Search results for ""Open Court Publishing Co ,U.S.""

Adventure Time and Philosophy is a monster-beating, wild ride of philosophical mayhem. One of the deepest and most thoughtful television shows ever to assault human brain waves, Adventure Time shows us what the world could be like, challenging everything we know about life, meaning, heroism, and even burritos, and it's time to give the show some serious thought. This book screws open our cranial lids, mucks about in the mess that is our heads, and attempts to come to some answers about the nature of reality. Adventure Time and Philosophy is a chance to put down your broadsword, put your exhausted monster-slaying feet up, and try to figure out why you spend your time rescuing people in distress and fighting for justice. Who better than Finn and Jake to have as companions when taking on Plato, Nietzsche, and Baudrillard or encountering the Slime Princess, the Ice King, and Marceline the Vampire Queen? Filled with chapters written by a colorful cast of characters, Adventure Time and Philosophy enlightens us about the profound and life-affirming spiritual subtext and dark comedic elements of an awesomely fantastic show.

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Beginning with a confrontation in 1929 in Switzerland, Michael Friedman examines how the work of three pivotal philosophers evolved and intertwined over several years, ultimately giving rise to two very different schools of thought - analytic philosophy and continental. The author explores the clashes that set them apart as they developed their own radical new ideas.

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Many current developments in American academic life - multiculturalism, rhetoric and hermeneutics, and deconstruction - have been inspired by the ideas of European philosophers such as Foucault, Derrida, Deleuze and Lyotard. In Europe the influence of these philosophers is restricted to a small coterie and their ideas have contributed to none of the wide-ranging social and institutional changes recently witnessed in some segments of American academia. Contributions are included by specialists on both sides of the doctrinal and ideological divide, so as to present a serious confrontation between those who see the influence of Derrida and others as benign or insignificant and those who perceive it as corrosive in its effects on academic standards in the US.

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The popularity of the His Dark Materials trilogy has generated a major motion picture, a stage play, video games, and a new prequel. The series has also been highly controversial with its use of exciting adventure stories for children to comment on organized religion. These books have piqued the interest of the contributors to this fascinating volume, who use it to probe the philosophical issues that inform them. Could a golden compass, or alethiometer, really work? Can a person's soul or daemon have a mind of its own? What are the ramifications of pursuing the diabolical "intercision" process, or of trying to bring about the death of God, a plot that Lyra and her mysterious Father struggle over? These are some of the questions explored by these essays that try to get to the heart of Lyra's bewildering, inspiring, and multifaceted world.

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If ethics encompasses not just a concern for self and family but also for a wider circle of others, what resources do Chinese and Western ethics offer to motivate and guide this expansion of concern? This question is the theme uniting all these essays by leading Chinese and Western philosophers.Topics discussed include: the Confician emphasis on hierarchy; the motivational basis driving concern for others; how Descartes and Mencius analyzed pity and compassion, how personal identities are formed in Chinese and Western cultures, the possibility of a Confucian civil society, and children’s rights.

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Liberal education - education which is not training for work - used to be governed by a canon, a recognized body of knowledge which was considered valuable for transmission from one generation to the next. This old idea of liberal education has come under fire because of the growth of scientific knowledge and the changing role of the universities in "knowledge building." This volume looks at the thinking of educational theorist Carl Bereiter, who has tackled the problem of the liberal education canon in a new way. Bereiter proposes that we view the main task of formal education as "enculturation into World 3". World 3, an idea adapted from Karl Popper (and contrasted with both World 1, the world of physical objects, and World 2, the world of subjective mental states), is much more than the body of accepted ideas. Becoming enculturated into World 3 means learning how to function effectively in creating, interpreting, and improving the objects in World 3 - ideas, theories, problems, and conjectures. The chapters examine both the theory of mind implied by Bereiter's work and the applications of his thought to social and pedagogical issues.

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Arguing that philosophical discussion of human freedom has been transformed by developments in modern science, especially evolutionary biology, the author outlines a naturalistic account of freedom and creativity by using examples from hypnosis, brainwashing, and creative leaps in thought.

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Author Ilham Dilman explains why a "thoughtful psychology," encompassing the varied modes of being experienced by humans, is the best tool for investigating the nature of good and evil. To illustrate, he employs Raskolnikov, Dostoyevsky's axe-murdering protagonist in Crime and Punishment, following his alienation from goodness, his return to it, and finally, his ethical rebirth.

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Arguing that philosophical discussion of human freedom has been transformed by developments in modern science, especially evolutionary biology, the author outlines a naturalistic account of freedom and creativity by using examples from hypnosis, brainwashing, and creative leaps in thought.

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In seeking to defend a form of naturalism that avoids both scientism and the reduction of philosophy to science, Robert Almeder defines philosophy and distinguishes it from the domain of natural science by showing how a good philosophical explanation, while empirically testable, differs from a good scientific explanation.

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Since 1948, Kurt Baier has been producing some of our century's most stimulating, seminal, and meticulous work in ethics. His quest for a rational justification of morality has centered on the human predicament that although most of us want to live in association with others, we always find ourselves coming into conflict with one another."These challenging and ground-breaking essays together with Kurt Baier's careful and illuminating responses constitute contemporary moral theory at its very best". -- James P. Sterba University of Notre Dame

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"Edinger has greatly enriched my understanding of psychology through the avenue of alchemy. No other contribution has been as helpful as this for revealing, in a word, the anatomy of the psyche and how it applies to where one is in his or her process. This is a significant amplification and extension of Jung's work. Two hundred years from now, it will still be a useful handbook and an inspiring aid to those who care about individuation". -- Psychological Perspectives

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Does God play cards with the universe? Do women have better poker faces than men? What’s the most existential poker movie ever made? Is life more meaningful when you go all-in? Is online poker really still poker? Poker and Philosophy ponders these questions and more, pitting young lions against old masters as the brashness of Phil Hellmuth meets the arrogance of Socrates, the recklessness of Doyle Brunson challenges the desperation of Dostoyevsky, and the coolness of Chris Moneymaker takes on the American tradition of capitalist ingenuity. This witty collection of essays demonstrates what serious card sharks have long known: winning big takes more than a good hand and a straight face. Stacking the metaphorical deck with a serious grounding in philosophy is the key to raking it in, because as Machiavelli proved long ago, it’s a lot better to be feared than loved, and lying is not the same as cheating.

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This brief work is the closest Einstein ever came to writing an autobiography. Although a very personal account, it is purely concerned with the development of his ideas, saying little about his private life or about the world-shaking events through which he lived. Starting from little Albert's early disillusionment with religion and his intense fascination with geometry, the narrative presents Einstein's "epistemological credo", then moves through his dissatisfaction with the foundations of Newtonian physics to the development of his own special and general theories of relativity and his opposition to some of the assumptions of quantum theory.

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In American Horror Story and Philosophy, philosophers with varying backgrounds and interests explore different aspects of this popular “erotic thriller” TV show, with its enthusiastic cult following and strong critical approval. The result is a collection of intriguing and provocative thoughts on deeper questions prompted by the creepy side of the human imagination. As an “anthology show,” American Horror Story has a unique structure in the horror genre because it explores distinct subgenres of horror in each season. As a result, each season raises its own set of philosophical issues. The show’s first season, Murder House, is a traditional haunted house story. Philosophical topics expounded here include: the moral issues pertaining to featuring a mass murderer as one of the season’s main protagonists; the problem of other minds—when I see an old hag, how can I know that you don’t see a sexy maid? And whether it is rationally justified to fear the Piggy Man. Season Two, Asylum, takes place inside a mid-twentieth-century mental hospital. Among other classic horror subgenres, this season includes story lines featuring demonic possession and space aliens. Chapters inspired by this season include such topics as: the ethics of investigative reporting and whistleblowing; personal identity and demonic possession; philosophical problems arising from eugenics; and the ethics and efficacy of torture. Season Three, Coven, focuses on witchcraft in the contemporary world. Chapters motivated by this season include: sisterhood and feminism as starkly demonstrated in a coven; the metaphysics of traditional voodoo zombies (in contrast to the currently fashionable “infected” zombies); the uses of violent revenge; and the metaphysics of reanimation. Season Four, Freak Show, takes place in a circus. Philosophical writers look at life under the Big Top as an example of “life imitating art”; several puzzles about personal identity and identity politics (crystallized in the two-headed girl, the bearded lady, and the lobster boy); the ethical question of honor and virtue among thieves; as well as several topics in social and political philosophy. Season Five, Hotel, is, among other disturbing material, about vampires. Chapters inspired by this season include: the ethics of creating vampire progeny; LGBT-related philosophical issues; and existentialism as it applies to serial killers, Season Six, Roanoke, often considered the most creative of the seasons so far, partly because of its employment of the style of documentaries with dramatic re-enactments, and its mimicry of The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. Among the philosophical themes explored here are what happens to moral obligations under the Blood Moon; the proper role of truth in storytelling; and the defensibility of cultural imperialism.

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Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a Persian Sufist is the subject of volume 28 in the "Library of Living Philosophers" series. As in the other volumes of the series, the subject discusses his life and philosophical development in an intellectual autobiography. This is followed by 33 critical essays by various scholars and Nasr's replies to each of them. Nasr has been influential in the fields of comparative religion, theology and Islamic studies, as well as philosophy and comparative philosophy. He is also known for his writings on the history of art, the history of science and Sufism (Islamic Mysticism).

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The inventor of pragmatism, Charles Peirce is a seminal figure in the development of modern logic. His searching investigations in the "logic of science" have profoundly influenced subsequent work in epistemology and the philosophy of science, and his semiotics has had a similar impact on the philosophy of language. By contrast, Peirce's philosophy of mathematics has received relatively little attention, despite its centrality to his thought and the depth of his insights into the perennial problems of the subject. This book changes that. Here, philosophers look afresh at this neglected but vital dimension of Peirce's thought. The essays are wide-ranging in their coverage, with in-depth discussions of a range of topics.

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Seven of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers describe how they arrived at the ideas for which they are known. In their own words, universally admired intellectuals such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Einstein. Bertrand Russell, and Martin Buber trace the paths that led to their contributions in the field: A.J. Ayer shares what led to the logical positivist manifesto Language, Truth, and Logic and his subsequent retreat from and criticism of those early ideas, analytic philosophy founder Bertrand Russell's acerbic wit and self-deprecating manner are omnipresent in his narrative describing his intellectual development from childhood on. These carefully selected personal stories provide readers with a broad survey of the intellectual achievements of the 20th century, through the words and reflections of the thinkers themselves. Of interest to any reader curious about the nature of genius and how great minds work, this book is a window into the private world of an intellectual working toward ideas that have defined our time. The seven great thinkers are: A.J. Ayer; Martin Buber; Albert Einstein; Hans-Georg Gadamer; Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan; Bertrand Russell; Jean-Paul Sartre

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This book develops the notion of a "culture of narcissim," a concept originally proposed by Christopher Lasch. The author puts forward a coherent theory of the role played by love in human attempts to grapple with the problems of finitude and the experience of the basic value of being - universal problems that are especially troublesome in a narcissistic culture such as ours. Ellis suggests that love is a way to experience the finitude of existence in a positive rather than negative way, making possible a resolution of the dilemma of finitude in a non-self-deceptive way. Love includes compassion for others in their vulnerability, and this compassion emotionally intensifies admiration, creating an inspirational appreciation of the intrinsic value of being, directly and intensely experienced as instantiated in others. Paradoxically, compassion for others' finitude leads to a powerful positive value experience, whereas compassion for one's own finitude (self-pity) is only negative. When this intensified value experience is then universalized, it is greatly strengthened by its derivation from individualized emotion.

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This collection of essays by various scientists, theologians, philosophers and other academics explores the important dialogue between science and religion. The editors emphasize the importance of three main convergences: different sciences converging to give a coherent story of humankind's place in the cosmos, different religions converging to gain mutual understanding and harmony, and both science and religion converging as people realize their explanations and roles needn't be mutually exclusive. Contributors address ideas on the evolution of matter, life and mind; the evolution of language and brain; consciousness and creativity; religion as a moral framework; science and the Qur'an; and religion and enviromental ethics. This study is the sequel to "Cosmic Beginnings and Human Ends".

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This collection of essays approaches the problems and strengths of nationalism from a number of philosophical perspectives. The contributors craft a definition of nation/nationalism that emphasizes the cultural and sociopolitical ties uniting members of a country rather than merely their place of origin.

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Steven Luper analyzes the nature of happiness and compares two strategies of pursuit: the western approach known as 'optimizing', in which we try to bring about the satisfaction of our desires, and the eastern method known as 'adapting', in which we transform our desires so that nothing can hurt us."Luper's clearly written, yet heartfelt, book will serve to widen the narrow horizons of contemporary moral debate, and not just within academia". -- David E. Cooper University of Durham

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When the Catholic Inquisitors persecuted Galileo for teaching that the Earth moves through space, they did so because Galileo insisted that this was the truth. The Church was quite prepared to tolerate the notion of a moving Earth, so long as it was regarded as an instrument useful for calculation, as true merely within a particular framework which might be adopted or discarded for reasons of convenience. For centuries Galilieo has been seen as a heroic fighter for enlightenment against benighted tyranny, but strangely enough, recent years have seen the rise, within Western philosophy, of a wave of relativism, according to which Galileo was wrong and his persecutors were correct. In the view of this new relativism, which has roots in both the continental and analytic traditions, there are no universal or trans-cultural standards of rationality. Among the sources of the new relativism are the failure of logical positivism and the shift within anthropology from a single evolutionary model to several models for understanding human culture. In this critique of relativism, Professor Harris turns the techniques of relativism against relativism, showing that it is ultimately self-refuting or ineffectual. A number of methodological points are stressed in the book. Quine's rejection of the anaytic-synthetic distinction appeals to the very analytic truths Quine hopes to dispel. The relativism arising from Goodman's "grue paradox" is innocuous, since the paradox is not really concerned with induction. Kuhn's theory of paradigms must be either self-refuting or incomprehensible. Winch grossly distorts Wittgenstein's theory and fails to show that basic notions of rationality are culturally relative. Rorty cannot avoid presupposing the epistemological principles he is attacking. Finally, feminist criticism of science can exert a welcome corrective, but the notion of a distinctive "feminist science" is indefensible (and counter-productive for feminism).

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Kathleen Lennon provides a new approach to the philosophy of action, showing how "reasons" fit into the casual framework of the world, while defending their autonomy. She disputes the rapidly-congealing orthodoxy which maintains that explanations according to intentional states cannot be casual explanations.

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Book jacket: From postmodernist and post-philosophical quarters we now hear that philosophy is at the end of its rope, that modern philosophy is just another modernist product which has outlived its usefulness. Whatever the precise merits of the various postmodernist critiques, they have certainly compelled many philosophers to take notice, and to concede that their enterprise has reached an impasse.The essays in this volume mark a new stage in the debate. Though divergent in their philosophical -- or post-philosophical -- standpoints, the authors all share the view that philosophy is at a fateful juncture.Postmodernism, pragmatism, feminism, and historicism are some of the tendencies scrutinized in this wide-ranging symposium on the past, present, and many possible futures of the 'institution of philosophy.'

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The Philosophy of Umberto Eco stands out in the Library of Living Philosophers series as the volume on the most interdisciplinary scholar hitherto and probably the most widely translated. The Italian philosopher’s name and works are well known in the humanities, both his philosophical and literary works being translated into fifteen or more languages. Eco is a founder of modern semiotics and widely known for his work in the philosophy of language and aesthetics. He is also a leading figure in the emergence of postmodern literature, and is associated with cultural and mass communication studies. His writings cover topics such as advertising, television, and children’s literature as well as philosophical questions bearing on truth, reality, cognition, language, and literature. The critical essays in this volume cover the full range of this output. This book has wide appeal not only because of its interdisciplinary nature but also because of Eco’s famous “high and low” approach, which is deeply scholarly in conception and very accessible in outcome. The short essay “Why Philosophy?” included in the volume is exemplary in this regard: it will appeal to scholars for its wit and to high school students for its intelligibility.

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In Dracula and Philosophy 24 nocturnal philosophers stake out and vivisect Dracula from many angles. John C. Altmann decides whether Dracula can really be blamed for his crimes, since it's his nature as a vampire to behave a certain way. Robert Arp argues that Dracula's addiction to live human blood dooms him to perpetual frustration and misery. John V. Karavitis sees Dracula as a Randian individual pitted against the Marxist collective. Greg Littmann maintains that if we disapprove of Dracula's behavior, we ought to be vegetarians. James Edwin Mahon uses the example of Dracula to resolve nagging problems about the desirability of immortality. Adam Barkman and Michael Versteeg ponder what it would really feel like to be Dracula, and thereby shed some light on the nature of consciousness. Robert Vuckovich looks at the sexual morality of Dracula and other characters in the Dracula saga. Ariane de Waal explains that "Dragula" is scary because every time this being appears, it causes "gender trouble." And Cari Callis demonstrates that the Count is really the Jungian Shadow archetype -- with added Shapeshifter elements -- in the journey of Mina Harker, heroine/victim of Stoker's novel, from silly girl to empowered woman.

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Covering everything from Aristotle to ziti, this title explores such topics as: is Tony Soprano a good man?; is Carmella a feminist?; morally speaking who is the worst person on "The Sopranos"; is watching "The Sopranos" harmful to your mental or moral health? and should Tony have read Machiavelli instead of Sun Tzu? The chapters cover topics from each of the traditional branches of western philosophy: metaphysics (the problem of evil, philosophical psychology), epistemology (self-knowledge), value theory (ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy), as well as eastern philosophy (Sun Tzu), history of philosophy (Plato, Nietsche, Machiavelli), and contemporary postmodern themes (feminism and identity issues). "The Sopranos" is rich in philosophical content and complex human interactions and accurately summarizes the human condition, so it is natural for philosophical treatment. No prior philosophical qualifications or mob connections are required to follow all the arguments, which are presented with the same vibrancy, humour and verve that has made "The Sopranos" itself a hit.

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This comprehensive volume captures one of the twentieth century's greatest philosopher's lifelong battle with the forces of injustice, ignorance, and cruelty - a crusade not always welcomed by his own government, which twice imprisoned him. Russell used his more than 400 letters to the editor, most of which are collected in this volume, to reach large numbers of the public quickly when his controversial stances made it difficult to have his articles published in the popular press. Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell allows us to see Russell at his polemical best, dueling wittily and wisely with both ordinary citizens and the most powerful political leaders of his day, freely expressing his insights on a wide range of subjects from war and peace to human rights, early childhood education, sexual ethics, and religion. These letters tell us much about the social and political history of our last century and relay an inspiring story of one man's protracted efforts to infuse the public spirit with reason and compassion.

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