, entertaining and humane guide through life's most difficult territory."---Simon Ings, The Spectator"A delightful amalgam of self-help and intellectual inquiry." * The Economist *"Setiya’s elegant little volume is a 'philosophical guide' to what he calls the 'existential questions of midlife'."---Jonathan Derbyshire, Financial Times"An accessible exploration of what history’s great thinkers have had to say on the subject [of midlife]."---Sarah Murdoch, Toronto Star"There’s an uplifting message here for everyone. If you’re in midlife, rest assured you wouldn’t really enjoy being young again. If you’re young, stop worrying about future regret, since even the best choices necessitate loss. And if you’re old? Be glad all those panic-inducing choices are behind you."---Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian"This is a wonderfully rich and illuminating examination of the turmoil of midlife."---PD Smith, The Guardian"Setiya rediscovers very old wisdom here. It might help with a midlife crisis. But really, he is talking about the meaning of life. It is good that analytic philosophy is so much less scared of that topic than it used to be. I very much hope that Setiya’s valuable and accessible book might help it to be less afraid also of the stages on life’s way."---Christopher Hamilton, Mind"To me the book has succeeded in making a real difference."---Thomas Pölzler, Ethical Perspectives

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Book SynopsisGlenn Alexander Magee's pathbreaking book argues that Hegel was decisively influenced by the Hermetic tradition, a body of thought with roots in Greco-Roman Egypt. Magee traces the influence on Hegel of such Hermetic thinkers as Baader, Böhme, Bruno...Trade ReviewBecause Hegel claimed to have attained wisdom rather than to be seeking it, Magee cannot count him as a philosopher... He draws evidence from both his work and his life. * Reference and Research Book News *

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Book SynopsisTreatise on Divine Predestination is one of the early writings of the author of the great philosophical work Periphyseon (On the Division of Nature), Johannes Scottus (the Irishman), known as Eriugena (died c. 877 A.D.). It contributes to the age-old debate on the question of human destiny in the present world and in the afterlife.The work survives in a single manuscript of which editions were published in 1650 and 1853. It has been most recently edited in 1978. The present translation was made from that edition. Modern scholars are able to discern in this early work strong intimations of Eriugena''s later major writings.Trade Review“The De divina praedestinatione liber was written in 850-51 at the request of two prelates while John the Scot resided at the court of Charles II, grandson of Charlemagne. It is his earliest attested work, a refutation of the heretical teaching of Gottschalk on double predestination. Both John and Gottschalk claimed to base their interpretation on St. Augustine, and both continued to be subjects of controversy during the decade between 850 and 860.” —Theology Digest“Mary Brennan’s translation is as helpful as her foreword. The rendition into English of Madec’s text from the Corpus Christianorum is careful. The book is elegantly produced and a delight to read.” —The Medieval Review

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Book SynopsisThis work focuses on the topic of freedom. The author starts with the old issue of free will do we as individual human beings choose our conduct, at least partly independently, freely? He comes down on the side of libertarians who answer Yes, and scorns the compatibilism of philosophers like Daniel Dennett, who try to rescue some kind of freedom from a physically determined universe. From here he moves on to apply his belief in radical freedom to areas of life such as religion, politics, and morality, tackling subjects as diverse as taxation, private property, justice and the welfare state.

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Book SynopsisAs an advanced introduction to the challenging topic of free will, this book is designed for upper-level undergraduates interested in a comprehensive first-stop into the fieldâs issues and debates. It is written by two of the leading participants in those debatesâa compatibilist on the issue of free will and determinism (Michael McKenna) and an incompatibilist (Derk Pereboom). These two authors achieve an admirable objectivity and clarity while still illuminating the fieldâs complexity and key advances. Each chapter is structured to work as one weekâs primary reading in a course on free will, while more advanced courses can dip into the annotated further readings, suggested at the end of each chapter. A comprehensive bibliography as well as detailed subject and author indexes are included at the back of the book.Trade Review"A superb introduction to free will by a pair of leading figures on the topic. This excellent teaching tool for advanced undergraduates is at once commendably rigorous and highly accessible."Alfred Mele, Florida State University, USA"This terrific book excels on every dimension. It provides a map of the debates about free will, covering broad swaths of terrain without sacrificing attention to detail, and doing so in an engaging way that can be appreciated by interested newcomers to the field and those who have long been working and teaching in it alike."Dana Nelkin, University of California-San Diego, USA"For a definitive tour of the foundational issues in the philosophical debates about free will, you cannot do better than this book. It is a master class in what the issues are, how we got here, and the stakes of it all. Written by two of the most prominent and influential figures working in the field today, this book covers takes you through all the major issues of the last sixty years of philosophical work on free will. It is a model of clarity, impartial assessment of the options, and insight into the perplexing nature of free will. Whether you are a student, professional philosopher, scientist, or interested layperson, McKenna and Pereboom’s introduction to the philosophy of free will is the gold standard. It is fantastic."Manuel Vargas, University of San Francisco, USA"Free Will: A Contemporary Introduction is an extremely good book. It is a sorely needed introduction to the topic of free will that will be useful not just to those who want to teach free will but to any philosopher who wants to be brought up to date on the contemporary debate. It contains discussions of all of the leading views in the field, with lots of interesting and original insights into the various issues."Mark Balaguer, California State University-Los Angeles, USA"McKenna and Pereboom are celebrities among philosophers working on free will and moral responsibility and their book is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art introduction to contemporary philosophical debate. Their prose is clear and accessible, suitable for upper level undergraduates as well as professional philosophers. McKenna and Pereboom break down the arguments for all of the competing positions, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses and the ethical implications of accepting them. Read this book if you want to learn about where things stand today in this exciting field. What you do with that knowledge is up to you. (Or is it?)"Tamler Sommers, University of Houston, USATable of ContentsPreface Introduction Chapter 1: Free Will, Moral Responsibility, & Determinism Chapter 2: The Free Will Problem Chapter 3: Classical Compatibilism & Classical Incompatibilism Chapter 4: The Debate over the Consequence Argument Chapter 5: Alternative Possibilities and Frankfurt Cases Chapter 6: Strawsonian Compatibilism Chapter 7: Recent Developments: Source Incompatibilism & the Compatibilists’ BurdenChapter 8: Contemporary Compatibilism: Seven Recent ViewsChapter 9: Contemporary Compatibilism: Mesh, Reasons-responsive & Leeway TheoriesChapter 10: Contemporary Incompatibilism: LibertarianismChapter 11: Contemporary Incompatibilism: Free Will SkepticismChapter 12: Revisionism and Some Remaining IssuesBibliography

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Book SynopsisA study of how reason can be influenced by wishful thinking and how it shapes a person's outlook on life as well as their behaviour.Trade Review"It is invevitable that a book of this scope and ambition will be controversial...What ought not to be controversial, however, is that David Pears has given us an outstandingly lucid and intelligent account of mtters of the highest importance. It is the first comprehensive and unified treatment of the paradoxes of irrational thought and irrational action." - Jon Elster, 'Times Literary Supplement'Table of Contentspreface, footnotes, index

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Book SynopsisDie kleinen Schriften von Herwig Görgemanns, die in diesem Band anlässlich des 80. Geburtstages des Heidelberger Gräzisten versammelt sind, vereinen, was andernorts in disziplinärer Zersplitterung und im Auseinanderdriften von Spezialistentum und Vermittlungskompetenz auseinanderfällt: Detailstudien zur antiken Literatur, Geistesgeschichte und Naturwissenschaft verbinden sich im Werk von Herwig Görgemanns mit einer souveränen Darstellung der großen philosophischen und religiös-theologischen Zusammenhänge. Die hier versammelten Beiträge reichen von der Frage nach "Wahrheit und Fiktion in Platons Atlantis-Erzählung" über das Problem der "Sonnenfinsternisse in der antiken Astronomie" bis hin zu Darstellungen der Geschichte der Ethik, der "Jenseitsfurcht und Jenseitshoffnung bei den Griechen" und von "Kosmologie, Kosmogonie und Schöpfung". Sie enthalten Interpretationen von Platon und dem homerischen Hermeshymnus bis hin zu Cicero, Plutarch und Mark Aurel, dem 4. Makkabäerbuch und Origenes.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Gander's Self-Understanding and Lifeworld is an eminent text within contemporary Continental philosophy. An English translation is essential and Ryan Drake and Joshua Rayman have done an admirable job preserving the style of the German." -Lawrence K. Schmidt, author of Understanding HermeneuticsTable of ContentsTranslators' IntroductionForeword Introduction1. Exposition of the Connection Between Self-Being, Lifeworld, and History 2. Conception and Outline of the Treatise with an Excursis on the Paratextual Functions of RemarksPart One. In the Network of Texts: Toward the Perspective Character of Understanding3. Inception and Beginning: Toward a Fore-Structure of Understanding4. Approaching the Question of Interpretation: On the Relation of "Author-Text-Reader"5. On the Relation of Writing and Reading to Self-Formation6. The Text as a Connection of Sense in the Horizon of the Occurrence of Tradition as Effective History7. In the Governing Network of Discourse8. The Sense-Creating Potential of Texts: The Modification of the World9. Excursis on the Metaphor of the "Book of the World"10. In the Network of Tradition: On Understanding as an Incursion into the Current of Texts11. On the Interpretive Character of Knowledge in the Wake of the Historicity of Understanding12. Parenthesis on the Discourse of Metaphysics "as such" as a Problem of an Epochal Revaluation in View of a Signature of the Present13. Critical Remarks on the Concept of an Absolute ReasonPart Two. I and World: The Question Concerning the Ground of PhilosophyChapter One. On the Search for the Certainty of the I14. Toward the Task of a Hermeneutical Interpretation of the Concept and its Relation to Everyday Experience: An Approximation15. Wonder and Doubt: On the Entry-Point of Philosophical Reflection16. Under the Spell of Certainty: Descartes' Self-Certainty of the 'I am' as a Hermeneutical Problem17. The Ontological Positioning of the Cartesian Ego Between Acquisition of the Self and Loss of the WorldChapter Two. On Life in Lifeworlds: Critical Considerations of Husserl's Phenomenology of the Lifeworld18. The Concept of 'Lifeworld' as an Indication of the Problem19. Husserl's Recourse to as an "Irruption into the Theoretical Attitude"20. The Problem of Objectivism in the Tension Between and 21. Toward a Philosophical Thematization of Natural Life-in-the-World22. On Husserl's Transcendental Self-Grounding of Philosophy with a View to the Question of the World23. Husserl's Application of the Task of a Lifeworldly Ontology24. The Function of History in Husserl's Transcendental-Phenomenological ConceptionPart Three. Self-Understanding and the Historical World: Basic Traits of a Hermeneutical Ontology of FacticityChapter One. The Hermeneutical Turn: Heidegger's Critical Dialogue with Husserlian Phenomenology25. Husserl versus Heidegger: On Situating their Disagreement26. The Hermeneutical Stance on a Second View27. The 'Blind Spot' in the Phenomenological Eye: Heidegger's Critique of Husserl with a View to the Structure of Carea. Phenomenological Maxims of Research and Cognitive Intentionb. The 'Actual Things of Philosophy': The Being of the Human28. The Metamorphosis of Phenomenology into the Hermeneuticala. In Connection with the Tendencies of Lebensphilosophieb. The Hermeneutical Approach in Pre-Theoretical Lifec. The New Hermeneutical Accentuation of Phenomenology29. The Function and Relation of the Hermeneutical Ontology of Facticity, Fundamental Ontology, and Metontology30. Aspects of a Contemporary Philosophical Situating of the Discourse on FacticityChapter Two. The Experiental Structure of the Self: Toward a Hermeneutics of Factical Historical Life31. The Leap into the World: On Outlining the Factical-Hermeneutical Concept of Experience32. Analysis of Environmental Experience33. Remarks on the Problematic of the Foreign34. The Self-World as the Center of Life-Relations35. The Having-of-Oneself within the Field of Tension between Winning and Losing Oneself36. The Structure of the Self as a Function of Life-Experience37. On the Status of a Hermeneutics of Facticity as Ontological HermeneuticsChapter Three. Application-Destruktion-History: Hermeneutical Sketches of a Philosophy of the Situation38. Hermeneutical Application39. The Critical Sense: On the Task of Phenomenological Destruktion40. History as the Organon of Understanding LifeOpen End41. Retrospective Reflections on the World-Conceptual Relevance of a Hermeneutics of FacticityBibliography

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Book SynopsisIn Politics, Money, and Persuasion, distinguished philosopher John Russon offers a new framework for interpreting Plato's The Republic.Trade Review"Early in his introduction, John Russon comments that the Republic is the source of seemingly never-ending insights and fresh interpretations. He then goes on to substantiate this insight with his own fresh and provocative reading of this much-interpreted dialogue. His own reading sets out as a guiding insight that logos, the peculiarly human ability to "give an account," to formulate abstractions from specific instances, is a double-edged sword, at once a source of wondrous achievement and destructive misunderstanding, of philosophic insight and sophistic deception. This guiding principle leads to one thought-provoking insight after another—a genuinely fresh reading of the Republic."—Drew Hyland, Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Trinity College"Like all truly excellent works of interpretation, John Russon's reading of the Republic is an original and quite radical departure from traditional approaches, which nonetheless once it is set out in his characteristically lucid and direct philosophical prose, presents itself as almost obvious and common-sensical."—Sean D. Kirkland, author of The Ontology of Socratic Questioning in Plato's Early Dialogues"Politics, Money, and Persuasion is a challenging and far-reaching exploration of the core issues of Plato's Republic, doing justice to what John Russon calls the 'concrete rationality' of the text, while opening up new perspectives on the meaningfulness of democracy, opinion, persuasion, rationality, and the philosophical life."—Robert Metcalf, coauthor of Plato at Syracuse: Essays on Plato in Western Greece"Russon's book is a timely exploration of how our habits of reason inform the possibility of healthy cities and souls. Russon examines the political consequences of how human beings "take account" of the world and of themselves, and in doing so also offers a vision of what a philosophical engagment with politics might look like. This work shows us the continued relevance of reading Plato's Republic today."—Marina McCoy, Boston CollegeTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsNote on Translations and CitationsIntroductionPolitics, Money and Persuasion1. The Problem of Abstraction2. The Currencies of PowerThe Vicissitudes of Opinion3. True Opinion4. PersuasionConclusionBibliographyIndex of subjectsIndex of passages

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Book SynopsisIn Politics, Money, and Persuasion, distinguished philosopher John Russon offers a new framework for interpreting Plato's The Republic.Trade Review"Early in his introduction, John Russon comments that the Republic is the source of seemingly never-ending insights and fresh interpretations. He then goes on to substantiate this insight with his own fresh and provocative reading of this much-interpreted dialogue. His own reading sets out as a guiding insight that logos, the peculiarly human ability to "give an account," to formulate abstractions from specific instances, is a double-edged sword, at once a source of wondrous achievement and destructive misunderstanding, of philosophic insight and sophistic deception. This guiding principle leads to one thought-provoking insight after another—a genuinely fresh reading of the Republic."—Drew Hyland, Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Trinity College"Like all truly excellent works of interpretation, John Russon's reading of the Republic is an original and quite radical departure from traditional approaches, which nonetheless once it is set out in his characteristically lucid and direct philosophical prose, presents itself as almost obvious and common-sensical."—Sean D. Kirkland, author of The Ontology of Socratic Questioning in Plato's Early Dialogues"Politics, Money, and Persuasion is a challenging and far-reaching exploration of the core issues of Plato's Republic, doing justice to what John Russon calls the 'concrete rationality' of the text, while opening up new perspectives on the meaningfulness of democracy, opinion, persuasion, rationality, and the philosophical life."—Robert Metcalf, coauthor of Plato at Syracuse: Essays on Plato in Western Greece"Russon's book is a timely exploration of how our habits of reason inform the possibility of healthy cities and souls. Russon examines the political consequences of how human beings "take account" of the world and of themselves, and in doing so also offers a vision of what a philosophical engagment with politics might look like. This work shows us the continued relevance of reading Plato's Republic today."—Marina McCoy, Boston CollegeTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsNote on Translations and CitationsIntroductionPolitics, Money and Persuasion1. The Problem of Abstraction2. The Currencies of PowerThe Vicissitudes of Opinion3. True Opinion4. PersuasionConclusionBibliographyIndex of subjectsIndex of passages

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Book SynopsisOne of the twentieth century''s most influential books, this classic work of anthropology offers a groundbreaking exploration of what culture isWith The Interpretation of Cultures, the distinguished anthropologist Clifford Geertz developed the concept of thick description, and in so doing, he virtually rewrote the rules of his field. Culture, Geertz argues, does not drive human behavior. Rather, it is a web of symbols that can help us better understand what that behavior means. A thick description explains not only the behavior, but the context in which it occurs, and to describe something thickly, Geertz argues, is the fundamental role of the anthropologist.Named one of the 100 most important books published since World War II by the Times Literary Supplement, The Interpretation of Cultures transformed how we think about others'' cultures and our own. This definitive edition, with a foreword by Robert Darnton, remains an essential book for anthropologists, historians, and anyone else seeking to better understand human cultures.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Entertaining and smart, this is philosophy for people who don’t usually like philosophy." * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThe purpose of the present study is to undertake a confrontation of the thought of Martin Heidegger and of Thomas Aquinas on the question of Being and the problem of metaphysics.Trade Review"The volume, which tosses off insights by the pageful, demonstrates Caputo's masterful control of both the Heideggerian and Thomistic corpus." -Research in Phenomenology

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a major contribution to the interpretation of Heideggerian philosophy! In five carefully developed and scrupulously documented chapters, Glazebrook (Colgate Univ.) traces Heidegger's view of science beginning with his earliest phase, extending into the 1930s, when he regarded philosophy as "scientific," through a transitional phase, when he turned away from "metaphysics" to "physics," to the 1950s onward, when he asserted that modern natural science is already the basic form of technological thinking. Heidegger's critique of science, Glazebrook shows in detail, forms the backdrop for his evolving understanding of the history of metaphysics. In her final paragraph, Glazebrook accurately summarizes: "I have argued that the issues pertaining to science lie behind Heidegger's rejection of metaphysics, his entanglement with the university, his nostalgia for the Greeks, and his critique of modernity. I have further shown that Heidegger's thinking can be put constructively into dialogue with the analytic tradition of philosophy of science." Clearly written and free of jargon, this reliable account of Heidegger's philosophy of science will take its place alongside the major studies of his philosophy and should be in every library where Heidegger's writings themselves have a place. This reviewer read it with great excitement and learned from every page. Highly recommended; all academic levels and professionals." -Choice

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Certain dualities, spirit vs. body, idea vs. sensation, self vs. the world, etc., have long dominated, often injuriously, much Western thinking. In this remarkable volume, the editors, along with some of the most important voices in the Continental tradition, allow hermeneutics to go 'all the way down' and in so doing move beyond these dualities by taking more seriously the 'surplus of meaning arising from our carnal embodiment.' What emerges is a reenergized and radically embodied or 'incarnational' hermeneutics that opens new vistas for religious, environmental, and artistic thinking. This is an important and consequential collection." -- -Jason M. Wirth Seattle University "Richard Kearney and Brian Treanor have assembled a remarkable collection of essays by important recent philosophers devoted to the surprising intersection of 'carnal' and 'hermeneutics' -the body as interpreter as well as interpreted. The British, French and American authors explore the existential, environmental and religious implications of a philosophy of the body." -- -David Carr Emory University "Carnal Hermeneutics brings together essays from some of the most prominent philosophers writing today. These excellent essays challenge us to think through the body in every sense. This collection makes an important contribution to philosophy of embodiment. The very idea of carnal hermeneutics is breath-taking." -- -Kelly Oliver Vanderbilt University "In response to the apparent 'non-relevance' of traditional phenomenological hermeneutics, must those scholars who continue to cling to a more 'conservative' perspective capitulate to the various nihilisms, to the critiques of correlationalism, or to the solid reductionism of speculative realism? Richard Kearney and Brian Treanor answer with an insistent 'No!' Indeed, they seek to infuse the debate with a dialogical energy that will keep the process moving and flesh renewed. That would not be a bad embodiment of a carnal hermeneutics." -- -B. Keith Putt Samford UniversityTable of ContentsContents Acknowledgments Introduction: From Head to Foot Richard Kearney and Brian Treanor Why Carnal Hermeneutics? What Is Carnal Hermeneutics? Richard Kearney Mind the Gap: The Challenge of Matter Brian Treanor Rethinking the Flesh Rethinking Corpus Jean-Luc Nancy From the Limbs of the Heart to the Soul's Organs Jean-Louis Chretien A Tragedy and a Dream: Disability Revisited Julia Kristeva Incarnation and the Problem of Touch Michel Henry On the Phenomenon of Suffering Jean-Luc Marion Memory, History, Oblivion Paul Ricoeur Matters of Touch Skin Deep: Bodies Edging into Place Ed Casey Touched by Touching David Wood Umbilicus: Toward a Hermeneutics of Generational Difference Anne O'Byrne Getting in Touch: Aristotelian Diagnostics Emmanuel Alloa Between Vision and Touch: From Husserl to Merleau-Ponty Dermot Moran Biodiversity and the Diacritics of Life Ted Toadvine Divine Bodies The Passion According to Teresa of Avila Julia Kristeva

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Book SynopsisWritten in 1686, Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics is one of the most important and widely published works in the history of philosophy. This translation and commentary by Christopher Johns has much new to offer.Trade Review"Christopher Johns' English rendition of Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics is a valuable contribution to Anglophone Leibniz studies. For the first time, a closely detailed study of this important text is available to English readers. And the commentary is both informative and philosophically instructive. Johns has placed students of Leibniz in his debt." -Nicholas Rescher, University of Pittsburgh

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Book SynopsisNarratives produce the ties that bind us. They create community, eliminate contingency and anchor us in being. And yet in our contemporary information society, where everything has become arbitrary and random, storytelling becomes storyselling and narratives lose their binding force. Whereas narratives create community, storytelling brings forth only a fleeting community – the community of consumers. No amount of storytelling could recreate the fire around which humans gather to tell each other stories. That fire has long since burnt out. It has been replaced by the digital screen, which separates people rather than bringing them together. Through storytelling, capitalism appropriates narrative: stories sell. They are no longer a medium of shared experience. The inflation of storytelling betrays a need to cope with contingency, but storytelling is unable to transform the information society back into a stable narrative community. Rather, storytelling as storyselling is a pathological phenomenon of our age. Byung-Chul Han, one of the most perceptive cultural theorists of contemporary society, dissects this crisis with exceptional insight and flair.Table of ContentsPreface From Narration to InformationThe Poverty of ExperienceThe Narrated LifeBare LifeThe Disenchantment of the WorldFrom Shocks to LikesTheory as NarrativeNarration as HealingNarrative CommunityStoryselling Notes

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Book SynopsisA renowned psychologist argues that free will is not only real but essential to our well-being It’s become fashionable to argue that free will is a fiction: that we humans are in the thrall of animal urges and unconscious biases and only think that we are choosing freely. In?Freely Determined, research psychologist Kennon?Sheldon?argues that this perception is not only wrong but also dangerous. Drawing on decades of his own groundbreaking empirical research into motivation and goal setting, Sheldon shows us that embracing the ability to choose our path in life makes us happier, healthier, and more fulfilled. He also shows that this insight can help us choose better goals—ones that are concordant with our values and that, critically, we’re more likely to actually see through. Providing readers insight into how they can live a more self-directed, satisfying life, Freely Determined offers an essential guide for how we might recognize our freedom and use it wisely.

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Book SynopsisFrom his groundbreaking Violence and the Sacred and Things Hidden since the Foundation of the World, René Girard’s mimetic theory is presented as elucidating “the origins of culture”. He posits that archaic religion (or “the sacred”), particularly in its dynamics of sacrifice and ritual, is a neglected and major key to unlocking the enigma of “how we became human”. French philosopher of science Michel Serres states that Girard’s theory provides a Darwinian theory of culture because it “proposes a dynamic, shows an evolution and gives a universal explanation”.This major claim has, however, remained underscrutinized by scholars working on Girard’s theory, and it is mostly overlooked within the natural and social sciences. Joining disciplinary worlds, this book explores this ambitious claim, invoking viewpoints as diverse as evolutionary culture theory, cultural anthropology, archaeology, cognitive psychology, ethology, and philosophy.The contributors provide major evidence in favour of Girard’s hypothesis. Equally, Girard’s theory is presented as having the potential to become for the human and social sciences something akin to the integrating framework that present-day biological science owes to Darwin - something compatible with it and complementary to it in accounting for the still remarkably little understood phenomenon of human emergence.

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Book SynopsisIntellectual Sacrifice and Other Mimetic Paradoxes is an account of Paolo Diego Bubbio’s twenty-year intellectual journey through the twists and turns of Girard’s mimetic theory. The author analyzes philosophy and religion as “enemy sisters” engaged in an endless competitive struggle and identifies the intellectual space where this rivalry can either be perpetuated or come to a paradoxical resolution. He goes on to explore topics ranging from arguments for the existence of God to mimetic theory’s post-Kantian legacy, political implications, and capacity for identifying epochal phenomena, such as the crisis of the self, in popular culture.Bubbio concludes by advocating for an encounter between mimetic theory and contemporary philosophical hermeneutics - an encounter in which each approach benefits and is enriched by the resources of the other. The volume features a previously unpublished letter by René Girard on the relationship between philosophy and religion.

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Book SynopsisIn recent discussions, increasing attention has been focussed on the question of how knowledge and the interpretation of reality come about. This volume presents a collection of papers dealing with this topic from historiological, philosophical and theological perspectives. In this way, a dialogue is conducted which transcends the boundaries of specialist disciplines and places the problem in a broader humanities perspective.

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