Secular grace /
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In Secular Grace Dana Freibach-Heifetz addresses the crisis of modernity, proposing an ethic of love based on a new philosophical concept of "secular grace\' as intersubjective relations. Anchored in secular humanism as well as within the existentialist tradition, yet recognizing their limitations, Secular Grace seeks to protrude them by means of dialogue with their other: Christianity. Inspired by a variety of intellectual roots from ancient Greece to post modernist thinkers - chiefly the deliberations of Buber and Levinas in the encounter with the other, and notions of gift and friendship - it offers a rich concept of Secular Grace . It furthermore examines the possibilities of grace towards the dead, self-grace and secular salvation.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004339842 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Natural language and possible minds : how language uncovers the cognitive landscape of nature /
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In Natural Language and Possible Minds: How Language Uncovers the Cognitive Landscape of Nature Prakash Mondal attempts to demonstrate that language can reveal the hidden logical texture of diverse types of mentality in non-humans, contrary to popular belief. The widely held assumption in mainstream cognitive science is that language being humanly unique introduces an anthropomorphic bias in investigations into the nature of other possible minds. This book turns this around by formulating a lattice of mental structures distilled from linguistic structures constituting the cognitive building blocks of an ensemble of biological entities/beings. This turns out to have surprising consequences for machine cognition as well. Challenging mainstream views, this book will appeal to cognitive scientists, philosophers of mind, linguists and also cognitive ethologists.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004344204 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A future without borders? : theories and practices of cosmopolitan peacebuilding /
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A Future without Borders (FWB) offers an explanation of why the recent, but by now distant, movements of the "Occupy Wall Street" activists have repeated themselves across the globe. The book demonstrates some of the processes inherent to an adapting cosmopolitanism (a call for civility, a call for Justice, a call for a collective responsibility or accountability) that is not individualistic in nature. Until recently, the statal/national problems understood as politico-economic failures were conceived as isolated problems, failures of statal institutions that are particular to certain countries. FWB contests the Westphalian logic that explains these circumstances, as national failures and argues instead that the conditions be assessed as extensions of the global economic and ideological failures that they surely are. Contributors are: Anton Allahar, Arnold Farr, Andrew Fiala, Pierre-André Gagnon, Bill Gay, Kurtis Hagen, Linden F. Lewis, Tracey Nicholls, Richard T. Peterson, Jorge Rodriguez, Eddy M. Souffrant, and Hilbourne A. Watson.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004325388 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Buddhist Philosophy of Consciousness : Tradition and Dialogue /
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Buddhist Philosophy of Consciousness brings Buddhist voices to the study of consciousness. This book explores a variety of different Buddhist approaches to consciousness that developed out of the Buddhist theory of non-self. Topics taken up in these investigations include: how we are able to cognize our own cognitions; whether all conscious states involve conceptualization; whether distinct forms of cognition can operate simultaneously in a single mental stream; whether non-existent entities can serve as intentional objects; and does consciousness have an intrinsic nature, or can it only be characterized functionally? These questions have all featured in recent debates in consciousness studies. The answers that Buddhist philosophers developed to such questions are worth examining just because they may represent novel approaches to questions about consciousness.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004440913
9789004440890
Ens primum cognitum in Thomas Aquinas and the tradition : the philosophy of being as first known /
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Ens Primum Cognitum in Thomas Aquinas and the Tradition presents a reading of Thomas Aquinas' claim that "being" is the first object of the human intellect. Blending the insights of both the early Thomistic tradition (c.1380-1637AD) and the Leonine Thomistic revival (1879-present), Brian Kemple examines how this claim of Aquinas has been traditionally understood, and what is lacking in that understanding. While the recent tradition has emphasized the primacy of the real (so-called ens reale ) in human recognition of the primum cognitum , Kemple argues that this misinterprets Aquinas, thereby closing off Thomistic philosophy to the broader perspective needed to face the philosophical challenges of today, and proposes an alternative interpretation with dramatic epistemological and metaphysical consequences.
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1 online resource (viii, 376 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004352568 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Quintessence of Dust: The Science of Matter and the Philosophy of Mind /
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Quintessence of Dust by Harry Redner argues for a science of matter and a philosophy of mind based on emergence. Mind emerges from matter through five essential stages - "quintessence" ( Hamlet ). Human mind is differentiated from animal mind primarily by reference to art ( Homo ludens ). This approach draws support from Donald, Edelman and other palaeoanthropologists, psychologists and neurologists. The emergent relation between two entities is defined as an indissoluble non-identity. The "mind as machine" thesis, artificial intelligence and cognitivism are criticised. The alternative emergentist approach comes close to Spinoza. The book attempts a synthesis of the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities based on philosophic premises.
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1 online resource. :
9789004426863
9789004426023
John Lach's practical philosophy /
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John Lachs (1934-) has been one of the most interesting American philosophers for nearly sixty years. His philosophical, educational, and public activity has been an attempt to show the relevance of philosophy to life. This is the first book dedicated to his thought. International scholars have proposed different themes in Lachs' philosophy, so as to present its enormous potential. Lachs' responses to his critics shows that dialogue with his critics is an inspirational activity for both sides. Lachs' way of philosophizing can be seen as exemplary for those who want to unify and present a clear and understandable articulation of moral and philosophical messages to everyone.
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1 online resource (348 pages) :
9789004367647 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Modern and Postmodern Crises of Symbolic Structures : Essays in Philosophical Anthropology /
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In debates about philosophical anthropology human beings have been defined in different ways. In Modern and Postmodern Crises of Symbolic Structures , the contributors view the human being primarily as animal symbolicum. They examine how the human being creates, interprets and changes symbolic structures, as well as how he is affected and impacted by them. The focus lies on the context of modernity and postmodernity, which is characterized by a number of interrelated crises of symbolic structures. These crises have affected the realms of science, religion, art, politics and education, and thus provoked crucial changes in the human being's relations to himself, others and reality. The crises are not viewed merely as manifestations of dysfunctions, but rather as complex processes of transformation that also provide new opportunities.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004440968
9789004440951
Clinical trials and the African person : a quest to re-conceptualize responsibility /
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Clinical Trials and the African Person aims to position the African notion of the self/person within the clinical trials context. As opposed to autonomy-based principlism, this other-regarding/communalist perspective is the preferred alternative model. This tactic draws further attention to the inadequacy of the principlist approach particularly in multicultural settings. It also engenders a rethink, stimulates interest, and re-assesses the failed assumptions of universal ethical principles. As a novel attempt that runs against much of the prevailing (Euro-American) intellectual mood, this approach strives to introduce the African viewpoint by making explicit the import of the self in a re-contextualized arena, meaning within the community and a given milieu. Thus, research ethics must go beyond autonomy-based considerations for the individual, to rightly embed him/her within his/her community and the environment.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004366947 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Plotinus and the moving image /
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Plotinus and the Moving Image offers the first philosophical discussion on Plotinus' philosophy and film. It discusses Plotinian concepts like \'the One\' in a cinematic context and relates Plotinus' theory of time as a transitory intelligible movement of the soul to Bergson's and Deleuze's time-image. Film is a unique medium for a rapprochement of our modern consciousness with the thought of Plotinus. The Neoplatonic vestige is particularly worth exploring in the context of the newly emerging "Cinema of Contemplation." Plotinus' search for the \'intelligible\' that can be grasped neither by sense perception nor by merely logical abstractions leads to a fluent way of seeing. Parallels that had so far never been discussed are made plausible. This book is a milestone in the philosophy of film. Contributors are: Cameron Barrows, Thorsten Botz-Bornstein, Michelle Phillips Buchberger, Steve Choe, Stephen Clark, Vincenzo Lomuscio, Tony Partridge, Daniel Regnier, Giannis Stamatellos, Enrico Terrone, Sebastian F. Moro Tornese and Panayiota Vassilopoulou.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004357167 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
In search of transcendence : Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Kazantzakis /
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This book explores the philosophical/religious thought of Soren Kierkegaard, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Nikos Kazantzakis in relation to the concept of transcendence. Each of these thinkers has made a strong impact on Western religious and philosophical thought, but each from a nearly completely different angle as well as from a different national background. This comparative study therefore crosses both national and perspectival boundaries. Each of the three thinkers struggled with the notion of transcendence but in uniquely distinct fashion. The conclusion offers yet a third model, the author's, for understanding transcendence focusing on the concept of "mediation".
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004349711 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The philosophy of spirituality : analytic, continental, and multicultural approaches to a new field of philosophy /
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The essays in The Philosophy of Spirituality explore a new field in philosophy. Until recently, most philosophers in the analytic and continental Western traditions treated spirituality as a religious concept. Any non-religious spirituality tended to be neglected or dismissed as irremediably vague. Here, from various philosophical and cultural perspectives, it is addressed as a subject of independent interest. This is a philosophical response to increasing numbers of spiritual but not religious people inhabiting secular societies and the heightened interaction between a multitude of spiritual traditions in a globalized age. A provocative array of approaches (African, Indigenous, Indian, Stoic, and Sufic perspectives, as well as Western analytic and continental views) offer fresh insights, many articulated by emerging voices. Contributors are Mariapaola Bergomi, Moses Biney, Christopher Braddock, Drew Chastain, Kerem Eksen, Nikolay Milkov, Roderick Nicholls, Jerry Piven, Heather Salazar, Eric Steinhart, Richard White, Mark Wynn and Eric Yang.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004376311 :
0929-8436 ;
The Ethics of Homelessness : Philosophical Perspectives /
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This new and expanded edition of G. John M. Abbarno's anthology The Ethics of Homelessness underscores what is ignored in plain sight: people without a home or dwelling are also without privacy and dignity. It is argued that they lack moral standing. The chapters uncover the harsh realities of poverty where economic value overrides competing human values. Naomi Zack argues that homelessness is symbolic of society's materialistic values. It has a tendency to resist sufficient charity and perpetuates conditions of injustice. Uma Narayan questions whether the homeless have protection under the U.S. Constitution. Other authors present an enlarged sphere of homeless to include runaway children, refugees, adoptees and the disabled. The book demonstrates the value of applied philosophy.
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1 online resource. :
9789004420366
9789004420359
Silence in philosophy, literature, and art /
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Silence exists at the edge of the world, where words break off and meaning fades into ambiguity. The numerous treatments of silence in Steven L. Bindeman's Silence in Philosophy, Literature, and Art question the misleading clarity of certainty, which persists in the unreflective discourse of common experience. Significant philosophical problems, such as the limits of language, the perception of sound and the construction of meaning, the dynamics of the social realm, and the nature of the human self, all appear differently as a consequence of this questioning. Silence is shown to have two modes, disruptive and healing, which work together as complementary stages within a creative process. The interaction between these two modes of silence serves as the dynamic behind the entire work.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004352582 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A Life of Scholarship with Santayana : Essays and Reflections /
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An entire lifetime's work by Herman J. Saatkamp is collected here in A Life of Scholarship with Santayana: Essays and Reflections . From the first essay, published in 1972, to the latest, in 2017, almost fifty years of scholarship is given a fresh embodiment of expression. Saatkamp is considered by many to be the world's foremost authority on George Santayana's life and thought. Not only does this volume bring into clear relief Saatkamp's understanding of Santayana, the editing process, and genetic concerns and the future of philosophy, but it also betrays a lucid and humane understanding that aptly personifies a life spent in reflection, a discerning sense of appreciation, and an affirmation of life and learning.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004446656
9789004446649
Consciousness and loneliness : theoria and praxis /
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Current research claims loneliness is passively caused by external conditions: environmental, cultural, situational, and even chemical imbalances in the brain and hence avoidable. In this book, the author argues that loneliness is actively constituted by acts of reflexive self-consciousness (Kant) and transcendent intentionality (Husserl) and is, therefore, unavoidable. This work employs a historical, conceptual, and interdisciplinary approach (philosophy, psychology, literature, sociology, et cetera) criticizing both psychoanalysis and neuroscience. The book pits materialism, mechanism, determinism, empiricism, phenomenalism, behaviorism, and the neurosciences against dualism, both subjective and objective idealism, rationalism, freedom, phenomenology, and existentialism. It offers a dynamic of loneliness, whose spontaneous subconscious sources undercuts the unconscious of Freud and the "computerism" of the neurosciences by challenging their claims to be predictive sciences.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004385979 :
0929-8436 ;
Lessons in exile
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This book, winner of the 2007 Siglo XXI International Essay Prize, is unique in its approach to exile and offers remarkable insights into the subject. It discusses both human nature and the phenomenon of exile with depth and exactness from the combined perspectives of philosophy, morality, politics, anthropology, and history. After retracing the lessons learned through diverse experiences of exile from antiquity to modern times, it uses poetry as metatestimony to examine exile, subjectivity, and the many moral and political implications involved. The result is a series of thoughtprovoking connections between exile and the way we assume our lives.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004385153 :
0929-8436 ;
The sequential imperative : general cognitive principles and the structure of behaviour /
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In The Sequential Imperative William Edmondson explains how deep study of linguistics - from phonetics to pragmatics - can be the basis for understanding the organization of behaviour in any organism with a brain. The work demonstrates that Cognitive Science needs to be anchored in a linguistic setting. Only then can Cognitive Scientists reach out to reconsider the nature of consciousness and to appreciate the functionality of all brains. The core functionality of the brain - any brain, any species, any time - is delivery and management of the unavoidable bi-directional transformation between brain states and activity - the Sequential Imperative. Making it all work requires some general cognitive principles and close attention to detail. The book sets out the case in broad terms but also incorporates significant detail where necessary.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004342996 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Simone de Beauvoir : a humanist thinker /
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This collection of humanist readings of Simone de Beauvoir's work is a novel contribution to contemporary research on Beauvoir, and a defense of the importance of the humanities. It demonstrates the significance and value of humanistic research through the work of Beauvoir, and argues that the reception and influence of her works demonstrate the transformative potential of humanistic research. Organized around three topics, each chapter ascertains Beauvoir's relation to the humanities and the humanist tradition. The first group focuses on Beauvoir's interdisciplinary methodology and critical thinking, the second on her ethics of freedom and the construction of values. The last section explores how Beauvoir uses literature as a laboratory for developing her ideas on human interaction. The chapters can be studied as independent essays, or read together as a whole. Simone de Beauvoir-A Humanist Thinker reveals new and previously unexplored dimensions of Beauvoir's work by exposing her as a significant and inspiring humanist thinker. This volume attests that Beauvoir's works continue to offer conceptual tools and insights enabling readers to critically analyze their own situation. In today's world, where religious fanaticism and totalitarian ideologies are gaining ground, humanist values and humanistic research are more important than ever.
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1 online resource (xiv, 215 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004294462 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Literature and the encounter with immanence /
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In Literature and the Encounter with Immanence Brynnar Swenson collects nine original essays that approach the relationship between literature and immanence through methodologies grounded in the philosophy of Spinoza. One of Spinoza's most provocative claims is a simple declaration of ignorance: "We do not know what a body can do." A literary theory based on immanence privileges the ontological status of the text and the material act of reading. Rather than ask what a text means, the essays here ask what a text can do. Each essay documents a distinct literary and philosophical encounter with immanence and, as a result, opens up a space to read literature as one would read philosophy and vice versa .
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1 online resource (ix, 192 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004311930 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.