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Mathematics for the Nonmathematician
by Morris KlinePractical, scientific, philosophical, and artistic problems have caused men to investigate mathematics. But there is one other motive which is as strong as any of these--the search for beauty. Mathematics is an art, and as such affords the pleasures which all the arts afford." In this erudite, entertaining college-level text, Morris Kline, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New York University, provides the liberal arts student with a detailed treatment of mathematics in a cultural and historical context. The book can also act as a self-study vehicle for advanced high school students and laymen. Professor Kline begins with an overview, tracing the development of mathematics to the ancient Greeks, and following its evolution through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day. Subsequent chapters focus on specific subject areas, such as "Logic and Mathematics," "Number: The Fundamental Concept," "Parametric Equations and Curvilinear Motion," "The Differential Calculus," and "The Theory of Probability." Each of these sections offers a step-by-step explanation of concepts and then tests the student's understanding with exercises and problems. At the same time, these concepts are linked to pure and applied science, engineering, philosophy, the social sciences or even the arts.In one section, Professor Kline discusses non-Euclidean geometry, ranking it with evolution as one of the "two concepts which have most profoundly revolutionized our intellectual development since the nineteenth century." His lucid treatment of this difficult subject starts in the 1800s with the pioneering work of Gauss, Lobachevsky, Bolyai and Riemann, and moves forward to the theory of relativity, explaining the mathematical, scientific and philosophical aspects of this pivotal breakthrough. Mathematics for the Nonmathematician exemplifies Morris Kline's rare ability to simplify complex subjects for the nonspecialist.
The Methodological Heritage of Newton
by Robert E. Butts John W. DavisIn recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in Newton and his influence. His thought, like that of Aristotle and every other great thinker, underwent development which contemporary scholars are seeking to understand more clearly than did their predecessors, awed as they were by the overwhelming Newtonian achievement.As the titles indicate, the range of essays included in this volume is wide, but most are concerned not so much with explaining Newton's development as with assessing his contribution to the thought of others. They explore all aspects of the conceptual background--historical, philosophical, and narrowly methodological--and examine questions that developed in the wake of Newton's science. The papers are varied yet unified in their attention to common themes and show the wealth of philosophical matter to be found in scientific synthesis. Newton left a rich complexity of philosophical problems whose attempted resolution helps our understanding both of method and positive science. His theories are one of the greatest achievements in physics; they are also valuable case studies for those interested in grasping the methodological and broadly philosophical basis of science. Four of the seven essays in this volume were prepared for an international conference held at the University of Western Ontario in April 1967; the three other papers were added by the editors to supplement and unify the collection.
Moments of Mindfulness
by Thich Nhat HanhThis beautifully designed gift book contains many of the best-loved inspirational quotations and passages from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Basic meditation instructions and messages of peace, love, insight, understanding, and compassion accompany two-color illustrations throughout, with blank pages for personal reflections and inspiration. Moments of Mindfulness is a perfect journal for spiritual exploration.Moments of Mindfulness is intended to be used as a personal notebook or to simply read for everyday inspiration, and to help bring mindful practices and reflection to daily life. With illustrations by Jenifer Kent, beautiful details and design, it makes a wonderful gift.
Morality and Utility
by Jan NarvesonOriginally published in 1967. In the past half-century, Utilitarianism has fallen out of favor among professional philosophers, except in such "amended" forms as "Ideal" and "Rule" Utilitarianism. Professor Narveson contends that amendments and qualifications are unnecessary and misguided, and that a careful interpretation and application of the original theory, as advocated by Bentham, the Mills, and Sidgwick, obviates any need for modification. Drawing on the analytical work of such influential recent thinkers as Stevenson, Toulmin, Hare, Nowell-Smith, and Baier, the author attempts to draw a more careful and detailed picture than has previously been offered of the logical status and workings of the Principle of Utility. He then turns to the traditional objections to the theory as developed by such respected thinkers as Ross, Frankena, Hart, and Rawls and attempts to show how Utilitarianism can account for our undoubted obligations in the areas of punishment, promising, distributive justice, and the other principal moral convictions of mankind. He contends that the Principle of Utility implies whatever is recognized to be clearly true in these convictions and that it leaves room to doubt whatever is doubtful in them. Narveson concludes with a rationally forceful proof of the Principle of Utility. In the course of this argument, which draws on the most widely accepted recent findings in analytical ethics, Narveson discovers an essential identity between the ethical outlooks of Kant and of Mill, which are traditionally held to be antithetical. Both thinkers, he shows, center on the principle that the interests of others are to be regarded as equal in value to one's own. A new view of Mill's celebrated "proof of utilitarianism" is developed in the course of the discussion.
Nature, Contemplation, and the One: A Study in the Philosophy of Plotinus
by John DeckPlotinus has been so highly regarded as a mystic that his importance as a philosopher has sometimes been thrown into eclipse. Yet neoplatonic philosophy lives in and through his works; indeed, his original development of Platonic and Aristotelian themes stands as a kind of summation of Greek philosophy as it first came to be known in the Christian West. In Nature, Contemplation, and the One, Professor Deck has undertaken a reappraisal of Plotinus' thought from the standpoint of a central doctrine in the Enneads, that of nature as contemplation. This new view enables him to show that the producing of the physical world by means of contemplation is an internally consistent doctrine with ramifications throughout the Plotinian view of being, causality, and the generation of a plural universe by the self-subsistent One. The result is a systematic account of Plotinus' major teachings, and a fresh view of their meaning and philosophic importance. Professor Deck has appended a new translation of the parts of the Enneads which are central to the doctrine of nature as contemplation, and his study proceeds by careful reference to the original texts. Students, philosophers, and historians will welcome this important and unusually clear-headed approach to a major figure in Western thought.
On Great Writing (on The Sublime)
by Longinus G. M. A. GrubeCelebrated for its own clarity and sublime style, this classic work of literary theory draws on the writings of Demosthenes, Plato, Sappho, Thucydides, Euripides, and Aeschylus, among others, to examine and delineate the essentials of a noble style. The complete translation, from the Greek of A. O. Prickard's Oxford text, features an introduction by Grube, establishing the historical and critical context of the work, and a biographical index.
On the Genealogy of Morals and Ecce Homo
by Friedrich Nietzsche Walter KaufmannThe great philosopher's major work on ethics, along with ECCE HOMO, Nietzche's remarkable review of his life and works. Translated by Walter Kaufmann.From the Trade Paperback edition.
People versus Politics: A study of opinions, attitudes, and perceptions in Vancouver-Burrard (The Royal Society of Canada Special Publications)
by J. A. LaponceThis lively and sophisticated study describes the opinions and attitudes of the electors in one electoral district (Vancouver-Burrard) during the federal and provincial elections held from 1963 to 1965. Based on interviews with a random sample of 800 people in the riding, it examines voting patterns in relation to age, sex, religion, ethnicity, social class, party preference, knowledge of politics, and level of education. Using these data Professor Laponce measures and identifies the distinguishing characteristics of voters and non-votes; of Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, and Social Creditors; of party "faithfuls" and party "migrants" (in particular those who support different parties in provincial and federal elections); and it describes the electors' attitudes to the parties competing for their support. The results of the study are compared to the results of surveys carried out in other parts of Canada, Britain, and the United States. Important sociologically for its contribution to research in the establishment of universal political patterns, this study also has immediate application to present political events in Canada and the United States.
Phenomenology and Existentialism
by Edward N. Lee and Maurice MandelbaumOriginally published in 1967. Focusing on key philosophers and the tenants of their thought, Phenomenology and Existentialism forms a wide-ranging introduction to two important movements in modern philosophy. Included are essays by Roderick M. Chisholm on Brentano, Aron Gurwitsch on Husserl, E.F. Kaelin on Heidegger, J. Glenn Gray on Heidegger, George L. Kline on Hegel and Marx, James M. Edie on Sartre, Frederick A. Olafson on Merleau-Ponty,Herbert Spiegelberg on Phenomenology and psychology, and Albert William Levi on the alienation of man.
Polish Analytical Philosophy: A Survey and a Comparison with British Analytical Philosophy (Routledge Revivals)
by Henryk SkolimowskiFirst published in 1967, Polish Analytical Philosophy presents the first comprehensive study of Polish analytical philosophy that has been written in Polish or English, traces the origin of the Polish analytical movement, it's development in the period between the World Wars, and its decline after the Second World War. The book shows that although inspired by the British movement and in close touch with the Vienna circle, Polish philosophy acquired its own distinctive character. Analytical philosophy in Poland was actively engaged in logic and language but tended rather to be interested in constructing philosophical doctrines which attempted to resolve traditional problems of ontology and epistemology.The author contrasts leading representatives of analytical philosophy in Britain and in Poland, and his study will be a valuable addition to the literature of the analytical trend in Europe.
Politics of Survival: The Conservative Part of Canada, 1939-1945 (The Royal Society of Canada Special Publications)
by J. L. GranatsteinProfessor Granatstrin's book is a fascinating account of the Conservative party's struggle for survival during the Second World War. In some respects a new departure in Canadian history and with some startling parallels to present-day events and personalities in Canadian politics, it is the first full-length look at a major party during a critical period of our history. Lively writing and a wealth of documentation that has only recently become available help to make it one of the most interesting studies to be published in this field.
Principles and Persons: An Ethical Interpretation of Existentialism
by Frederick OlafsonOriginally published in 1967. Many critics have claimed that existentialism has not produced any ethics, as distinct from the moralistic assertions of its individual proponents. Challenging this view, Professor Olafson demonstrates that Sartre, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty indeed worked out a powerful ethical theory and that their positions must be understood as deriving from a voluntarist concept of moral autonomy that can be traced beyond Nietzsche and Kant to certain tendencies in late-medieval thought. He demonstrates that a broad parallelism exists between developments in ethical theory among Continental philosophers of the phenomenological persuasion and the more analytically inclined philosophers of the English-speaking world.
Revolution in the Revolution?
by Regis DebrayRevolution in the Revolution? is a brilliant, pragmatic assessment of the situation in Latin America in the 1960s. First published in 1967, it became a controversial handbook for guerrilla warfare and revolution, read alongside Che’s own pamphlets, and remains fully as important as the writings of Guevara. Lucid and compelling, it spares no personage, no institution, and no concept, taking on not only Russian and Chinese strategies but Trotskyism as well.The year it was published, Debray was convicted of having been part of Guevara’s guerrilla group and sentenced to thirty years in prison. He was released in 1970, following an international campaign, which included appeals by Jean-Paul Sartre, André Malraux, General Charles de Gaulle and Pope Paul VI.
Roads to Maturity/Vers La Maturité: Proceedings of the Second Canadian Conference on Children/Déliberations de la second Conférence Canadienne de l'Enfance Montréal, October 31-November 4, 1965
by Margery KingThis volume contains the proceedings of the second Canadian Conference on Children which was held in Montreal in the autumn of 1965. It includes four papers given by Dr. Alva Myrdal, Dr. Alan Ross, Dr. M.S. Rabinovitch and Dr. C.E. Hendry, all well known for their attention to the problems of children growing up in the present world and concerned here to draw attention to those they see in Canada and elsewhere. A running commentary is supplied by Dr. Alan Thomas on the less formal side of the conference—the discussions that took place in groups after the speeches. The four papers and the commentary are printed in both English and French. Reverend Roger Guindon O.M.I. of the University of Ottawa provides the closing address, presented in a style which can be seen as an interesting new approach to the Canadian problem of bilingualism.
Science and ESP (Routledge Library Editions: History & Philosophy of Science)
by J. R. SmythiesOriginally published in 1967. Representing the viewpoints of philosophers, psychologists, anthropologists, physicists, psychoanalysts, parapsychologists, psychiatrists and biologists, this volume discusses many aspects of ESP. The general theme is that the phenomena is very valid and can no longer be ignored.
Square Sun Square Moon: A Collection of Sweet Sour Essays
by Paul RepsThis collection of Zen essays by the author of Zen Flesh, Zen Bones offers an enlightening perspective on a variety of topics.From the introduction:Not all of us can be exuberant travelers though we all dream of faraway places. <P><P>Not all of us can sec the subliminal with a penetrating eye, though many of us yearn to shake off the philistine shells that restrict our lives to the prosaic.Here, then, is your chance! In the privacy of your den, on the commode, in the library wherever you find reading most pleasurable reps invites you t o share his experiences vicariously. Within these pages, if you synchronize properly, you may find yourself in Tahiti where you "breathe this flowered air, drink the cascading water, cat the fruits and just sleep" until "you too become sweet."
Story of Philosophy: The Lives And Opinions Of The Great Philosophers
by Will DurantA brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the great philosophers -- Plato, Aristotle, Bacon, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kant, Schopenhauer, Spencer, Nietzsche, Bergson, Croce, Russell, Santayana, James and Dewey -- The Story of Philosophy is one of the great books of our time. Few write for the nonspecialist as well as Will Durant, and this book is a splendid example of his eminently readable scholarship. Durant's insight and wit never cease to dazzle; The Story of Philosophy is a key book for any reader who wishes to survey the history and development of philosophical ideas in the Western world.yle. The Story of Philosophy opens vistas of intellectual adventure and growth to those who hunger for the total perspective that is philosophy. Within its pages, Durant seeks the wisest and most indestructible answers from the world's greatest philosophers to the persistent and fundamental questions about first and last things.
The Story of Western Philosophy, 2nd Edition
by Francis H. ParkerThis book is a guide to the interpretation of the history of Western philosophy. It is designed especially for use in a course in the history of philosophy. It may also prove useful for other purposes, such as an historical introduction to philosophy or a comprehensive review of the history of philosophy or just as a help to the general reader trying to make some sense out of the history of Western philosophy.
The Transcendence of the Cave: Sequel to The Discipline of the Cave (Routledge Revivals)
by John Niemeyer FindlayFirst published in 1967, The Transcendence of the Cave is the second in a series of Gifford Lectures on philosophical issues, and continues the themes of the first series entitled The Discipline of the Cave. In the opening chapters, J N Findlay sketches an ontology, an axiology and a theology which are ‘phenomenological’ in the sense of Husserl, as they attempt to show that a ‘firmament’ of logical and other values emerges out of the contingencies of first order liking and interest. The synthesis of these values in an object having many paradoxical, mystical-religious properties is also a necessary outcome of this ‘logic’. In the later chapters, the author attempts to construct an orderly picture of other worldly experiences and their objects based solely on the premise that these experiences must be such as to resolve the many philosophical surds that plague us in this life.
Vasconcelos of Mexico: Philosopher and Prophet
by John H. HaddoxJosé Vasconcelos--lawyer, politician, writer, educator, philosopher, prophet, and mystic--was one of the most influential and controversial figures in the intellectual life of twentieth-century Mexico. Vasconcelos was driven by the desire to gain a complete and comprehensive vision of reality, employing his own aesthetic-emotive method and a poetic mode of expression. The complex philosophical system that resulted is what he called "aesthetic monism. " But this is only one side of the man. Vasconcelos was also vitally interested in both the proximate realities and remote possibilities of Mexico, in the character of the "cosmic race" of his homeland, and in the relations between his own country and the others of this hemisphere. Soon after Vasconcelos's death in 1959, Eduardo García Máynez spoke of him, in a moving tribute, as "without question the most inspiring intellectual and human figure that Mexico has produced. " Unhappily--and perhaps disgracefully--he has remained almost unknown outside the Spanish-speaking world. Histories of Mexico published in English usually give passing mention to his role as Minister of Public Education or his unsuccessful campaign for the presidency, but his aesthetic system and his socio-political ideas have been ignored by philosophers in the United States. Here, for the first time, is a unified, inclusive, and occasionally critical presentation of the entire range of Vasconcelos's thought, from his metaphysics and theory of knowledge through his aesthetics and ethics to his social and political philosophy. It is enriched by an appendix in which the most significant passages from Vasconcelos's own philosophical writings are presented in English translations. José Vasconcelos - lawyer, politician, writer, educator, philosopher, prophet, and mystic - was one of the most influential and controversial figures in the intellectual life of twentieth-century Mexico. Vasconcelos was driven by the desire to gain a complete and comprehensive vision of reality, employing his own aesthetic-emotive method and a poetic mode of expression. The complex philosophical system that resulted is what he called "aesthetic monism". But this is only one side of the man. Vasconcelos was also vitally interested in both the proximate realities and remote possibilities of Mexico, in the character of the "cosmic race" of his homeland, and in the relations between his own country and the others of this hemisphere. Soon after Vasconcelos's death in 1959, Eduardo García Máynez spoke of him, in a moving tribute, as "without question the most inspiring intellectual and human figure that Mexico has produced". Unhappily - and perhaps disgracefully - he has remained almost unknown outside the Spanish-speaking world. Histories of Mexico published in English usually give passing mention to his role as Minister of Public Education or his unsuccessful campaign for the presidency, but his aesthetic system and his socio-political ideas have been ignored by philosophers in the United States. Here, for the first time, is a unified, inclusive, and occasionally critical presentation of the entire range of Vasconcelos's thought, from his metaphysics and theory of knowledge through his aesthetics and ethics to his social and political philosophy. It is enriched by an appendix in which the most significant passages from Vasconcelos's own philosophical writings are presented in English translations.
The Will to Power
by Friedrich NietzscheRepresents a selection from Nietzche's notebooks to find out what he wrote on nihilism, art, morality, religion, and the theory of knowledge, among others.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Will to Power
by Friedrich NietzscheRepresents a selection from Nietzche's notebooks to find out what he wrote on nihilism, art, morality, religion, and the theory of knowledge, among others.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Wisdom of Karl Marx (Wisdom)
by The Wisdom SeriesAn A-to-Z reference of the great social reformer&’s own words Among modern philosophers, few have had a greater impact on history than Karl Marx. Now this easy-to-use introduction to the nineteenth-century theorist breaks down his work into definitions of his terms and concepts, including Bourgeois State, Classless Society, and Freedom of the Press. Accompanied by an insightful introductory essay that puts the included excerpts from his works in context, The Wisdom of Marx is essential reading for an understanding of the man whose work incited far-reaching social and economic change.
The Wisdom of Karl Marx (Wisdom)
by The Wisdom SeriesAn A-to-Z reference of the great social reformer&’s own words Among modern philosophers, few have had a greater impact on history than Karl Marx. Now this easy-to-use introduction to the nineteenth-century theorist breaks down his work into definitions of his terms and concepts, including Bourgeois State, Classless Society, and Freedom of the Press. Accompanied by an insightful introductory essay that puts the included excerpts from his works in context, The Wisdom of Marx is essential reading for an understanding of the man whose work incited far-reaching social and economic change.
The Wisdom of Oscar Wilde (Wisdom)
by the Wisdom ofA comprehensive selection of his quips, aphorisms, and witOne of the most well known personalities of his day, Oscar Wilde charmed and beguiled readers and audiences with his eloquent and biting observations, his smart quips, and the witticisms peppering his own speech and the speech of his characters. The Wisdom of Oscar Wilde collects both his best-loved quotes and longer excerpts, revealing a man wise to human nature and his times, and never shy with his searing comments on men, women, art, behavior, children, politics, youth, and a range of other topics. Drawing from his plays, articles, reviews, speeches, letters, and other works, this definitive volume is an entertaining immersion into the world of this charming genius.