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Reality and Culture : Essays on the Philosophy of Bernard Harrison.
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More than being a volume about the philosophy of Bernard Harrison, this volume is about how Harrison conceptualizes the creation of the human world. One might be tempted to classify Harrison as a major voice in many diverse discussions-philosophy of literature, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, color studies, epistemology, metaphysics, moral philosophy, philosophy of culture, Wittgenstein, antisemitism, and more-without recognizing a unifying strand that ties them together. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Harrison contests and destabilizes a persistent and misleading alignment of culture with subjectivity-whether found in unexamined distinctions between nature and culture or appearance and reality. His general aim has been to undermine the belief that human culture deals in smoke and mirrors, and that the only realities are those of extra-human nature. He emphasizes the paraxial foundation of meaning, and argues that the creative inventions of language and culture are as real as any extra-linguistic reality. While granting the existence of extra-human reality, he holds it to be, in itself, conceptually unorganised, but nevertheless cognitively accessible by way of sense-perception and physical manipulation. This volume offers new critical essays that examine Harrison's corpus, written by distinguished voices in philosophy and literary studies. It bridges many of the abysses of conflicting opinion opened by the culture wars of the past half-century. Importantly, it includes an opening essay by Harrison that elucidates the unifying strand running through his variegated philosophical writings, and concludes with a chapter in which he replies to and reflects on the other critical essays herein.
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1 online resource (294 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789401210669 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Virtual reality : the last human narrative?.
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Is virtual reality the latest grand narrative that humanity has produced? Our civilization is determined by a shift from an "original event" to a virtual "narrative". This concerns not only virtual reality but also psychoanalysis, gene-technology, and globalization. Psychoanalysis transforms the dream into a narrative and is able to spell out the dream's symbols. Gene-technology narrates dynamic, self-evolving evolution as a "gene code". Discourses on "globalization" let the globe appear as once more globalized because reproduced through narrative. Finally, reality itself has come to be narrated in the form of a second reality that is called "virtual". This book attempts to disentangle the characteristics of human reality and posthuman virtual reality and asks whether it is possible to reconcile both.
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1 online resource (242 pages) :
9789004302303 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Human : A Reality Put to the Test /
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With Modernity, every "subject" is individual and unique but prey to contradictions. This book focuses first on Modernity's separation of truth (is knowledge rigorously rational?) from justice (is an action ethical?). Modernity values human dignity and autonomy, but its commitment to self-realization is unsustainable and neglects the common good, which is lost in the "anonymity" of technology and economics. Lost are both truly creative individuality and productive social relationships. Sequeri then examines contradictions in our "common humanity": the power of desire, the excesses of tragedy, modalities of cooperation, and the manifestations of diversity. Recent anthropology and psychanalysis support his goal of renewed acceptance of (a) desire that leads to life-creating affection, and (b) otherness as a reason for existential cooperation.
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1 online resource (146 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9783657797882
Proclus on nature : philosophy of nature and its methods in Proclus' Commentary on Plato's Timaeus /
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Of Proclus' immense philosophical system, the part concerning the natural world may well be the most fascinating. Traditional scholarship tends to downplay that part of Neoplatonism, in favour of idealism, but recently this attitude is changing. This study contributes to that development by showing how Proclus' natural philosophy relates to theology, while remaining a science in its own right. Starting from his Commentary on Plato's Timaeus, it presents a revision of Proclus' metaphysics of nature and provides new insight into his surprisingly peripatetic philosophy of science, the role of mathematics, and the nature of discourse in natural philosophy. This book will be of interest both to students of the Platonic tradition, and to historians of natural science, metaphysics and epistemology.
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Based on the author's thesis (doctoral)--Leiden University. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [303]-320) and indexes. :
9789004193253 :
0079-1687 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Strategies of Persuasion in Herodotus' Histories and Genesis-Kings : Evoking Reality in Ancient Narratives of a Past /
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In Strategies of Persuasion in Herodotus' Histories and Genesis-Kings , Eva Tyrell comparatively analyzes narrative means in two monumental ancient texts about the past. Combining a narratological approach with insights of modern historical theory and biblical scholarship, she investigates patterns of narrative persuasion as a trans-cultural phenomenon and their connection with ancient concepts of reality and truth. The study contrasts differences in fundamental narrative structures of both narratives, such as mediacy and discursive versus diegetic text portions. It explores the role of material remains mentioned in the accounts to evoke or even create the reality of a past.
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1 online resource. :
9789004427976
9789004427969
Models of Desire in Graeco-Arabic Philosophy : From Plotinus to Ibn Ṭufayl /
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This study argues that late ancient Greek and medieval Islamic philosophers interpret human desire along two frameworks in reaction to Aristotle's philosophy. The investigation of the model dichotomy unfolds historically from the philosophy of Plotinus through the Graeco-Arabic translation movement in 8th-10th century Baghdad to 12th century al-Andalus with the philosophy of Ibn Bāǧǧa and Ibn Ṭufayl. Diverging on desire's inherent or non-inherent relation to the desiring subject, the two models reveal that the desire's role can orient opposed accounts of human perfection: logically-structured demonstrative knowledge versus an ineffable witnessing of the truth. Understanding desire along these models, philosophers incorporated supra-rational aspects into philosophical accounts of the human being.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004460843
9789004460836
From Onomatodoxy to Aesthetics: Aleksei Losev's Concept of Symbol /
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In From Onomatodoxy to Aesthetics: Aleksei Losev's Concept of Symbol , Teresa Obolevitch analyzes the category of symbol in broad historical and philosophical context, with a focus on Losev's exploration of symbol over his prolific and tragic career. A survivor of the Stalinist camps, Losev is recognized as the "last classic" of Russian Silver Age philosophy. This book addresses Losev's critical role within the divisive debate over onomatodoxy (imiaslavie), or the divine name, which occupied the minds of Russian thinkers in the early nineteenth century. Obolevitch presents the ancient and patristic roots of onomatodoxy and elucidates its importance for Losev's work in a range of fields, including aesthetics, mathematics, philosophy of language, and religion. Losev's work revolves around the possibility of expressing reality in language and his conception of symbol reflects both the apophatic aspect of Logos, as well as the possibility for new interpretations of reality.
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1 online resource (385 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004721999
Xiong Shili's Explaining Mind : An Annotated Translation /
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Explaining Mind is a representative text of Xiong Shili's mature onto-cosmology, moral psychology, and epistemology, in which he develops an extended account of mind, as both a moral concept and a metaphysical concept, while critically engaging key aspects of Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian thought. The book covers a diverse range of topics and themes, including the non-duality of Reality and function, philosophical psychology, the inherent mind and the habituated mind, the mind of humaneness, the inseparability of mind and matter, learning concerned with increasing knowledge daily (modern science) and learning concerned with removing ignorance daily (ancient philosophy), cultivation practices of Confucians and Buddhists, wisdom and knowledge, and the origin of badness and wrongdoing.
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1 online resource (360 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004747555
Spinoza: Journal of an Emendation /
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For the last 350 years, nearly all writing devoted to Spinoza is exegetic, providing endless interpretations of his many propositions, axioms, definitions, and scholia. When reflecting on this enormous corpus, the following question immediately springs to mind: instead of adding one more interpretation to Spinoza's scholarship, is it possible to undertake the emending project that he proposes in his Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect and the Ethics? Emendation does not mean altering for the better, but simply choosing a better perspective. Can such a change of perspective be actually achieved? This book attempts to carefully follow and live out Spinoza's emendation project today.
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1 online resource (248 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004756373
Hegel's Metaphysics of Being: An Ontological Reading of the Lesser" Logic" /
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Hegel's Encyclopedia ("Lesser") Logic and its Additions represent his definitive work (1830) on fundamental ontology, whose goal is to deduce purposive nature, the subject of the subsequent book in Hegel's system, the Philosophy of Nature . While commentators have snubbed the "Lesser" Logic in favor of its "Greater" sibling, the Encyclopedia Logic 's posthumous, student-note Additions invite us into Hegel's notoriously challenging metaphysical thought, offering lively references to his world and times. Further, in the Additions, we hear the thinker himself and feel the strength of his belief that even the most speculative philosophy is meant to be taught, understood and enjoyed.
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1 online resource (211 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004744301
An Unmanaged World: A Philosophical Study of Global Dynamics /
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This book is devoted to the philosophical analysis of key problems of world development and prospects for global management. Based on both rich factual material and a holistic understanding of the world, the author shows how modern globalization has shifted the arena of interaction from individual territories and regions to the entire space of the Earth. The global problems resulting from this shift have led to a weakly regulated and unmanaged world, one that gives rise to acute contradictions for the world community. How can we improve this situation? According to the author, we must learn to "think globally and act together." This study argues that humanity needs a global civilizational revolution aimed at forming a planetary civil society and initiating a shift within international relations, from the "right of power" to the "power of law."
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1 online resource (254 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004746060
Studies on Plato, Aristotle, and Proclus : collected essays on ancient philosophy of John Cleary /
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John J. Cleary (1949-2009) was an internationally recognised authority in many aspects of ancient philosophy. As well as penetrating and original studies of Plato, Aristotle, and Proclus, he was particularly interested in the philosophy of mathematics, and ancient theories of education. The essays included in this collection display Cleary's range of expertise and originality of approach. Cleary was especially attentive to the problems involved in the interpretation of a philosophical text: in his reading of Plato he recognised the special status of dialogue as a privileged mode of philosophical writing. His underlying concern was the open-ended character of philosophy itself, to be pursued with intellectual rigour and respect both for the question and one's interlocutor. These collected essays are representative of John Cleary's philosophical life's work.
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Title from PDF title page (viewed on Feb. 20, 2013). :
1 online resource (xxix, 609 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004247840 :
1871-188X ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Thinking being : introduction to metaphysics in the classical tradition /
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In Thinking Being , Eric Perl articulates central ideas and arguments regarding the nature of reality in Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Aquinas. He shows that, throughout this tradition, these ideas proceed from and return to the indissoluble togetherness of thought and being, first clearly expressed by Parmenides. The emphasis throughout is on continuity rather than opposition: Aristotle appears as a follower of Plato in identifying being as intelligible form, and Aquinas as a follower of Plotinus in locating the first principle "beyond being". Hence Neoplatonism, itself a coherent development of Platonic thought, comes to be seen as the mainstream of classical philosophy. Perl's book thus contributes to a revisionist understanding of the fundamental outlines of the western tradition in metaphysics.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004265769 :
1871-188X ;
Captive Ambassadors: The Hidden Lives of Zoo Animals /
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Captive Ambassadors challenges the notion of zoo animals as "ambassadors" for their species, revealing the exploitative marketing tactics behind their individualized narratives. Drawing on cognitive and behavioral ethology, transspecies psychology, and critical anthropomorphism, this multidisciplinary work exposes how zoos fabricate biographies to mask the harsh reality of animals' lived experiences in captivity. It critiques the disruptions of animal culture caused by captive breeding programs and the tragic fate of surplus animals deemed no longer useful. Advocating for authentic animal biographies and ethical engagement, this book argues for a shift in human-animal relations that honors animals as unique individuals with intrinsic value, transcending the confines of their captive roles.
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1 online resource (342 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004732926
Blurred: Selves Made and Selves Making /
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The question of the self, of what the self is (or even if there is a self), has been one that has grown alongside humanity - has haunted humanity - throughout our history. Blurred: Selves Made and Selves Making guides the reader down these dark corridors, shining light on the specters of theories past and unveiling a new self-view to hover afresh, beckoning to roadways beyond. In this remarkably interdisciplinary study, philosophy of mind joins with contemporary neuroscience and cutting-edge psychology to lay bare the how of identity formation, judgment, and behavior generation. Drawing on thinkers from both the Continental and Analytic traditions, consciousness is explored and a uniquely realist self-concept presented that, if adopted, offers a life lived otherwise.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004440937
9789004440920
Being in America : sixty years of the Metaphysical Society.
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Since its founding in 1950, the Metaphysical Society of America has remained a pluralistic community dedicated to rigorous philosophical inquiry into the most basic metaphysical questions. At each year's conference, the presidential address offers original insights into metaphysical questions. Both the insights and the questions are as perennial as they are relevant to contemporary philosophers. This volume collects eighteen of the finest representatives from those presidential addresses, including contributions from George Allan, Richard Bernstein, Norris Clarke, Vincent Colapietro, Frederick Ferré, Jorge J. E. Gracia, Joseph Grange, Marjorie Grene, George Klubertanz, Ivor Leclerc, Ralph McInerny, Ernan McMullin, Joseph Owens, John Herman Randall, Jr., Nicholas Rescher, Stanley Rosen, John E. Smith, and Robert Sokolowski. Also included are Paul Weiss's inaugural address to the Society, an introduction chronicling the history of the Society, and an original Foreword by William Desmond and Epilogue by Robert Neville.
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1 online resource (392 pages) :
9789401210737 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
L'aporie ou l'expérience des limites de la pensée dans le Péri Archôn de Damaskios.
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The radical aporetism of the treatise on first principles written by the Neoplatonic philosopher Damascius may be understood as a unique approach to understand, in different ways and on an extremely high and abstract level, not only these principles but also ourselves as thinkers. In the quest to grasp ultimate reality, this treatise is also a deep reflection on the processes and limitations of human thought in relation to supreme principles. Damascius uncovers the many concealed snares of language, the limitations of our cognitive apparatus, and the common misconceptions about first principles, thereby revealing the underlying reasons for our aporias as well as their protreptic meaning and redeeming function. This study offers a new and positive reading of Damascius' equally extreme and fascinating aporetic philosophy. L'aporétique radicale du traité des Principes Premiers du néoplatonicien Damaskios doit être comprise comme étant l'unique voie d'accès vers une compréhension différente, supérieure et purifiée des principes premiers et de nous-mêmes. Autant qu'une quête des réalités primordiales, ce traité est une réflexion sur les processus et les limites de la pensée humaine dans ses rapports avec les principes premiers. Ce présent livre montre les raisons du surgissement de telles apories, leur sens et leur rôle paradoxalement salvateur en dénonçant les plus hautes imperfections de nos discours, les pièges insoupçonnés de nos mécanismes cognitifs et l'inadéquation funeste de nos conceptions concernant les premiers principes. Le résultat est un regard neuf et une compréhension dédramatisée de cette aporétique extrême et fascinante.
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1.1. Statut et position de la connaissance. :
1 online resource (530 pages) :
9789004216129 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Speculative evaluations : essays on a pluralistic universe /
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This book evaluates competing theories on speculative topics, such as nature, technology, space, time, and the relation of mind and matter. The general thesis is the actuality of principles in the form of laws, norms and other general principles in a plastic world, tying together the actualization of "oughts" and other principles. The result is a pluralistic universe, endorsing the pragmatic view of the world. The book examines nature, being, reality and other traditional issues in this light, critically evaluating many historical approaches.
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1 online resource ([xiii], 329 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789401207614 :
0929-8436 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Beyond death : the mystical teachings of ʻAyn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadhānī /
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The twelfth-century Iranian mystic 'Ayn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadhānī (d. 1131) wrote vividly of his explorations of death as a state of consciousness which he experienced while alive. This state and his visions of Doomsday and the innumerable non-corporeal worlds that lie past the world of matter confront him with paradoxical realities that upset the notional understanding of faith. The present book concerns itself with a discussion on the subject of death as it is viewed by one of the defining mystic scholars of medieval Iran. Based on medieval manuscripts and primary sources in classical Persian and Arabic, this book explores the significance of this important Iranian mystic and his insights on the nature of reality in light of death.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047427599 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Apophasis and Envisioning the Invisible : Unveiling Veils of Infinity /
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In this monograph, two of the most complicated theoretical topics confronting the scholar of mysticism (apophasis and infinity) are tackled. Writing about apophasis presents a unique dilemma as the term itself connotes the inability of language to name the namelessness of ultimate reality. Yet, the apophatic is a gesture of speaking-not, which entails saying the unsayable, as opposed to not speaking, which is the reticence appropriate to silence. The exploration of infinity presents an equally daunting demand as the intellect embarking on this path is summoned to circumscribe the uncircumscribable. Just as communicating the incommunicable is an endless enterprise of speaking the unspeakable, so mapping infinity is an unremitting pursuit of delimiting the limitless. The two subjects thus intersect at the vanishing point where the human mind reaches its limit by confronting the limitlessness that can be described only as indescribable.
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1 online resource (661 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004744363