Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
The Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that ...
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The Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are indeed true. Many philosophers have taken the Law to be central to many of our most important philosophical concepts. This book mounts the case against this view. Starting with an analysis of Aristotle on the Law, it discusses the nature of truth, rationality, negation, and logic itself, and argues that the Law is inessential to all of these things. The book develops Priest’s earlier ideas in In Contradiction.Less
The Law of Non-Contradiction has been high orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle. The so-called Law has been the subject of radical challenge in recent years by dialetheism, the view that some contradictions are indeed true. Many philosophers have taken the Law to be central to many of our most important philosophical concepts. This book mounts the case against this view. Starting with an analysis of Aristotle on the Law, it discusses the nature of truth, rationality, negation, and logic itself, and argues that the Law is inessential to all of these things. The book develops Priest’s earlier ideas in In Contradiction.
Andreas Herberg‐Rothe
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199202690
- eISBN:
- 9780191707834
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202690.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
All previous interpretations of Clausewitz's concept of war have treated it as something that must be understood in connection with the three interactions to the extreme, and consequently with his ...
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All previous interpretations of Clausewitz's concept of war have treated it as something that must be understood in connection with the three interactions to the extreme, and consequently with his concept of the absolute. This chapter discusses the similarities and the difference between Clausewitz's concept of absolute war and modern total war. Furthermore, it can be shown that the different conceptualizations of Clausewitz's concepts of war are connected with his different war experiences at Jena, Moscow, and Waterloo. Until now, it has been overlooked that Clausewitz also speaks of the wondrous trinity as his concept of war. Nevertheless, it has to be acknowledged that Clausewitz's conceptualizations remain ambivalent without a discrete interpretation of his first chapter.Less
All previous interpretations of Clausewitz's concept of war have treated it as something that must be understood in connection with the three interactions to the extreme, and consequently with his concept of the absolute. This chapter discusses the similarities and the difference between Clausewitz's concept of absolute war and modern total war. Furthermore, it can be shown that the different conceptualizations of Clausewitz's concepts of war are connected with his different war experiences at Jena, Moscow, and Waterloo. Until now, it has been overlooked that Clausewitz also speaks of the wondrous trinity as his concept of war. Nevertheless, it has to be acknowledged that Clausewitz's conceptualizations remain ambivalent without a discrete interpretation of his first chapter.
Daniel Davies
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199768738
- eISBN:
- 9780199918980
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199768738.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed is one of the most discussed books in Jewish history. Since its appearance, many readers have advocated an “esoteric” reading of the Guide, professing to find a ...
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Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed is one of the most discussed books in Jewish history. Since its appearance, many readers have advocated an “esoteric” reading of the Guide, professing to find a hidden message in Maimonides' metaphysical beliefs. Through close readings of the Guide, this book addresses the major debates surrounding its secret doctrine. It argues that perceived contradictions in Maimonides' accounts of creation and divine attributes can be squared by paying attention to the various ways in which he presents his arguments. Furthermore, by employing philosophical rigor, it shows how a coherent theological view can emerge from the many layers of the Guide. But Maimonides' clear declaration that certain matters must be hidden from the masses cannot be ignored, and the kind of inconsistency that is peculiar to the Guide requires another explanation. It is found in the purpose Maimonides assigns to the Guide: scriptural exegesis. Ezekiel's account of the chariot, treated in one of the most laconic sections of the Guide, is the subject of the final chapters. By connecting the vision with currents in the wider Islamic world, the book shows how Maimonides devises a new method of presentation in order to imitate scripture's multilayered manner of communication. He updates what he takes to be the correct interpretation of scripture by writing it in a work appropriate for his own time, and to do so he has to keep the Torah's most hidden secrets.Less
Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed is one of the most discussed books in Jewish history. Since its appearance, many readers have advocated an “esoteric” reading of the Guide, professing to find a hidden message in Maimonides' metaphysical beliefs. Through close readings of the Guide, this book addresses the major debates surrounding its secret doctrine. It argues that perceived contradictions in Maimonides' accounts of creation and divine attributes can be squared by paying attention to the various ways in which he presents his arguments. Furthermore, by employing philosophical rigor, it shows how a coherent theological view can emerge from the many layers of the Guide. But Maimonides' clear declaration that certain matters must be hidden from the masses cannot be ignored, and the kind of inconsistency that is peculiar to the Guide requires another explanation. It is found in the purpose Maimonides assigns to the Guide: scriptural exegesis. Ezekiel's account of the chariot, treated in one of the most laconic sections of the Guide, is the subject of the final chapters. By connecting the vision with currents in the wider Islamic world, the book shows how Maimonides devises a new method of presentation in order to imitate scripture's multilayered manner of communication. He updates what he takes to be the correct interpretation of scripture by writing it in a work appropriate for his own time, and to do so he has to keep the Torah's most hidden secrets.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter provides an account of the nature of negation which not only endorses the traditional idea of negation as a contradictory-forming operator, but also allows for the possibility of ...
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This chapter provides an account of the nature of negation which not only endorses the traditional idea of negation as a contradictory-forming operator, but also allows for the possibility of dialetheism.Less
This chapter provides an account of the nature of negation which not only endorses the traditional idea of negation as a contradictory-forming operator, but also allows for the possibility of dialetheism.
C. W. A. Whitaker
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199254194
- eISBN:
- 9780191598654
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199254192.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The De Interpretatione is one of Aristotle's core works, containing highly influential analyses of the basic elements of language and the nature of truth and falsehood, as well as the famous ...
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The De Interpretatione is one of Aristotle's core works, containing highly influential analyses of the basic elements of language and the nature of truth and falsehood, as well as the famous Sea‐battle paradox. As a whole, however, the treatise has been neglected; attention has concentrated on a few oases of interest, and scholars have been satisfied with the medieval view that the treatise is a discussion of the proposition, and forms the second part of the Organon, building on the categories and anticipating the formal logic of the Analytics. This book argues that the subject of the De Interpretatione is not the proposition, as has conventionally been supposed, but the contradictory pair of assertions, and that it is oriented not towards the formal logic of the Analytics, but to the Topics and Sophistic Refutations, the works in which Aristotle describes dialectic, the method of argument consisting in the asking and answering of dialectical questions. In posing a dialectical question, the questioner presents a contradictory pair of assertions and invites the answerer to select one or the other as true, hoping in the end to lead to a refutation, i.e. a proof that the contradictory of the answerer's thesis is true, and therefore the thesis itself is false. The ability to assign assertions to their pairs correctly, and to know in which cases the truth of one member of a pair does not imply the falsehood of the other, are vital tasks for the dialectician. The De Interpretatione's discussion of contradiction thus provides the theoretical background essential for dialectic.Less
The De Interpretatione is one of Aristotle's core works, containing highly influential analyses of the basic elements of language and the nature of truth and falsehood, as well as the famous Sea‐battle paradox. As a whole, however, the treatise has been neglected; attention has concentrated on a few oases of interest, and scholars have been satisfied with the medieval view that the treatise is a discussion of the proposition, and forms the second part of the Organon, building on the categories and anticipating the formal logic of the Analytics. This book argues that the subject of the De Interpretatione is not the proposition, as has conventionally been supposed, but the contradictory pair of assertions, and that it is oriented not towards the formal logic of the Analytics, but to the Topics and Sophistic Refutations, the works in which Aristotle describes dialectic, the method of argument consisting in the asking and answering of dialectical questions. In posing a dialectical question, the questioner presents a contradictory pair of assertions and invites the answerer to select one or the other as true, hoping in the end to lead to a refutation, i.e. a proof that the contradictory of the answerer's thesis is true, and therefore the thesis itself is false. The ability to assign assertions to their pairs correctly, and to know in which cases the truth of one member of a pair does not imply the falsehood of the other, are vital tasks for the dialectician. The De Interpretatione's discussion of contradiction thus provides the theoretical background essential for dialectic.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter analyzes and criticizes the argument of Aristotle in Metaphysics, Book Gamma, against those who would violate the Law of Non-Contradiction, together with what a number of later ...
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This chapter analyzes and criticizes the argument of Aristotle in Metaphysics, Book Gamma, against those who would violate the Law of Non-Contradiction, together with what a number of later commentators have made of them.Less
This chapter analyzes and criticizes the argument of Aristotle in Metaphysics, Book Gamma, against those who would violate the Law of Non-Contradiction, together with what a number of later commentators have made of them.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199263288
- eISBN:
- 9780191603631
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199263280.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter argues that the common view that believing a contradiction is the nadir of rationality should be rejected, and that rational considerations may require one to believe contradictions. An ...
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This chapter argues that the common view that believing a contradiction is the nadir of rationality should be rejected, and that rational considerations may require one to believe contradictions. An informal model of rationality as an optimization procedure under constraint is given.Less
This chapter argues that the common view that believing a contradiction is the nadir of rationality should be rejected, and that rational considerations may require one to believe contradictions. An informal model of rationality as an optimization procedure under constraint is given.
E. J. Lowe
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199254392
- eISBN:
- 9780191603600
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199254397.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
A connection between metaphysical realism and the idea that truth is single and indivisible (alethic monism) is proposed. It is argued that propositions are the primary bearers of truth and truth ...
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A connection between metaphysical realism and the idea that truth is single and indivisible (alethic monism) is proposed. It is argued that propositions are the primary bearers of truth and truth itself is ineliminable. It is urged that truthmakers are many and do not all belong to the same ontological category. The need to posit facts or states of affairs as truthmakers, as proposed by D. M. Armstrong, is questioned. The unity of truth is related to the principle of non-contradiction, and the unpalatable ontological implications of relativism are examined.Less
A connection between metaphysical realism and the idea that truth is single and indivisible (alethic monism) is proposed. It is argued that propositions are the primary bearers of truth and truth itself is ineliminable. It is urged that truthmakers are many and do not all belong to the same ontological category. The need to posit facts or states of affairs as truthmakers, as proposed by D. M. Armstrong, is questioned. The unity of truth is related to the principle of non-contradiction, and the unpalatable ontological implications of relativism are examined.
Michael E. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199247967
- eISBN:
- 9780191601088
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019924796X.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
The focus of this chapter is on the institutionalization of a space for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and on efforts since the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union ...
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The focus of this chapter is on the institutionalization of a space for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and on efforts since the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union (TEU) to link the CFSP with other European Union (EU) domains under a principle of coherence. In the light of unfavourable perceptions about institutional performance in the conduct of EU external relations, and the perceived need for change, two major questions are addressed: the kinds of institutional problems that have resulted from the TEU’s provisions on external relations; and the extent to which, and how, these problems have been resolved. The chapter first maps out the EU’s institutional space in the policy domains most directly concerned with external relations, and then shows how these mechanisms created new problems, and thus pressures for institutional change, once the TEU came into effect. These problems are defined primarily in terms of institutional gaps and contradictions across the EU’s external policy domains. Finally, the attempts of the EU to resolve these problems through two sets of institutional reforms, one informal and the other formal, are described.Less
The focus of this chapter is on the institutionalization of a space for the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), and on efforts since the signing of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union (TEU) to link the CFSP with other European Union (EU) domains under a principle of coherence. In the light of unfavourable perceptions about institutional performance in the conduct of EU external relations, and the perceived need for change, two major questions are addressed: the kinds of institutional problems that have resulted from the TEU’s provisions on external relations; and the extent to which, and how, these problems have been resolved. The chapter first maps out the EU’s institutional space in the policy domains most directly concerned with external relations, and then shows how these mechanisms created new problems, and thus pressures for institutional change, once the TEU came into effect. These problems are defined primarily in terms of institutional gaps and contradictions across the EU’s external policy domains. Finally, the attempts of the EU to resolve these problems through two sets of institutional reforms, one informal and the other formal, are described.
C. W. A. Whitaker
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199254194
- eISBN:
- 9780191598654
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199254192.003.0016
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
By reading the De Interpretatione closely and in order, we see that the work is not a series of detached episodes but a coherent whole, dedicated to the study of contradictory pairs of assertions. ...
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By reading the De Interpretatione closely and in order, we see that the work is not a series of detached episodes but a coherent whole, dedicated to the study of contradictory pairs of assertions. The treatise begins by discussing the necessary preliminaries, including the name, verb, and assertion (Chs. 1 to 6), before moving on to examine contradictory pairs of many kinds, including three classes in which RCP (the rule that one member is always true and the other false) is violated (Chs. 7 to 9). The study of contradiction in the De Interpretatione is central to dialectic, establishing the limits beyond which dialectical question and answer must not go, showing how to arrange assertions into their correct contradictory pairs, and finally proving why it is that contradiction underpins refutation, the goal of all dialectical argument.Less
By reading the De Interpretatione closely and in order, we see that the work is not a series of detached episodes but a coherent whole, dedicated to the study of contradictory pairs of assertions. The treatise begins by discussing the necessary preliminaries, including the name, verb, and assertion (Chs. 1 to 6), before moving on to examine contradictory pairs of many kinds, including three classes in which RCP (the rule that one member is always true and the other false) is violated (Chs. 7 to 9). The study of contradiction in the De Interpretatione is central to dialectic, establishing the limits beyond which dialectical question and answer must not go, showing how to arrange assertions into their correct contradictory pairs, and finally proving why it is that contradiction underpins refutation, the goal of all dialectical argument.
C. W. A. Whitaker
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199254194
- eISBN:
- 9780191598654
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199254192.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The traditional title is an oddity. It has been explained as meaning ’On the Assertion’ (in accordance with the view that that is what the treatise is about) but the best translation is really ’On ...
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The traditional title is an oddity. It has been explained as meaning ’On the Assertion’ (in accordance with the view that that is what the treatise is about) but the best translation is really ’On Language’. However, the title is never mentioned by Aristotle and is likely to be a later invention. ’On Contradiction’ or ’On the Contradictory Pair’ would be the most appropriate titles for the work's true preoccupations.Less
The traditional title is an oddity. It has been explained as meaning ’On the Assertion’ (in accordance with the view that that is what the treatise is about) but the best translation is really ’On Language’. However, the title is never mentioned by Aristotle and is likely to be a later invention. ’On Contradiction’ or ’On the Contradictory Pair’ would be the most appropriate titles for the work's true preoccupations.
Yue Chim Richard Wong
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9789888139446
- eISBN:
- 9789888180349
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139446.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
The world economic landscape has experienced seismic changes in the fifteen years after restoration of Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. Fortunately, the Hong Kong economy has remained ...
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The world economic landscape has experienced seismic changes in the fifteen years after restoration of Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. Fortunately, the Hong Kong economy has remained steadfast and is still making progress, but public confidence in the governance of the SAR government has declined, and economic and social dissatisfaction have flared. Where should Hong Kong go from here in the face of all kinds of contradictions? This collection of essays provides an analysis of the origins of these contradictions and insights on these issues.Less
The world economic landscape has experienced seismic changes in the fifteen years after restoration of Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. Fortunately, the Hong Kong economy has remained steadfast and is still making progress, but public confidence in the governance of the SAR government has declined, and economic and social dissatisfaction have flared. Where should Hong Kong go from here in the face of all kinds of contradictions? This collection of essays provides an analysis of the origins of these contradictions and insights on these issues.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199265176
- eISBN:
- 9780191713989
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265176.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This chapter sets up the debate for the rest of the book. It discusses and rejects five objections to accepting (some) contradictions: (i) that contradictions entail everything (Explosion); (ii) that ...
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This chapter sets up the debate for the rest of the book. It discusses and rejects five objections to accepting (some) contradictions: (i) that contradictions entail everything (Explosion); (ii) that contradictions cannot be true (Law of Non-Contradiction); (iii) that contradictions cannot be believed rationally; (iv) that if contradictions can be accepted, beliefs cannot be revised rationally; and (v) that if it is possible to accept contradictions, nothing can be denied.Less
This chapter sets up the debate for the rest of the book. It discusses and rejects five objections to accepting (some) contradictions: (i) that contradictions entail everything (Explosion); (ii) that contradictions cannot be true (Law of Non-Contradiction); (iii) that contradictions cannot be believed rationally; (iv) that if contradictions can be accepted, beliefs cannot be revised rationally; and (v) that if it is possible to accept contradictions, nothing can be denied.
Achille C. Varzi
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199265176
- eISBN:
- 9780191713989
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265176.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
There are two ways of understanding the notion of a contradiction: as a conjunction of a statement and its negation, or as a pair of statements, one of which is the negation of the other. ...
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There are two ways of understanding the notion of a contradiction: as a conjunction of a statement and its negation, or as a pair of statements, one of which is the negation of the other. Correspondingly, there are two ways of understanding the Law of Non-Contradiction (LNC), i.e. the law that says that no contradictions can be true. This chapter offers some arguments to the effect that, on the first (collective) reading, LNC is non-negotiable, but on the second (distributive) reading, it is perfectly plausible to suppose that LNC may, in some rather special and perhaps undesirable circumstances, fail to hold.Less
There are two ways of understanding the notion of a contradiction: as a conjunction of a statement and its negation, or as a pair of statements, one of which is the negation of the other. Correspondingly, there are two ways of understanding the Law of Non-Contradiction (LNC), i.e. the law that says that no contradictions can be true. This chapter offers some arguments to the effect that, on the first (collective) reading, LNC is non-negotiable, but on the second (distributive) reading, it is perfectly plausible to suppose that LNC may, in some rather special and perhaps undesirable circumstances, fail to hold.
Graham Priest
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263301
- eISBN:
- 9780191718823
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263301.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This book advocates and defends the view that there are true contradictions (dialetheism), a view that has flown in the face of orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle's time. The book has ...
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This book advocates and defends the view that there are true contradictions (dialetheism), a view that has flown in the face of orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle's time. The book has been at the centre of the controversies surrounding dialetheism ever since the first edition was published in 1987. This text contains the second edition of the book. It expands upon the original in various ways, and also contains the author's reflections on developments over the last two decades.Less
This book advocates and defends the view that there are true contradictions (dialetheism), a view that has flown in the face of orthodoxy in Western philosophy since Aristotle's time. The book has been at the centre of the controversies surrounding dialetheism ever since the first edition was published in 1987. This text contains the second edition of the book. It expands upon the original in various ways, and also contains the author's reflections on developments over the last two decades.
Heather Rae and Christian Reus-Smit
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265529
- eISBN:
- 9780191760334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265529.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Exploring contradictions inherent in liberal orders, this chapter questions the treatment of liberalism in the International Relations academy as a relatively straightforward set of beliefs about the ...
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Exploring contradictions inherent in liberal orders, this chapter questions the treatment of liberalism in the International Relations academy as a relatively straightforward set of beliefs about the individual, the state, the market, and political justice. It asserts that the contradictions and tensions within liberal internationalism are in fact deep and troubling. Highlighting some of liberalism's obscured and sometimes denied contradictions — between liberal ‘statism’ and liberal ‘cosmopolitanism’; between liberal ‘proceduralism’ and liberal ‘consequentialism’; and between liberal ‘absolutism’ and liberal ‘toleration’ — the chapter explores their implications for liberal ordering practices internationally. It concludes that liberal political engagement necessitates a more reflective standpoint and more historical sensibility if we are to be aware of how contradictions have shaped liberal orders in the past and are likely to continue to do so in the future.Less
Exploring contradictions inherent in liberal orders, this chapter questions the treatment of liberalism in the International Relations academy as a relatively straightforward set of beliefs about the individual, the state, the market, and political justice. It asserts that the contradictions and tensions within liberal internationalism are in fact deep and troubling. Highlighting some of liberalism's obscured and sometimes denied contradictions — between liberal ‘statism’ and liberal ‘cosmopolitanism’; between liberal ‘proceduralism’ and liberal ‘consequentialism’; and between liberal ‘absolutism’ and liberal ‘toleration’ — the chapter explores their implications for liberal ordering practices internationally. It concludes that liberal political engagement necessitates a more reflective standpoint and more historical sensibility if we are to be aware of how contradictions have shaped liberal orders in the past and are likely to continue to do so in the future.
Alessandro Barchiesi
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161815
- eISBN:
- 9781400852482
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161815.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter considers some of the narrative strategies and their relative effects of sense in the Aeneid. What matters here is grasping the specific way the complexity of cultural presuppositions ...
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This chapter considers some of the narrative strategies and their relative effects of sense in the Aeneid. What matters here is grasping the specific way the complexity of cultural presuppositions (and their interactions) acts in reading as a source of complex meanings—that is, tightening the link between the density of literary signification and the multitude of implied models. This chapter marks out the elusive pathway that unites two discursive manifestations in Vergil's epic poetry which are quite distinct from one another: an ideological contradiction and a narrative “polyphony.” It then concludes with the form and workmanship of a “pluri-isotopic” narrative text.Less
This chapter considers some of the narrative strategies and their relative effects of sense in the Aeneid. What matters here is grasping the specific way the complexity of cultural presuppositions (and their interactions) acts in reading as a source of complex meanings—that is, tightening the link between the density of literary signification and the multitude of implied models. This chapter marks out the elusive pathway that unites two discursive manifestations in Vergil's epic poetry which are quite distinct from one another: an ideological contradiction and a narrative “polyphony.” It then concludes with the form and workmanship of a “pluri-isotopic” narrative text.
Andrew Radde‐Gallwitz
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199574117
- eISBN:
- 9780191722110
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199574117.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Theology
Chapter 1 focuses on the role divine simplicity played in the debates surrounding Marcion of Sinope, the second‐century theologian who distinguished the God of the Old Testament from the God of the ...
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Chapter 1 focuses on the role divine simplicity played in the debates surrounding Marcion of Sinope, the second‐century theologian who distinguished the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New. After reviewing the responses to Marcion offered by Tertullian and Irenaeus of Lyons, particular attention is given to Ptolemaeus Gnosticus (Ptolemy), who like the others sought to avoid attributing contradictory motives to God. Ptolemy achieved this by distinguishing between a first God, who is simple and uninvolved with creation, and a second God, who is complex and involved with matter and the created order. The chapter engages a commonplace modern objection to divine simplicity, that the idea is incompatible with the biblical portrayal of God as active in the world. It notes that ancient theologians like Ptolemy had resources for responding to this that are no longer available. Ptolemy could distinguish a first God and second, active God. Most importantly, however, Ptolemy and the modern objector agree that simplicity is inconsistent with activity. It is left to subsequent chapters to demonstrate how Basil and Gregory reject this assumption without falling into contradiction.Less
Chapter 1 focuses on the role divine simplicity played in the debates surrounding Marcion of Sinope, the second‐century theologian who distinguished the God of the Old Testament from the God of the New. After reviewing the responses to Marcion offered by Tertullian and Irenaeus of Lyons, particular attention is given to Ptolemaeus Gnosticus (Ptolemy), who like the others sought to avoid attributing contradictory motives to God. Ptolemy achieved this by distinguishing between a first God, who is simple and uninvolved with creation, and a second God, who is complex and involved with matter and the created order. The chapter engages a commonplace modern objection to divine simplicity, that the idea is incompatible with the biblical portrayal of God as active in the world. It notes that ancient theologians like Ptolemy had resources for responding to this that are no longer available. Ptolemy could distinguish a first God and second, active God. Most importantly, however, Ptolemy and the modern objector agree that simplicity is inconsistent with activity. It is left to subsequent chapters to demonstrate how Basil and Gregory reject this assumption without falling into contradiction.
James McDermott
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719084775
- eISBN:
- 9781781702673
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719084775.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Military History
Military Service Tribunals were formed following the introduction of conscription in January 1916, to consider applications for exemption from men deemed by the new legislation to have enlisted. ...
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Military Service Tribunals were formed following the introduction of conscription in January 1916, to consider applications for exemption from men deemed by the new legislation to have enlisted. Swiftly, they gained two opposing yet equally unflattering reputations. In the eyes of the military, they were soft, obstructionist ‘old duffers’. To most of the men who came before them, the Tribunals were the unfeeling civilian arm of a remorseless grinding machine. This book, utilizing a rare surviving set of Tribunal records, challenges both perspectives. The Tribunals were charged with balancing the needs of the army with those of the localities from which their members were drawn; they received instructions, recommendations and polite guidance from their masters at Whitehall, yet each was in effect a sovereign body whose decisions could not be overturned other than by appeal to similar bodies. Wielding unprecedented power yet acutely sensitive to the contradictions inherent in their task, they were obliged, often at a conveyer belt's pace, to make decisions that often determined the fate of men, their families, and ultimately, their communities. That some of these decisions were capricious or even wrong is indisputable; the sparse historiography of the Tribunals has too often focused upon the idiosyncratic example while ignoring the wider, adverse impact of imprecise legislation, government hand-washing and short-term military exigencies. Evaluating in depth that impact, and illuminating the social dynamics which often marked proceedings in the Tribunal chamber, this study attempts to redress the balance of an enduringly damning historical judgment.Less
Military Service Tribunals were formed following the introduction of conscription in January 1916, to consider applications for exemption from men deemed by the new legislation to have enlisted. Swiftly, they gained two opposing yet equally unflattering reputations. In the eyes of the military, they were soft, obstructionist ‘old duffers’. To most of the men who came before them, the Tribunals were the unfeeling civilian arm of a remorseless grinding machine. This book, utilizing a rare surviving set of Tribunal records, challenges both perspectives. The Tribunals were charged with balancing the needs of the army with those of the localities from which their members were drawn; they received instructions, recommendations and polite guidance from their masters at Whitehall, yet each was in effect a sovereign body whose decisions could not be overturned other than by appeal to similar bodies. Wielding unprecedented power yet acutely sensitive to the contradictions inherent in their task, they were obliged, often at a conveyer belt's pace, to make decisions that often determined the fate of men, their families, and ultimately, their communities. That some of these decisions were capricious or even wrong is indisputable; the sparse historiography of the Tribunals has too often focused upon the idiosyncratic example while ignoring the wider, adverse impact of imprecise legislation, government hand-washing and short-term military exigencies. Evaluating in depth that impact, and illuminating the social dynamics which often marked proceedings in the Tribunal chamber, this study attempts to redress the balance of an enduringly damning historical judgment.
Simon J. Evnine
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199239948
- eISBN:
- 9780191716898
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199239948.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics/Epistemology
The argument from the previous chapter is continued. Circumstances under which believing a conjunction is not simply believing its conjuncts are said to be those in which there is mental partitioning ...
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The argument from the previous chapter is continued. Circumstances under which believing a conjunction is not simply believing its conjuncts are said to be those in which there is mental partitioning occurring. The nature of mental partitions is examined and they are found to follow a person's perceptions of the possibility of conflict among her beliefs. It is argued that it is not rational to engage in mental partitioning and, indeed, that it cannot occur to too great an extent. This completes the argument that it is rational to believe the conjunction of one's beliefs and that one must do so to a large extent.Less
The argument from the previous chapter is continued. Circumstances under which believing a conjunction is not simply believing its conjuncts are said to be those in which there is mental partitioning occurring. The nature of mental partitions is examined and they are found to follow a person's perceptions of the possibility of conflict among her beliefs. It is argued that it is not rational to engage in mental partitioning and, indeed, that it cannot occur to too great an extent. This completes the argument that it is rational to believe the conjunction of one's beliefs and that one must do so to a large extent.
