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Books > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Metaphysics & ontology
Robert Stalnaker draws together in this volume his seminal work in
metaphysics. The central theme is the role of possible worlds in
articulating our various metaphysical commitments. The book begins
with reflections on the general idea of a possible world, and then
uses the framework of possible worlds to formulate and clarify some
questions about properties and individuals, reference, thought, and
experience. The essays also reflect on the nature of metaphysics,
and on the relation between questions about what there is and
questions about how we talk and think about what there is. Two of
the fourteen essays, plus an extensive introduction that sets the
papers in context and draws out the essays' common threads, are
published here for the first time.
Defining an "emphatic" as an intrusion that alters the import of
what it intrudes on, Weiss sets the stage for an exquisitely
systematic, speculative study of the major themes confronting
modern metaphysics. The idea of an emphatic has its roots in
Weiss's long-developed pluralistic ontology, with special focus on
what we experience as an "emphasis." The most obvious examples are
grammatical devices such as changed pitch in speech or exclamation
and question marks in writing. Weiss also analyzes emphatics in
etiquette, social status, nature, art, conventional behavior,
encyclopedias, psychiatry, and religion.
Brilliant in every respect, "Emphatics" rewrites Weiss's
systematic ontology in new terms. Not only are the lineaments of
the system reexamined, but this book floods the reader with new
perspectives and insights on relationship, signs, truth,
particularity, space-time causality, education, mind-body issues,
Being and other ultimate philosophical categories, and good and
evil.
Weiss engages the various objections to his position in a series
of question-and-answer epilogues at the end of each chapter that
allow the reader to follow step-by-step a great philosophical mind
at work. He takes his critics seriously, grapples with their
objections, and answers them honestly. His discourse creatively
revisits age-old questions and in reimagining new answers
establishes the continuing relevance of philosophy as an academic
discipline.
I Know myself, I know myself, I am One With God -From the Pert Em
Heru "The Ru Pert em Heru" or "Ancient Egyptian Book of The Dead,"
or "Book of Coming Forth By Day" as it is more popularly known, has
fascinated the world since the successful translation of Ancient
Egyptian hieroglyphic scripture over 150 years ago. The astonishing
writings in it reveal that the Ancient Egyptians believed in life
after death and in an ultimate destiny to discover the Divine. The
elegance and aesthetic beauty of the hieroglyphic text itself has
inspired many see it as an art form in and of itself. But is there
more to it than that? Did the Ancient Egyptian wisdom contain more
than just aphorisms and hopes of eternal life beyond death? In this
volume Dr. Muata Ashby, the author of over 25 books on Ancient
Egyptian Yoga Philosophy has produced a new translation of the
original texts which uncovers a mystical teaching underlying the
sayings and rituals instituted by the Ancient Egyptian Sages and
Saints. "Once the philosophy of Ancient Egypt is understood as a
mystical tradition instead of as a religion or primitive mythology,
it reveals its secrets which if practiced today will lead anyone to
discover the glory of spiritual self-discovery. The Pert em Heru is
in every way comparable to the Indian Upanishads or the Tibetan
Book of the Dead." $28.95 ISBN# 1-884564-28-3 Size: 81/2" X
Although the importance of Francisco Suarez has been, for some time
already, generally recognized even outside the circles of
historians of scholasticism, the wider context of his thought -
i.e., the rich and diverse Renaissance and Baroque scholasticism -
remains largely unexplored. This book is an attempt to contribute
to the quest of putting Suarez's metaphysics (a mere fragment of
the whole of his intellectual legacy) into context, historical and
systematic. Being the fruit of an international conference held in
Prague in October 2008, it puts together a systematically ordered
selection of papers devoted to general and specific topics of
Suarezian metaphysics, with special respect to its sources and
further impact. Part One explores in the first place the notion of
being and the nature of metaphysics in general; Part Two then deals
with more specific metaphysical topics such as the problem of
universals, causality, relations, and God. The book will be of
value not just to Suarez-scholars, but to anyone interested in the
history of ideas in general and in the the intricacies of
metaphysical thought at the verge of modernity in particular.
Evolutionary theory has long been debated, not only on religious
grounds, but in terms of its usefulness as a scientific model. A
common objection is that the theory does not fit the
hypothetical-deductive standard used in the physical sciences and
is therefore not good science. In this study, Lloyd contends with
the scientific and philosophical critics of evolutionary theory.
Employing the same type of semantic analysis that has been applied
to physical theory, she offers an alternative view of evolutionary
theory that shows biological and physical theories to be
structurally similar. The author begins by reviewing recent debates
concerning the existence or non-existence of evolutionary laws and
the possibility of axiomizing evolutionary theory. The central
discussion of Lloyd's work revolves around several problems that
have not been resolved by other methods. These are, first, the
problem of which units or entities are selected in nature; second,
the problem of reductionism in genetics; and third, the problem of
confirmation. Developing a view of evolutionary theory based on
mathematical models, she uses this framework to describe a wide
variety of evolutionary subtheories. She tests her analysis by
comparing it with other approaches and applying it to problematic
cases. Finally, she presents a view of confirmation appropriate to
a model-oriented conception of theories. This original study
explores some significant connections between science and
philosophy and adds to our understanding of the nature of
scientific knowledge.
This book tackles some of the deepest problems in Berkeley's
philosophy by providing a fresh interpretation of Berkeley's core
ontological doctrines and their relationship to his views about
self-consciousness. Berkeley, the author argues, is led to adopt a
new model of self-consciousness because he rejects the basic
metaphysics of many of his predecessors. This new model of
self-consciousness provides the foundation for Berkeley's own
ontological framework. Bettcher's interpretation provides answers
to long-standing questions about Berkeley's traditionally derided
views about mind, offers an elegant treatment of Berkeley's core
metaphysical views more generally, and illuminates Berkeley's
innovative attempt to address the important philosophical and
theological issues of his day. Moreover, Bettcher shows the
importance of Berkeley's philosophy of spirit to the perplexing
thesis that the subject of experience is somehow mysteriously
elusive. She argues that Berkeley can be seen as a transitional
figure with respect to the older philosophical concept of 'subject'
(as a metaphysical supporter of properties) and the more modern
philosophical concept of 'subject (as opposed to 'object'). She
provides a re-reading of Hume's famous claim that when he turned
reflection upon himself, he could perceive only perceptions and
sheds new light on the notion of a 'subject of experience'. The
book will be of substantial interest both to Berkeley scholars and
to philosophers concerned with contemporary discussions of
self-consciousness.
Brian Leftow offers a theory of the possible and the necessary in
which God plays the chief role, and a new sort of argument for
God's existence. It has become usual to say that a proposition is
possible just in case it is true in some 'possible world' (roughly,
some complete history a universe might have) and necessary just if
it is true in all. Thus much discussion of possibility and
necessity since the 1960s has focussed on the nature and existence
(or not) of possible worlds. God and Necessity holds that there are
no such things, nor any sort of abstract entity. It assigns the
metaphysical 'work' such items usually do to God and events in
God's mind, and reduces 'broadly logical' modalities to causal
modalities, replacing possible worlds in the semantics of modal
logic with God and His mental events. Leftow argues that theists
are committed to theist modal theories, and that the merits of a
theist modal theory provide an argument for God's existence.
Historically, almost all theist modal theories base all necessary
truth on God's nature. Leftow disagrees: he argues that necessary
truths about possible creatures and kinds of creatures are due
ultimately to God's unconstrained imagination and choice. On his
theory, it is in no sense part of the nature of God that normal
zebras have stripes (if that is a necessary truth). Stripy zebras
are simply things God thought up, and they have the nature they do
simply because that is how God thought of them. Thus Leftow's essay
in metaphysics takes a half-step toward Descartes' view of modal
truth, and presents a compelling theist theory of necessity and
possibility.
Containing three previously unpublished papers by W.V. Quine as
well as historical, exegetical, and critical papers by several
leading Quine scholars including Hylton, Ebbs, and Ben-Menahem,
this volume aims to remedy the comparative lack of historical
investigation of Quine and his philosophical context.
Explores the link between mathematics and ontology.
In "The Nature of Evil, "Daryl Koehn takes us on a sweeping tour of
different interpretations of evil. In this timely and serious
discussion she argues that evil is not intentional malice, but
rather violence that stems from a false sense of self. Violence is
not true evil but a symptom of the underlying evil of our failure
to really know who we are. Koehn examines situations in which good
intentions can have horrific results. She explores such works as
"The Talented Mr. Ripley," Dante's" Inferno," and "The Turn of the
Screw" to illustrate the origins of evil and suffering. "The Nature
of Evil" offers an insightful and engaging exploration at a time
when we are all struggling to understand the roots of violence and
suffering.
As we continue our Sacred Journey in this third book of his Global
Healing Trilogy, Vipin discovers and unfolds the Nature and State
of Hope and then explores the Seven Treasures hidden within the
Core of Fear. These Seven Treasures work together Creating the
Resonance of New Vistas of Hope of Dawning the New Age of Dominion
This book articulates the theoretical outlines of a feminism
developed from Aristotle's metaphysics, making a new contribution
to feminist theory. Readers will discover why Aristotle was not a
feminist and how he might have become one, through an investigation
of Aristotle and Aristotelian tradition. The author shows how
Aristotle's metaphysics can be used to articulate a particularly
subtle and theoretically powerful understanding of gender that may
offer a highly useful tool for distinctively feminist arguments.
This work builds on Martha Nussbaum's 'capabilities approach' in a
more explicitly and thoroughly hylomorphist way. The author shows
how Aristotle's hylomorphic model, developed to run between the
extremes of Platonic dualism and Democritean atomism, can similarly
be used today to articulate a view of gender that takes bodily
differences seriously without reducing gender to biological
determinations. Although written for theorists, this scholarly yet
accessible book can be used to address more practical issues and
the final chapter explores women in universities as one example.
This book will appeal to both feminists with limited familiarity
with Aristotle's philosophy, and scholars of Aristotle with limited
familiarity with feminism.
In The Concealed Art of the Soul, Jonardon Ganeri presents a
variety of perspectives on the nature of the self as seen by major
schools of classical Indian philosophy.
For Indian thinkers, a philosophical treatise about the self
should not only reveal the truth about the nature of the soul, but
should also engage the reader in a process of study and
contemplation that will eventually lead to self-transformation. By
combining careful attention to philosophical content and
sensitivity to literary form, Ganeri deepens our understanding of
some of the greatest works in Indian literary history. His
magisterial survey includes the Upanisads, the Buddha's discourses,
the epic Mahabharata, and the writings of Candrakirti, whose work
was later to provide the foundation for Tibetan Buddhism.
Ganeri argues that many Western theories of selfhood are not only
present in, but are developed to high degree of sophistication in
these writings, and that there are other ideas about the self found
in the work of classical Indian thinkers which present-day analytic
philosophers have not yet begun to explore.
Scholars and students of philosophy and religious studies,
particularly those with an interest in Indian and Western
conceptions of the self, will find this book fascinating reading.
Is it possible to quantify over absolutely all there is? Or must
all of our quantifiers range over a less-than-all-inclusive domain?
It has commonly been thought that the question of absolute
generality is intimately connected with the set-theoretic
antinomies. But the topic of absolute generality has enjoyed a
surge of interest in recent years. It has become increasingly
apparent that its ramifications extend well beyond the foundations
of set theory. Connections include semantic indeterminacy, logical
consequence, higher-order languages, and metaphysics. Rayo and
Uzquiano present for the first time a collection of essays on
absolute generality. These newly commissioned articles - written by
an impressive array of international scholars - draw the reader
into the forefront of contemporary research on the subject. The
volume represents a variety of approaches to the problem, with some
of the contributions arguing for the possibility of all-inclusive
quantification and some of them arguing against it. An introduction
by the editors draws a helpful map of the philosophical terrain.
This book defends a new interpretation of Hegel's theoretical
philosophy, according to which Hegel's project in his central
Science of Logic has a single organizing focus, provided by taking
metaphysics as fundamental to philosophy, rather than any
epistemological problem about knowledge or intentionality. Hegel
pursues more specifically the metaphysics of reason, concerned with
grounds, reasons, or conditions in terms of which things can be
explained-and ultimately with the possibility of complete reasons.
There is no threat to such metaphysics in epistemological or
skeptical worries. The real threat is Kant's Transcendental
Dialectic case that metaphysics comes into conflict with itself.
But Hegel, despite familiar worries, has a powerful case that
Kant's own insights in the Dialectic can be turned to the purpose
of constructive metaphysics. And we can understand in these terms
the unified focus of the arguments at the conclusion of Hegel's
Science of Logic. Hegel defends, first, his general claim that the
reasons which explain things are always found in immanent concepts,
universals or kinds. And he will argue from here to conclusions
which are distinctive in being metaphysically ambitious yet
surprisingly distant from any form of metaphysical foundationalism,
whether scientistic, theological, or otherwise. Hegel's project,
then, turns out neither Kantian nor Spinozist, but more
distinctively his own. Finally, we can still learn a great deal
from Hegel about ongoing philosophical debates concerning
everything from metaphysics, to the philosophy of science, and all
the way to the nature of philosophy itself.
The first book in English to offer an extended comparative analysis
of Heidegger and Deleuze. Those familiar with Heidegger's and
Deleuze's thinking will find a detailed, well-researched book that
comes to an innovative conclusion, while those new to both will
find a clear, well-written exposition of their key concepts.
Michail Peramatzis presents a new interpretation of Aristotle's
view of the priority relations between fundamental and derivative
parts of reality, following the recent revival of interest in
Aristotelian discussions of what priority consists in and how it
relates existents. He explores how in Aristotle's view, in
contradistinction with (e.g.) Quinean metaphysical views, questions
of existence are not considered central. Rather, the crucial
questions are: what types of existent are fundamental and what
their grounding relation to derivative existents consists in. It is
extremely important, therefore, to return to Aristotle's own theses
regarding priority and to study them not only with exegetical
caution but also with an acutely critical philosophical eye.
Aristotle deploys the notion of priority in numerous levels of his
thought. In his ontology he operates with the notion of primary
substance. His Categories, for instance, confer this honorific
title upon particular objects such as Socrates or Bucephalus, while
in the Metaphysics it is essences or substantial forms, such as
being human, which are privileged with priority over certain types
of matter or hylomorphic compounds (either particular compound
objects such as Socrates or universal compound types such as the
species human). Peramatzis' chief aim is to understand priority
claims of this sort in Aristotle's metaphysical system by setting
out the different concepts of priority and seeing whether and, if
so, how Aristotle's preferred prior and posterior items fit with
these concepts.
To rectify the unfortunate neglect in the West of one of India's
premier intellectuals, philosopher Innaiah Narisetti has compiled
this new collection of Roy's most significant works. Roy conceived
of humanism as a scientific, integral, and radically new worldview.
For humanists, philosophers, political scientists, and others, M N
Roy's unique and still very relevant view of humanism will have
great appeal and broad application beyond its original Indian
context.
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