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The Limits of Reason in Hobbes's Commonwealth (Continuum Studies in Political Philosophy)
by Michael P. KromThe Limits of Reason in Hobbes's Commonwealth explores Hobbes's attempt to construct a political philosophy of enduring peace on the foundation of the rational individual. Hobbes's rational individual, motivated by self-preservation, obeys the laws of the commonwealth and thus is conceived as the model citizen. Yet Hobbes intimates that there are limits to what such an actor will do for peace, and that the glory-seeker - "too rarely found to be presumed on" - is capable of a generosity that is necessary for political longevity. Michael P. Krom identifies this as a fundamental contradiction in Hobbes's system: he builds the commonwealth on the rational actor, yet acknowledges the need for the irrational glory-seeker. Krom argues that Hobbes's attempt to establish a "king of the proud" fails to overcome the limits of reason and the precariousness of politics. This book synthesizes recent work on Hobbes's understanding of glory and political stability, challenging the view that Hobbes succeeds in incorporating glory-seekers into his political theory and explores the implications of this for contemporary political philosophy after Rawls.
Reading the Dao: A Thematic Inquiry
by Keping WangThe Dao De Jing represents one of the most important works of Chinese philosophy, in which the author, Lao Zi (c. 580-500 BC), lays the foundations of Taoism. Composed of 81 short sections, the text itself is written in a poetic style that is ambiguous and challenging for the modern reader. Yet while its meaning may be obscure, the text displays the originality of Lao Zi's wisdom and remains a hugely influential work to this day. In Reading the Dao: A Thematic Inquiry, Wang Keping offers a clear and accessible guide to this hugely important text. Wang's thematic approach opens up key elements of the Dao De Jing in a way that highlights and clarifies the central arguments for the modern reader. Presenting comprehensive textual analysis of key passages and a useful survey of recent Taoist scholarship, the book provides the reader with an insight into the origins of Taoist philosophy. This is the ideal companion to the study of this classic Taoist text.
Rationality and Feminist Philosophy (Continuum Studies in Philosophy #48)
by Deborah K. HeikesRationality and Feminist Philosophy argues that the Enlightenment conception of rationality that feminists are fond of attacking is no longer a live concept. Deborah K. Heikes shows how contemporary theories of rationality are consonant with many feminist concerns and proposes that feminists need a substantive theory of rationality, which she argues should be a virtue theory of rationality. Within both feminist and non-feminist philosophical circles, our understanding of rationality depends upon the concept's history. Heikes traces the development of theories of rationality from Descartes through to the present day, examining the work of representative philosophers of the Enlightenment and twentieth and twenty-first centuries. She discusses feminist concerns with rationality as understood by each philosopher discussed and also focuses on the deeper problems that lie outside specifically feminist issues. She goes on to consider how each conception of rationality serves to ground the broadly conceived feminist philosophical goals of asserting the reality and injustice of oppression. She ultimately concludes that a virtue rationality may serve feminist needs well, without the accompanying baggage of Enlightenment rationality.
The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought
by Nikolas KompridisThe growing exploration of political life from an aesthetic perspective has become so prominent that we must now speak of an "aesthetic turn†? in political thought. But what does it mean and what makes it an aesthetic turn? Why now? This diverse and path-breaking collection of essays answers these questions, provoking new ways to think about the possibilities and debilities of democratic politics.Beginning from the premise that politics is already "aesthetic in principle,†? the contributions to The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought from some of the world's leading political theorists and philosophers, disclose a distinct set of political problems: the aesthetic problems of modern politics. The aesthetic turn in political thought not only recognizes that these problems are different in kind from the standard problems of politics, it also recognizes that they call for a different kind of theorizing – a theorizing that is itself aesthetic.A major contribution to contemporary theoretical debates, The Aesthetic Turn in Political Thought will be essential reading to anyone interested in the interdisciplinary crossroads of aesthetic and politics.
Spinoza's 'Ethics': A Reader's Guide (Reader's Guides)
by J. Thomas CookThe Ethics is one of the undisputed masterworks of early modern philosophy. In this single volume Spinoza offers the reader an unorthodox account of God, a novel version of the mind-body relation, a systematic theory of the emotions and a detailed prescription for human virtue and blessedness. Too controversial to be published during his lifetime, it was surreptitiously printed by Spinoza's friends after his death. Nowadays the Ethics is studied in university classes as an exemplary work of early modern rationalism. In Spinoza's 'Ethics': A Reader's Guide, J. Thomas Cook explains the philosophical background against which the book was written and the key themes inherent in the text. The book then guides the reader to a clear understanding of the text as a whole, before exploring the reception and influence of this classic philosophical work. This is the ideal companion to study of this most influential and challenging of texts.
Metaphysics: A Critical Translation with Kant's Elucidations, Selected Notes, and Related Materials
by Alexander Baumgarten Courtney D. Fugate John HymersAlexander Baumgarten (1714-1762), an influential German philosopher preceding Immanuel Kant, is remembered mainly as a founder of modern aesthetics. Yet his manual on metaphysics was one of the chief textbooks of philosophical instruction in latter 18th-Century Germany. Originally published in Latin, Kant used the Metaphysics for nearly four decades as the basis for lectures on metaphysics, anthropology and religion. Kant composed many of the preparatory sketches for the Critique of Pure Reason in the blank interleaved pages of his personal copy. Available for the first time in English, this critical translation draws from the original seven Latin editions and Georg Friedrich Meier's 18th-century German translation. Together with a historical and philosophical introduction, extensive glossaries and notes, the text is supported by translations of Kant's elucidations and notes, Eberhard's insertions in the 1783 German edition and texts from the writings of Meier and Wolff. For scholars of Kant, the German Enlightenment and the history of metaphysics, Alexander Baumgarten's Metaphysics is an essential, authoritative resource to a significant philosophical text.
Free Will in Philosophical Theology (Bloomsbury Studies in Philosophy of Religion)
by Kevin TimpeFree Will in Philosophical Theology takes the most recent philosophical work on free will and uses it to elucidate and explore theological doctrines involving free will. Rather than being a work of natural theology, it is a work in what has been called clarification-using philosophy to understand, develop, systematize, and explain theological claims without first raising the justification for holding the theological claims that one is working with. Timpe's aim is to show how a particular philosophical account of the nature of free will-an account known as source incompatibilism-can help us understand a range of theological doctrines.
Zizek: A Guide for the Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed)
by Sean SheehanOne of the most widely-read thinkers writing today, Slavoj Žižek's work can be both thrilling and perplexing in equal measure. Žižek: A Guide for the Perplexed is the most up-to-date guide available for readers struggling to master the ideas of this hugely influential thinker. Unpacking the philosophical references that fill Žižek's writings, the book explores his influences, including Lacan, Kant, Hegel and Marx. From there, a chapter on 'Reading Žižek' guides the reader through the ways that he applies these core theoretical concepts in key texts like Tarrying With the Negative, The Ticklish Subject and The Parrallax View and in his books about popular culture like Looking Awry and Enjoy Your Symptom! Major secondary writings and films featuring Žižek are also covered.
Kant's 'Critique of Aesthetic Judgement': A Reader's Guide (Reader's Guides)
by Fiona HughesKant's Critique of Judgment is one of the most important works in the history of philosophy. It is a classic text, in which Kant elucidates his aesthetic theory, and is an important piece of philosophical writing. In Kant's 'Critique of Judgment': A Reader's Guide, Fiona Hughes offers a clear and thorough account of this key philosophical work. The book offers a detailed review of the key themes and a lucid commentary that will enable readers to rapidly navigate the text. Concentrating on Kant's Critique of Aesthetic Judgment, the first and most commonly read part of this critique, Hughes explores the complex and important ideas inherent in the text and provides a cogent survey of the reception and influence of Kant's work. Geared towards the specific requirements of undergraduate students, this is the ideal companion to study of this most influential of texts.
Vegetarianism: From Pythagoras To Peter Singer (Guides for the Perplexed)
by Kerry WaltersThe choice of whether or not to consume animals is more than merely a dietary one. It frequently reflects deep ethical commitments or religious convictions that serve as the bedrock of an entire lifestyle. Proponents of vegetarianism frequently infuriate nonvegetarians, who feel that they're being morally condemned because of what they choose to eat. Vegetarians are frequently infuriated by what they consider to be the nonvegetarians' disregard for the environment and animal-suffering. Vegetarianism: A Guide for the Perplexed offers a much needed survey of the different arguments offered by ethical vegetarians and their critics. In a rigorous but accessible manner, the author scrutinizes the strengths and weaknesses of arguments in defense of vegetarianism based on compassion, rights, interests, eco-feminism, environmentalism, anthrocentrism, and religion. Authors examined include Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Carol J. Adams, and Kathryn Paxton George.As the global climate crisis worsens, population increases, and fossil fuels disappear, ethical and public policy questions about the ethics of diet will become ever more urgent. This book is a useful resource for thinking through the questions.
The Continuum Companion to Epistemology (Bloomsbury Companions)
by Andrew CullisonThe Continuum Companion to Epistemology offers the definitive guide to a key area of contemporary philosophy. The book covers all the fundamental questions asked by epistemology - areas that have continued to attract interest historically as well as topics that have emerged more recently as active areas of research. Sixteen specially commissioned essays from an international team of experts reveal where important work continues to be done in the area and, most valuably, the exciting new directions the field is taking. The Companion explores issues pertaining to foundationalism, coherentism, infinitism, reliabilism, proper functionalism, evidentialism, skepticism, contextualism, epistemic relativism, intuition and experience. Featuring a series of indispensable research tools, including an A to Z of key terms and concepts, a chronology, a detailed list of resources and a fully annotated bibliography, this is the essential reference tool for anyone working in contemporary epistemology.
Religion: Key Concepts in Philosophy (Key Concepts in Philosophy)
by Brendan SweetmanThe philosophy of religion is a core area in the study of philosophy, as well as being a subject of growing contemporary interest. It encompasses some of the major and most complex philosophical questions. Does God exist? What is God's nature? Why does God allow evil? What is a religious experience? Are religion and science compatible? What relevance does evolution have for religious belief? It also covers questions concerning the challenge of religious pluralism, a topic of great contemporary relevance. Written with the specific needs of students new to philosophy in mind, Religion: Key Concepts in Philosophy covers the work of major thinkers and outlines clearly the central questions and arguments encountered in studying the philosophy of religion. This is an engaging and clear introduction to a major component of the undergraduate philosophy curriculum, as well as being an ideal support for general readers.
Hegel's Philosophy of Right: Subjectivity and Ethical Life (Continuum Studies in Philosophy)
by David JamesIn this important new book, David James offers an innovative interpretation of a key element of Hegel's political thought. James seeks to identify the basic aims of Hegel's philosophy of right through an analysis of his approach to subjectivity. He argues that the basic aim of Hegel's philosophy of right is to accommodate subjectivity within a framework of universally valid ethical norms and that an analysis of how Hegel attempts to do this provides a key to understanding his philosophy of right. This in turn makes possible a highly unified interpretation of the project that determines the shape and structure of his theory of modern ethical life. The ways in which Hegel uses the term subjectivity have never before been analysed in sufficient detail. James shows that Hegel's understanding of this term depends very much on the context in which he is using it and by analysing this carefully shows that this concept is essentially related to his theory of freedom. This fascinating book offers a unified interpretation of Hegel's philosophy of right and will make an important contribution to the study of Hegel's political thought.
Free Will 2nd edition: Sourcehood and its Alternatives (Bloomsbury Studies In Philosophy Of Religion Ser.)
by Kevin TimpeContemporarydebates on free will are numerous and multifaceted. According tocompatibilists, it is possible for an agent to be determined in all her choicesand actions and still be free. Incompatibilists, on the other hand, think thatthe existence of free will is incompatible with the truth of determinism. Thereare also two dominant conceptions of the nature of free will. According to thefirst, it is primarily a function of being able to do otherwise than one infact does. The second approach focuses on issues of sourcehood, holdingthat free will is primarily a function of an agent being the source of her actionsin a particular way. This book guides the student through all these debates, demarcating thedifferent conceptions of free will, exploring the relationships between them,and examining how they relate to the debate between compatibilists and incompatibilists.In the process, it addresses a number of other views, including revisionism andfree will scepticism. This is the ideal introduction to the contemporarydebates for students at all levels.
Contagious Metaphor
by Peta MitchellThe metaphor of contagion pervades critical discourse across the humanities, the medical sciences, and the social sciences. It appears in such terms as 'social contagion' in psychology, 'financial contagion' in economics, 'viral marketing' in business, and even 'cultural contagion' in anthropology. In the twenty-first century, contagion, or 'thought contagion' has become a byword for creativity and a fundamental process by which knowledge and ideas are communicated and taken up, and resonates with André Siegfried's observation that 'there is a striking parallel between the spreading of germs and the spreading of ideas'. In Contagious Metaphor, Peta Mitchell offers an innovative, interdisciplinary study of the metaphor of contagion and its relationship to the workings of language. Examining both metaphors of contagion and metaphor as contagion, Contagious Metaphor suggests a framework through which the emergence and often epidemic-like reproduction of metaphor can be better understood.
The Restoration of Albert Schweitzer's Ethical Vision
by Predrag CicovackiIn 1913, Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) left his internationally renowned career as a theologian, philosopher, and organ player to open a hospital in the jungles of Africa. There he developed in theory and practice his ethics of reverence for life. When he published his most important philosophical work, The Philosophy of Civilization, few people were serious about treating animals with dignity and giving any consideration to environmental issues. Schweitzer's urge was heard but not fully appreciated. One hundred years later, we are in a better position to do it. Predrag Cicovacki's book is a call to restore Schweitzer's vision. After critically and systematically discussing the most important aspects of the ethics of reverence for life, Cicovacki argues that the restoration of Schweitzer does not mean the restoration of any particular doctrine. It means summoning enough courage to reverse the deadly course of our civilization. And it also means establishing a way of life that stimulates striving toward what is the best and highest in human beings.Â
Georg Lukacs Reconsidered: Critical Essays in Politics, Philosophy and Aesthetics
by Michael J. ThompsonGeorg Lukács stands as a towering figure in the areas of critical theory, literary criticism, aesthetics, ethical theory and the philosophy of Marxism and German Idealism. Yet, despite his influence throughout the twentieth century, his contributions to the humanities and theoretical social sciences are marked by neglect. What has been lost is a crucial thinker in the tradition of critical theory, but also, by extension, a crucial set of ideas that can be used to shed new light on the major problems of contemporary society. This book reconsiders Lukács' intellectual contributions in the light of recent intellectual developments in political theory, aesthetics, ethical theory, and social and cultural theory. An international team of contributors contend that Lukács' ideas and theoretical contributions have much to offer the theoretical paucity of the present. Ultimately the book reintegrates Lukács as a central thinker, not only in the tradition of critical theory, but also as a major theorist and critic of modernity, of capitalism, and of new trends in political theory, cultural criticism and legal theory.
How Literature Changes the Way We Think
by Michael MackThe capacity of the arts and the humanities, and of literature in particular, to have a meaningful societal impact has been increasingly undervalued in recent history. Both humanists and scientists have tended to think of the arts as a means to represent the world via imagination. Mack maintains that the arts do not merely describe our world but that they also have the unique and underappreciated power to make us aware of how we can change accustomed forms of perception and action. Mack explores the works of prominent writers and thinkers, including Nietzsche, Foucault, Benjamin, Wilde, Roth, and Zizek, among others, to illustrate how literature interacts with both people and political as well as scientific issues of the real world. By virtue of its distance from the real world-its virtuality-the aesthetic has the capability to help us explore different and so far unthinkable forms of action and thereby to resist the repetition and perpetuation of harmful practices such as stereotyping, stigma, exclusion, and the exertion of violence.
The Bloomsbury Companion to Continental Philosophy (Bloomsbury Companions)
by John Mullarkey and Beth LordOriginally published as the Continuum Companion to Continental Philosophy, this book offers the definitive guide to contemporary Continental thought. It covers all the most pressing and important themes and categories in the field - areas that have continued to attract interest historically as well as topics that have emerged more recently as active areas of research. Twelve specially commissioned essays from an international team of experts reveal where important work continues to be done in the field and, valuably, how the various topics intersect. Featuring a series of indispensable research tools, including an A to Z of key terms and concepts, a chronology, and a guide to practical research in the field, this is the essential reference tool for anyone working in and studying Continental Philosophy.
The Continuum Companion to Aesthetics (Bloomsbury Companions)
by Anna Christina RibeiroThe Continuum Companion to Aesthetics offers thedefinitive guide to contemporary aesthetics. The book covers all the mostpressing and important themes and categories in the field - areas that havecontinued to attract interest historically as well as topics that have emergedmore recently as active areas of research. Seventeen specially commissionedessays from an international team of experts reveal where important workcontinues to be done in the area and, most valuably, the exciting newdirections the field is taking. Prefaced by a historical introduction highlightingthe key figures and tracing the development of the central terms in the field,the Companion explores new issues pertaining to contemporary art forms, as wellas tackling traditional questions in well-established art forms with theinsight of new disciplines such as evolutionary psychology and other areas ofcognitive science. Featuring a series of indispensable research tools,including a chronology, a detailed list of resources and a fully annotatedbibliography, this is the essential reference tool for anyone working inaesthetics.
The Ethics of Torture
by J. Jeremy Wisnewski R. D. EmerickTorture has recently been the subject of some sensational headlines. As a result, there has been a huge surge in interest in the ethical implications of this contentious issue. The Ethics of Torture offers the first complete introduction to the philosophical debates surrounding torture. The book asks key questions in light of recent events such as the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib.  What makes torture morally reprehensible? Are there any conditions under which torture is acceptable? What is it like to be tortured, and why do people engage in torture? The authors argue that the force of the most common arguments for torture (like the ticking-bomb argument) are significantly overestimated, while the wrongness of torture has been significantly underestimated-even by those who argue against it.This is the ideal introduction to the ethics of torture for students of moral philosophy or political theory. It also constitutes a significant contribution to the torture debate in its own right, presenting a unique approach to investigating this dark practice.
Hegel: A Guide for the Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed #162)
by David JamesContinuum's Guides for the Perplexed are clear, concise and accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that students and readers can find especially challenging. Concentrating specifically on what it is that makes the subject difficult to fathom, these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the reader towards a thorough understanding of demanding material. George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel is a philosopher of major and enduring influence. The author of The Phenomenology of Spirit and Foundations of the Philosophy of Right, cornerstones of the philosophical canon, he will be encountered by anyone studying or interested in Western philosophy. Hegel: A Guide for the Perplexed offers an invaluable introduction to Hegel's thought. David James employs the concept of freedom to offer a unified account of the most important parts of his philosophical system: his theory of intersubjectivity; his theory of the modern state; his accounts of art and religion; and his idea of a speculative logic. This accessible but authoritative text places Hegel in an historical context, exploring his engagement with thinkers including Fichte, Jacobi and Rousseau. This is a comprehensive and coherent introduction, ideal for anyone studying this fascinating thinker.
Jacques Ranciere: Education, Truth, Emancipation
by Charles Bingham Gert BiestaWinner - AERA 2011 Outstanding Book AwardJacques Rancière: Education, Truth, Emancipation demonstrates the importance of Rancière's work for educational theory, and in turn, it shows just how central Rancière's educational thought is to his work in political theory and aesthetics. Charles Bingham and Gert Biesta illustrate brilliantly how philosophy can benefit from Rancière's particular way of thinking about education, and go on to offer their own provocative account of the relationship between education, truth, and emancipation. Including a new essay by Rancière himself, this book is a must-read for scholars of social theory and all who profess to educate.
In the Beginning, She Was
by Luce IrigarayIn this new book, crucial for understanding her journey, Luce Irigaray goes further than in Speculum and questions the work of the Pre-Socratics at the root of our culture. Reminding us of the story of Ulysses and Antigone, she demonstrates how, from the beginning, Western tradition represents an exile for humanity. Indeed, to emerge from the maternal origin, man elaborated a discourse of mastery and constructed a world of his own that grew away from life and prevented perceiving the real as it is. To recover our natural belonging and learn how to cultivate it humanly is imperative and needs turning back before the golden age of Greek culture. Another language is, then, to discover, capable of expressing living energy and transforming our instincts into shareable desires.In the Beginning, She Was reworks themes that are central to Irigaray's thought: the limits of Western logic, the sexuation of discourse, the existence of two different subjects, the necessity of art as mediation towards another culture. These themes are approached with a new level of maturity that reconfirms the place of Irigaray as one of the world's most important contemporary thinkers.
Gabriel Marcel's Ethics of Hope: Evil, God and Virtue (Continuum Studies in Continental Philosophy)
by Jill Graper HernandezThe idea of 'hope' has received significant attention in the political sphere recently. But is hope just wishful thinking, or can it be something more than a political catch-phrase? This book argues that hope can be understood existentially, or on the basis of what it means to be human. Under this conception of hope, given to us by Gabriel Marcel, hope is not optimism, but the creation of ways for us to flourish. War, poverty and an absolute reliance on technology are real-life evils that can suffocate hope.Marcel's thought provides a way to overcome these negative experiences. An ethics of hope can function as an alternative to isolation, dread, and anguish offered by most existentialists. This book presents Marcel's existentialism as a convincing, relevant moral theory; founded on the creation of hope, interwoven with the individual's response to the death of God. Jill Hernandez argues that today's reader of Marcel can resonate with his belief that the experience of pain can be transcended through a philosophy of hope and an escape from materialism.