Samir Okasha
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199267972
- eISBN:
- 9780191708275
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199267972.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Does natural selection act primarily on individual organisms, on groups, on genes, or on whole species? This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the long-standing controversy in evolutionary ...
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Does natural selection act primarily on individual organisms, on groups, on genes, or on whole species? This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the long-standing controversy in evolutionary biology over the levels of selection, focusing on conceptual, philosophical, and foundational questions. In the first half of the book, a systematic framework is developed for thinking about natural selection acting at multiple levels of the biological hierarchy; the framework is then used to help resolve outstanding issues. Considerable attention is paid to the concept of causality as it relates to the levels of selection, particularly the idea that natural selection at one hierarchical level can have effects that ‘filter’ up or down to other levels. Full account is taken of the recent biological literature on ‘major evolutionary transitions’ and the recent resurgence of interest in multi-level selection theory among biologists. Other biological topics discussed include Price's equation, kin and group selection, the gene's eye view, evolutionary game theory, selfish genetic elements, species and clade selection, and the evolution of individuality. Philosophical topics discussed include reductionism and holism, causation and correlation, the nature of hierarchical organization, and realism and pluralism about the levels of selection.Less
Does natural selection act primarily on individual organisms, on groups, on genes, or on whole species? This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the long-standing controversy in evolutionary biology over the levels of selection, focusing on conceptual, philosophical, and foundational questions. In the first half of the book, a systematic framework is developed for thinking about natural selection acting at multiple levels of the biological hierarchy; the framework is then used to help resolve outstanding issues. Considerable attention is paid to the concept of causality as it relates to the levels of selection, particularly the idea that natural selection at one hierarchical level can have effects that ‘filter’ up or down to other levels. Full account is taken of the recent biological literature on ‘major evolutionary transitions’ and the recent resurgence of interest in multi-level selection theory among biologists. Other biological topics discussed include Price's equation, kin and group selection, the gene's eye view, evolutionary game theory, selfish genetic elements, species and clade selection, and the evolution of individuality. Philosophical topics discussed include reductionism and holism, causation and correlation, the nature of hierarchical organization, and realism and pluralism about the levels of selection.
Julian Dodd
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199284375
- eISBN:
- 9780191713743
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199284375.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics
This book gives a sustained defence of the simple view of the ontological nature of works of pure, instrumental music. The simple view is the conjunction of two theses: the type/token theory and ...
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This book gives a sustained defence of the simple view of the ontological nature of works of pure, instrumental music. The simple view is the conjunction of two theses: the type/token theory and sonicism. The type/token theory claims that musical works are types whose tokens are sound-sequence-events, whilst sonicism tells us that such works are identical just in case they sound exactly alike. Even though the simple view is favoured by very few writers in the philosophy of music, this book maintains that it is the default position given our ordinary intuitions about musical works; that it can answer the sorts of objections that have led other philosophers to dismiss it; and that it is, on reflection, the most promising ontology of music on offer. Specifically, the book argues that the type/token theory offers the best explanation of the repeatability of works of music: the fact that such works admit of multiple occurrence. Furthermore, it goes on to claim that the theory's most striking consequence — namely, that musical works are eternal existents — is minimally disruptive of our intuitions concerning the nature of composition and our appreciation of works of music. In defending sonicism, the book argues both that its way of individuating works of music is prima facie correct, and that the putative counter-examples it faces can be harmlessly explained away.Less
This book gives a sustained defence of the simple view of the ontological nature of works of pure, instrumental music. The simple view is the conjunction of two theses: the type/token theory and sonicism. The type/token theory claims that musical works are types whose tokens are sound-sequence-events, whilst sonicism tells us that such works are identical just in case they sound exactly alike. Even though the simple view is favoured by very few writers in the philosophy of music, this book maintains that it is the default position given our ordinary intuitions about musical works; that it can answer the sorts of objections that have led other philosophers to dismiss it; and that it is, on reflection, the most promising ontology of music on offer. Specifically, the book argues that the type/token theory offers the best explanation of the repeatability of works of music: the fact that such works admit of multiple occurrence. Furthermore, it goes on to claim that the theory's most striking consequence — namely, that musical works are eternal existents — is minimally disruptive of our intuitions concerning the nature of composition and our appreciation of works of music. In defending sonicism, the book argues both that its way of individuating works of music is prima facie correct, and that the putative counter-examples it faces can be harmlessly explained away.
Gregory Currie
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199282609
- eISBN:
- 9780191712432
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282609.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Mind
Narratives are artefacts of a special kind: they are devices which function to tell stories, and do so by conveying the storytelling intentions of their makers. But, narrative itself is too inclusive ...
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Narratives are artefacts of a special kind: they are devices which function to tell stories, and do so by conveying the storytelling intentions of their makers. But, narrative itself is too inclusive a category for much more to be said about it than this; we should focus attention instead on the vaguely defined but interesting category of things rich in narrative structure. Such devices offer significant possibilities, not merely for the representation of stories, but for the expression of point of view; they have also played an important role in the evolution of reliable channels of information, an issue pursued in three chapter appendices. This book argues that much of the pleasure of narrative depends on early developing tendencies in human beings to imitation and to joint attention, and imitation turns out to be the key to understanding such important literary techniques as free indirect discourse and character‐focused narration. The book also examines irony in narrative, with an emphasis on the idea of the expression of ironic points of view; a case study of this phenomenon is offered. Finally, the book examines the idea of Character, as evidenced in robust, situation‐independent ways of acting and thinking, and its important role in many narratives. It is asked whether scepticism about the notion of Character should have us reassess the dramatic and literary tradition which places such emphasis on Character.Less
Narratives are artefacts of a special kind: they are devices which function to tell stories, and do so by conveying the storytelling intentions of their makers. But, narrative itself is too inclusive a category for much more to be said about it than this; we should focus attention instead on the vaguely defined but interesting category of things rich in narrative structure. Such devices offer significant possibilities, not merely for the representation of stories, but for the expression of point of view; they have also played an important role in the evolution of reliable channels of information, an issue pursued in three chapter appendices. This book argues that much of the pleasure of narrative depends on early developing tendencies in human beings to imitation and to joint attention, and imitation turns out to be the key to understanding such important literary techniques as free indirect discourse and character‐focused narration. The book also examines irony in narrative, with an emphasis on the idea of the expression of ironic points of view; a case study of this phenomenon is offered. Finally, the book examines the idea of Character, as evidenced in robust, situation‐independent ways of acting and thinking, and its important role in many narratives. It is asked whether scepticism about the notion of Character should have us reassess the dramatic and literary tradition which places such emphasis on Character.
J. T. Ismael
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195174366
- eISBN:
- 9780199872121
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174366.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind
Physics reveals a world composed of events arranged in a fixed configuration, like locations on a map. But where are we ourselves, the creatures who construct the map, to be found in the world it ...
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Physics reveals a world composed of events arranged in a fixed configuration, like locations on a map. But where are we ourselves, the creatures who construct the map, to be found in the world it presents? Where, in this seamless fabric presented by physics do we find the fleeting, centered world of experience, rich in color, sound, and sentiment, that we know from the inside? The question of the relationship between the world of physics and the world as seen through human eyes is one of the deepest, and most difficult in philosophy. The difficulty has many aspects. The world of physics is fixed and eternal; the world of experience is transient and changing. The world of physics is structure described in mathematical terms; the world of experience is rich with qualitative properties that can't be captured in mathematical description. The world of physics has no built-in perspective; the world of experience is always experience to a particular someone, from a standpoint in space and time. The problem spans metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and ethics, and expresses itself in the wider culture in the perceived clash between humanist and scientific views of the self. This book displays in a new way the common structure of these different aspects of the problem. An account of the structure of self-locating knowledge serves as the keystone for a broad vision of the place of the self in the physical universe. The vision preserves the completeness and closure of physical description, while leaving room for features of ourselves and our subjective views of the world that are at once real and incommunicable.Less
Physics reveals a world composed of events arranged in a fixed configuration, like locations on a map. But where are we ourselves, the creatures who construct the map, to be found in the world it presents? Where, in this seamless fabric presented by physics do we find the fleeting, centered world of experience, rich in color, sound, and sentiment, that we know from the inside? The question of the relationship between the world of physics and the world as seen through human eyes is one of the deepest, and most difficult in philosophy. The difficulty has many aspects. The world of physics is fixed and eternal; the world of experience is transient and changing. The world of physics is structure described in mathematical terms; the world of experience is rich with qualitative properties that can't be captured in mathematical description. The world of physics has no built-in perspective; the world of experience is always experience to a particular someone, from a standpoint in space and time. The problem spans metaphysics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science and ethics, and expresses itself in the wider culture in the perceived clash between humanist and scientific views of the self. This book displays in a new way the common structure of these different aspects of the problem. An account of the structure of self-locating knowledge serves as the keystone for a broad vision of the place of the self in the physical universe. The vision preserves the completeness and closure of physical description, while leaving room for features of ourselves and our subjective views of the world that are at once real and incommunicable.
Natalie Jomini Stroud
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199755509
- eISBN:
- 9780199897162
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755509.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Fox News, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Rush Limbaugh Show, National Public Radio—a list of available political media sources could continue without any apparent end. This ...
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Fox News, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Rush Limbaugh Show, National Public Radio—a list of available political media sources could continue without any apparent end. This book investigates how people navigate these choices. It asks whether people are using media sources that express political views matching their own, a behavior known as partisan selective exposure. By looking at newspaper, cable news, news magazine, talk radio, and political website use, this book offers a look to-date at the extent to which partisanship influences our media selections. Using data from numerous surveys and experiments, the results provide broad evidence about the connection between partisanship and news choices. This book also examines who seeks out likeminded media and why they do it. Perceptions of partisan biases in the media vary—sources that seem quite biased to some don't seem so biased to others. These perceptual differences provide insight into why some people select politically likeminded media—a phenomenon that is democratically consequential. On one hand, citizens may become increasingly divided from using media that coheres with their political beliefs. In this way, partisan selective exposure may result in a more fragmented and polarized public. On the other hand, partisan selective exposure may encourage participation and understanding. Likeminded partisan information may inspire citizens to participate in politics and help them to organize their political thinking. But, ultimately, the partisan use of niche news has some troubling effects. It is vital that we think carefully about the implications both for the conduct of media research and, more broadly, for the progress of democracy.Less
Fox News, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Rush Limbaugh Show, National Public Radio—a list of available political media sources could continue without any apparent end. This book investigates how people navigate these choices. It asks whether people are using media sources that express political views matching their own, a behavior known as partisan selective exposure. By looking at newspaper, cable news, news magazine, talk radio, and political website use, this book offers a look to-date at the extent to which partisanship influences our media selections. Using data from numerous surveys and experiments, the results provide broad evidence about the connection between partisanship and news choices. This book also examines who seeks out likeminded media and why they do it. Perceptions of partisan biases in the media vary—sources that seem quite biased to some don't seem so biased to others. These perceptual differences provide insight into why some people select politically likeminded media—a phenomenon that is democratically consequential. On one hand, citizens may become increasingly divided from using media that coheres with their political beliefs. In this way, partisan selective exposure may result in a more fragmented and polarized public. On the other hand, partisan selective exposure may encourage participation and understanding. Likeminded partisan information may inspire citizens to participate in politics and help them to organize their political thinking. But, ultimately, the partisan use of niche news has some troubling effects. It is vital that we think carefully about the implications both for the conduct of media research and, more broadly, for the progress of democracy.
Andrew Mason
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199264414
- eISBN:
- 9780191718489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199264414.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter begins with an examination of the simple view that equality of opportunity requires open competition for advantaged social positions. It is argued that this idea is not really so simple. ...
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This chapter begins with an examination of the simple view that equality of opportunity requires open competition for advantaged social positions. It is argued that this idea is not really so simple. The notion of an open competition and the idea of a qualification which it presupposes are more complicated than they seem, and need to be looked at in a broad account of justice in general, or equality of opportunity in particular. The simple view must be regarded as incomplete: it is implausible to suppose, for example, that open competition for advantaged social positions is a sufficient condition of equality of opportunity. Reflection upon the simple view suggests that any adequate account of equality of opportunity must include at least two components: the idea that there should be open competition for advantaged social positions, and that there should be fair access to the qualifications required for success in these competitions.Less
This chapter begins with an examination of the simple view that equality of opportunity requires open competition for advantaged social positions. It is argued that this idea is not really so simple. The notion of an open competition and the idea of a qualification which it presupposes are more complicated than they seem, and need to be looked at in a broad account of justice in general, or equality of opportunity in particular. The simple view must be regarded as incomplete: it is implausible to suppose, for example, that open competition for advantaged social positions is a sufficient condition of equality of opportunity. Reflection upon the simple view suggests that any adequate account of equality of opportunity must include at least two components: the idea that there should be open competition for advantaged social positions, and that there should be fair access to the qualifications required for success in these competitions.
Andrew Mason
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199264414
- eISBN:
- 9780191718489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199264414.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter examines Rawls' account of fair equality of opportunity. Rawls argues that fair equality of opportunity requires not only ‘careers to be open to talents’, but also that those with the ...
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This chapter examines Rawls' account of fair equality of opportunity. Rawls argues that fair equality of opportunity requires not only ‘careers to be open to talents’, but also that those with the same talents and ability and willingness to use these talents should have equal chance of success. Whilst defending Rawls' account against some influential criticisms that have been levelled against it, it is argued that the idea that fair equality of opportunity is lexically prior to the difference principle cannot be justified.Less
This chapter examines Rawls' account of fair equality of opportunity. Rawls argues that fair equality of opportunity requires not only ‘careers to be open to talents’, but also that those with the same talents and ability and willingness to use these talents should have equal chance of success. Whilst defending Rawls' account against some influential criticisms that have been levelled against it, it is argued that the idea that fair equality of opportunity is lexically prior to the difference principle cannot be justified.
Andrew Mason
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199264414
- eISBN:
- 9780191718489
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199264414.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This chapter argues that particular versions of the mitigation approach may also incorporate ‘quasi-egalitarian principles’ — principles which hold that certain kinds or degrees of inequality are ...
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This chapter argues that particular versions of the mitigation approach may also incorporate ‘quasi-egalitarian principles’ — principles which hold that certain kinds or degrees of inequality are objectionable. It is also maintained here that a defensible version of the mitigation approach might incorporate more than one kind of principle — it need not consist entirely of quasi-egalitarian principles, nor need it be exhausted by a prioritarian or sufficiency principle — and, furthermore, that different kinds of principles might be appropriate for different goods or different aspects of people's circumstances.Less
This chapter argues that particular versions of the mitigation approach may also incorporate ‘quasi-egalitarian principles’ — principles which hold that certain kinds or degrees of inequality are objectionable. It is also maintained here that a defensible version of the mitigation approach might incorporate more than one kind of principle — it need not consist entirely of quasi-egalitarian principles, nor need it be exhausted by a prioritarian or sufficiency principle — and, furthermore, that different kinds of principles might be appropriate for different goods or different aspects of people's circumstances.
Michael Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195326703
- eISBN:
- 9780199864867
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195326703.001.0001
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Sensory and Motor Systems, Behavioral Neuroscience
This book offers a fundamental new theory of motor cortex organization: the rendering of the movement repertoire onto the cortex. The action repertoire of an animal is highly dimensional, whereas the ...
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This book offers a fundamental new theory of motor cortex organization: the rendering of the movement repertoire onto the cortex. The action repertoire of an animal is highly dimensional, whereas the cortical sheet is two-dimensional. Rendering the action space onto the cortex therefore results in a complex pattern, explaining the otherwise inexplicable details of motor cortex organization. This book includes a complete history of motor cortex research from its discovery to the present, a discussion of the major issues in motor cortex research, and an account of recent experiments that led to the book's “action map” view. Though focused on motor cortex, the book includes a range of topics from an explanation of how primates put food in their mouths, to the origins of social behavior such as smiling and laughing, to the mysterious link between movement disorders and autism.Less
This book offers a fundamental new theory of motor cortex organization: the rendering of the movement repertoire onto the cortex. The action repertoire of an animal is highly dimensional, whereas the cortical sheet is two-dimensional. Rendering the action space onto the cortex therefore results in a complex pattern, explaining the otherwise inexplicable details of motor cortex organization. This book includes a complete history of motor cortex research from its discovery to the present, a discussion of the major issues in motor cortex research, and an account of recent experiments that led to the book's “action map” view. Though focused on motor cortex, the book includes a range of topics from an explanation of how primates put food in their mouths, to the origins of social behavior such as smiling and laughing, to the mysterious link between movement disorders and autism.
John Kekes
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199588886
- eISBN:
- 9780191595448
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588886.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
This book is a response to the growing disenchantment in the Western world with contemporary life. It provides rationally justified answers to questions about the meaning of life, the basis of ...
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This book is a response to the growing disenchantment in the Western world with contemporary life. It provides rationally justified answers to questions about the meaning of life, the basis of morality, the contingencies of human lives, the prevalence of evil, the nature and extent of human responsibility, and the sources of values we prize. It offers a realistic view of the human condition that rejects both facile optimism and gloomy pessimism; acknowledges that we are vulnerable to contingencies we cannot fully control; defends a humanistic understanding of our condition; recognizes that the values worth pursuing are plural, often conflicting, and that there are many reasonable conceptions of well‐being. It emphasizes the importance of facing the fact that man's inhumanity to man is widespread. It rejects as simple‐minded both the view that human nature is basically good and that it is basically bad, and argues that our well‐being depends on coping with the complex truth that human nature is basically complicated. It argues that the scheme of things is indifferent to our fortunes and that we can rely only on our own resources to make what we can of our lives.Less
This book is a response to the growing disenchantment in the Western world with contemporary life. It provides rationally justified answers to questions about the meaning of life, the basis of morality, the contingencies of human lives, the prevalence of evil, the nature and extent of human responsibility, and the sources of values we prize. It offers a realistic view of the human condition that rejects both facile optimism and gloomy pessimism; acknowledges that we are vulnerable to contingencies we cannot fully control; defends a humanistic understanding of our condition; recognizes that the values worth pursuing are plural, often conflicting, and that there are many reasonable conceptions of well‐being. It emphasizes the importance of facing the fact that man's inhumanity to man is widespread. It rejects as simple‐minded both the view that human nature is basically good and that it is basically bad, and argues that our well‐being depends on coping with the complex truth that human nature is basically complicated. It argues that the scheme of things is indifferent to our fortunes and that we can rely only on our own resources to make what we can of our lives.
John Kekes
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199588886
- eISBN:
- 9780191595448
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588886.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion
The aim of the book is to present and defend a secular view of the human condition. This view is pluralist, not absolutist; rationalist, not relativist; fallibilist, not skeptical or dogmatic; ...
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The aim of the book is to present and defend a secular view of the human condition. This view is pluralist, not absolutist; rationalist, not relativist; fallibilist, not skeptical or dogmatic; realist, not optimist or pessimist; particular and concrete, not general and abstract. Its perspective is humanistic, neither religiously, nor scientifically oriented.Less
The aim of the book is to present and defend a secular view of the human condition. This view is pluralist, not absolutist; rationalist, not relativist; fallibilist, not skeptical or dogmatic; realist, not optimist or pessimist; particular and concrete, not general and abstract. Its perspective is humanistic, neither religiously, nor scientifically oriented.
Robert J. Stainton
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199250387
- eISBN:
- 9780191719523
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250387.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
This chapter discusses what is going on in apparent cases of sub-sentential speech acts. It begins with a relatively broad-strokes account of how agents can communicate using ordinary words and ...
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This chapter discusses what is going on in apparent cases of sub-sentential speech acts. It begins with a relatively broad-strokes account of how agents can communicate using ordinary words and phrases; this provides the ‘general view’. The general view is taken to be the core of the positive position. A preferred way of spelling out the general view is presented — the so-called ‘specific view’ — which introduces internal mental representations of various sorts. The result is a view that is not only pragmatic, but representational.Less
This chapter discusses what is going on in apparent cases of sub-sentential speech acts. It begins with a relatively broad-strokes account of how agents can communicate using ordinary words and phrases; this provides the ‘general view’. The general view is taken to be the core of the positive position. A preferred way of spelling out the general view is presented — the so-called ‘specific view’ — which introduces internal mental representations of various sorts. The result is a view that is not only pragmatic, but representational.
Michael P. Lynch
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199218738
- eISBN:
- 9780191711794
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218738.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology, Philosophy of Language
This introductory chapter provides two important motivations for the view of truth presented in the book. First, an account of truth that makes sense of both the diversity of our thought and its ...
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This introductory chapter provides two important motivations for the view of truth presented in the book. First, an account of truth that makes sense of both the diversity of our thought and its cognitive unity is needed. Second, an account of truth that allows us to retain truth as an explanatory tool is needed.Less
This introductory chapter provides two important motivations for the view of truth presented in the book. First, an account of truth that makes sense of both the diversity of our thought and its cognitive unity is needed. Second, an account of truth that allows us to retain truth as an explanatory tool is needed.
Srinivasa Rao
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198079811
- eISBN:
- 9780199081707
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198079811.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Advaita believes in three differing points of view called the illusory (prātibhāsika), the empirical (vyāvahārika) and the ultimate (pāramārthika) which successively contradict and sublate the ...
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Advaita believes in three differing points of view called the illusory (prātibhāsika), the empirical (vyāvahārika) and the ultimate (pāramārthika) which successively contradict and sublate the preceding one. It is argued in this chapter that the above view may not always be true. If two points of view are really different from one another, they cannot contradict each other. If we look at a table with naked eyes we see it as solid. If we look at the same table through a powerful electron microscope, we see only minute particles in vast empty spaces. But we cannot say that the solidity of the table is sublated or contradicted by the sub-atomic point of view. This point is also illustrated by a thought-experiment involving a terrestrial observer on earth and an extra-terrestrial observer located in outer space.Less
Advaita believes in three differing points of view called the illusory (prātibhāsika), the empirical (vyāvahārika) and the ultimate (pāramārthika) which successively contradict and sublate the preceding one. It is argued in this chapter that the above view may not always be true. If two points of view are really different from one another, they cannot contradict each other. If we look at a table with naked eyes we see it as solid. If we look at the same table through a powerful electron microscope, we see only minute particles in vast empty spaces. But we cannot say that the solidity of the table is sublated or contradicted by the sub-atomic point of view. This point is also illustrated by a thought-experiment involving a terrestrial observer on earth and an extra-terrestrial observer located in outer space.
Srinivasa Rao
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198079811
- eISBN:
- 9780199081707
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198079811.003.0015
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
The idea of the primacy of the Absolute’s point of view is a fundamental requirement in Advaita. Using this point of view as the criterion, Advaita declares the empirical world to be not real. But ...
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The idea of the primacy of the Absolute’s point of view is a fundamental requirement in Advaita. Using this point of view as the criterion, Advaita declares the empirical world to be not real. But only if “the other” is truly there, such a step would be really warranted. Besides, once such a point of view is admitted, there will be several implications that logically follow from it and all such implications must also be satisfactory and tenable. This chapter is a brief examination of this important issue in Advaita.Less
The idea of the primacy of the Absolute’s point of view is a fundamental requirement in Advaita. Using this point of view as the criterion, Advaita declares the empirical world to be not real. But only if “the other” is truly there, such a step would be really warranted. Besides, once such a point of view is admitted, there will be several implications that logically follow from it and all such implications must also be satisfactory and tenable. This chapter is a brief examination of this important issue in Advaita.
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.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter applies Samuel Scheffler’s ‘Hybrid View’ to the morality of reproduction. It concludes that the Hybrid View does not provide a satisfactory account of our obligations to future ...
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This chapter applies Samuel Scheffler’s ‘Hybrid View’ to the morality of reproduction. It concludes that the Hybrid View does not provide a satisfactory account of our obligations to future generations, as it cannot accommodate either reproductive freedom or parental obligations. The Hybrid View fails because it cannot appreciate the collective moral significance of reproduction. This failure is shared by all other theories that retain the individualist focus of Simple Consequentialism, and thus motivates the exploration of collective forms of Consequentialism, which begins in Chapter 5.Less
This chapter applies Samuel Scheffler’s ‘Hybrid View’ to the morality of reproduction. It concludes that the Hybrid View does not provide a satisfactory account of our obligations to future generations, as it cannot accommodate either reproductive freedom or parental obligations. The Hybrid View fails because it cannot appreciate the collective moral significance of reproduction. This failure is shared by all other theories that retain the individualist focus of Simple Consequentialism, and thus motivates the exploration of collective forms of Consequentialism, which begins in Chapter 5.
Robert Audi
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195312942
- eISBN:
- 9780199851188
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195312942.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Four kinds of ethical view have appeared and reappeared in this book. The first is virtue ethics, which counsels people to concentrate on realizing the good throughout our lives. The second and third ...
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Four kinds of ethical view have appeared and reappeared in this book. The first is virtue ethics, which counsels people to concentrate on realizing the good throughout our lives. The second and third categories comprise Kantian and intuitionist views. These tell people to concentrate on the quality of acts, though they also take motives into account. The Kantian ethic is a master principle view, whereas intuitionist views affirm a plurality of basic moral principles. The fourth category, utilitarian theories, tells people to maximize the good. The pluralist universalism presented here, which integrates Kantian, utilitarian, intuitionist, and other elements, stresses three variables: character, type of action, and overall consequences for happiness.Less
Four kinds of ethical view have appeared and reappeared in this book. The first is virtue ethics, which counsels people to concentrate on realizing the good throughout our lives. The second and third categories comprise Kantian and intuitionist views. These tell people to concentrate on the quality of acts, though they also take motives into account. The Kantian ethic is a master principle view, whereas intuitionist views affirm a plurality of basic moral principles. The fourth category, utilitarian theories, tells people to maximize the good. The pluralist universalism presented here, which integrates Kantian, utilitarian, intuitionist, and other elements, stresses three variables: character, type of action, and overall consequences for happiness.
J. C. B. Gosling
- Published in print:
- 1969
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198243397
- eISBN:
- 9780191680670
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198243397.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This book discusses and attempts to clarify the central terms that form the backbone of any hedonist position, with the purpose of seeing why such views are so persistently attractive. It avoids the ...
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This book discusses and attempts to clarify the central terms that form the backbone of any hedonist position, with the purpose of seeing why such views are so persistently attractive. It avoids the exposition of individual authors, and tries to produce arguments that tell against all positions of various types. Each chapter has its own bibliography, which is composed of works that are fairly easily available in English.Less
This book discusses and attempts to clarify the central terms that form the backbone of any hedonist position, with the purpose of seeing why such views are so persistently attractive. It avoids the exposition of individual authors, and tries to produce arguments that tell against all positions of various types. Each chapter has its own bibliography, which is composed of works that are fairly easily available in English.
Richard Cross
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269748
- eISBN:
- 9780191683787
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269748.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Theology
Duns Scotus, along with Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, was one of the three most talented and influential of the medieval schoolmen, and a highly original and ...
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Duns Scotus, along with Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, was one of the three most talented and influential of the medieval schoolmen, and a highly original and creative thinker. Natural philosophy, or physics, is one of the areas of his system which has not received detailed attention in modern literature. But it is important, both for understanding Scotus's contributions in theology, and in tracing some important developments in the basically Aristotelian world-view which Scotus and his contemporaries espoused. This book contains discussion and analysis of Scotus's accounts of the nature of matter; the structure of material substance; mass; the nature of space, time, and motion; quantitative and qualitative change; and the various sorts of unity which can be exhibited by different kinds of whole. It also includes discussion of Scotus's accounts of chemical composition, organic unity, and nutrition. Scotus's views on these matters are philosophically sophisticated, and often highly original.Less
Duns Scotus, along with Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham, was one of the three most talented and influential of the medieval schoolmen, and a highly original and creative thinker. Natural philosophy, or physics, is one of the areas of his system which has not received detailed attention in modern literature. But it is important, both for understanding Scotus's contributions in theology, and in tracing some important developments in the basically Aristotelian world-view which Scotus and his contemporaries espoused. This book contains discussion and analysis of Scotus's accounts of the nature of matter; the structure of material substance; mass; the nature of space, time, and motion; quantitative and qualitative change; and the various sorts of unity which can be exhibited by different kinds of whole. It also includes discussion of Scotus's accounts of chemical composition, organic unity, and nutrition. Scotus's views on these matters are philosophically sophisticated, and often highly original.
Max H. Boisot, Ian C. MacMillan, and Kyeong Seok Han
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199250875
- eISBN:
- 9780191719509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199250875.003.0004
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Knowledge Management
The resource-based view shares with population ecology, organizational systematics, organizational cladistics, and institutional theory a concern with why firms differ and with what keeps them ...
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The resource-based view shares with population ecology, organizational systematics, organizational cladistics, and institutional theory a concern with why firms differ and with what keeps them different. These two questions only have meaning if — as has been the case in the neoclassical theory of the firm — similarities between firms are taken as the default assumption. This chapter distinguishes between ontological heterogeneity — differences in the world — and epistemic heterogeneity — differences in the way that the world is construed. Focusing on the latter, it puts forward an argument for taking epistemic heterogeneity between firms as the default assumption. It starts with a general analysis of how living systems make sense of the world. It then goes on to identify the cognitive activities of codification and abstraction as key sources of epistemic heterogeneity. The findings are applied to those systems called firms where a dominant logic allows epistemic heterogeneity to persist. In some case, this leads to competitive advantage, in others to a debilitating inertia. The implications for a knowledge-based theory of the firm are briefly explored.Less
The resource-based view shares with population ecology, organizational systematics, organizational cladistics, and institutional theory a concern with why firms differ and with what keeps them different. These two questions only have meaning if — as has been the case in the neoclassical theory of the firm — similarities between firms are taken as the default assumption. This chapter distinguishes between ontological heterogeneity — differences in the world — and epistemic heterogeneity — differences in the way that the world is construed. Focusing on the latter, it puts forward an argument for taking epistemic heterogeneity between firms as the default assumption. It starts with a general analysis of how living systems make sense of the world. It then goes on to identify the cognitive activities of codification and abstraction as key sources of epistemic heterogeneity. The findings are applied to those systems called firms where a dominant logic allows epistemic heterogeneity to persist. In some case, this leads to competitive advantage, in others to a debilitating inertia. The implications for a knowledge-based theory of the firm are briefly explored.
