A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy: 2 Volume Set (Blackwell Companions to Philosophy)

This new edition of A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy has been extended significantly to include 55 chapters across two volumes written by some of today's most distinguished scholars.

• New contributors include some of today’s most distinguished scholars, among them Thomas Pogge, Charles Beitz, and Michael Doyle
• Provides in-depth coverage of contemporary philosophical debate in all major related disciplines, such as economics, history, law, political science, international relations and sociology
• Presents analysis of key political ideologies, including new chapters on Cosmopolitanism and Fundamentalism
  Includes detailed discussions of major concepts in political philosophy, including virtue, power, human rights, and just war.

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What Is Philosophy?

From Library Journal Philosophy, according to the authors, is the only study that is concerned with the creation of concepts, which distinguishes it from science, logic, and art. To support this thesis, the authors discuss the nature of these disciplines and the thought of a wide spectrum of philosophers, from Plato to Foucault. Unfortunately, singular insights are buried in a text so dense with metaphor and figurative language (e.g., "the plane of immanence," "conceptual personae") that it is impossible to decide whether they have argued their case successfully or even whether they have made their thesis fully intelligible. For academic libraries collecting these authors and continental philosophy.
Leon H. Brody, U.S. Office of Personnel Mgt. Lib., Washington, D.C.
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Philosophy and Design: From Engineering to Architecture

This volume provides the reader with an integrated overview of state-of-the-art research in philosophy and ethics of design in engineering and architecture. It contains twenty-five essays that focus on engineering designing in its traditional sense, on designing in novel engineering domains, including ICT, genetics, and nanotechnology, designing of socio-technical systems, and on architectural and environmental designing. These essays are preceded by an introductory text structuring the field of philosophy and ethics of design in engineering and architecture as one in which a series of similar philosophical, societal and ethical questions are asked. This volume enables the reader to overcome the traditional separation between engineering designing and architectural designing. The emerging discipline of designing socio-technical systems is shown to form an intermediate between engineering and architecture to which the philosophical and ethical analyses of both domains apply. This volume thus announces a challenging cross-fertilization between the philosophy and ethics of engineering and of architecture that will lay down the integrated ground works for the renewed interests in the importance of design in modern society.
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The Philosophy of Horror: Or, Paradoxes of the Heart

Noel Carroll, film scholar and philosopher, offers the first serious look at the aesthetics of horror. In this book he discusses the nature and narrative structures of the genre, dealing with horror as a "transmedia" phenomenon. A fan and serious student of the horror genre, Carroll brings to bear his comprehensive knowledge of obscure and forgotten works, as well as of the horror masterpieces. Working from a philosophical perspective, he tries to account for how people can find pleasure in having their wits scared out of them. What, after all, are those "paradoxes of the heart" that make us want to be horrified?
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The Philosophy of Philosophy

The second volume in the Blackwell Brown Lectures in Philosophy, this volume offers an original and provocative take on the nature and methodology of philosophy.

• Based on public lectures at Brown University, given by the pre-eminent philosopher, Timothy Williamson
• Rejects the ideology of the 'linguistic turn', the most distinctive trend of 20th century philosophy
• Explains the method of philosophy as a development from non-philosophical ways of thinking
• Suggests new ways of understanding what contemporary and past philosophers are doing 

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The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film

 The science fiction genre maintains a remarkable hold on the imagination and enthusiasm of the filmgoing public, captivating large audiences worldwide and garnering ever-larger profits. Science fiction films entertain the possibility of time travel and extraterrestrial visitation and imaginatively transport us to worlds transformed by modern science and technology. They also provide a medium through which questions about personal identity, moral agency, artificial consciousness, and other categories of experience can be addressed. In The Philosophy of Science Fiction Film, distinguished authors explore the storylines, conflicts, and themes of fifteen science fiction film classics, from Metropolis to The Matrix. Editor Steven M. Sanders and a group of outstanding scholars in philosophy, film studies, and other fields raise science fiction film criticism to a new level by penetrating the surface of the films to expose the underlying philosophical arguments, ethical perspectives, and metaphysical views. Sanders's introduction presents an overview and evaluation of each essay and poses questions for readers to consider as they think about the films under discussion.The first section, "Enigmas of Identity and Agency," deals with the nature of humanity as it is portrayed in Blade Runner, Dark City, Frankenstein, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Total Recall. In the second section, "Extraterrestrial Visitation, Time Travel, and Artificial Intelligence," contributors discuss 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator, 12 Monkeys, and The Day the Earth Stood Still and analyze the challenges of artificial intelligence, the paradoxes of time travel, and the ethics of war. The final section, "Brave Newer World: Science Fiction Futurism," looks at visions of the future in Metropolis, The Matrix, Alphaville, and screen adaptations of George Orwell's 1984.
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The Secret Doctrine : The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy

Continuously in print for over 100 years, the SD remains today the most comprehensive sourcebook of the esoteric tradition, outlining the fundamental tenets of the Secret Doctrine of the Archaic Ages. Challenging, prophetic, and strikingly modern, it directly addresses the perennial questions: continuity of life after death, purpose of existence, good and evil, consciousness and substance, sexuality, karma, evolution, and human and planetary transformation. Based on the ancient Stanzas of Dzyan with corroborating testimony from over 1,200 sources, these volumes unfold the drama of cosmic and human evolution -- from the reawakening of the gods after a Night of the Universe to the ultimate reunion of cosmos with its divine source. Supplementary sections discuss relevant scientific issues as well as the mystery language of myths, symbols, and allegories, helping the reader decipher the often abstruse imagery of the world's sacred literature.
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The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (2nd edition)

Widely acclaimed as the most authoritative and accessible one-volume dictionary available in English, this second edition offers an even richer, more comprehensive, and up-to-date survey of ideas and thinkers written by an international team of 436 contributors. This second edition includes the most comprehensive entries on major philosophers, 400 new entries including over fifty on preeminent contemporary philosophers, extensive coverage of rapidly developing fields such as the philosophy of mind and applied ethics, more entries on non-Western philosophy than any comparable volume, and increased coverage of Continental philosophy.
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The Philosophy of History

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION The changed form in which Hegel's lectures on the Philosophy of History are reissued, suggests the necessity of Bome explanation respecting the relation of this second edition both to the original materials from which the work was compiled, and to their first publication. The lamented Professor Gans, the editor of the "Philosophy of History," displayed a talented ingenuity in transforming Lectures into a Book; in doing so he followed for the most part Hegel's latest deliveries of the course, because they were the most popular, and appeared most adapted to his object. He succeeded in presenting the lectures much as they were delivered in the winter of 18H; and this result might be regarded as perfectly satisfactory, if Hegel's various read ings of the course had been more uniform and concordant, if indeed they had not rather been of such a nature as to supplement each other. For however great may have been Hegel's power of condensing the wide extent of the phenomenal world by Thought, it was impossible for him entirely to master and to present in a uniform shape the immeasurable material of History in the course of one semester. In the first delivery in the winter of 1811, he was chiefly occupied with unfolding the philosophical Idea, and showing how this constitutes the real kernel of History, and the impelling Soul of World-Historial Peoples. In proceeding to treat of China and India, he wished, as he said himself, only to show by example how philosophy ought to comprehend the character of a nation; and this could be done more easily in the case of the stationary nations of the East, than in that of peoples which have a bond fide historyand a historical development of character.
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Benedict de Spinoza - The Ethics (part 1-5)

Published shortly after his death in 1677, Ethics is undoubtedly Spinoza’s greatest work—a fully cohesive philosophical system that strives to provide a coherent picture of reality and to comprehend the meaning of an ethical life. Following a logical step-by-step format, it defines in turn the nature of God, the mind, human bondage to the emotions, and the power of understanding, moving from a consideration of the eternal to speculate upon humanity’s place in the natural order, freedom, and the path to attainable happiness. A powerful work of elegant simplicity, Ethics is a brilliantly insightful consideration of the possibility of redemption through intense thought and philosophical reflection.

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Philo Judaeus Of Alexandria - Norman Bentwich

The three great world-conquerors known to history, Alexander, Julius Caesar, and Napoleon, recognized the pre-eminent value of the Jew as a bond of empire, an intermediary between the heterogeneous nations which they brought beneath their sway. Each in turn showed favor to his religion, and accorded him political privileges. The petty tyrants of all ages have persecuted Jews on the plea of securing uniformity among their subjects; but the great conqueror-statesmen who have made history, realizing that progress is brought about by unity in difference, have recognized in Jewish individuality a force making for progress. Whereas the pure Hellenes had put all the other peoples of the world in the single category of barbarians, their Macedonian conqueror forced upon them a broader view, and, regarding his empire as a world-state, made Greeks and Orientals live together, and prepared the way for a mingling of races and culture. Alexander the Great became a notable figure in the Talmud and Midrashim, and many a marvellous legend was told about his passing visit to Jerusalem during his march to Egypt.[1] The high priest--whether it was Jaddua, Simon, or Onias the records do not make clear--is said to have gone out to meet him, and to have compelled the reverence and homage of the monarch by the majesty of his presence and the lustre of his robes. Be this as it may, it is certain that Alexander settled a considerable number of Jews in the Greek colonies which he founded as centres of cosmopolitan culture in his empire, and especially in the town by the mouth of the Nile that received his own name, and was destined to become within two centuries the second town in the world; second only to Rome in population and power, equal to it in culture. By its geographical position, the nature of its foundation, and the sources of its population, and by the wonderful organization of its Museum, in which the records of all nations were stored and studied, Alexandria was fitted to become the meeting-place of civilizations.
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The Philosophy of John Duns Scotus

This book contains a valuable analysis of the role of the conceptions of necessity and contingency in Scotus's philosophical theology, a detailed account of the actualist concept of contingency, useful discussions of other central topics, and many interesting excursions into the history of research and evaluation of Scotus's thought. -- Simo Knuuttila This monumental work on the life and thought of Franciscan John Duns Scotus brings aspects of historical and philosophical research together with close textual analysis...it is definitely a work that rewards thoughtful reading and reflection. Heythrop Journal This book contains a valuable analysis of the role of the conceptions of necessity and contingency in Scotus's philosophical theology, a detailed account of the actualist concept of contingency, useful discussions of other central topics, and many interesting excursions into the history of research and evaluation of Scotus's thought. This monumental work on the life and thought of Franciscan John Duns Scotus brings aspects of historical and philosophical research together with close textual analysis...it is definitely a work that rewards thoughtful reading and reflection.
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Aristotle on The Anthenian Constitution

Translated by Frederic G. Kenyon
The Constitution of the Athenians (or Athenaion Politeia, or The Athenian constitution) is the name of either of two texts from Classical antiquity, one probably by Aristotle or a student of his, the other attributed to Xenophon, but not by him.
The Aristotelian text is unique, because it is not a part of the Corpus Aristotelicum. It was lost until two leaves of a papyrus codex carrying part of the text were discovered in Oxyrhynchus, Egypt in 1879 and published in 1880. A second papyrus text was purchased in Egypt by an American missionary in 1890. The British Museum acquired it later that year, and the first edition of it by Frederic G. Kenyon was published in January, 1891. The editions of the Greek text in widest use today are Kenyon's Oxford Classical Text of 1920 and the Teubner edition by Mortimer H. Chambers (1986, second edition 1994).
Ancient accounts of Aristotle credit him with 170 Constitutions of various states; it is widely assumed that these were research for the Politics, and that many of them were written or drafted by his students. Athens, however, was a particularly important state, and where Aristotle was living at the time; it is plausible that, even if students did the others, Aristotle did that one himself, and possible that it was intended as a model for the rest. However, a number of prominent scholars doubt that it was written by Aristotle.
If it is a genuine writing of Aristotle, then it is of particular significance, because it is the only one of his extant writings that was actually intended for publication.
Because it purports to supply us with so much contemporary information previously unknown or unreliable, modern historians have claimed that "the discovery of this treatise constitutes almost a new epoch in Greek historical study." In particular, 21-22, 26.2-4, and 39-40 of the work contain factual information not found in any other extant ancient text.
-- Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Plato: A Very Short Introduction

This lively and accessible book focuses on the philosophy and argument of Plato's writings, drawing the reader into Plato's way of doing philosophy and the general themes of his thinking. It discusses Plato's style of writing: his use of the dialogue form, his use of what we today call fiction, and his philosophical transformation of myths. It also looks at his discussions of love and philosophy, his attitude towards women, and towards homosexual love. It explores Plato's claim that virtue is sufficient for happiness and touches on his arguments for the immorality of the soul and his ideas about the nature of the universe.
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Nicolaus Copernicus: Making the Earth a Planet

(review) From School Library Journal

Copernicus was never aware of the impact of his ideas on the world. After a lifetime of figuring, observing the heavens, and studying classical theories, it was finally mathematics and his quest for an elegant solution that led him to conclude that Earth was a planet orbiting the sun. The era and events in which he lived are chronicled as the authors describe Copernicus's life and efforts to explain the rotation of the planets. However, the detailed descriptions of his process and the explanations of theories are difficult, and it might take readers with an advanced degree in mathematics to understand the specifics. Numerous diagrams illustrate the concepts; additional art includes woodcuts, details from period books and paintings, and photographs. All are helpful and appropriate, but unsourced. Also, the narrative flow suffers when five titled sidebars have nothing more than a border to distinguish them from the main text; the instructions to proceed to nonsequential pages are frustrating. For students seriously interested in astronomy and how Copernicus solved the riddle of the heavens, this is a valuable resource. For those wanting an overview, this book is too complex.–Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library

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Theoretical Philosophy after 1781

This volume is the first to assemble the writings that Kant published to popularize, summarize, amplify and defend the doctrines of his masterwork, the 1781 Critique of Pure Reason. The Prolegomena is often recommended to students, but the other texts are also important representatives of Kant's intellectual development. The series includes copious linguistic notes and a glossary of key terms. The editorial introductions and explanatory notes reveal much about the critical reception given Kant by the metaphysicians of his day as well as his own efforts to derail his opponents.

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Francis Bacon: The New Organon

Francis Bacon's New Organon, published in 1620, was revolutionary in its attempt to give formal philosophical shape to a new and rapidly emerging experimental science. It challenged the entire edifice of the philosophy and learning of Bacon's time, and left its mark on all subsequent discussions of scientific method. This volume presents a new translation of the text into modern English by Michael Silverthorne, together with an introduction by Lisa Jardine that sets the work in the context of Bacon's scientific and philosophical activities.
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God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist

Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology. In the meantime, science has sat on the sidelines and quietly watched this game of words march up and down the field. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality. Physicist Victor J. Stenger contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, Stenger examines all of the claims made for God’s existence. He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God’s influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God’s special creation. After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God.

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Galileo Galilei: First Physicist

(review) From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up?A captivating portrait of one of history's great scientific minds. After a brief introduction to the science of physics, students are given a clear and concise account of the life of Galileo and the Renaissance world in which he lived. MacLachlan follows his subject from his beginnings as a pre-med/philosophy student and his fight to study mathematics through a long lifetime that included hardships, favor, success, disfavor, and, ultimately, censure from the Church via the Inquisition. The last chapter is devoted to the importance of Galileo's accomplishments within his lifetime and as viewed through the lens of history. While readers are privy to all of his discoveries and inventions as they unfold, the text does not overwhelm them with mathematical and/or scientific terminology. Detailed explanations of scientific principles are offered in several sidebars. Black-and-white drawings, diagrams, and reproductions present period details and extend the text. This book crosses many disciplines in its information, and makes a fine addition to library collections.?Linda Wadleigh, Oconee County Middle School, Watkinsville, GA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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The Consolation of Philosophy: Boethius

This is the greatest self-help book of all time. It tells the story of Boethius, a prominent Roman who has been thrown in prison. There, he is visited by Lady Philosophy, and begins to become free.
It is very moving stuff. If you ever wonder where The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile come from, this is it. The language is very easy to read. And you wouldn't be doing yourself justice - to not read it in one sitting. It is a rollercoaster that you won't want to get off. It is that good.
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The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)

Plotinus is the greatest philosopher in the 700 year period between Aristotle and Augustine. He thought of himself as a disciple of Plato, but in his efforts to defend Platonism against Aristotelians, Stoics, and others, he actually produced a reinvigorated version of Platonism that later came to be known as "Neoplatonism". In this volume, sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of Plotinus' complex system. They place Plotinus in the history of ancient philosophy while showing how he was a founder of medieval philosophy.
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The Great Philosophers From Socrates to Turing

The twelve essays in this volume are not only introductions to some of the most influential thinkers in human history but are also invitations for the reader to participate in a living debate. The authors of these essays are distinguished philosophers in their own right. They engage with philosophical ideas rather than merely relaying them. By choosing a specific aspect of their subject's work, they liberate the great philosophers from textbook cliches--revealing them in all their freshness and originality.
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Routledge History of Philosophy, Volume II: From Aristotle to Augustine

This offering in Routledge's acclaimed History of Philosophy series completes the acclaimed 10-volume collection. This work explores the schools of thought that developed in the wake of Platonism through the time of Augustine. The 11 separately authored in-depth articles include:
Aristotle the scientist--David Furley, Princeton University; Aristotle: logic and metaphysics--Alan Code, Ohio State University; Aristotle: aesthetics and philosophy of mind --David Gallop, Trent University, Ontario; Aristotle: ethics and politics--Stephen White, University of Texas at Austin; The peripatetic school--Robert Sharples, University College, London; Hellenistic science and mathematics--Alan C. Bowen, Institute for Research in Classical Philosophy and Science, New Jersey; Epicureanism--Philip Mitsis, Cornell University; Stoicism--Brad Inwood, University of Toronto; Ancient skepticism--Michael Frede, Keble College, Oxford; Neo-Platonism--Eyjdfur Kjalar Emilsson, University of Iceland; Augustine--G.J.P. O'Daly, University College London.
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Capitalism - A Very Short Introduction

 This Introduction explores the origins of capitalism and questions whether it did indeed originate in Europe. It examines a distinctive stage in the development of capitalism that began in the 1980s, in order to understand where we are now and how capitalism has evolved since. The book discusses the crisis tendencies of capitalism--including the S.E. Asian banking crisis, the collapse of the Russian economy, and the 1997-1998 global financial crisis--asking whether capitalism is doomed to fail. In the end, the author ruminates on a possible alternative to capitalism, discussing socialism, communal and cooperative experiments, and alternatives proposed by environmentalists.
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Karl Marxs Grundrisse: Foundations of the critique of political economy 150 years later

Written between 1857 and 1858, the Grundrisse is the first draft of Marx’s critique of political economy and, thus, also the initial preparatory work on Capital. Despite its editorial vicissitudes and late publication, Grundrisse contains numerous reflections on matters that Marx did not develop elsewhere in his oeuvre and is therefore extremely important for an overall interpretation of his thought.

In this collection, various international experts in the field, analysing the Grundrisse on the 150th anniversary of its composition, present a Marx in many ways radically different from the one who figures in the dominant currents of twentieth-century Marxism. The book demonstrates the relevance of the Grundrisse to an understanding of Capital and of Marx’s theoretical project as a whole, which, as is well known, remained uncompleted.  It also highlights the continuing explanatory power of Marxian categories for contemporary society and its present contradictions.

With contributions from such scholars as Eric Hobsbawm and Terrell Carver, and covering subject areas such as political economy, philosophy and Marxism, this book is likely to become required reading for serious scholars of Marx across the world.

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Aesthetic Theory (Theory & History of Literature)

This text on aesthetics includes major sections on: Art, Society, Aesthetics; the Categories of the Ugly, the Beautiful, the Technics; Natural Beauty; Coherence and Subject-Object; and Towards a Theory of the Artwork.
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