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A Philosophy of Beauty: Shaftesbury on Nature, Virtue, and Art
by Michael B. GillAn engaging account of how Shaftesbury revolutionized Western philosophyAt the turn of the eighteenth century, Anthony Ashley Cooper, the third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671–1713), developed the first comprehensive philosophy of beauty to be written in English. It revolutionized Western philosophy. In A Philosophy of Beauty, Michael Gill presents an engaging account of how Shaftesbury’s thought profoundly shaped modern ideas of nature, religion, morality, and art—and why, despite its long neglect, it remains compelling today.Before Shaftesbury’s magnum opus, Charactersticks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times (1711), it was common to see wilderness as ugly, to associate religion with fear and morality with unpleasant restriction, and to dismiss art as trivial or even corrupting. But Shaftesbury argued that nature, religion, virtue, and art can all be truly beautiful, and that cherishing and cultivating beauty is what makes life worth living. And, as Gill shows, this view had a huge impact on the development of natural religion, moral sense theory, aesthetics, and environmentalism.Combining captivating historical details and flashes of humor, A Philosophy of Beauty not only rediscovers and illuminates a fascinating philosopher but also offers an inspiring reflection about the role beauty can play in our lives.
Philosophy of Behavioral Biology
by Kathryn S. Plaisance Thomas A.C. ReydonThis volume provides a broad overview of issues in the philosophy of behavioral biology, covering four main themes: genetic, developmental, evolutionary, and neurobiological explanations of behavior. It is both interdisciplinary and empirically informed in its approach, addressing philosophical issues that arise from recent scientific findings in biological research on human and non-human animal behavior. Accordingly, it includes papers by professional philosophers and philosophers of science, as well as practicing scientists. Much of the work in this volume builds on presentations given at the international conference, "Biological Explanations of Behavior: Philosophical Perspectives", held in 2008 at the Leibniz Universität Hannover in Germany. The volume is intended to be of interest to a broad range of audiences, which includes philosophers (e.g., philosophers of mind, philosophers of biology, and metaethicists), as well as practicing scientists, such as biologists or psychologists whose interests relate to biological explanations of behavior.
The Philosophy of Being
by Henri RenardDelve into the profound depths of metaphysics with Henri Renard's The Philosophy of Being. This insightful work offers a comprehensive exploration of the fundamental principles of being, presenting readers with a thorough understanding of classical metaphysical thought and its enduring relevance to contemporary philosophical inquiry.Henri Renard, S.J., a distinguished philosopher and Jesuit scholar, masterfully guides readers through the complexities of metaphysics, focusing on the nature of existence and the essence of reality. The Philosophy of Being is rooted in the rich tradition of Thomistic philosophy, drawing extensively on the works of St. Thomas Aquinas and other great thinkers of the Scholastic tradition.The book covers key metaphysical concepts such as substance, essence, existence, causality, and the nature of God. Renard's clear and systematic approach makes these abstract ideas accessible, providing readers with a solid foundation in metaphysical principles. He carefully examines the interplay between potentiality and actuality, the hierarchy of being, and the relationship between essence and existence, offering a cohesive and comprehensive overview of metaphysical thought. His rigorous analysis and thoughtful reflections make this book an invaluable resource for students of philosophy, theologians, and anyone interested in the foundational questions of metaphysics.The Philosophy of Being is not only an academic treatise but also a profound meditation on the nature of reality and our place within it. Join Henri Renard on a journey through the timeless questions of metaphysics and discover the philosophical principles that lie at the heart of the nature of being. The Philosophy of Being is a timeless exploration of existence that continues to inspire and challenge readers to contemplate the mysteries of reality.
Philosophy of Biology (Philosophy And Science Ser. #1)
by Brian GarveyThis major new series in the philosophy of science aims to provide a new generation of textbooks for the subject. The series will not only offer fresh treatments of core topics in the theory and methodology of scientific knowledge, but also introductions to newer areas of the discipline. Furthermore, the series will cover topics in current science that raise significant foundational issues both for scientific theory and for philosophy more generally. Biology raises distinct questions of its own not only for philosophy of science, but for metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. This comprehensive new textbook for a rapidly growing field of study provides students new to the subject with an up-to-date presentation of the key philosophical issues. Care is taken throughout to keep the technicalities accessible to the non-biologist but without sacrificing the philosophical subtleties. The first part of the book covers the philosophical challenges posed by evolution and evolutionary biology, beginning with Darwin's central argument in the Origin of the Species. Individual chapters cover natural selection, the selfish gene, alternative units of selection, developmental systems theory, adaptionism and issues in macroevolution. The second part of the book examines philosophical questions arising in connection with biological traits, function, nature and nurture, and biological kinds. The third part of the book examines metaphysical questions, biology's relation with the traditional concerns of philosophy of science, and how evolution has been introduced into epistemological debates. The final part considers the relevance of biology to questions about ethics, religion and human nature.
Philosophy of Biology (Princeton Foundations of Contemporary Philosophy #8)
by Peter Godfrey-SmithAn essential introduction to the philosophy of biologyThis is a concise, comprehensive, and accessible introduction to the philosophy of biology written by a leading authority on the subject. Geared to philosophers, biologists, and students of both, the book provides sophisticated and innovative coverage of the central topics and many of the latest developments in the field. Emphasizing connections between biological theories and other areas of philosophy, and carefully explaining both philosophical and biological terms, Peter Godfrey-Smith discusses the relation between philosophy and science; examines the role of laws, mechanistic explanation, and idealized models in biological theories; describes evolution by natural selection; and assesses attempts to extend Darwin's mechanism to explain changes in ideas, culture, and other phenomena. Further topics include functions and teleology, individuality and organisms, species, the tree of life, and human nature. The book closes with detailed, cutting-edge treatments of the evolution of cooperation, of information in biology, and of the role of communication in living systems at all scales.Authoritative and up-to-date, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in the important philosophical issues raised by the biological sciences.
The Philosophy of Biology: An Episodic History
by Marjorie Grene David DepewIs life different from the non-living? If so, how? And how, in that case, does biology as the study of living things differ from other sciences? These questions are traced through an exploration of episodes in the history of biology and philosophy. The book begins with Aristotle, then moves on to Descartes, comparing his position with that of Harvey. In the eighteenth century the authors consider Buffon and Kant. In the nineteenth century the authors examine the Cuvier-Geoffroy debate, pre-Darwinian geology and natural theology, Darwin and the transition from Darwin to the revival of Mendelism. Two chapters deal with the evolutionary synthesis and such questions as the species problem, the reducibility or otherwise of biology to physics and chemistry, and the problem of biological explanation in terms of function and teleology. The final chapters reflect on the implications of the philosophy of biology for philosophy of science in general.
The Philosophy of Biology
by Kostas KampourakisThis book brings together for the first time philosophers of biology to write about some of the most central concepts and issues in their field from the perspective of biology education. The chapters of the book cover a variety of topics ranging from traditional ones, such as biological explanation, biology and religion or biology and ethics, to contemporary ones, such as genomics, systems biology or evolutionary developmental biology. Each of the 30 chapters covers the respective philosophical literature in detail and makes specific suggestions for biology education. The aim of this book is to inform biology educators, undergraduate and graduate students in biology and related fields, students in teacher training programs, and curriculum developers about the current state of discussion on the major topics in the philosophy of biology and its implications for teaching biology. In addition, the book can be valuable to philosophers of biology as an introductory text in undergraduate and graduate courses.
Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology
by Alex Rosenberg Robert ArpBy combining excerpts from key historical writings with editors' introductions and further reading material, Philosophy of Biology: An Anthology offers a comprehensive, accessible, and up-to-date collection of the field's most significant works. Addresses central questions such as 'What is life?' and 'How did it begin?', and the most current research and arguments on evolution and developmental biology Editorial notes throughout the text define, clarify, and qualify ideas, concepts and arguments Includes material on evolutionary psychology and evolutionary developmental biology not found in other standard philosophy of biology anthologies Further reading material assists novices in delving deeper into research in philosophy of biology
Philosophy of Biology: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy)
by Alex Rosenberg Daniel W. McSheaIs life a purely physical process? What is human nature? Which of our traits is essential to us? In this volume, Daniel McShea and Alex Rosenberg – a biologist and a philosopher, respectively – join forces to create a new gateway to the philosophy of biology; making the major issues accessible and relevant to biologists and philosophers alike. Exploring concepts such as supervenience; the controversies about genocentrism and genetic determinism; and the debate about major transitions central to contemporary thinking about macroevolution; the authors lay out the broad terms in which we should assess the impact of biology on human capacities, social institutions and ethical values.
Philosophy Of Biology: Essays In Evolutionary Philosophy (Dimensions Of Philosophy Ser.)
by Elliott SoberPerhaps because of it implications for our understanding of human nature, recent philosophy of biology has seen what might be the most dramatic work in the philosophies of the ?special? sciences. This drama has centered on evolutionary theory, and in the second edition of this textbook, Elliott Sober introduces the reader to the most important issues of these developments. With a rare combination of technical sophistication and clarity of expression, Sober engages both the higher level of theory and the direct implications for such controversial issues as creationism, teleology, nature versus nurture, and sociobiology. Above all, the reader will gain from this book a firm grasp of the structure of evolutionary theory, the evidence for it, and the scope of its explanatory significance.
The Philosophy of Capital
by Haifeng YANGThis book attempts to reveal Karl Marx’s philosophical critique of the social being in capitalist societies from the text of Capital. Marxists’ different understandings of Capital in different historical periods reveal the rich meaning of Capital, which plays an important role in promoting Marxian philosophy. These different modes of interpretation also mean that the understanding of Capital is endless, because re-reading of Capital will always open up a new realm for the interpretation of Marxian philosophy. Since the financial crisis in 2008, Capital has once again become a hot topic in academic fields. However, in these new interpretations, there is no fundamental breakthrough in the illustration of Marx’s thought, because some either stick to the discussions in pure economic fields, some the revision of Marx’s manuscripts from the perspective of literature compilation, others the role of Engels’ edition. The popularity of Capital mainly stays in a certain emotion and in the internal requirements of critical reflection on capitalist society.
Philosophy of Care
by Boris GroysRetracing the philosophical discussions around careOur current culture is dominated by the ideology of creativity. One is supposed to create the new and not to care about the things as they are. This ideology legitimises the domination of the &“creative class&” over the rest of the population that is predominantly occupied by forms of care – medical care, child care, agriculture, industrial maintenance and so on. We have a responsibility to care for our own bodies, but here again our culture tends to thematize the bodies of desire and to ignore the bodies of care – ill bodies in need of self-care and social care.But the discussion of care has a long philosophical tradition. The book retraces some episodes of this tradition - beginning with Plato and ending with Alexander Bogdanov through Hegel, Heidegger, Bataille and many others. The central question discussed is: who should be the subject of care? Should I care for myself or trust the others, the system, the institutions? Here, the concept of the self-care becomes a revolutionary principle that confronts the individual with the dominating mechanisms of control.
The Philosophy of Care (Phänomenologische Erziehungswissenschaft #11)
by Luigina MortariCare is the most important thing for life, since to model life we need to care for ourselves, for the others, and for the human institutions. Care is the most important ontological phenomenon because we are what we care for. It is essential to care for life in order to maintain it along time, to make it flourish and to repair the wounds of being-there.This book develops a philosophy of care not only by considering the contemporary literature, but above all by basing the argumentations on the ancient Greek philosophy. Moreover, the argumentations are grounded in a phenomenological analysis of the experience of care.
The Philosophy of Change: Comparative Insights on the Yijing
by Chung-ying ChengIn The Philosophy of Change, the distinguished scholar of Chinese philosophy Chung-ying Cheng advances our understanding of the Yijing by analyzing its philosophy in comparison to Western philosophical traditions. Cheng focuses on critically comparing philosophies of science, religion, and metaphysics in Leibniz, Whitehead, Neville, and Cobb alongside classical Chinese views on reality, divinity, knowledge, and morality. The book begins and ends with questions related to the character of Chinese metaphysical traditions, which contrast with the mainline metaphysical traditions found in Western Europe and North America. Cheng argues throughout the book that the philosophical underpinnings of basic concepts in Chinese culture are ultimately rooted in key claims found within the Yijing 易經 and one of its standard commentaries, the Yizhuan 易傳. The book serves as a complementary volume to the author's previous book, The Primary Way: Philosophy of the Yijing, which lays out a comprehensive and systematic philosophy based on the symbolism and text of the classical document and its traditional commentaries.
The Philosophy of Charles W. Mills: Race and the Relations of Power
by Mark William Westmoreland George YancyCharles W. Mills (1951–2021) was considered by many to be the most well-known philosopher specializing in political philosophy and critical philosophy of race. This is the first collection of essays to critically examine the key themes of Mills’s philosophy across his major works.The chapters in this volume engage with major themes such as the racial contract, non-ideal theory, metaphysics of race, epistemology of ignorance, and corrective justice. They also explore Mills’s engagement with philosophical figures including Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Maria Lugones, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, and John Rawls. Furthermore, the contributors seek to uncover unexplored terrain which may be illuminated by applying many of Mills’s key insights.The Philosophy of Charles W. Mills will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in political philosophy, philosophy of race, Africana philosophy, and Black political thought.
Philosophy of Chemistry (Integrated Science #2)
by Hrvoj VančikThis book, Philosophy of Chemistry, is dedicated to some of the general principles of philosophy of chemistry, the special branch of philosophy of science. Since the work is a collection of lectures that the Author gave at the University of Zagreb (Croatia) during the period of twenty years, the book could serve also as a university textbook in philosophy of chemistry. Philosophy of chemistry is represented through the discussion about some of the general philosophical problems such as, theory of complexity, autonomy of sciences, epistemology, falsificationism, emergence and unity of science, holism and reductionism, the problem of identity, and hierarchical structures, as well as the teleological aspects of science. The work consists from thirteen chapters where the main science-philosophical problems are represented and discussed within the historical context of the development of chemistry as a science. The book is aimed at wider academic audience interesting in the philosophy of science, and especially at university students of life sciences.
The Philosophy of Ch’eng I (China Academic Library)
by Yung-Ch’un Ts’aiThis book offers a comprehensive account of the great Neo-Confucian Master Cheng I (1033-1107), showing his philosophical ideas in a modern light. It systematically examines Cheng’s extensive literature and provides an ingenious interpretation of Cheng’s social and political views. The author, Yung-ch’un Ts’ai, was a respected scholar of sociology and theology in 20th century China.
The Philosophy of Childhood
by Gareth MatthewsSo many questions, such an imagination, endless speculation: the child seems to be a natural philosopher--until the ripe old age of eight or nine, when the spirit of inquiry mysteriously fades. What happened? Was it something we did--or didn't do? Was the child truly the philosophical being he once seemed? Gareth Matthews takes up these concerns in The Philosophy of Childhood, a searching account of children's philosophical potential and of childhood as an area of philosophical inquiry. Seeking a philosophy that represents the range and depth of children's inquisitive minds, Matthews explores both how children think and how we, as adults, think about them. Adult preconceptions about the mental life of children tend to discourage a child's philosophical bent, Matthews suggests, and he probes the sources of these limiting assumptions: restrictive notions of maturation and conceptual development; possible lapses in episodic memory; the experience of identity and growth as "successive selves," which separate us from our own childhoods. By exposing the underpinnings of our adult views of childhood, Matthews, a philosopher and longtime advocate of children's rights, clears the way for recognizing the philosophy of childhood as a legitimate field of inquiry. He then conducts us through various influential models for understanding what it is to be a child, from the theory that individual development recapitulates the development of the human species to accounts of moral and cognitive development, including Piaget's revolutionary model. The metaphysics of playdough, the authenticity of children's art, the effects of divorce and intimations of mortality on a child--all have a place in Matthews's rich discussion of the philosophical nature of childhood. His book will prompt us to reconsider the distinctions we make about development and the competencies of mind, and what we lose by denying childhood its full philosophical breadth.
A Philosophy of Chinese Architecture: Past, Present, Future
by David WangA Philosophy of Chinese Architecture: Past, Present, Future examines the impact of Chinese philosophy on China’s historic structures, as well as on modern Chinese urban aesthetics and architectural forms. For architecture in China moving forward, author David Wang posits a theory, the New Virtualism, which links current trends in computational design with long-standing Chinese philosophical themes. The book also assesses twentieth-century Chinese architecture through the lenses of positivism, consciousness (phenomenology), and linguistics (structuralism and poststructuralism). Illustrated with over 70 black-and-white images, this book establishes philosophical baselines for assessing architectural developments in China, past, present and future.
Philosophy of Chinese Art (China Perspectives)
by Zhu ZhirongThis title provides a systematic examination of the philosophy of Chinese art, exploring the peculiarity of artistic forms and distinctive conceptions and artistic principles of Chinese art which are grounded in the life awareness of the ancient Chinese and interconnect with the Chinese philosophy of life.Synthesizing Chinese theories of art with Western philosophical systems, the book is organized into five parts: (1) the subject, the actor who creates, appreciates, and criticizes artistic works; (2) ontological aspects, that is, the artwork per se and the dynamic process of creation; (3) aesthetic traits, the organic whole constituted by rhythm, meter, the principle of harmony, and space-time awareness; (4) artistic representation, which is manifested in the rhythm of vital energy, momentum of genre, vigour of style, and taste and inclination; and (5) the evolution of Chinese art. Based on this structural thread, the author looks into the interwoven relationship between the philosophy of Chinese art and ancient Chinese thought in terms of the spirit of life, nature–human relations, and ontological awareness of human-centredness.The book will appeal to scholars, students, and general readers interested in aesthetics, art theory, art philosophy, Chinese art, and ancient Chinese culture.
The Philosophy of Chinese Moral Education: A History
by Zhuran You A. G. Rud Yingzi HuThe book depicts a unique historical and cultural phenomenon, the philosophy of Chinese moral education, in an attempt to capture the essence of Chinese culture. While tracing the historical journey of this philosophy, the book rearranges and interprets the conceptual frameworks concerning moral education in various Chinese philosophical schools and religions. In so doing, it summarizes the ideas of human relations, man and nature, cosmology, moral virtues, and educational approaches, posing intriguing questions about how they have influenced Chinese characteristics, social norms, and value orientations. In particular, the book brings up discussions on the culture of family and state, the challenges that the philosophy had encountered in early modern and present China, as well as the prospect of regeneration of the philosophy and its significance for our world today. This is the book to read if you want to have a deep understanding about China and its belief and educational system.
A Philosophy of Christian Materialism: Entangled Fidelities and the Public Good (Intensities: Contemporary Continental Philosophy of Religion)
by Christopher Baker John Reader Thomas A. JamesA Philosophy of Christian Materialism offers a new religious engagement with the public sphere via means of interdisciplinary analysis and empirical examples, developing what the authors call a Relational Christian Realism building upon interaction with contemporary Philosophy of Religion. The book argues that the current discourse on public religion is inadequate in addressing the issues now to be faced, including: material religious practice in the sphere of education; the growth of alternative political movements and the developing awareness of environmental concerns and urban social justice. Key concepts that support this strategic analysis are: entangled fidelities (the form of a materialist religious practice); the possibility of a relational Christian realism (including new developments in how we interpret key categories of doctrine including God and creation, salvation and humanity), and the post-secular public sphere (including the emerging phenomenon of postsecular rapprochement - namely the coming together of both religious and secular actors in methodologies and politics of pragmatism as well as ethical discourse for the sake of the public commons). Co-authored by theologians in both the USA and the UK, this book represents an exciting contribution to philosophy and practice of religion on both sides of the Atlantic and aspires to be sufficiently interdisciplinary to also appeal to readerships engaged in the study of modern political and social trends.
A Philosophy of Christian Morals for Today (Routledge Library Editions: Philosophy of Religion)
by Robert CorkeyPhilosophers have been sharply divided in attempts to reconcile the validity of the moral distinctions essential to social well-being with the apparent ethical neutrality of the factual world. The failure to find an agreed solution to this problem produced the popular theory of Logical Empiricism, according to which ethical statements are meaningless. This and other kindred doctrines of ethical relativism that emerged in the first half of the twentieth century, are obviously fatal to the Christian belief that there is ‘down here below’ a recognisable Kingdom of God that men were born to serve. In this book, originally published in 1961, the author offer a complete analysis of the nature of ethical perception to show how the two factors in moral decisions – a sense of moral obligation, and recognisable objective ethical values – can both be brought into a single coherent system of truth. He isolates the unique and ultimate element common to all our ethical and moral concepts and presents a clear view that the basic values recognised in a reasonable humanistic morality are embraced in the wider ideals of Christian Love. The purpose is to present a coherent system of moral truth that will, in this scientific age, commend itself to thoughtful people without offending their intelligence.
The Philosophy of Classical Yoga
by Georg FeuersteinThis is the first comprehensive and systematic analytical study of the major philosophical concepts of classical yoga. The book consists of a series of detailed discussions of the key concepts used by Patanjali in his Yoga-Sutra to describe and explain the enigma of human existence and to point a way beyond the perpetual motion of the wheel of becoming. Feuerstein's study differs from previous ones in that it seeks to free Patanjali's aphoristic statements from the accretions of later interpretations; instead, the author places the Sutra in its original context and sees it as the source of the whole edifice of classical yoga and not just as a summary of previous developments. This book will be of interest to comparative religionists, Indologists, and practitioners of yoga who wish to deepen their understanding of its philosophical basis.
Philosophy of Communication (Palgrave Philosophy Today)
by Giacomo TurbantiBy comprehensively exploring the theoretical questions raised by professional communication, this book provides an introduction to the philosophy of communication. Key Features:Arranged in three parts encompassing the theory of communication, conflict transformation and the role communication plays within organizations. Examines how agreement is reached through communication, how such agreement is negotiated between different perspectives and how such negotiation produces our organizations. Includes a full range of pedagogical features, including study questions, essay questions. chapter summaries, focus points and suggestions for further reading. Philosophy of Communication is essential reading for all students of the philosophy of communication.