E. W. Heaton
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198263623
- eISBN:
- 9780191601156
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263627.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This ...
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The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This book presents a fresh and enlivening case for the strong influence that this schooling must have had on the writers of the stories, poetry and proverbs of the Bible. The eight Bampton Lectures that form the first eight chapters of this book were delivered in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, UK. The topics covered are: the evidence for schools in ancient Israel; comparisons between Egyptian and Israeli school-books and literature; ‘wisdom’ and school traditions in the Old Testament books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the school tradition in the literary style of the teachings of the prophets and teachers; the narrative skills of the Jerusalem school tradition in the stories of the Old Testament; doubt and pessimism as expressed in Job and Ecclesiastes; and various aspects of belief and behaviour in the Old Testament, as reflected in the school tradition. The last chapter is a summing-up. The book is of interest to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or religious studies, both in Judaism and Christianity.Less
The books of the Old Testament are often thought of as being remote and ‘primitive’. In fact, they were written by thoroughly learned men, educated in the traditional schools of ancient Israel. This book presents a fresh and enlivening case for the strong influence that this schooling must have had on the writers of the stories, poetry and proverbs of the Bible. The eight Bampton Lectures that form the first eight chapters of this book were delivered in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, UK. The topics covered are: the evidence for schools in ancient Israel; comparisons between Egyptian and Israeli school-books and literature; ‘wisdom’ and school traditions in the Old Testament books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; the school tradition in the literary style of the teachings of the prophets and teachers; the narrative skills of the Jerusalem school tradition in the stories of the Old Testament; doubt and pessimism as expressed in Job and Ecclesiastes; and various aspects of belief and behaviour in the Old Testament, as reflected in the school tradition. The last chapter is a summing-up. The book is of interest to students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) or religious studies, both in Judaism and Christianity.
P. Kyle Stanford
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195174083
- eISBN:
- 9780199786367
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195174089.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Nearly a century ago, French physicist Pierre Duhem offered a characteristically lucid and provocative articulation of the challenge to the power of scientific methods to uncover theoretical truths ...
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Nearly a century ago, French physicist Pierre Duhem offered a characteristically lucid and provocative articulation of the challenge to the power of scientific methods to uncover theoretical truths about the natural world. What seems to have worried Duhem is the eliminative character of many important scientific inferences: often in science, perhaps even typically, we arrive at a decision to accept or believe a given theory because we take ourselves to have convincingly eliminated or discredited any and all of its proposed rivals or competing explanations of the available evidence. But as Duhem saw, such an eliminative inferential procedure will only guide us to the truth about nature if the truth is among these competitors in the first place. It is argued that eliminative inferences are only reliable when we can be reasonably sure that we have considered all of the most likely, plausible, or reasonable alternatives before we proceed to eliminate all but one of them (or, in the limiting case, simply rest content with the lone contender). But the history of science shows that we have repeatedly failed to conceive of (and therefore consider) alternatives to our best theories that were both well confirmed by the evidence available at the time and sufficiently plausible as to be later accepted by actual scientific communities. The historical record suggests that in science we are typically unable to exhaust the space of likely, plausible, or reasonable candidate theoretical explanations for a given set of phenomena before proceeding to eliminate all but a single contender, but this is just what would be required for such eliminative inferences to be reliable.Less
Nearly a century ago, French physicist Pierre Duhem offered a characteristically lucid and provocative articulation of the challenge to the power of scientific methods to uncover theoretical truths about the natural world. What seems to have worried Duhem is the eliminative character of many important scientific inferences: often in science, perhaps even typically, we arrive at a decision to accept or believe a given theory because we take ourselves to have convincingly eliminated or discredited any and all of its proposed rivals or competing explanations of the available evidence. But as Duhem saw, such an eliminative inferential procedure will only guide us to the truth about nature if the truth is among these competitors in the first place. It is argued that eliminative inferences are only reliable when we can be reasonably sure that we have considered all of the most likely, plausible, or reasonable alternatives before we proceed to eliminate all but one of them (or, in the limiting case, simply rest content with the lone contender). But the history of science shows that we have repeatedly failed to conceive of (and therefore consider) alternatives to our best theories that were both well confirmed by the evidence available at the time and sufficiently plausible as to be later accepted by actual scientific communities. The historical record suggests that in science we are typically unable to exhaust the space of likely, plausible, or reasonable candidate theoretical explanations for a given set of phenomena before proceeding to eliminate all but a single contender, but this is just what would be required for such eliminative inferences to be reliable.
Tim Mulgan
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199282203
- eISBN:
- 9780191603624
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019928220X.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter begins with a basic list of intuitively plausible principles of intergenerational justice, against which Rule Consequentialism can be measured. It then establishes the Rule ...
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This chapter begins with a basic list of intuitively plausible principles of intergenerational justice, against which Rule Consequentialism can be measured. It then establishes the Rule Consequentialist commitment to political liberty and shows how that commitment is strengthened in the intergenerational case. It is shown that Rule Consequentialism copes with the possibility of future declines in aggregate well-being much better than its opponents, such as Rawls’s liberalism. This is illustrated using the current dispute between growth optimists and ecological pessimists.Less
This chapter begins with a basic list of intuitively plausible principles of intergenerational justice, against which Rule Consequentialism can be measured. It then establishes the Rule Consequentialist commitment to political liberty and shows how that commitment is strengthened in the intergenerational case. It is shown that Rule Consequentialism copes with the possibility of future declines in aggregate well-being much better than its opponents, such as Rawls’s liberalism. This is illustrated using the current dispute between growth optimists and ecological pessimists.
Petr Macek and Ivana Marková
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263136
- eISBN:
- 9780191734922
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263136.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
Research on the transition of countries in post-Communist Europe towards democracy mostly indicates that there is more political and institutional trust in Western democratic countries than in the ...
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Research on the transition of countries in post-Communist Europe towards democracy mostly indicates that there is more political and institutional trust in Western democratic countries than in the post-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Questions about citizens' trust and distrust in the newly formed institutions and about the trustworthiness of these institutions seem to be just as compelling today as they were in the early 1990s. In the context of the rapid socio-political and economic changes that influence citizens' daily lives, political trust and distrust appear to fluctuate alongside the rise and fall of optimism and pessimism. Among the unquestioned consequences of totalitarianism, the profound demoralization of citizens, learned helplessness, undemocratic thinking, and distrust of institutions have been generally diagnosed as being the most significant. Research on trust and democratic transition in post-Communist Europe has involved, over a number of years, into the exploration of both public opinions and social representations. This chapter examines trust and distrust in old and new democracies as well as the link between political revolutions and human psychology.Less
Research on the transition of countries in post-Communist Europe towards democracy mostly indicates that there is more political and institutional trust in Western democratic countries than in the post-Communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Questions about citizens' trust and distrust in the newly formed institutions and about the trustworthiness of these institutions seem to be just as compelling today as they were in the early 1990s. In the context of the rapid socio-political and economic changes that influence citizens' daily lives, political trust and distrust appear to fluctuate alongside the rise and fall of optimism and pessimism. Among the unquestioned consequences of totalitarianism, the profound demoralization of citizens, learned helplessness, undemocratic thinking, and distrust of institutions have been generally diagnosed as being the most significant. Research on trust and democratic transition in post-Communist Europe has involved, over a number of years, into the exploration of both public opinions and social representations. This chapter examines trust and distrust in old and new democracies as well as the link between political revolutions and human psychology.
Mark S. Cladis
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195125542
- eISBN:
- 9780199834082
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195125541.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Cladis reflects on the nature and place of the public and private in the work of Rousseau and, more generally, in democratic society. The tension between the hopes and desires of the individual and ...
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Cladis reflects on the nature and place of the public and private in the work of Rousseau and, more generally, in democratic society. The tension between the hopes and desires of the individual and the requirements of a shared public life was at the heart, or the knot, of Rousseau's life and thought. Cladis leads the reader on an exploration of the conflicting claims with which Rousseau wrestled – prerogatives and obligations to self, friends, family, vocation, civic life, and humanity. At the juncture of diverse theological and secular traditions, including Enlightenment optimism and Augustinian pessimism, Rousseau forged a vision of human happiness found not exclusively in the public or private, but in a complex combination of the two.In Part I, Cladis employs the Garden–Fall myth to narrate Rousseau's rather dismal account of the human journey into social life. Yet, contrary to most interpreters of Rousseau, Cladis maintains that if we categorically identify the natural with the good and the social with evil, we fail to do justice to Rousseau's provocative account of our joy and sorrow in solitude and community. Part II explores the limits and possibilities of Rousseau's three paths to partial redemption – the public path (the reformed society), the private path (the escape into solitude), and the tense, middle way between them.Throughout this study, Cladis listens closely to the religious pitch in Rousseau's voice. He shows that Rousseau, when attempting to portray the most characteristic aspects of the public and private, reached for a religious vocabulary. Honoring both love of self and love of that which is larger than the self – these twin poles, with all the tension between them – mark Rousseau's work, vision, and challenge – the challenge of twenty‐first century democracy.Less
Cladis reflects on the nature and place of the public and private in the work of Rousseau and, more generally, in democratic society. The tension between the hopes and desires of the individual and the requirements of a shared public life was at the heart, or the knot, of Rousseau's life and thought. Cladis leads the reader on an exploration of the conflicting claims with which Rousseau wrestled – prerogatives and obligations to self, friends, family, vocation, civic life, and humanity. At the juncture of diverse theological and secular traditions, including Enlightenment optimism and Augustinian pessimism, Rousseau forged a vision of human happiness found not exclusively in the public or private, but in a complex combination of the two.
In Part I, Cladis employs the Garden–Fall myth to narrate Rousseau's rather dismal account of the human journey into social life. Yet, contrary to most interpreters of Rousseau, Cladis maintains that if we categorically identify the natural with the good and the social with evil, we fail to do justice to Rousseau's provocative account of our joy and sorrow in solitude and community. Part II explores the limits and possibilities of Rousseau's three paths to partial redemption – the public path (the reformed society), the private path (the escape into solitude), and the tense, middle way between them.
Throughout this study, Cladis listens closely to the religious pitch in Rousseau's voice. He shows that Rousseau, when attempting to portray the most characteristic aspects of the public and private, reached for a religious vocabulary. Honoring both love of self and love of that which is larger than the self – these twin poles, with all the tension between them – mark Rousseau's work, vision, and challenge – the challenge of twenty‐first century democracy.
David Benatar
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199296422
- eISBN:
- 9780191712005
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199296422.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter first responds to the objection that the book's conclusions should be rejected on the grounds that they are counter-intuitive. The chapter then responds to the optimist and defends ...
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This chapter first responds to the objection that the book's conclusions should be rejected on the grounds that they are counter-intuitive. The chapter then responds to the optimist and defends pessimism. It is also argued that anti-natalism does not imply that death is never bad or that everybody ought to practice suicide. Nor are the conclusions of this book necessarily incompatible with religious views. Finally, it is argued that although there are excellent misanthropic reasons for not producing more people, the arguments in this book are philanthropic.Less
This chapter first responds to the objection that the book's conclusions should be rejected on the grounds that they are counter-intuitive. The chapter then responds to the optimist and defends pessimism. It is also argued that anti-natalism does not imply that death is never bad or that everybody ought to practice suicide. Nor are the conclusions of this book necessarily incompatible with religious views. Finally, it is argued that although there are excellent misanthropic reasons for not producing more people, the arguments in this book are philanthropic.
Frederick C. Beiser
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691163093
- eISBN:
- 9781400852536
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691163093.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Histories of German philosophy in the nineteenth century typically focus on its first half—when Hegel, idealism, and Romanticism dominated. By contrast, the remainder of the century, after Hegel's ...
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Histories of German philosophy in the nineteenth century typically focus on its first half—when Hegel, idealism, and Romanticism dominated. By contrast, the remainder of the century, after Hegel's death, has been relatively neglected because it has been seen as a period of stagnation and decline. This book argues that the second half of the century was in fact one of the most revolutionary periods in modern philosophy because the nature of philosophy itself was up for grabs and the very absence of certainty led to creativity and the start of a new era. This innovative concise history of German philosophy, from 1840 to 1900, focuses not on themes or individual thinkers but rather on the period's five great debates: the identity crisis of philosophy, the materialism controversy, the methods and limits of history, the pessimism controversy, and the Ignorabimusstreit. Schopenhauer and Wilhelm Dilthey play important roles in these controversies but so do many neglected figures, including Ludwig Büchner, Eugen Dühring, Eduard von Hartmann, Julius Fraunstaedt, Hermann Lotze, Adolf Trendelenburg, and two women, Agnes Taubert and Olga Pluemacher, who have been completely forgotten in histories of philosophy. The result is a wide-ranging, original, and surprising new account of German philosophy in the critical period between Hegel and the twentieth century.Less
Histories of German philosophy in the nineteenth century typically focus on its first half—when Hegel, idealism, and Romanticism dominated. By contrast, the remainder of the century, after Hegel's death, has been relatively neglected because it has been seen as a period of stagnation and decline. This book argues that the second half of the century was in fact one of the most revolutionary periods in modern philosophy because the nature of philosophy itself was up for grabs and the very absence of certainty led to creativity and the start of a new era. This innovative concise history of German philosophy, from 1840 to 1900, focuses not on themes or individual thinkers but rather on the period's five great debates: the identity crisis of philosophy, the materialism controversy, the methods and limits of history, the pessimism controversy, and the Ignorabimusstreit. Schopenhauer and Wilhelm Dilthey play important roles in these controversies but so do many neglected figures, including Ludwig Büchner, Eugen Dühring, Eduard von Hartmann, Julius Fraunstaedt, Hermann Lotze, Adolf Trendelenburg, and two women, Agnes Taubert and Olga Pluemacher, who have been completely forgotten in histories of philosophy. The result is a wide-ranging, original, and surprising new account of German philosophy in the critical period between Hegel and the twentieth century.
Kurt Lampe
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161136
- eISBN:
- 9781400852499
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161136.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
According to Xenophon, Socrates tried to persuade his associate Aristippus to moderate his excessive indulgence in wine, women, and food, arguing that only hard work can bring happiness. Aristippus ...
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According to Xenophon, Socrates tried to persuade his associate Aristippus to moderate his excessive indulgence in wine, women, and food, arguing that only hard work can bring happiness. Aristippus wasn't convinced. Instead, he and his followers espoused the most radical form of hedonism in ancient Western philosophy. Before the rise of the better known but comparatively ascetic Epicureans, the Cyrenaics pursued a way of life in which moments of pleasure, particularly bodily pleasure, held the highest value. This book provides the most comprehensive account in any language of Cyrenaic ideas and behavior, revolutionizing the understanding of this neglected but important school of philosophy. The book reconstructs the doctrines and practices of the Cyrenaics, who were active between the fourth and third centuries BCE. The book examines not only Aristippus and the mainstream Cyrenaics, but also Hegesias, Anniceris, and Theodorus. Contrary to recent scholarship, the book shows that the Cyrenaics, despite giving primary value to discrete pleasurable experiences, accepted the dominant Greek philosophical belief that life-long happiness and the virtues that sustain it are the principal concerns of ethics. The book also offers the first in-depth effort to understand Theodorus' atheism and Hegesias' pessimism, both of which are extremely unusual in ancient Greek philosophy and which raise the interesting question of hedonism's relationship to pessimism and atheism. Finally, the book explores the “new Cyrenaicism” of the nineteenth-century writer and classicist Walter Pater, who drew out the enduring philosophical interest of Cyrenaic hedonism more than any other modern thinker.Less
According to Xenophon, Socrates tried to persuade his associate Aristippus to moderate his excessive indulgence in wine, women, and food, arguing that only hard work can bring happiness. Aristippus wasn't convinced. Instead, he and his followers espoused the most radical form of hedonism in ancient Western philosophy. Before the rise of the better known but comparatively ascetic Epicureans, the Cyrenaics pursued a way of life in which moments of pleasure, particularly bodily pleasure, held the highest value. This book provides the most comprehensive account in any language of Cyrenaic ideas and behavior, revolutionizing the understanding of this neglected but important school of philosophy. The book reconstructs the doctrines and practices of the Cyrenaics, who were active between the fourth and third centuries BCE. The book examines not only Aristippus and the mainstream Cyrenaics, but also Hegesias, Anniceris, and Theodorus. Contrary to recent scholarship, the book shows that the Cyrenaics, despite giving primary value to discrete pleasurable experiences, accepted the dominant Greek philosophical belief that life-long happiness and the virtues that sustain it are the principal concerns of ethics. The book also offers the first in-depth effort to understand Theodorus' atheism and Hegesias' pessimism, both of which are extremely unusual in ancient Greek philosophy and which raise the interesting question of hedonism's relationship to pessimism and atheism. Finally, the book explores the “new Cyrenaicism” of the nineteenth-century writer and classicist Walter Pater, who drew out the enduring philosophical interest of Cyrenaic hedonism more than any other modern thinker.
Kenneth G. C. Newport
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269496
- eISBN:
- 9780191600807
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269498.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This chapter deals mainly with the theological characteristics of the sermons, and briefly with the use that Wesley makes of his sources, especially the scriptures. The sermons are examined in two ...
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This chapter deals mainly with the theological characteristics of the sermons, and briefly with the use that Wesley makes of his sources, especially the scriptures. The sermons are examined in two groups, the early and the later, and set in the context of Wesley's evangelical conversion experience of May 1738. The way in which the gloom and soteriological pessimism of the early work seems to give way, though with some relapses, to a greater confidence is examined. The relationship between works and faith in Charles’ thought is briefly examined, and the fact that he remained always a thoroughgoing Arminian is noted.Less
This chapter deals mainly with the theological characteristics of the sermons, and briefly with the use that Wesley makes of his sources, especially the scriptures. The sermons are examined in two groups, the early and the later, and set in the context of Wesley's evangelical conversion experience of May 1738. The way in which the gloom and soteriological pessimism of the early work seems to give way, though with some relapses, to a greater confidence is examined. The relationship between works and faith in Charles’ thought is briefly examined, and the fact that he remained always a thoroughgoing Arminian is noted.
E. W. Heaton
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198263623
- eISBN:
- 9780191601156
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263627.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
The presuppositions of the comfortable outlook – ‘God’s in his heaven: All’s right with the world’ – had been questioned from time to time over the centuries, but Job and Ecclesiastes are the only ...
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The presuppositions of the comfortable outlook – ‘God’s in his heaven: All’s right with the world’ – had been questioned from time to time over the centuries, but Job and Ecclesiastes are the only major works in the Old Testament deliberately undertaken to articulate the doubt and debate then current in the Israeli schools. They are generally thought to come from the fifth or fourth and third centuries BC respectively, but there is no evidence to support the speculation that it was at this period that the age-old conflict between the theories of the theologians and the facts of life became more than usually acute. The two parts of the chapter look first at doubt, disaster, despair and pessimism in Job and then at the same attitudes in Ecclesiastes, and in doing so make comparisons between the two books. The Egyptian and Babylonian precedents to passages in Job suggest that its author is writing within a convention well established in the circles of schoolmen of the Ancient Near East, rather than presenting actual experiences, and the sustained protest of Job’s speeches challenges the two principal (and contradictory) dogmas that had become fossilized in the Israeli school tradition: ‘God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform’, and ‘God’s way in the world is not in the least mysterious and may be traced in the prosperity of the righteous and the suffering of the wicked’. Any interpretation of Ecclesiastes, who like Job was a literary stylist, must give due weight to the fact that he was a teacher, but the application of doleful description in the body of the work is discriminating, and probably represents his thought.Less
The presuppositions of the comfortable outlook – ‘God’s in his heaven: All’s right with the world’ – had been questioned from time to time over the centuries, but Job and Ecclesiastes are the only major works in the Old Testament deliberately undertaken to articulate the doubt and debate then current in the Israeli schools. They are generally thought to come from the fifth or fourth and third centuries BC respectively, but there is no evidence to support the speculation that it was at this period that the age-old conflict between the theories of the theologians and the facts of life became more than usually acute. The two parts of the chapter look first at doubt, disaster, despair and pessimism in Job and then at the same attitudes in Ecclesiastes, and in doing so make comparisons between the two books. The Egyptian and Babylonian precedents to passages in Job suggest that its author is writing within a convention well established in the circles of schoolmen of the Ancient Near East, rather than presenting actual experiences, and the sustained protest of Job’s speeches challenges the two principal (and contradictory) dogmas that had become fossilized in the Israeli school tradition: ‘God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform’, and ‘God’s way in the world is not in the least mysterious and may be traced in the prosperity of the righteous and the suffering of the wicked’. Any interpretation of Ecclesiastes, who like Job was a literary stylist, must give due weight to the fact that he was a teacher, but the application of doleful description in the body of the work is discriminating, and probably represents his thought.
Mark S. Cladis
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195125542
- eISBN:
- 9780199834082
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195125541.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Rousseau is often celebrated or cursed as an exemplar Enlightenment philosopher who declared that although humans are naturally good, society tampers with us and thereby corrupts us. Although ...
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Rousseau is often celebrated or cursed as an exemplar Enlightenment philosopher who declared that although humans are naturally good, society tampers with us and thereby corrupts us. Although Rousseau's complex and even contradictory writings engender disagreement among his interpreters, all seem to agree that Rousseau spurned any notion of original sin – of innate corruption – and that he blamed corrupt, irrational social institutions for the majority of our miseries. Ch. 6 argues, however, that this standard interpretation of Rousseau's account of evil is too facile. Rousseau positioned himself at the crossroads of Enlightenment and Augustinian thought, and this awkward position enabled him to produce a rich and complex view on the nature of evil and human culpability. We will see that, in Rousseau's view, humans naturally gather and court harm, and that, in spite of this pessimism, Rousseau could also optimistically declare God's creation and human existence to be good.Less
Rousseau is often celebrated or cursed as an exemplar Enlightenment philosopher who declared that although humans are naturally good, society tampers with us and thereby corrupts us. Although Rousseau's complex and even contradictory writings engender disagreement among his interpreters, all seem to agree that Rousseau spurned any notion of original sin – of innate corruption – and that he blamed corrupt, irrational social institutions for the majority of our miseries. Ch. 6 argues, however, that this standard interpretation of Rousseau's account of evil is too facile. Rousseau positioned himself at the crossroads of Enlightenment and Augustinian thought, and this awkward position enabled him to produce a rich and complex view on the nature of evil and human culpability. We will see that, in Rousseau's view, humans naturally gather and court harm, and that, in spite of this pessimism, Rousseau could also optimistically declare God's creation and human existence to be good.
James L. Crenshaw
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195140026
- eISBN:
- 9780199835607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195140028.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Psalms 77 and 104 present opposing worldviews: pessimism and optimism. Beliefs about reality are shaped by the circumstances of ordinary existence, which in turn become occasions for existential ...
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Psalms 77 and 104 present opposing worldviews: pessimism and optimism. Beliefs about reality are shaped by the circumstances of ordinary existence, which in turn become occasions for existential anxiety arising from moral, natural, and religious evil. Their consequences, suffering and death, evoke a defense of God in the pious. Theodicy, the impulse to defend a deity, who is believed to be both merciful and just in Exod 34:6–7, and its many manifestations is the subject of this book.Less
Psalms 77 and 104 present opposing worldviews: pessimism and optimism. Beliefs about reality are shaped by the circumstances of ordinary existence, which in turn become occasions for existential anxiety arising from moral, natural, and religious evil. Their consequences, suffering and death, evoke a defense of God in the pious. Theodicy, the impulse to defend a deity, who is believed to be both merciful and just in Exod 34:6–7, and its many manifestations is the subject of this book.
Hersh Shefrin
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195161212
- eISBN:
- 9780199832996
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161211.003.0018
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
Investors are slow to learn that security analysts do not always mean what they say. What investors hear is not always what analysts mean. This is partly because analysts do not always mean what they ...
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Investors are slow to learn that security analysts do not always mean what they say. What investors hear is not always what analysts mean. This is partly because analysts do not always mean what they say. They frequently say “hold” but mean “sell, ” or say “buy” when they believe “hold. ” As a result, Wall Street analysts came under fire after the collapse of the 1990s technology bubble. Major brokerage firms were fined. Individual security analysts were barred from the industry for life. Moreover, analysts are prone to bias and error. And some managers and investors appear to exhibit frame dependence as well, with reference point effects in the earnings game. However, the main behavioral bias seems to be excessive optimism.Less
Investors are slow to learn that security analysts do not always mean what they say. What investors hear is not always what analysts mean. This is partly because analysts do not always mean what they say. They frequently say “hold” but mean “sell, ” or say “buy” when they believe “hold. ” As a result, Wall Street analysts came under fire after the collapse of the 1990s technology bubble. Major brokerage firms were fined. Individual security analysts were barred from the industry for life. Moreover, analysts are prone to bias and error. And some managers and investors appear to exhibit frame dependence as well, with reference point effects in the earnings game. However, the main behavioral bias seems to be excessive optimism.
Hersh Shefrin
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195161212
- eISBN:
- 9780199832996
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195161211.003.0019
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
Option markets reflect all three behavioral themes. The chapter is organized around the way options are (1) used; (2) priced; and (3) reflect investor sentiment. The chapter begins with the popular ...
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Option markets reflect all three behavioral themes. The chapter is organized around the way options are (1) used; (2) priced; and (3) reflect investor sentiment. The chapter begins with the popular ways investors use options, where frame dependence figures prominently. The focus is on covered call writing, but also discusses how employees make decisions about exercising company stock options. In discussing pricing, the discussion emphasizes the relationship between investors' expectations about future volatility, so called “implied volatility,” and actual volatility. The point here is that heuristic‐driven bias moves implied volatility away from its objective counterpart. In other words, heuristic‐driven bias causes option markets to be inefficient. The chapter discusses two related phenomena that stem from the effect the 1987 stock market crash had on implied volatility. One is known as “crashophobia,” and the other is known as the “crash premium.” The chapter ends with a discussion about the influence investor sentiment has had on patterns of option trading.Less
Option markets reflect all three behavioral themes. The chapter is organized around the way options are (1) used; (2) priced; and (3) reflect investor sentiment. The chapter begins with the popular ways investors use options, where frame dependence figures prominently. The focus is on covered call writing, but also discusses how employees make decisions about exercising company stock options. In discussing pricing, the discussion emphasizes the relationship between investors' expectations about future volatility, so called “implied volatility,” and actual volatility. The point here is that heuristic‐driven bias moves implied volatility away from its objective counterpart. In other words, heuristic‐driven bias causes option markets to be inefficient. The chapter discusses two related phenomena that stem from the effect the 1987 stock market crash had on implied volatility. One is known as “crashophobia,” and the other is known as the “crash premium.” The chapter ends with a discussion about the influence investor sentiment has had on patterns of option trading.
Julia Unwin
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781847424099
- eISBN:
- 9781447301981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781847424099.003.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
The concept of ‘evil’ appears to have led many people to look beyond commonly discussed social problems such as drugs, poverty or social exclusion, to express more fundamental, less tangible fears ...
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The concept of ‘evil’ appears to have led many people to look beyond commonly discussed social problems such as drugs, poverty or social exclusion, to express more fundamental, less tangible fears about the nature of society and how it is changing. The debate about contemporary social evils did not reveal any strong discomfort with modernity, or nostalgic desire to go back in time. Inviting contemporary views of social evil risked, as one commentator put it, ‘swimming in a sea of social pessimism’. Notwithstanding, the additional difficulties that the recession has created in people's lives, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)'s inquiry into the nature of social evil demonstrates a desire to grapple with difficult issues, a commitment to identify the common good in shaping a better society and a passionate conviction that the unsustainable present offers an unreliable route map for the future.Less
The concept of ‘evil’ appears to have led many people to look beyond commonly discussed social problems such as drugs, poverty or social exclusion, to express more fundamental, less tangible fears about the nature of society and how it is changing. The debate about contemporary social evils did not reveal any strong discomfort with modernity, or nostalgic desire to go back in time. Inviting contemporary views of social evil risked, as one commentator put it, ‘swimming in a sea of social pessimism’. Notwithstanding, the additional difficulties that the recession has created in people's lives, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF)'s inquiry into the nature of social evil demonstrates a desire to grapple with difficult issues, a commitment to identify the common good in shaping a better society and a passionate conviction that the unsustainable present offers an unreliable route map for the future.
Barbara Hannan
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195378948
- eISBN:
- 9780199869589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378948.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter presents an overview of Schopenhauer's thought, explaining the main themes and arguments of his major works: On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason; The World as Will ...
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This chapter presents an overview of Schopenhauer's thought, explaining the main themes and arguments of his major works: On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason; The World as Will and Representation; Prize Essay on the Freedom of the Will; and On the Basis of Morality. Schopenhauer's views on explanation, causation, animal intelligence, reason, understanding, freedom, determinism, motivation, pessimism, the metaphysics of will, and the ethics of compassion are all presented briefly and clearly.Less
This chapter presents an overview of Schopenhauer's thought, explaining the main themes and arguments of his major works: On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason; The World as Will and Representation; Prize Essay on the Freedom of the Will; and On the Basis of Morality. Schopenhauer's views on explanation, causation, animal intelligence, reason, understanding, freedom, determinism, motivation, pessimism, the metaphysics of will, and the ethics of compassion are all presented briefly and clearly.
Barbara Hannan
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195378948
- eISBN:
- 9780199869589
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195378948.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter considers Schopenhauer's pessimism and his doctrine of salvation as denial of the will. Schopenhauer's “single thought,” the insight at the heart of his philosophy, is supposedly ...
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This chapter considers Schopenhauer's pessimism and his doctrine of salvation as denial of the will. Schopenhauer's “single thought,” the insight at the heart of his philosophy, is supposedly revealed both in aesthetic experience and in such salvation. This thought cannot be expressed directly in language, since it touches on the thing-in-itself. Parallels between this doctrine and Wittgenstein's remarks on the “unsayable” are explored. Also, an investigation into Schopenhauer's psychology is undertaken, utilizing facts recorded in his biography and memoirs. Schopenhauer clearly suffered from depression, and it is argued that this experience contributed significantly to his pessimism, but that his pessimism as a philosophical orientation is as objectively justified as its opposite, optimism, and is not necessarily pathological. The pessimistic “wisdom of Silenus” is discussed, according to which “never to be born is best.” The danger of the fundamental attribution fallacy is discussed. It is argued that salvation can be understood as recovery from depression through affirmation of the will. Schopenhauer himself indicates awareness of this variety of salvation in his discussion of the “acquired character.”Less
This chapter considers Schopenhauer's pessimism and his doctrine of salvation as denial of the will. Schopenhauer's “single thought,” the insight at the heart of his philosophy, is supposedly revealed both in aesthetic experience and in such salvation. This thought cannot be expressed directly in language, since it touches on the thing-in-itself. Parallels between this doctrine and Wittgenstein's remarks on the “unsayable” are explored. Also, an investigation into Schopenhauer's psychology is undertaken, utilizing facts recorded in his biography and memoirs. Schopenhauer clearly suffered from depression, and it is argued that this experience contributed significantly to his pessimism, but that his pessimism as a philosophical orientation is as objectively justified as its opposite, optimism, and is not necessarily pathological. The pessimistic “wisdom of Silenus” is discussed, according to which “never to be born is best.” The danger of the fundamental attribution fallacy is discussed. It is argued that salvation can be understood as recovery from depression through affirmation of the will. Schopenhauer himself indicates awareness of this variety of salvation in his discussion of the “acquired character.”
Alan Mittleman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199297153
- eISBN:
- 9780191700835
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199297153.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Society
How and why should hope play a key role in a 21st-century democratic politics? This book offers a philosophical exploration of the theme, contending that a modern construction of hope as an emotion ...
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How and why should hope play a key role in a 21st-century democratic politics? This book offers a philosophical exploration of the theme, contending that a modern construction of hope as an emotion is deficient. It revives the medieval understanding of hope as a virtue, reconstructing this in a contemporary philosophical idiom. In this framework, hope is less a spontaneous reaction than it is a choice against despair; a decision to live with confidence and expectation, based on a rational assessment of possibility and a faith in the underlying goodness of life. In cultures shaped by biblical teaching, hope is thought praiseworthy. The book explores the religious origins of the concept of hope in the Hebrew Scriptures, New Testament, rabbinic literature, and Augustine. It traces the roots of both the praise of hope, in Jewish and Christian thought, and the criticism of hope in Greco-Roman thought and in the tradition of philosophical pessimism. Arguing on behalf of a straightened, sober form of hope, it relates hope-as-a-virtue to the tasks of democratic citizenship. Without diminishing the wisdom found in tragedy, a strong argument emerges in favour of hope as a way of taking responsibility for the world. Drawing on insights from scriptural and classical texts, philosophers, and theologians — ancient and modern, the book builds a compelling case for placing hope at the centre of democratic political systems.Less
How and why should hope play a key role in a 21st-century democratic politics? This book offers a philosophical exploration of the theme, contending that a modern construction of hope as an emotion is deficient. It revives the medieval understanding of hope as a virtue, reconstructing this in a contemporary philosophical idiom. In this framework, hope is less a spontaneous reaction than it is a choice against despair; a decision to live with confidence and expectation, based on a rational assessment of possibility and a faith in the underlying goodness of life. In cultures shaped by biblical teaching, hope is thought praiseworthy. The book explores the religious origins of the concept of hope in the Hebrew Scriptures, New Testament, rabbinic literature, and Augustine. It traces the roots of both the praise of hope, in Jewish and Christian thought, and the criticism of hope in Greco-Roman thought and in the tradition of philosophical pessimism. Arguing on behalf of a straightened, sober form of hope, it relates hope-as-a-virtue to the tasks of democratic citizenship. Without diminishing the wisdom found in tragedy, a strong argument emerges in favour of hope as a way of taking responsibility for the world. Drawing on insights from scriptural and classical texts, philosophers, and theologians — ancient and modern, the book builds a compelling case for placing hope at the centre of democratic political systems.
Jürgen Eichberger and David Kelsey
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199290420
- eISBN:
- 9780191710506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199290420.003.0005
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
Ambiguity refers to a decision situation under uncertainty where there is incomplete information about the likelihood of events. Different formal models of this notion have been developed with ...
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Ambiguity refers to a decision situation under uncertainty where there is incomplete information about the likelihood of events. Different formal models of this notion have been developed with differing implications the representation of ambiguity and ambiguity aversion.Less
Ambiguity refers to a decision situation under uncertainty where there is incomplete information about the likelihood of events. Different formal models of this notion have been developed with differing implications the representation of ambiguity and ambiguity aversion.
Neil Tennant
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199251605
- eISBN:
- 9780191698057
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199251605.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Language
This chapter aims to arrest the slide to pragmatic empiricism with its holistic pessimism over the prospect of ever being able to demarcate the empirically meaningful from the metaphysically ...
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This chapter aims to arrest the slide to pragmatic empiricism with its holistic pessimism over the prospect of ever being able to demarcate the empirically meaningful from the metaphysically meaningless. It proposes a criterion of cognitive significance that distinguishes those sentences that depend for their truth and falsity on understanding and experience and those that do not. It argues that this criterion is itself of considerable significance even if it were to be criticized as presupposing too extreme an idealization of the logical shape of actual scientific endeavours.Less
This chapter aims to arrest the slide to pragmatic empiricism with its holistic pessimism over the prospect of ever being able to demarcate the empirically meaningful from the metaphysically meaningless. It proposes a criterion of cognitive significance that distinguishes those sentences that depend for their truth and falsity on understanding and experience and those that do not. It argues that this criterion is itself of considerable significance even if it were to be criticized as presupposing too extreme an idealization of the logical shape of actual scientific endeavours.
