Robert Merrihew Adams
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199207510
- eISBN:
- 9780191708824
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199207510.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Excellence in caring for one's own good had a central place in ancient thought about virtue, but modern ethical thought has often been reluctant to regard it as a moral virtue at all. This chapter ...
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Excellence in caring for one's own good had a central place in ancient thought about virtue, but modern ethical thought has often been reluctant to regard it as a moral virtue at all. This chapter argues that there is a form of self-love that is quite distinct from vices of self-preference such as selfishness, self-centredness, and conceit; and that is virtuous and not inimical to altruistic benevolence.Less
Excellence in caring for one's own good had a central place in ancient thought about virtue, but modern ethical thought has often been reluctant to regard it as a moral virtue at all. This chapter argues that there is a form of self-love that is quite distinct from vices of self-preference such as selfishness, self-centredness, and conceit; and that is virtuous and not inimical to altruistic benevolence.
Peter Lamarque and Stein Haugom Olsen
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198236818
- eISBN:
- 9780191679377
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198236818.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Language
This book examines the complex and varied ways in which fictions relate to the real world, and offers a precise account of how imaginative works of literature can use fictional content to explore ...
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This book examines the complex and varied ways in which fictions relate to the real world, and offers a precise account of how imaginative works of literature can use fictional content to explore matters of universal human interest. While rejecting the traditional view that literature is important for the truths that it imparts, the authors also reject attempts to cut off literature altogether from real human concerns. Their detailed account of fictionality, mimesis, and cognitive value helps restore to literature its distinctive status among cultural practices. The authors also explore the limits of fictionality, particularly in relation to metaphysical and sceptical views, prevalent in modern thought, according to which the world itself is a kind of fiction, and truth no more than a cultural construct. They identify different conceptions of fiction in science, logic, epistemology, and make-believe, and thereby challenge the idea that discourse per se is fictional and that different modes of discourse are, at root, indistinguishable. They offer analyses of the roles of narrative, imagination, metaphor, and ‘making’ in human thought processes. Both in their methods and in their conclusions, the authors aim to bring rigour and clarity to debates about the values of literature, and to provide philosophically sound foundations for a genuine change of direction in literary theorizing.Less
This book examines the complex and varied ways in which fictions relate to the real world, and offers a precise account of how imaginative works of literature can use fictional content to explore matters of universal human interest. While rejecting the traditional view that literature is important for the truths that it imparts, the authors also reject attempts to cut off literature altogether from real human concerns. Their detailed account of fictionality, mimesis, and cognitive value helps restore to literature its distinctive status among cultural practices. The authors also explore the limits of fictionality, particularly in relation to metaphysical and sceptical views, prevalent in modern thought, according to which the world itself is a kind of fiction, and truth no more than a cultural construct. They identify different conceptions of fiction in science, logic, epistemology, and make-believe, and thereby challenge the idea that discourse per se is fictional and that different modes of discourse are, at root, indistinguishable. They offer analyses of the roles of narrative, imagination, metaphor, and ‘making’ in human thought processes. Both in their methods and in their conclusions, the authors aim to bring rigour and clarity to debates about the values of literature, and to provide philosophically sound foundations for a genuine change of direction in literary theorizing.
Thomas F. Torrance
- Published in print:
- 1981
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198266587
- eISBN:
- 9780191683053
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198266587.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
The aim of this book is to clarify the notions of contingence and contingent order in the context of modern thought, and thereby to carry forward the work of early Christian theology which first ...
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The aim of this book is to clarify the notions of contingence and contingent order in the context of modern thought, and thereby to carry forward the work of early Christian theology which first injected these revolutionary ideas into the foundations of Western culture. This book is an essay in the tradition of Scottish realist theological and epistemological thought which goes back at least to John Duns Scotus. It was he who more than any other in mediaeval times helped to recover the concepts of contingence and contingent intelligibility after Neoplatonic and Boethian thought had swamped them. It was Boethius who first introduced the term contingentia into Western vocabulary, but since it was his translation of an Aristotelian notion, it was that concept of contingence rather that the early Christian concept that prevailed in scholastic thought until towards the end of the Middle Ages and the Reformation. The first three chapters represent lectures given to scientists and theologians. The last chapter has been added in order to relate the whole discussion to the difficult question of evil or disorder, and to take up certain points that were omitted in the earlier discussion.Less
The aim of this book is to clarify the notions of contingence and contingent order in the context of modern thought, and thereby to carry forward the work of early Christian theology which first injected these revolutionary ideas into the foundations of Western culture. This book is an essay in the tradition of Scottish realist theological and epistemological thought which goes back at least to John Duns Scotus. It was he who more than any other in mediaeval times helped to recover the concepts of contingence and contingent intelligibility after Neoplatonic and Boethian thought had swamped them. It was Boethius who first introduced the term contingentia into Western vocabulary, but since it was his translation of an Aristotelian notion, it was that concept of contingence rather that the early Christian concept that prevailed in scholastic thought until towards the end of the Middle Ages and the Reformation. The first three chapters represent lectures given to scientists and theologians. The last chapter has been added in order to relate the whole discussion to the difficult question of evil or disorder, and to take up certain points that were omitted in the earlier discussion.
Holger Zaborowski
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199576777
- eISBN:
- 9780191722295
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199576777.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology, Philosophy of Religion
The German philosopher Robert Spaemann provides an important contribution to a number of contemporary debates in philosophy and theology, opening up possibilities for conversation between these ...
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The German philosopher Robert Spaemann provides an important contribution to a number of contemporary debates in philosophy and theology, opening up possibilities for conversation between these disciplines. He engages in a dialogue with classical and contemporary positions and often formulates important and original insights that lie beyond common alternatives. This study provides an analysis of the most important features of Spaemann's philosophy and shows the unity of his thought. The question ‘Who is a person?’ is of increasing significance: Are all human beings persons? Are there animals that can be considered persons? What does it mean to speak of personal identity and of the dignity of the person? Spaemann provides an answer to these questions: every human being, he argues, is a person and, therefore, ‘has’ his nature in freedom. In order to understand the person, Spaemann explains, we have to think about the relation between nature and freedom, and avoid the reductive accounts of this relation prevalent in important strands of modern thought. Spaemann develops a challenging critique of modernity, incorporating analysis of modern anti-modernisms and showing that these are also subject to a dialectical development, perpetuating the problematic shortcomings of many features of modern reasoning. If we do not want to abolish ourselves as persons, Spaemann reasons, we need to find a way of understanding ourselves that evades the dialectic of modernity. Thus, he reminds his readers of ‘self-evident’ knowledge: insights that we have once already known, but tend to forget.Less
The German philosopher Robert Spaemann provides an important contribution to a number of contemporary debates in philosophy and theology, opening up possibilities for conversation between these disciplines. He engages in a dialogue with classical and contemporary positions and often formulates important and original insights that lie beyond common alternatives. This study provides an analysis of the most important features of Spaemann's philosophy and shows the unity of his thought. The question ‘Who is a person?’ is of increasing significance: Are all human beings persons? Are there animals that can be considered persons? What does it mean to speak of personal identity and of the dignity of the person? Spaemann provides an answer to these questions: every human being, he argues, is a person and, therefore, ‘has’ his nature in freedom. In order to understand the person, Spaemann explains, we have to think about the relation between nature and freedom, and avoid the reductive accounts of this relation prevalent in important strands of modern thought. Spaemann develops a challenging critique of modernity, incorporating analysis of modern anti-modernisms and showing that these are also subject to a dialectical development, perpetuating the problematic shortcomings of many features of modern reasoning. If we do not want to abolish ourselves as persons, Spaemann reasons, we need to find a way of understanding ourselves that evades the dialectic of modernity. Thus, he reminds his readers of ‘self-evident’ knowledge: insights that we have once already known, but tend to forget.
Frédérique Apffel-Marglin
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198288848
- eISBN:
- 9780191684654
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198288848.003.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
The ‘arrogant absolutist reason’ pointed out by Vaclav Havel is said to have gotten its basis on a premise that suggests how the world is objectively knowable, and that this said knowledge can be ...
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The ‘arrogant absolutist reason’ pointed out by Vaclav Havel is said to have gotten its basis on a premise that suggests how the world is objectively knowable, and that this said knowledge can be subject to generalization. Because of this premise, the knowledge of experts from a wide variety of fields may be spread across the globe and can be applied in several different contexts. Contrary to local knowledge, this modern thought is perceived to be not without the privilege of universality. As such, this mode of knowing has undermined the local ways of both knowing and doing which is further exhibited by how the First World is considered to be ‘developed’ while the Third World is perceived to be either ‘underdeveloped’ or ‘developing’. Local knowledge is said to be taking a step backwards while universal knowledge would aid in moving forward. It is seen, however, that the colonization of the mind is one of the measures whereby goods industrialization is gained. This book look challenges this claim to universality of Cartesian rationality.Less
The ‘arrogant absolutist reason’ pointed out by Vaclav Havel is said to have gotten its basis on a premise that suggests how the world is objectively knowable, and that this said knowledge can be subject to generalization. Because of this premise, the knowledge of experts from a wide variety of fields may be spread across the globe and can be applied in several different contexts. Contrary to local knowledge, this modern thought is perceived to be not without the privilege of universality. As such, this mode of knowing has undermined the local ways of both knowing and doing which is further exhibited by how the First World is considered to be ‘developed’ while the Third World is perceived to be either ‘underdeveloped’ or ‘developing’. Local knowledge is said to be taking a step backwards while universal knowledge would aid in moving forward. It is seen, however, that the colonization of the mind is one of the measures whereby goods industrialization is gained. This book look challenges this claim to universality of Cartesian rationality.
Anthony Ossa-Richardson
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691157115
- eISBN:
- 9781400846597
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691157115.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This is the first book to examine in depth the intellectual and cultural impact of the oracles of pagan antiquity on modern European thought. The book shows how the study of the oracles influenced, ...
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This is the first book to examine in depth the intellectual and cultural impact of the oracles of pagan antiquity on modern European thought. The book shows how the study of the oracles influenced, and was influenced by, some of the most significant developments in early modernity, such as the Christian humanist recovery of ancient religion, confessional polemics, Deist and libertine challenges to religion, antiquarianism and early archaeology, Romantic historiography, and spiritualism. The book examines the different views of the oracles since the Renaissance—that they were the work of the devil, or natural causes, or the fraud of priests, or finally an organic element of ancient Greek society. The range of discussion on the subject, as he demonstrates, is considerably more complex than has been realized before: hundreds of scholars, theologians, and critics commented on the oracles, drawing on a huge variety of intellectual contexts to frame their beliefs. A central chapter interrogates the landmark dispute on the oracles between Bernard de Fontenelle and Jean-François Baltus, challenging Whiggish assumptions about the mechanics of debate on the cusp of the Enlightenment. With erudition and an eye for detail, the book argues that, on both sides of the controversy, to speak of the ancient oracles in early modernity was to speak of one's own historical identity as a Christian.Less
This is the first book to examine in depth the intellectual and cultural impact of the oracles of pagan antiquity on modern European thought. The book shows how the study of the oracles influenced, and was influenced by, some of the most significant developments in early modernity, such as the Christian humanist recovery of ancient religion, confessional polemics, Deist and libertine challenges to religion, antiquarianism and early archaeology, Romantic historiography, and spiritualism. The book examines the different views of the oracles since the Renaissance—that they were the work of the devil, or natural causes, or the fraud of priests, or finally an organic element of ancient Greek society. The range of discussion on the subject, as he demonstrates, is considerably more complex than has been realized before: hundreds of scholars, theologians, and critics commented on the oracles, drawing on a huge variety of intellectual contexts to frame their beliefs. A central chapter interrogates the landmark dispute on the oracles between Bernard de Fontenelle and Jean-François Baltus, challenging Whiggish assumptions about the mechanics of debate on the cusp of the Enlightenment. With erudition and an eye for detail, the book argues that, on both sides of the controversy, to speak of the ancient oracles in early modernity was to speak of one's own historical identity as a Christian.
Justin E. H. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153643
- eISBN:
- 9781400866311
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153643.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This introductory chapter argues that modern racial thinking could not have taken the form it did if it had not been able to piggyback, so to speak, on conceptual innovations in the way science was ...
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This introductory chapter argues that modern racial thinking could not have taken the form it did if it had not been able to piggyback, so to speak, on conceptual innovations in the way science was beginning to approach the diversity of the natural world, and in particular of the living world. It also points out an oft-neglected aspect of the scope and aims of the natural and social sciences: the emergence of racial categories, of categories of kinds of humans, which may in large part be understood as an overextension of the project of biological classification that was proving so successful in the same period.Less
This introductory chapter argues that modern racial thinking could not have taken the form it did if it had not been able to piggyback, so to speak, on conceptual innovations in the way science was beginning to approach the diversity of the natural world, and in particular of the living world. It also points out an oft-neglected aspect of the scope and aims of the natural and social sciences: the emergence of racial categories, of categories of kinds of humans, which may in large part be understood as an overextension of the project of biological classification that was proving so successful in the same period.
Anthony Ossa-Richardson
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691157115
- eISBN:
- 9781400846597
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691157115.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to explore the intellectual and cultural impact of the oracles of pagan antiquity on modern European thought. It identifies a conflict ...
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This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to explore the intellectual and cultural impact of the oracles of pagan antiquity on modern European thought. It identifies a conflict between the conservative and the radical, the orthodox and the heterodox, with the latter usually glorified, explicitly or not, as the harbinger of Enlightenment. It devotes significant attention to the actual process and texture of argument, and to those who lost the debate. It argues that heterodoxy is not as transparent as it may seem, and has often been taken for granted without justification, or sought in the wrong places. The book also engages with texts outside the canons of libertine and antilibertine thought. The extent of historical interest in the oracles may come as a surprise: alongside the poets and preachers who reworked conventional tropes from antiquity, hundreds of scholars, theologians, and critics commented on the subject, drawing on all manner of intellectual contexts to frame their beliefs.Less
This introductory chapter sets out the book's purpose, which is to explore the intellectual and cultural impact of the oracles of pagan antiquity on modern European thought. It identifies a conflict between the conservative and the radical, the orthodox and the heterodox, with the latter usually glorified, explicitly or not, as the harbinger of Enlightenment. It devotes significant attention to the actual process and texture of argument, and to those who lost the debate. It argues that heterodoxy is not as transparent as it may seem, and has often been taken for granted without justification, or sought in the wrong places. The book also engages with texts outside the canons of libertine and antilibertine thought. The extent of historical interest in the oracles may come as a surprise: alongside the poets and preachers who reworked conventional tropes from antiquity, hundreds of scholars, theologians, and critics commented on the subject, drawing on all manner of intellectual contexts to frame their beliefs.
Dominic Scott (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199289974
- eISBN:
- 9780191711008
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199289974.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This book pays tribute to the highly influential work of Myles Burnyeat, whose contributions to the study of ancient philosophy have done much to enhance the profile of the subject around the world. ...
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This book pays tribute to the highly influential work of Myles Burnyeat, whose contributions to the study of ancient philosophy have done much to enhance the profile of the subject around the world. What is distinctive about his work is his capacity to deepen our understanding of the relation between ancient and modern thought, and to combine the best of contemporary philosophy — its insights as well as its rigour — with a deep sensitivity to classical texts. Nineteen experts in the field examine a wide range of topics in ancient philosophy, with a particular focus on Plato. Topics include Socrates and the nature of philosophy; the different aspects of eros in the Symposium, Republic, and Phaedrus; the Phaedo's arguments for immortality, wars, and warriors in Plato; and the different aspects of the cave allegory in the Republic.Less
This book pays tribute to the highly influential work of Myles Burnyeat, whose contributions to the study of ancient philosophy have done much to enhance the profile of the subject around the world. What is distinctive about his work is his capacity to deepen our understanding of the relation between ancient and modern thought, and to combine the best of contemporary philosophy — its insights as well as its rigour — with a deep sensitivity to classical texts. Nineteen experts in the field examine a wide range of topics in ancient philosophy, with a particular focus on Plato. Topics include Socrates and the nature of philosophy; the different aspects of eros in the Symposium, Republic, and Phaedrus; the Phaedo's arguments for immortality, wars, and warriors in Plato; and the different aspects of the cave allegory in the Republic.
Mark Bosco and David Stagaman (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823228089
- eISBN:
- 9780823236954
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fso/9780823228089.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Three of the most influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century—Bernard Lonergan, John Courtney Murray, and Karl Rahner—were all born in 1904, at the height of the Catholic Church's most ...
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Three of the most influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century—Bernard Lonergan, John Courtney Murray, and Karl Rahner—were all born in 1904, at the height of the Catholic Church's most militant rhetoric against all things modern. In this culture of suspicion, Lonergan, Murray, and Rahner grew in faith to join the Society of Jesus and struggled with the burden of antimodernist policies in their formation. By the time of their mature work in the 1950s and 1960s, they had helped to redefine the critical dialogue between modern thought and contemporary Catholic theology. After the détente of the Second Vatican Council, they brought Catholic tradition into a closer relationship to modern philosophy, history, and politics. The original chapters in this book celebrate the legacies of Lonergan, Murray, and Rahner after a century of theological development. Offering a broad range of perspectives on their lives and works, the chapters blend personal and anecdotal accounts with incisive critical appraisals. Together, they offer an insight into the distinctive character of three great thinkers and how their work shapes the way Catholics think and talk about God, Church, and State.Less
Three of the most influential Catholic theologians of the twentieth century—Bernard Lonergan, John Courtney Murray, and Karl Rahner—were all born in 1904, at the height of the Catholic Church's most militant rhetoric against all things modern. In this culture of suspicion, Lonergan, Murray, and Rahner grew in faith to join the Society of Jesus and struggled with the burden of antimodernist policies in their formation. By the time of their mature work in the 1950s and 1960s, they had helped to redefine the critical dialogue between modern thought and contemporary Catholic theology. After the détente of the Second Vatican Council, they brought Catholic tradition into a closer relationship to modern philosophy, history, and politics. The original chapters in this book celebrate the legacies of Lonergan, Murray, and Rahner after a century of theological development. Offering a broad range of perspectives on their lives and works, the chapters blend personal and anecdotal accounts with incisive critical appraisals. Together, they offer an insight into the distinctive character of three great thinkers and how their work shapes the way Catholics think and talk about God, Church, and State.
Mark Jurdjevic
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199204489
- eISBN:
- 9780191708084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204489.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
The conclusion integrates the book's various arguments and findings into the larger historiography on Renaissance Florence and Renaissance political culture. In particular, it considers the ...
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The conclusion integrates the book's various arguments and findings into the larger historiography on Renaissance Florence and Renaissance political culture. In particular, it considers the influential arguments of Hans Baron, J.G.A. Pocock, and Quentin Skinner, who have all advanced related arguments about the nature, function, and linguistic structure of Florentine republican thought. The conclusion engages and qualifies a number of their points, asking the hitherto unexamined question of how a Florentine elite family understood and responded to humanism and republican thought, rather than exclusively studying humanists and republican theorists, who, though undoubtedly significant, tended not participate in the political life of the Florentine city‐state. It argues that the activities of the Valori family, both in terms of intellectual patronage and actual political policies pursued, constituted a distinctive style of republicanism based on an innovative fusion of classical thought and Christian thinking.Less
The conclusion integrates the book's various arguments and findings into the larger historiography on Renaissance Florence and Renaissance political culture. In particular, it considers the influential arguments of Hans Baron, J.G.A. Pocock, and Quentin Skinner, who have all advanced related arguments about the nature, function, and linguistic structure of Florentine republican thought. The conclusion engages and qualifies a number of their points, asking the hitherto unexamined question of how a Florentine elite family understood and responded to humanism and republican thought, rather than exclusively studying humanists and republican theorists, who, though undoubtedly significant, tended not participate in the political life of the Florentine city‐state. It argues that the activities of the Valori family, both in terms of intellectual patronage and actual political policies pursued, constituted a distinctive style of republicanism based on an innovative fusion of classical thought and Christian thinking.
Mark Coeckelbergh
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035460
- eISBN:
- 9780262343084
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035460.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Chapter 7 continues the project of trying to think beyond romanticism. First the previous chapters are concluded by analysing the meaning of “end” in the “end of the machine” thesis. Then it is asked ...
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Chapter 7 continues the project of trying to think beyond romanticism. First the previous chapters are concluded by analysing the meaning of “end” in the “end of the machine” thesis. Then it is asked how we can move beyond the assumptions made by the mentioned criticisms, which are still trapped in the romantic dialectic and in Platonic dualism. It is argued that in any case we should become more aware of, and acknowledge, the romantic horizon. The chapter explores some ways in which we could begin to take some distance from romanticism such as the notion of skilled engagement.
The conclusion suggests that it is difficult to move beyond romanticism by means of language alone. Perhaps an exploration of a non-romantic and a non-romantic space also needs to involve exploring and experimenting with technologies. It is suggested that we try to invent and accompany the birth of the non-machine (for lack of a better word). The birth of non-machine thinking and non-machine culture would also require a different language, but such a different language can only come into being together with a different praxis and different technologies. Until then we remain romantic cyborgs.Less
Chapter 7 continues the project of trying to think beyond romanticism. First the previous chapters are concluded by analysing the meaning of “end” in the “end of the machine” thesis. Then it is asked how we can move beyond the assumptions made by the mentioned criticisms, which are still trapped in the romantic dialectic and in Platonic dualism. It is argued that in any case we should become more aware of, and acknowledge, the romantic horizon. The chapter explores some ways in which we could begin to take some distance from romanticism such as the notion of skilled engagement.
The conclusion suggests that it is difficult to move beyond romanticism by means of language alone. Perhaps an exploration of a non-romantic and a non-romantic space also needs to involve exploring and experimenting with technologies. It is suggested that we try to invent and accompany the birth of the non-machine (for lack of a better word). The birth of non-machine thinking and non-machine culture would also require a different language, but such a different language can only come into being together with a different praxis and different technologies. Until then we remain romantic cyborgs.
Willard Spiegelman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195368130
- eISBN:
- 9780199852192
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368130.003.0010
- Subject:
- Literature, Poetry
This chapter criticizes the works of American poet Irving Feldman. It suggests that Feldman can be considered a poet comedian and a multifaceted performer extraordinaire and explains that the ...
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This chapter criticizes the works of American poet Irving Feldman. It suggests that Feldman can be considered a poet comedian and a multifaceted performer extraordinaire and explains that the development of his poetry over more than four decades roughly parallels the changes of fashion in American poetry. It argues that though Feldman is connected to some of the styles and truisms of post-modern thought, he remains solidly rooted in many traditions of the 19th century.Less
This chapter criticizes the works of American poet Irving Feldman. It suggests that Feldman can be considered a poet comedian and a multifaceted performer extraordinaire and explains that the development of his poetry over more than four decades roughly parallels the changes of fashion in American poetry. It argues that though Feldman is connected to some of the styles and truisms of post-modern thought, he remains solidly rooted in many traditions of the 19th century.
Michael P. Zuckert and Catherine H. Zuckert
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780226135731
- eISBN:
- 9780226135878
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226135878.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
Among the most widely known of Strauss’s ideas was his call for a return to pre-modern thought. That call for return was understood by him to stand in contrast to the intellectual orientation of our ...
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Among the most widely known of Strauss’s ideas was his call for a return to pre-modern thought. That call for return was understood by him to stand in contrast to the intellectual orientation of our day toward progress. He made the contrast between these two orientations thematic in lectures called, appropriately, “Progress or Return?” He made two main points. He held, first, that the modern idea of progress is fundamentally incoherent, because based on an untenable combination of concepts drawn from the two fundamentally incompatible “roots” of the Western tradition: ancient or classical philosophy and Biblical revelation. Second, in light of the failure of the modern project, he urged his contemporaries to return to and “live the tension between” the two “roots” of the Western tradition, each of which is more coherent than later attempts to synthesize them.Less
Among the most widely known of Strauss’s ideas was his call for a return to pre-modern thought. That call for return was understood by him to stand in contrast to the intellectual orientation of our day toward progress. He made the contrast between these two orientations thematic in lectures called, appropriately, “Progress or Return?” He made two main points. He held, first, that the modern idea of progress is fundamentally incoherent, because based on an untenable combination of concepts drawn from the two fundamentally incompatible “roots” of the Western tradition: ancient or classical philosophy and Biblical revelation. Second, in light of the failure of the modern project, he urged his contemporaries to return to and “live the tension between” the two “roots” of the Western tradition, each of which is more coherent than later attempts to synthesize them.
Neil Roberts (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- January 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780813175621
- eISBN:
- 9780813175652
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813175621.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Literary critics and historians have long studied Frederick Douglass’s impact on American literature and history, yet surprisingly few scholars have analyzed his influence on American political ...
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Literary critics and historians have long studied Frederick Douglass’s impact on American literature and history, yet surprisingly few scholars have analyzed his influence on American political thought. Political theorists have focused on the legacies of W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, but editor Neil Roberts argues that it is impossible to understand their work or Afro-modern and American political thought without understanding Frederick Douglass’s contributions. Douglass was a prolific writer and public speaker, and the contributors to this comprehensive volume examine not only his famous autobiographies but also his novels, essays, and speeches. Douglass had a genius for analyzing and articulating basic American ideals such as independence, liberation, individualism, and freedom in the particular context of American slavery. The contributors explore Douglass’s understanding of the self-made American individual and the way in which Douglass expanded the notion of individual potential, arguing that citizens have a responsibility to improve not only their own situations but also their communities’ well-being. The contributors also consider the idea of agency, investigating Douglass’s passionate insistence that every person in a democracy, even a slave, possesses an innate ability to act. Several of the volume’s essays seek to illuminate Douglass’s complex racial politics, deconstructing what seems at first to be his surprising aversion to racial pride, and others critique concepts of masculinity and gender in his oeuvre. The volume concludes with a discussion of Douglass’s contributions to pre- and post–Civil War jurisprudence.Less
Literary critics and historians have long studied Frederick Douglass’s impact on American literature and history, yet surprisingly few scholars have analyzed his influence on American political thought. Political theorists have focused on the legacies of W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, but editor Neil Roberts argues that it is impossible to understand their work or Afro-modern and American political thought without understanding Frederick Douglass’s contributions. Douglass was a prolific writer and public speaker, and the contributors to this comprehensive volume examine not only his famous autobiographies but also his novels, essays, and speeches. Douglass had a genius for analyzing and articulating basic American ideals such as independence, liberation, individualism, and freedom in the particular context of American slavery. The contributors explore Douglass’s understanding of the self-made American individual and the way in which Douglass expanded the notion of individual potential, arguing that citizens have a responsibility to improve not only their own situations but also their communities’ well-being. The contributors also consider the idea of agency, investigating Douglass’s passionate insistence that every person in a democracy, even a slave, possesses an innate ability to act. Several of the volume’s essays seek to illuminate Douglass’s complex racial politics, deconstructing what seems at first to be his surprising aversion to racial pride, and others critique concepts of masculinity and gender in his oeuvre. The volume concludes with a discussion of Douglass’s contributions to pre- and post–Civil War jurisprudence.
Arvind Sharma
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195676389
- eISBN:
- 9780199081974
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195676389.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
In both classical and modern Hinduism, the ultimate reality is called brahman. While the time-honoured distinction between nirguna and saguna brahman remains important, it is somewhat less ...
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In both classical and modern Hinduism, the ultimate reality is called brahman. While the time-honoured distinction between nirguna and saguna brahman remains important, it is somewhat less significant in the context of modern Hinduism as compared to the classical. The main issue for the Vedāntins, who came after Śankara (ninth century), was whether brahman was nirguna or saguna. Ramana Maharni (1879–1950) represents the tradition of emphasizing the nirguna aspect, whereas Devendranath Tagore (1817–1905) represents the saguna aspect. This book analyses the concepts of modern Hindu thought. It is conceptually divided into three parts. Part 1 examines the historical context of modern Hindu thought, Part 2 presents the key concepts of modern Hinduism in relation to each other, and Part 3 explores each term constitutive of the modern Hindu world-view. These terms and concepts associated with Hinduism include Brahman, Íśvara, Devī, trimūrti, brahmā, Visnu, Śiva, Jīva, samsṁra, karma, dharma, māyā, moksa, jñāna-yoga, bhakti-yoga, karma yoga, varna, Āśrama, purusārthas, and Vedas.Less
In both classical and modern Hinduism, the ultimate reality is called brahman. While the time-honoured distinction between nirguna and saguna brahman remains important, it is somewhat less significant in the context of modern Hinduism as compared to the classical. The main issue for the Vedāntins, who came after Śankara (ninth century), was whether brahman was nirguna or saguna. Ramana Maharni (1879–1950) represents the tradition of emphasizing the nirguna aspect, whereas Devendranath Tagore (1817–1905) represents the saguna aspect. This book analyses the concepts of modern Hindu thought. It is conceptually divided into three parts. Part 1 examines the historical context of modern Hindu thought, Part 2 presents the key concepts of modern Hinduism in relation to each other, and Part 3 explores each term constitutive of the modern Hindu world-view. These terms and concepts associated with Hinduism include Brahman, Íśvara, Devī, trimūrti, brahmā, Visnu, Śiva, Jīva, samsṁra, karma, dharma, māyā, moksa, jñāna-yoga, bhakti-yoga, karma yoga, varna, Āśrama, purusārthas, and Vedas.
John J. McDermott (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780823224838
- eISBN:
- 9780823284887
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823224838.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, American Philosophy
This chapter presents Josiah Royce's thoughts on poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. As a great man of the age of Revolution, and as a most characteristic man, Shelley is a form of life that must not be left ...
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This chapter presents Josiah Royce's thoughts on poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. As a great man of the age of Revolution, and as a most characteristic man, Shelley is a form of life that must not be left out of sight in any effort to survey the most important tendencies in modern thought and feeling. As undeveloped as he was many-sided and unfortunate, Shelley is an image of the modern spirit itself—ardent, keen-sighted, aspiring, striving to be tolerant, yet often angry with misunderstanding; studious of the past, yet determined to create something new; anxious for practical reforms, yet conscious how weary the work of reform must be. In studying the relation of Shelley to the Revolution, one studies him not in his most peculiar and most individual aspect, but in that aspect of his nature which means the most for the world at large.Less
This chapter presents Josiah Royce's thoughts on poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. As a great man of the age of Revolution, and as a most characteristic man, Shelley is a form of life that must not be left out of sight in any effort to survey the most important tendencies in modern thought and feeling. As undeveloped as he was many-sided and unfortunate, Shelley is an image of the modern spirit itself—ardent, keen-sighted, aspiring, striving to be tolerant, yet often angry with misunderstanding; studious of the past, yet determined to create something new; anxious for practical reforms, yet conscious how weary the work of reform must be. In studying the relation of Shelley to the Revolution, one studies him not in his most peculiar and most individual aspect, but in that aspect of his nature which means the most for the world at large.
William McCuaig
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780231160469
- eISBN:
- 9780231500661
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231160469.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This introductory chapter begins by discussing an interpretation of Baruch Spinoza in the book, The Savage Anomaly. According to that book, it is Spinoza who understood the energy that constructs ...
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This introductory chapter begins by discussing an interpretation of Baruch Spinoza in the book, The Savage Anomaly. According to that book, it is Spinoza who understood the energy that constructs modal singularities in absolute being; and who perceived the ontological unfolding of life forms and institutions. The reason for The Savage Anomaly's ability to impose a new perspective on the interpretation of Spinoza is that it was part of a wider process of renewal of the traditions of thought about transformation. It was included in the epistémè of innovation and revolution from 1968 that rebuilt the foundations of the science of mind. The chapter explains how Spinoza challenges all the paradigms of modern thought—he presents an alternative to the modern, not out of the potency of the individual, but out of the potency of the common and of love.Less
This introductory chapter begins by discussing an interpretation of Baruch Spinoza in the book, The Savage Anomaly. According to that book, it is Spinoza who understood the energy that constructs modal singularities in absolute being; and who perceived the ontological unfolding of life forms and institutions. The reason for The Savage Anomaly's ability to impose a new perspective on the interpretation of Spinoza is that it was part of a wider process of renewal of the traditions of thought about transformation. It was included in the epistémè of innovation and revolution from 1968 that rebuilt the foundations of the science of mind. The chapter explains how Spinoza challenges all the paradigms of modern thought—he presents an alternative to the modern, not out of the potency of the individual, but out of the potency of the common and of love.
Richard L. Velkley
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226852546
- eISBN:
- 9780226852553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226852553.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter discusses one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of Leo Strauss’ thought. Strauss saw the modern mind as without its self-confidence and certainty of having made ...
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This chapter discusses one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of Leo Strauss’ thought. Strauss saw the modern mind as without its self-confidence and certainty of having made decisive progress beyond pre-modern thought, transforming into nihilism or fanatical obscurantism. Strauss’ response was not to take up a cause but to reexamine the modern philosophical premises and arguments and to confront them with the premises and arguments they replaced. However, Strauss did not seek to revive ancient political practice or even to return to ancient political philosophy. He believed that to reopen “the case of the moderns against the ancients” was the indispensable task for one seeking the truth about the current dilemma. In this endeavor, Strauss arrived neither at a simple defense nor a simple criticism of philosophical doctrines but at an unorthodox understanding of the term “political philosophy,”one that became his life’s labor to elaborate.Less
This chapter discusses one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of Leo Strauss’ thought. Strauss saw the modern mind as without its self-confidence and certainty of having made decisive progress beyond pre-modern thought, transforming into nihilism or fanatical obscurantism. Strauss’ response was not to take up a cause but to reexamine the modern philosophical premises and arguments and to confront them with the premises and arguments they replaced. However, Strauss did not seek to revive ancient political practice or even to return to ancient political philosophy. He believed that to reopen “the case of the moderns against the ancients” was the indispensable task for one seeking the truth about the current dilemma. In this endeavor, Strauss arrived neither at a simple defense nor a simple criticism of philosophical doctrines but at an unorthodox understanding of the term “political philosophy,”one that became his life’s labor to elaborate.
Simon Morgan Wortham
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780748692415
- eISBN:
- 9781474408660
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748692415.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This introductory chapter presents a brief review of books and articles dealing with the topic of evil and the value of philosophy in relation to contemporary human miseries and turmoil. These ...
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This introductory chapter presents a brief review of books and articles dealing with the topic of evil and the value of philosophy in relation to contemporary human miseries and turmoil. These include Susan Neiman's prize-winning Evil in Modern Thought (2004), Peter Dews' The Idea of Evil (20008), and Emmanuel Levinas' essay ‘Useless Suffering’, where extends his critique of theodical interpretations of evil by alluding to Kant's short treatise, ‘On the Failure of All the Philosophical Attempts at a Theodicy’ (1791), which for Levinas demonstrates the ‘theoretical weakness’ of arguments in favour of a theodical approach to the question of evil and suffering. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.Less
This introductory chapter presents a brief review of books and articles dealing with the topic of evil and the value of philosophy in relation to contemporary human miseries and turmoil. These include Susan Neiman's prize-winning Evil in Modern Thought (2004), Peter Dews' The Idea of Evil (20008), and Emmanuel Levinas' essay ‘Useless Suffering’, where extends his critique of theodical interpretations of evil by alluding to Kant's short treatise, ‘On the Failure of All the Philosophical Attempts at a Theodicy’ (1791), which for Levinas demonstrates the ‘theoretical weakness’ of arguments in favour of a theodical approach to the question of evil and suffering. An overview of the subsequent chapters is also presented.
