Download or read book The Value of Philosophy written by Bertrand Russell and published by . This book was released on 2017-10-05 with total page 27 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Value of Philosophy" is one of the most important chapters of Bertrand's Russell's magnum Opus, The Problems of Philosophy. As a whole, Russell focuses on problems he believes will provoke positive and constructive discussion, Russell concentrates on knowledge rather than metaphysics: If it is uncertain that external objects exist, how can we then have knowledge of them but by probability. There is no reason to doubt the existence of external objects simply because of sense data.
Download or read book The Problems of Philosophy written by Bertrand Russell and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2001 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This classic work, first published in 1912, has never been supplanted as an approachable introduction to the theory of philosophical enquiry. It gives Russell's views on such subjects as the distinction between appearance and reality, the existence and nature of matter, idealism, knowledge by acquaintance and by description, induction, truth and falsehood, the distinction between knowledge, error and probable opinion, and the limits and value of philosophical knowledge.
Download or read book Plato on the Value of Philosophy written by Tushar Irani and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-30 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores Plato's views on what an 'art of argument' should look like, investigating the relationship between psychology and rhetoric.
Download or read book The Problems of Philosophy written by Bertrand Russell and published by . This book was released on 1924 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Equality and Tradition written by Samuel Scheffler and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-12 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays by noted philosopher Samuel Scheffler combines discussion of abstract questions in moral and political theory with attention to the normative dimension of current social and political controversies. In addition to chapters on more abstract issues such as the nature of human valuing, the role of partiality in ethics, and the significance of the distinction between doing and allowing, the volume also includes essays on immigration, terrorism, toleration, political equality, and the normative significance of tradition. Uniting the essays is a shared preoccupation with questions about human value and values. The volume opens with an essay that considers the general question of what it is to value something - as opposed, say, to wanting it, wanting to want it, or thinking that it is valuable. Other essays explore particular values, such as equality, whose meaning and content are contested. Still others consider the tensions that arise, both within and among individuals, in consequence of the diversity of human values. One of the overarching aims of the book is to illuminate the different ways in which liberal political theory attempts to resolve conflicts of both of these kinds.
Download or read book Radical Axiology written by Hugh P. McDonald and published by Rodopi. This book was released on 2004 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book treats values as the basis for all of philosophy, an approach distinct from critiquing theories of value and far rarer. "First Philosophy," the effort to justify the foundations for a system of philosophy, is one of the main issues that divide philosophers today. McDonald's philosophy of values is a comprehensive attempt to replace philosophies of "existence," "being," "experience," the "subject," or "language," with a philosophy that locates value as most basic. This transformation is a radical move within Western philosophy as a whole, since it has never been done in such a thoroughgoing way. Hugh P. McDonald makes a comprehensive case against first philosophy as metaphysical, by mounting a case against all metaphysical systems of philosophy. Radical Axiology: A First Philosophy of Values is a fresh start for a rebirth of philosophy. While other movements debate the "death of philosophy," this book radically re-evaluates the direction of philosophy by discovering values at the basis of all philosophy. This reorientation addresses the question of what the love of wisdom can mean for us today.
Download or read book The Philosophy of Spirituality written by Heather Salazar and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-11-05 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Reason and Value written by R. Jay Wallace and published by Clarendon Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reason and Value collects fifteen brand-new papers by leading contemporary philosophers on themes from the moral philosophy of Joseph Raz. The subtlety and power of Raz's reflections on ethical topics - including especially his explorations of the connections between practical reason and the theory of value - make his writings a fertile source for anyone working in this area. The volume honours Raz's accomplishments in the area of ethical theorizing, and will contribute to an enhanced appreciation of the significance of his work for the subject.
Download or read book The Value of Rationality written by Ralph Wedgwood and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ralph Wedgwood gives a general account of the concept of rationality. The Value of Rationality is designed as the first instalment of a trilogy - to be followed by accounts of the requirements of rationality that apply specifically to beliefs and choices. The central claim of the book is that rationality is a normative concept. This claim is defended against some recent objections. Normative concepts are to be explained in terms of values (not in terms of 'ought' or reasons). Rationality is itself a value: rational thinking is in a certain way better than irrational thinking. Specifically, rationality is an internalist concept: what it is rational for you to think now depends solely on what is now present in your mind. Nonetheless, rationality has an external goal - the goal of thinking correctly, or getting things right in one's thinking. The connection between thinking rationally and thinking correctly is probabilistic: if your thinking is irrational, that is in effect bad news about your thinking's degree of correctness. This account of rationality explains how we should set about giving a theory of what it is for beliefs and choices to be rational. Wedgwood thus unifies practical and theoretical rationality, and reveals the connections between formal accounts of rationality (such as those of formal epistemologists and decision theorists) and the more metaethics-inspired recent discussions of the normativity of rationality. He does so partly by drawing on recent work in the semantics of normative and modal terms (including deontic modals like 'ought').
Download or read book The Pursuit of Value written by Derek Mazzone and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-11-27 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pursuit of Value This book re-examines the big questions of life through the auspices of value and consciousness, and through their roles in human activities such as ethics, religion, romance, and purpose. A meaningful life, for example, is ostensibly one that is worthwhile or valuable, and ethical principles are values that guide 'right' conduct. But both value and consciousness are beset by theoretical problems as well as holding out promises of explanation and resolution. Thinkers from Nietzsche to Ronald Dworkin agree that values are amongst the most crucial aspects of life, lying at the heart of politics, religion, morality and social order. But they are also amongst the least understood. Basic questions remain unanswered such as: what are values, how can apparently subjective values be objective, and perhaps more importantly, how does value enter into our experience of the quality and meaning of our lives? The phenomenon of consciousness offers solutions as well as additional problems. The classic 'mind-body' issue continues to reveal uncertainty over the status of mind as either an aspect of the physical world or as some other species of 'being'. Less widely discussed, an error theory of consciousness-comparable to Mackie's error theory of value-is presented here to explain both the neglect or obfuscation of personal existence, and the 'mysteriousness' of that existence, seemingly evoked by a non-referential form of perception to which every self-conscious individual is subjected. Further questions of free-will, personal identity, and the development of cognitive faculties are also illuminated by a consideration of consciousness, or rather a graduated conception of consciousness attributable with different levels or degrees. It's almost a truism that self-consciousness is a precondition of free-will, personal identity, and certain cognitive faculties, that typically pre-reflective 'animal' consciousness doesn't enjoy. Questions of value also call upon theory of mind, or in our case, a structural conception of consciousness, once favoured in phenomenology. Harking back to Sartrean relations between value, selection and choice, structural features such as graduation, divisibility and 'intentionality' can further explain the origins of value as well as how it can both propel itself and be constrained by its own choices for value. Thrust into the world of reason, intentional objects and the unavoidability of choice, additional constraints bear upon value, and thereby upon our experience of the world. The problematic 'fact-value' and 'is-ought' distinctions in human action and ethics are also offered resolution in a structural account where value isn't just a product of consciousness, but provides a foundation for further value and values. In a structural perspective, the phenomenon of 'choice', for instance, can be understood as both an integral property of consciousness and a final arbiter of moral decision. A resolution of the seeming contradiction between a choice that is both 'free' and 'objectively moral' comes within reach with explanations of value in terms of structures of consciousness that provide both a graduated notion of free-will and a 'relative objectivity' with normative features. Further explanations of value with reference to its quality, resilience and sufficiency, in relation to supporting cognitive objects, sets us on a certain trajectory, on route to a value 'preference', and on a path towards an experience of a 'good' and meaningful life, that we outline here.
Download or read book Russell on Religion written by Bertrand Russell and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Russell on Religion presents a comprehensive and accessible selection of Bertrand Russell's writing on religion and related topics from the turn of the century to the end of his life. The influence of religion pervades almost all Bertrand Russell's writings from his mathematical treatises to his early fiction. Russell contends with religion as a philosopher, as a historian, as a social critic and as a private individual. The papers in this volume are arranged chronologically for optimum coherence of the development of Russell's thinking and are divided into five main sections: * Personal statements * Religion and Philosophy * Religion and Science * Religion and Morality * Religion and History. Students at all levels will find this a valuable insight into Russell's thought on religion.
Download or read book The Philosophy Book written by DK and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-03-02 with total page 772 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover how our big social, political and ethical ideas are formed with The Philosophy Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Philosophy in this overview guide to the subject, great for beginners looking to learn and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Philosophy Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Philosophy, with: - Key quotes from more than 100 of the great thinkers of philosophy - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Philosophy Book is the perfect introduction to philosophy, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you'll discover how key concepts in philosophy have shaped our world, with authoritative articles that explore big ideas. Learn about everyone who's contributed to the flow of world philosophy, from antiquity to the modern age, through superb mind maps explaining the line of thought. Your Philosophical Questions, Simply Explained If you thought it was difficult to learn philosophy and its many concepts, The Philosophy Book presents the key ideas in a clear layout. Find out what philosophers thought about the nature of reality, and the fundamental questions we ask ourselves; What is the meaning of life? What is the Universe made of? And work your way through the different branches of philosophy such as metaphysics and ethics, from ancient and modern thinkers. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Philosophy Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.
Download or read book Exploring Practical Philosophy From Action to Values written by Dan Egonsson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-24 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 28/11/2001: The broad label ’practical philosophy’ brings together such topics as ethics and metaethics as well as philosophy of law, society, art and religion. In practical philosophy, theory of value and action is basic, and woven into our understanding of all practical and ethical reasoning. New essays from leading international philosophers illustrate that substantial results in the subdisciplines of practical philosophy require insights into its core issues: the nature of actions, persons, values and reasons. This anthology is published in honour of Ingmar Persson on his fiftieth birthday.
Download or read book Philosophy written by Ayn Rand and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1984-11-01 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays was the last work planned by Ayn Rand before her death in 1982. In it, she summarizes her view of philosophy and deals with a broad spectrum of topics. According to Ayn Rand, the choice we make is not whether to have a philosophy, but which one to have: rational, conscious, and therefore practical; or contradictory, unidentified, and ultimately lethal. Written with all the clarity and eloquence that have placed Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy in the mainstream of American thought, these essays range over such basic issues as education, morality, censorship, and inflation to prove that philosophy is the fundamental force in all our lives.
Download or read book Value Theory in Philosophy and Social Science RLE Social Theory written by James B. Wilbur and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-08-13 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The annual Conferences on Value Inquiry bring together philosophers, scientists and humanists to discuss the many facets of the problem of value in the experience of the individual and in contemporary society. One of the criteria in choosing papers for the Conference is the ability to stimulate discussion and clarification. The papers in the present volumes show deep concern with the problems and responsibilities in making choices of value.
Download or read book The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding written by Jonathan L. Kvanvig and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-08-21 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Epistemology has for a long time focused on the concept of knowledge and tried to answer questions such as whether knowledge is possible and how much of it there is. Often missing from this inquiry, however, is a discussion on the value of knowledge. In The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding Jonathan Kvanvig argues that epistemology properly conceived cannot ignore the question of the value of knowledge. He also questions one of the most fundamental assumptions in epistemology, namely that knowledge is always more valuable than the value of its subparts. Taking Platos' Meno as a starting point of his discussion, Kvanvig tackles the different arguments about the value of knowledge and comes to the conclusion that knowledge is less valuable than generally assumed. Clearly written and well argued, this 2003 book will appeal to students and professionals in epistemology.
Download or read book The Art of Philosophy written by Peter Sloterdijk and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012-10-02 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his best-selling book You Must Change Your Life, Peter Sloterdijk argued exercise and practice were crucial to the human condition. In The Art of Philosophy, he extends this critique to academic science and scholarship, casting the training processes of academic study as key to the production of sophisticated thought. Infused with humor and provocative insight, The Art of Philosophy further integrates philosophy and human existence, richly detailing the foundations of this relationship and its transformative role in making the postmodern self. Sloterdijk begins with Plato's description of Socrates, whose internal monologues were so absorbing they often rooted the philosopher in place. The original academy, Sloterdijk argues, taught scholars to lose themselves in thought, and today's universities continue this tradition by offering scope for Plato's "accommodations for absences." By training scholars to practice thinking as an occupation transcending daily time and space, universities create the environment in which thought makes wisdom possible. Traversing the history of asceticism, the concept of suspended animation, and the theory of the neutral observer, Sloterdijk traces the evolution of philosophical practice from ancient times to today, showing how scholars can remain true to the tradition of "the examined life" even when the temporal dimension no longer corresponds to the eternal. Building on the work of Husserl, Heidegger, Nietzsche, Arendt, and other practitioners of the life of theory, Sloterdijk launches a posthumanist defense of philosophical inquiry and its everyday, therapeutic value.
