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The self-image of the 17th century is that of an era in which
reason finally overcame superstition and ignorance. But the
institution of reason was seen to require the removal of various
obstacles to reason, and among these the passions figures
predominantly. This led to a study of cognitive states and what
resulted was a transformation of the understanding of the reason.
This book seeks to reconstruct the thinking of 17th-century
philosophers, theologians, artists and physicians, on the nature of
passions. The author explains that although there were inevitable
overlaps, the interests of each group were distinctive.
The first book to address the historical failures of philosophy-and
what we can learn from them Philosophers are generally unaware of
the failures of philosophy, recognizing only the failures of
particular theories, which are then remedied with other theories.
But, taking the long view, philosophy has actually collapsed
several times, been abandoned, sometimes for centuries, and been
replaced by something quite different. When it has been revived it
has been with new aims that are often accompanied by implausible
attempts to establish continuity with a perennial philosophical
tradition. What do these failures tell us? The Failures of
Philosophy presents a historical investigation of philosophy in the
West, from the perspective of its most significant failures:
attempts to provide an account of the good life, to establish
philosophy as a discipline that can stand in judgment over other
forms of thought, to set up philosophy as a theory of everything,
and to construe it as a discipline that rationalizes the empirical
and mathematical sciences. Stephen Gaukroger argues that these
failures reveal more about philosophical inquiry and its ultimate
point than its successes ever could. These failures illustrate how
and why philosophical inquiry has been conceived and reconceived,
why philosophy has been thought to bring distinctive skills to
certain questions, and much more. An important and original account
of philosophy's serial breakdowns, The Failures of Philosophy
ultimately shows how these shortcomings paradoxically reveal what
matters most about the field.
The most comprehensive collection of essays on Descartes'
scientific writings ever published, this volume offers a detailed
reassessment of Descartes' scientific work and its bearing on his
philosophy. The 35 essays, written by some of the world's leading
scholars, cover topics as diverse as optics, cosmology and
medicine, and will be of vital interest to all historians of
philosophy or science.
First published in 1997, this volume expands the analytical
philosophical tradition in the face of parochial Anglo-American
philosophical interests. The essays making up the section on
'Antiquity' share one concern: to show that there are largely
unrecognised but radical differences between the way in which
certain fundamental questions - concerning the nature of number,
sense perception, and scepticism - were thought of in antiquity and
the way in which they were thought of from the 17th century
onwards. Part 2, on early modern thought, explores the theoretical
characterisation of the role of experiment in early modern physical
theory through Galileo's embracing of experiments, along with
Descartes' automata and issues in a relatively neglected but
especially intractable part of Descartes' philosophy: how he
conceives of what a successful inference consists in and what it is
that makes it successful. The final section deals with the
philosophical foundations of physical theory, the distinction
between the human and the natural sciences, the
philosophical-cum-scientific foundations of Marx's idea of
socialism, and Nietzche's criticisms of the very notion of science,
concluding that Nietzsche's probing questions cannot be dismissed,
as he has opened up some genuinely challenging issues which we
ignore at our peril.
First published in 1997, this volume expands the analytical
philosophical tradition in the face of parochial Anglo-American
philosophical interests. The essays making up the section on
'Antiquity' share one concern: to show that there are largely
unrecognised but radical differences between the way in which
certain fundamental questions - concerning the nature of number,
sense perception, and scepticism - were thought of in antiquity and
the way in which they were thought of from the 17th century
onwards. Part 2, on early modern thought, explores the theoretical
characterisation of the role of experiment in early modern physical
theory through Galileo's embracing of experiments, along with
Descartes' automata and issues in a relatively neglected but
especially intractable part of Descartes' philosophy: how he
conceives of what a successful inference consists in and what it is
that makes it successful. The final section deals with the
philosophical foundations of physical theory, the distinction
between the human and the natural sciences, the
philosophical-cum-scientific foundations of Marx's idea of
socialism, and Nietzche's criticisms of the very notion of science,
concluding that Nietzsche's probing questions cannot be dismissed,
as he has opened up some genuinely challenging issues which we
ignore at our peril.
Contents: Introduction Mechanics and Cosmology 1. Descartes and the natural philosophy of the Coimbra commentaries Dennis Des Chene 2. Descartes' debt to Beeckman: inspiration, cooperation, conflict Klaas Van Berkel 3. The foundational role of hydrostatics and statics in Descartes' natural philosophy Stephen Gaukroger 4. Force, determination and impact Peter MaLaughlin 5. A different Descartes: Descartes' programme for a mathematical physics in his correspondence Daniel Garber 6. Casual powers and occasionalism from Descartes to Malebranche Desmond Clarje 7. Modelling nature: Descartes versus Reigus Theo Verbeek 8. The influence of Cartesian cosmology in England Peter Harrison Method, Optics, and the Role of Experiment 9. NeoAristotle and method: between Zabarella and Descartes Timothy Reiss 10. Figuring things out: figurate problem-solving in the early Descartes Dennis Sepper 11. The theory of the rainbow Jean-Robert Armogathe 12. Descartes' opticien: the construction of the law of refraction and the manufacture of its physical rationales, 1618-1629 John A. Schuster 13. A 'science for honnêteshommes': La Recherche de la Vérité and the deconstruction of experimental knowledge Alberto Guillermo Ranea 14. Descartes, experiments, and a first generation Cartesian, Jacques Rohault Trevor McLaughlin 15. Cartesian physiology Annie Bitbol-Hesperies 16. The resources of a mechanist physiology and the problem of goal-directed processes Stephen Gaukroger 17. Bêtes machines Katherine Morris 18. Descartes' cardiology and its reception in English physiology Peter Anstey Imagination and Representation 19. Descartes' theory of imagination and perspectival art Betsy Newell Decyk 20. From sparks of truth to the glow of possibility Peter Schouls 21. Descartes' theory of visual spatial perception Celia Wolf-Devine 22. Symposium on Descartes on perceptual cognition. Introduction John Sutton Descartes and Formal Signs David Behan Descartes' startling doctrine of the reverse sign relation Peter Slezak Bibliography
Each of the essays in this collection, written by the most
respected academics in their fields, provides both an insightful
and valuable understanding on the different views of the passions
in the Seventeenth Century.
This edited volume features 20 essays written by leading scholars
that provide a detailed examination of L'Homme by Rene Descartes.
It explores the way in which this work developed themes not just on
questions such as the circulation of the blood, but also on central
questions of perception and our knowledge of the world. Coverage
first offers a critical discussion on the different versions of
L'Homme, including the Latin, French, and English translations and
the 1664 editions. Next, the authors examine the early reception of
the work, from the connection of L'Homme to early-modern Dutch
Cartesianism to Nicolas Steno's criticism of the work and how
Descartes' clock analogy is used to defend two different
conceptions of the articulation between anatomical observations and
functional hypotheses. The book then goes on to explore L'Homme and
early-modern anthropology as well as the how the work has been
understood and incorporated into the works of scientists,
physicians, and philosophers over the last 150 years. Overall,
readers will discover how the trend over the last few decades to
understand human cognition in neuro-physiological terms can be seen
to be not something unprecedented, but rather a revival of a way of
dealing with these fundamental questions that was pioneered by
Descartes.
This edited volume features 20 essays written by leading scholars
that provide a detailed examination of L'Homme by Rene Descartes.
It explores the way in which this work developed themes not just on
questions such as the circulation of the blood, but also on central
questions of perception and our knowledge of the world. Coverage
first offers a critical discussion on the different versions of
L'Homme, including the Latin, French, and English translations and
the 1664 editions. Next, the authors examine the early reception of
the work, from the connection of L'Homme to early-modern Dutch
Cartesianism to Nicolas Steno's criticism of the work and how
Descartes' clock analogy is used to defend two different
conceptions of the articulation between anatomical observations and
functional hypotheses. The book then goes on to explore L'Homme and
early-modern anthropology as well as the how the work has been
understood and incorporated into the works of scientists,
physicians, and philosophers over the last 150 years. Overall,
readers will discover how the trend over the last few decades to
understand human cognition in neuro-physiological terms can be seen
to be not something unprecedented, but rather a revival of a way of
dealing with these fundamental questions that was pioneered by
Descartes.
In this groundbreaking collection of essays the history of
philosophy appears in a fresh light, not as reason's progressive
discovery of its universal conditions, but as a series of
unreconciled disputes over the proper way to conduct oneself as a
philosopher. By shifting focus from the philosopher as proxy for
the universal subject of reason to the philosopher as a special
persona arising from rival forms of self-cultivation, philosophy is
approached in terms of the social office and intellectual
deportment of the philosopher, as a personage with a definite moral
physiognomy and institutional setting. In so doing, this collection
of essays by leading figures in the fields of both philosophy and
the history of ideas provides access to key early modern disputes
over what it meant to be a philosopher, and to the institutional
and larger political and religious contexts in which such disputes
took place.
The institutionalization of History and Philosophy of Science as a
distinct field of scholarly endeavour began comparatively earl-
though not always under that name - in the Australasian region. An
initial lecturing appointment was made at the University of
Melbourne immediately after the Second World War, in 1946, and
other appoint ments followed as the subject underwent an expansion
during the 1950s and 1960s similar to that which took place in
other parts of the world. Today there are major Departments at the
University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the
University of W ollongong, and smaller groups active in many other
parts of Australia and in New Zealand. 'Australasian Studies in
History and Philosophy of Science' aims to provide a distinctive
pUblication outlet for Australian and New Zealand scholars working
in the general area of history, philosophy and social studies of
science. Each volume comprises a group of essays on a connected
theme, edited by an Australian or a New Zealander with special
expertise in that particular area. Papers address general issues,
however, rather than local ones; parochial topics are avoided.
Further more, though in each volume a majority of the contributors
is from Australia or New Zealand, contributions from elsewhere are
by no means ruled out. Quite the reverse, in fact - they are
actively encouraged wherever appropriate to the balance of the
volume in question."
In this groundbreaking collection of essays the history of
philosophy appears in a fresh light, not as reason's progressive
discovery of its universal conditions, but as a series of
unreconciled disputes over the proper way to conduct oneself as a
philosopher. By shifting focus from the philosopher as proxy for
the universal subject of reason to the philosopher as a special
persona arising from rival forms of self-cultivation, philosophy is
approached in terms of the social office and intellectual
deportment of the philosopher, as a personage with a definite moral
physiognomy and institutional setting. In so doing, this collection
of essays by leading figures in the fields of both philosophy and
the history of ideas provides access to key early modern disputes
over what it meant to be a philosopher, and to the institutional
and larger political and religious contexts in which such disputes
took place.
Towards the end of his life, Descartes published the first four parts of a projected six-part work, The Principles of Philosophy. This was intended to be the definitive statement of his complete system of philosophy, dealing with everything from cosmology to the nature of human happiness. Stephen Gaukroger examines the system, and reconstructs the last two parts, "On Living Things" and "On Man", from Descartes' other writings. He relates the work to the tradition of late Scholastic textbooks which it follows, and also to Descartes' other philosophical writings.
Towards the end of his life, Descartes published the first four parts of a projected six-part work, The Principles of Philosophy. This was intended to be the definitive statement of his complete system of philosophy, dealing with everything from cosmology to the nature of human happiness. Stephen Gaukroger examines the system, and reconstructs the last two parts, "On Living Things" and "On Man", from Descartes' other writings. He relates the work to the tradition of late Scholastic textbooks which it follows, and also to Descartes' other philosophical writings.
This ambitious and important book provides the first truly general account of Francis Bacon as a philosopher. It explores in detail how and why Bacon attempted to transform the largely esoteric discipline of natural philosophy into a public practice through a program in which practical science provided a model that inspired many from the 17th to the 20th centuries. This book will be recognized as a major contribution to Baconian scholarship of special interest to historians of early modern philosophy, science, and ideas.
This ambitious and important book provides the first truly general account of Francis Bacon as a philosopher. It explores in detail how and why Bacon attempted to transform the largely esoteric discipline of natural philosophy into a public practice through a program in which practical science provided a model that inspired many from the 17th to the 20th centuries. This book will be recognized as a major contribution to Baconian scholarship of special interest to historians of early modern philosophy, science, and ideas.
Descartes' The World offers the most comprehensive vision of the nature of the world since Aristotle, and is crucial for an understanding of his later writings, in particular the Meditations and Principles of Philosophy. Above all, it provides an insight into how Descartes conceived of natural philosophy before he started to reformulate his doctrines in terms of a skeptically-driven epistemology. This volume offers a new translation of the work together with related writings that illuminate it, including the first English translation of the complete text of The Description of the Human Body.
Descartes' The World offers the most comprehensive vision of the
nature of the world since Aristotle, and is crucial for an
understanding of his later writings, in particular the Meditations
and Principles of Philosophy. Above all, it provides an insight
into how Descartes conceived of natural philosophy before he
started to reformulate his doctrines in terms of a sceptically
driven epistemology. Of its two parts, the Treatise on Light
introduced the first comprehensive, quantitative version of a
mechanistic natural philosophy, supplying a theory of matter, a
physical optics, and a cosmology. The Treatise on Man provided the
first comprehensive mechanist physiology. This volume also includes
translations of material important for an understanding of the
work: related sections from the Dioptrics and the Meteors, and an
English translation of the complete text of The Description of the
Human Body.
The institutionalization of History and Philosophy of Science as a
distinct field of scholarly endeavour began comparatively earl-
though not always under that name - in the Australasian region. An
initial lecturing appointment was made at the University of
Melbourne immediately after the Second World War, in 1946, and
other appoint ments followed as the subject underwent an expansion
during the 1950s and 1960s similar to that which took place in
other parts of the world. Today there are major Departments at the
University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales and the
University of W ollongong, and smaller groups active in many other
parts of Australia and in New Zealand. 'Australasian Studies in
History and Philosophy of Science' aims to provide a distinctive
pUblication outlet for Australian and New Zealand scholars working
in the general area of history, philosophy and social studies of
science. Each volume comprises a group of essays on a connected
theme, edited by an Australian or a New Zealander with special
expertise in that particular area. Papers address general issues,
however, rather than local ones; parochial topics are avoided.
Further more, though in each volume a majority of the contributors
is from Australia or New Zealand, contributions from elsewhere are
by no means ruled out. Quite the reverse, in fact - they are
actively encouraged wherever appropriate to the balance of the
volume in question."
The first book to address the historical failures of philosophy-and
what we can learn from them Philosophers are generally unaware of
the failures of philosophy, recognizing only the failures of
particular theories, which are then remedied with other theories.
But, taking the long view, philosophy has actually collapsed
several times, been abandoned, sometimes for centuries, and been
replaced by something quite different. When it has been revived it
has been with new aims that are often accompanied by implausible
attempts to establish continuity with a perennial philosophical
tradition. What do these failures tell us? The Failures of
Philosophy presents a historical investigation of philosophy in the
West, from the perspective of its most significant failures:
attempts to provide an account of the good life, to establish
philosophy as a discipline that can stand in judgment over other
forms of thought, to set up philosophy as a theory of everything,
and to construe it as a discipline that rationalizes the empirical
and mathematical sciences. Stephen Gaukroger argues that these
failures reveal more about philosophical inquiry and its ultimate
point than its successes ever could. These failures illustrate how
and why philosophical inquiry has been conceived and reconceived,
why philosophy has been thought to bring distinctive skills to
certain questions, and much more. An important and original account
of philosophy's serial breakdowns, The Failures of Philosophy
ultimately shows how these shortcomings paradoxically reveal what
matters most about the field.
Ideas, resources and encouragement for small-group leaders. Ever
since New Testament times small groups of Christians have met to
learn, to worship and to grow together. An effective group enables
its members to thrive in their Christian life and make an impact in
their world. This guide equips small-group leaders to steer a group
with confidence and competance. Written by experienced authors with
much wisdom it will give you the vision you are looking for.
Chapters explore: - What makes a good leader - Prayer and worship
in a homegroup setting - Troubleshooting - Reaching out to others
...and much more. Essential reading whether you're starting a
housegroup, taking an existing group forward or revitalizing a
group that has gone a little flat. This practical guide will
transform your vision, develop your skills, focus your aims and
enable you to lead your group with panache.
French culture is unique in that philosophy has played a
significant role from the early-modern period onwards, intimately
associated with political, religious, and literary debates, as well
as with epistemological and scientific ones. While Latin was the
language of learning there was a universal philosophical
literature, but with the rise of vernacular literatures things
changed and a distinctive national form of philosophy arose in
France. This Very Short Introduction covers French philosophy from
its origins in the sixteenth century up to the present, analysing
it within its social, political, and cultural context. Beginning
with psychology and epistemology, Stephen Gaukroger and Knox Peden
then move onto the emergence of radical philosophy in the
eighteenth century, before considering post-revolutionary
philosophy in the nineteenth century, philosophy in the world wars,
the radical thought of the 1960s, and finally French philosophy
today. Throughout, they explore the dilemma sustained by the
markedly national conception of French philosophy, and its history
of speaking out on matters of universal concern. ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press
contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These
pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new
subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis,
perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and
challenging topics highly readable.
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