|
Showing 1 - 25 of
28 matches in All Departments
A quarter of a century before Lyndon B. Johnson popularized the
slogan "The Great Society," Donald Davidson wrote his critique of
Leviathan, the omnipotent nation-state, in terms that only recently
have come to be appreciated. "Leviathan is the idea of the Great
Society, organized under a single, complex, but strong and highly
centralized national government, motivated ultimately by men's
desire for economic welfare of a specific kind rather than their
desire for personal liberty. " Originally published as The Attack
on Leviathan, this eloquent volume is an attack on state centralism
and an affirmation of regional identity. Davidson's work is a
special sort of intellectual as well as social history. It reveals
an extraordinary mastery of the literature on regionalism in the
United States, with special emphasis on the work on Rupert Vance
and Howard Odum in the social sciences. Davidson looks at
regionalism in arts, literature, and education. He favors
agriculture over industrialization, and "the hinterland" over
cities, examining along the way varying historical memories, the
dilemma of Southern liberals, and the choice of expedience or
principles. His book is a forceful and commanding challenge to
those who would push for central authority at the sacrifice of
individual and regional identity. Davidson concludes with a
devastating critique of nationalism leading to a supra-nationalism.
Ultimately, the heterogeneity of human desires comes up against the
uniformity of world systems and world states. Davidson offers
instead a broad world of intellectual history and commentary in
which individualism allies itself with communities as a means for
stemming the tide of collectivism and its base in a world state.
For Davidson, Leviathan, the monstrous state, is a devourer, not a
savior. As several peoples rise to strike down their own
Leviathans, this courageous book may be better understood now than
it was in 1938. Donald Davidson was part of that movement in
American letters known as the Southern Agrarians. He was a poet,
critic, historian, and political analyst. He spent most of his life
at Vanderbilt University, and was himself born in central
Tennessee. He is best known as the author of The Tall Men (1927)
and a collection of essays, Still Rebels, Still Yankees (1957).
The Philebus is hard to reconcile with standard interpretations of
Plato's philosophy and in this pioneering work Donald Davidson,
seeks to take the Philebus at face value and to reassess Plato's
late philosophy in the light of the results. The author maintains
that the approach to ethics in the Philebus represents a
considerable return to the methodology of the earlier dialogues. He
emphasizes Plato's reversion to the Socratic elenchus and connects
it with the startling reappearance of Socrates as the leading voice
in the Philebus.
|
Go-Kart Racing (Hardcover)
Donald Davidson; Tracy Nelson Maurer
bundle available
|
R740
R546
Discovery Miles 5 460
Save R194 (26%)
|
Out of stock
|
Go-karts are small, but these little race cars are packed with a
lot of speed and power. With lightning-quick speed and tight turns,
go-kart races can be just as thrilling as any featuring regular
race cars. Jump in and take a look at go-karts, how they work, and
the races they compete in.
A quarter of a century before Lyndon B. Johnson popularized the
slogan "The Great Society," Donald Davidson wrote his critique of
Leviathan, the omnipotent nation-state, in terms that only recently
have come to be appreciated. "Leviathan is the idea of the Great
Society, organized under a single, complex, but strong and highly
centralized national government, motivated ultimately by men's
desire for economic welfare of a specific kind rather than their
desire for personal liberty. " Originally published as "The Attack
on Leviathan," this eloquent volume is an attack on state
centralism and an affirmation of regional identity.
Davidson's work is a special sort of intellectual as well as
social history. It reveals an extraordinary mastery of the
literature on regionalism in the United States, with special
emphasis on the work on Rupert Vance and Howard Odum in the social
sciences. Davidson looks at regionalism in arts, literature, and
education. He favors agriculture over industrialization, and "the
hinterland" over cities, examining along the way varying historical
memories, the dilemma of Southern liberals, and the choice of
expedience or principles. His book is a forceful and commanding
challenge to those who would push for central authority at the
sacrifice of individual and regional identity.
Davidson concludes with a devastating critique of nationalism
leading to a supra-nationalism. Ultimately, the heterogeneity of
human desires comes up against the uniformity of world systems and
world states. Davidson offers instead a broad world of intellectual
history and commentary in which individualism allies itself with
communities as a means for stemming the tide of collectivism and
its base in a world state. For Davidson, Leviathan, the monstrous
state, is a devourer, not a savior. As several peoples rise to
strike down their own Leviathans, this courageous book may be
better understood now than it was in 1938.
"Donald Davidson" was part of that movement in American letters
known as the Southern Agrarians. He was a poet, critic, historian,
and political analyst. He spent most of his life at Vanderbilt
University, and was himself born in central Tennessee. He is best
known as the author of "The Tall Men" (1927) and a collection of
essays, "Still Rebels, Still Yankees" (1957).
Donald Davidson was one of the most famous and influential
philosophers of the twentieth century. The Structure of Truth
presents his 1970 Locke Lectures in print for the first time. They
comprise an invaluable historical document which illuminates how
Davidson was thinking about the theory of meaning, the role of a
truth theory therein, the ontological commitments of a truth
theory, the notion of logical form, and so on, at a pivotal moment
in the development of his thought. Unlike Davidson's previously
published work, the lectures are written so as to be presented to
an audience as a fully organized and coherent exposition of his
program in the philosophy of language. Had they been widely
available in the years following 1970, the reception of Davidson's
work might have been very different. Given the systematic nature of
their presentation of Davidson's semantic program, these lectures
will be of interest to anyone working in the philosophy of
language.
One of the most important of the Southern magazines in the 1920s
was "The Fugitive," a magazine of verse and brief commentaries on
literature in general. Among its contributors were John Crowe
Ransom, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Donald Davidson, and
Merrill Moore. Publication began in April 1922 and ended in
December 1925. Soon thereafter, the "Fugitive" writers and some
others became profoundly concerned with the materialism of American
life and its effect upon the South. The group became known as
"Agrarians." Their thinking and discussion culminated in a
symposium, "I'll Take My Stand," published in 1930.
In his first two lectures Davidson describes the underlying nature
and aims of the Fugitive and Agrarian movements. He brings to the
discussion his intimate and thorough knowledge of Southern life and
letters. The third lecture deals with the place of the writer in
the modern university, posing the questions of whether the writer
needs the university and whether the university needs or wants the
writer.
One of the most important of the Southern magazines in the 1920s
was" The Fugitive," a magazine of verse and brief commentaries on
literature in general. Among its contributors were John Crowe
Ransom, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, Donald Davidson, and
Merrill Moore. Publication began in April 1922 and ended in
December 1925. Soon thereafter, the "Fugitive" writers and some
others became profoundly concerned with the materialism of American
life and its effect upon the South. The group became known as
"Agrarians." Their thinking and discussion culminated in a
symposium, "I'll Take My Stand," published in 1930.
In his first two lectures Davidson describes the underlying
nature and aims of the Fugitive and Agrarian movements. He brings
to the discussion his intimate and thorough knowledge of Southern
life and letters. The third lecture deals with the place of the
writer in the modern university, posing the questions of whether
the writer needs the university and whether the university needs or
wants the writer.
A decade and more has passed since the first publication of Still
Rebels, Still Yankees. During that time the book has become
recognized as a classic affirmation of the necessity of tradition
in conserving cultural order. Donald Davidson, a major figure in
the Agrarian Movement, summed up the intent of the work this way:
""The general theme that binds the essays- no matter what their
specific subjects- is the conflict between tradition and
anti-tradition that characterizes modern society, with tradition
viewed as the living continuum that makes society and civilization
possible and anti-tradition as the disintegrative principle that
destroys society and civilization in the name of science and
progress. The South, which has suffered most in its devoted defense
of tradition, naturally offers me examples for consideration; but
this is not a book about the South as such. It is as near as I can
come, in essay form, to defining what I would conceive to be the
true American position."" In a brilliant and graceful style,
Davidson pursues his theme in a rich variety of subjects: poetry,
myth, and folklore; and in the complex rivalries between nation and
region, the free citizen and the Leviathan state, the values of
religion and the facts of science. Order, sanity, and fullness of
life are cornerstones of the tradition against which he appraises
writers like Hardy and John Gould Fletcher, the historiography of
Toynbee, and the social reporting of W. J. Cash.
This collection of classic and contemporary essays in philosophy of
language offers a concise introduction to the field for students in
graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses. It contains some
of the most important basic sources in philosophy of language,
including a number of classic essays by philosophers such as Frege,
Russell, Wittgenstein, Kripke, Grice, Davidson, Strawson, Austin,
and Putnam, as well as more recent contributions by scholars
including John McDowell, Stephen Neale, Ruth Millikan, Stephen
Schiffer, Paul Horwich, and Anthony Brueckner, among others, who
are on the leading edge of innovation in this increasingly
influential area of philosophy. The result is a lively mix of
readings, together with the editors' discussions of the material,
which provides a rigorous introduction to the subject.
This collection of classic and contemporary essays in philosophy of
language offers a concise introduction to the field for students in
graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses. It contains some
of the most important basic sources in philosophy of language,
including a number of classic essays by philosophers such as Frege,
Russell, Wittgenstein, Kripke, Grice, Davidson, Strawson, Austin,
and Putnam, as well as more recent contributions by scholars
including John McDowell, Stephen Neale, Ruth Millikan, Stephen
Schiffer, Paul Horwich, and Anthony Brueckner, among others, who
are on the leading edge of innovation in this increasingly
influential area of philosophy. The result is a lively mix of
readings, together with the editors' discussions of the material,
which provides a rigorous introduction to the subject.
Uproariously funny and filled with choice narration, The Big Ballad
Jamboree is Donald Davidson's only novel. He set his story- the
romance of hillbilly and country singer Danny MacGregor with folk
singer and ballad scholar Cissy Timberlake- in the fictional
western North Carolina town of Carolina City during the summer of
1949. The late forties, just after WWII and before the rise of
national television, are great years for classic country music on
live radio. Yet this Appalachian community is struggling to embrace
a modern commercial economy without losing its folk heritage. In
this setting Davidson draws lively satirical pictures: civic
boosters allied with shameless politicians; a local sheriff, a
barber, and a dean cooperating to protect the image of a college; a
folklore professor seeking fame by promoting a ballad-singing
bootlegger. Seen through the eyes of a country boy with a musical
gift descended from mountain people, this novel is a highbrow art
about memorable lowbrow characters. It is also a great read. Those
who know Davidson as a poet and scholar may be surprised to learn
that he wrote a novel about country music. Here his long romance
with southern folk life and mountain balladry captures the
evolution of hillbilly singers into Grand Ole Opery stars as he
pursues vexing questions about folk authenticity in country music.
Long thought lost, The Big Ballad Jamboree now is published for the
first time. The famous teacher of young writers as Robert Penn
Warren, Jesse Stuart, and Elizabeth Spencer never saw publication
of his own novel. The mystery of its fate resolved at long last
with the publication of the complete manuscript, discovered by a
granddaughter in family files.
The Essential Davidson compiles the most celebrated papers of one
of the twentieth century's greatest philosophers. It distills
Donald Davidson's seminal contributions to our understanding of
ourselves, from three decades of essays, into one thematically
organized collection. A new, specially written introduction by
Ernie Lepore and Kirk Ludwig, two of the world's leading
authorities on his work, offers a guide through the ideas and
arguments, shows how they interconnect, and reveals the systematic
coherence of Davidson's worldview.
Davidson's philosophical program is organized around two connected
projects. The first is that of understanding the nature of human
agency. The second is that of understanding the nature and function
of language, and its relation to the world. Accordingly, the first
part of the book presents Davidson's investigation of reasons,
causes, and intentions, which revolutionized the philosophy of
action. This leads to his notable doctrine of anomalous monism, the
view that all mental events are physical events, but that the
mental cannot be reduced to the physical. The second part of the
book presents the famous essays in which Davidson set out his
highly original and influential philosophy of language, which
founds the theory of meaning on the theory of truth.
These fifteen classic essays will be invaluable for anyone
interested in the study of mind and language. Fascinating though
they are individually, it is only when drawn together that there
emerges a compelling picture of man as a rational linguistic animal
whose thoughts, though not reducible to the material, are part of
the fabric of the world, and whose knowledge of his own mind, the
minds ofothers, and the world around him is as fundamental to his
nature as the power of thought and speech itself.
The Essential Davidson compiles the most celebrated papers of one
of the twentieth century's greatest philosophers. It distills
Donald Davidson's seminal contributions to our understanding of
ourselves, from three decades of essays, into one thematically
organized collection. A new, specially written introduction by
Ernie Lepore and Kirk Ludwig, two of the world's leading
authorities on his work, offers a guide through the ideas and
arguments, shows how they interconnect, and reveals the systematic
coherence of Davidson's worldview.
Davidson's philosophical program is organized around two connected
projects. The first is that of understanding the nature of human
agency. The second is that of understanding the nature and function
of language, and its relation to the world. Accordingly, the first
part of the book presents Davidson's investigation of reasons,
causes, and intentions, which revolutionized the philosophy of
action. This leads to his notable doctrine of anomalous monism, the
view that all mental events are physical events, but that the
mental cannot be reduced to the physical. The second part of the
book presents the famous essays in which Davidson set out his
highly original and influential philosophy of language, which
founds the theory of meaning on the theory of truth.
These fifteen classic essays will be invaluable for anyone
interested in the study of mind and language. Fascinating though
they are individually, it is only when drawn together that there
emerges a compelling picture of man as a rational linguistic animal
whose thoughts, though not reducible to the material, are part of
the fabric of the world, and whose knowledge of his own mind, the
minds ofothers, and the world around him is as fundamental to his
nature as the power of thought and speech itself.
Truth, Language, and History is the much-anticipated final volume
of Donald Davidson's philosophical writings. In four groups of
essays, Davidson continues to explore the themes that occupied him
for more than fifty years: the relations between language and the
world; speaker intention and linguistic meaning; language and mind;
mind and body; mind and world; mind and other minds. He asks: what
is the role of the concept of truth in these explorations? And, can
a scientific world view make room for human thought without
reducing it to something material and mechanistic? Including a new
introduction by his widow, Marcia Cavell, this volume completes
Donald Davidson's colossal intellectual legacy.
Problems of Rationality is the eagerly awaited fourth volume of
Donald Davidson's philosophical writings. From the 1960s until his
death in August 2003 Davidson was perhaps the most influential
figure in English-language philosophy, and his work has had a
profound effect upon the discipline. His unified theory of the
interpretation of thought, meaning, and action holds that
rationality is a necessary condition for both mind and
interpretation. Davidson here develops this theory to illuminate
value judgements and how we understand them; to investigate what
the conditions are for attributing mental states to an object or
creature; and to grapple with the problems presented by thoughts
and actions which seem to be irrational. Anyone working on
knowledge, mind, and language will find these essays essential
reading.
Including two new essays, this remarkable volume is an updated
edition of Davidson's classic Essays on Actions and Events (1980).
A superb work on the nature of human action, it features
influential discussions of numerous topics. These include the
freedom to act; weakness of the will; the logical form of talk
about actions, intentions, and causality; the logic of practical
reasoning; Hume's theory of the indirect passions; and the nature
and limits of decision theory.
This collection of essays by experts in the field investigates the
issue of philosophical methodology through a comparative approach;
promotes dialogue and understanding among different traditions; and
shows the many ways in which Chinese and Western analytic
philosophy complement rather than contradict each other.
Truth, Language, and History is the much-anticipated final volume
of Donald Davidson's philosophical writings. In the four groups of
essays that comprise it, Davidson continues to explore the themes
that occupied him for more than fifty years: the relations between
language and the world; speaker intention and linguistic meaning;
language and mind; mind and body; mind and world; mind and other
minds. He asks: what is the role of the concept of truth in these
explorations? And, can a scientific world view make room for human
thought without reducing it to something material and mechanistic?
Davidson's underlying picture, which can be seen in many of these
essays, is that we are acquainted directly with the world, not
indirectly via some intermediary such as sense-data,
representations, or language itself; that thought emerges in the
first place through interpersonal communication in a shared
material world, and continues to develop as we engage each other in
dialogue; and that language depends on communication, not vice
versa. This is the triangulating situation - two creatures
communicating about a common world - about which Davidson has
written elsewhere. As for the mind-body relation: our ontology need
posit nothing more that material objects and events; but as
explainers we require two mutually irreducible vocabularies: mind
and body. In the last six essays Davidson finds interconnections
between his own views and those of some of the major philosophers
of the past. Including a new introduction by his widow, Marcia
Cavell, this volume completes Donald Davidson's colossal
intellectual legacy.
Problems of Rationality is the eagerly awaited fourth volume of
Donald Davidson's philosophical writings. From the 1960s until his
death in August 2003 Davidson was perhaps the most influential
figure in English-language philosophy, and his work has had a
profound effect upon the discipline. His unified theory of the
interpretation of thought, meaning, and action holds that
rationality is a necessary condition for both mind and
interpretation. Davidson here develops this theory to illuminate
value judgements and how we understand them; to investigate what
the conditions are for attributing mental states to an object or
creature; and to grapple with the problems presented by thoughts
and actions which seem to be irrational. Anyone working on
knowledge, mind, and language will find these essays essential
reading.
|
|