Bøger udgivet af Open Court Publishing Co ,U.S.

The iPod is transforming the lives of millions, changing their relationship to music and to each other. It is also an icon in its own right: the victory of the iPod over other mp3 players remains an unsolved mystery. This book features philosophers with diverse interests and points of view who bring their expertise to bear on this phenomenon.

Written between 1972 and 1999 by the late Professor, this collection of essays deals with controversial and topical issues in philosophy of science, education, and morality. It also features exchanges between the author and other leading philosophers, including a dialogue with Eger's colleague and friend, the eminent philosopher, Abner Shimony.

Phenomenology is one of the most important and influential philosophical movements of the last one hundred years. It began in 1900, with the publication of a massive two-volume work, Logical Investigations, by a Czech-German mathematician, Edmund Husserl. It proceeded immediately to exert a strong influence on both philosophy and the social sciences. For example, phenomenology provided the central inspiration for the existentialist movement, as represented by such figures as Martin Heidegger in Germany and Jean-Paul Sartre in France. Subsequent intellectual currents in Europe, when they have not claimed phenomenology as part of their ancestry, have defined themselves in opposition to phenomenology. Thus, to give just one example, the first two works of Jacques Derrida, the father of deconstruction, were devoted to criticisms of Husserl’s phenomenological works. In the English-speaking world, where “analytic philosophy” dominates, phenomenology has recently emerged as a hot topic after decades of neglect. This has resulted from a dramatic upswing in interest in consciousness, the condition that makes all experience possible. Since the special significance of phenomenology is that it investigates consciousness, analytic philosophers have begun to turn to it as an underutilized resource. For the same reason, Husserl’s work is now widely studied by cognitive scientists. The current revival of interest in phenomenology also stems from the recognition that not every kind of question can be approached by means of experimental techniques. Not all questions are scientific in that sense. Thus, if there is to be knowledge in logic, mathematics, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, epistemology (theory of knowledge), psychology (from the inside), and the study of consciousness, among others, another method is clearly needed. Phenomenology is an attempt to rectify this. Its aim is to focus on the world as given in experience, and to describe it with unprecedented care, rigor, subtlety, and completeness. This applies not only to the objects of sense experience, but to all phenomena: moral, aesthetic, political, mathematical, and so forth. One can avoid the obscure problem of the real, independent existence of the objects of experience in these domains by focusing instead on the objects, as experienced, themselves, along with the acts of consciousness which disclose them. Phenomenology thus opens up an entirely new field of investigation, never previously explored. Rather than assuming, or trying to discern, what exists outside the realm of the mental, and what causal relations pertain to these extra-mental entities, we can study objects strictly as they are given, that is, as they appear to us in experience. This book explains what phenomenology is and why it is important. It focuses primarily on the works and ideas of Husserl, but also discusses important later thinkers, giving special emphasis to those whose contributions are most relevant to contemporary concerns. Finally, while Husserl’s greatest contributions were to the philosophical foundations of logic, mathematics, knowledge, and science, this book also addresses extensively the relatively neglected contribution of phenomenology to value theory, especially ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics.

Fifty-five years after Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand is more in the news than ever. Ayn Rand Explained is an accurate and riveting account of Rand’s life, work, and influence, with the emphasis on her ideas. The book covers Rand’s career, from youth in Soviet Russia to Hollywood screenwriter and then to ideological guru; her novels and other fiction writings; her work in ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics; her influence on—and personal animosity toward—both conservatism and libertarianism. Rand’s Objectivism encompasses the ethics of rational egoism (‘The Virtue of Selfishness’); dedication to rational thinking and acting; rejection of faith in the supernatural, personal freedom from political interference, and a moral defense of limited government and laissez-faire. Objectivism was first promoted through the Nathaniel Branden Institute, headed by Rand’s young protégé and designated heir. The Institute’s phenomenally rapid growth was abruptly cut short when Rand expelled Branden and his followers in 1968. Today Objectivism is represented by different factions, notably the Ayn Rand Institute and the Atlas Society. This is a revised, updated edition of The Ideas of Ayn Rand (1991), including new information on Rand’s rocketing influence, new stories about her personal relationships, and new analysis of her life and ideas.

Breaking Bad tells the story of a man whose life changes because of the medical death sentence of an advanced cancer diagnosis. The show depicts his metamorphosis from inoffensive chemistry teacher to feared drug lord and remorseless killer. In Breaking Bad and Philosophy, a squad of professional thinkers investigate the crimes of Walter White, showing how this story relates to the major themes of philosophy and the major life decisions facing all of us.

Genetic engineering is changing humans, animals, and plants, raising new questions about the morality of such interventions. Planet of the Apes is the most resonant of all scientific apocalypse myths. This book looks at all the deeper issues involved in the Planet of the Apes stories.

By many accounts, HBO's The Wire was and remains the greatest and most important television drama of all time. The Wire was able to reveal the overlapping, criss-crossing, and colliding realities that shape - if not control - the people, institutions, and culture of the modern American city. This book celebrates this show's realism.

Science-fiction writer Philip K Dick (1928-1982) is the giant imagination behind popular culture - hit movies based directly on his writings, such as "Blade Runner", "Total Recall", "Minority Report", and cult favorites such as "A Scanner Darkly" and "Paycheck". This title confronts the fascinating and frightening ideas raised by his fantasies.

Shows readers how to turn each trip into a journey of self-discovery. The author advocates journalling as a way to give form and structure to thought and fleeting impressions, increasing insights into unconscious motivations and impulses. He explains the process of effective journalling.

Shows readers that the swift ascent of the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons to worldwide popularity event in popular culture since the invention of the motion picture. This title explores what D&D has to teach us about ethics and about how results from philosophical study of morality that can enrich and transform the game itself.

Few novels have had more influence on individuals and literary culture than J D Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye", that quickly became championed by youth who identified with the awkwardness and alienation of the novel's protagonist, Holden Caulfield. In this title, philosophers take on the phonies in Holden Caulfield's world.

Specialists on both sides of the doctrinal-ideological divide regarding the European philosophy of Derrida, Foucault, Deleuze and Lyotard offer their views here. Some see the influence of Derrida and others as benign or insignificant; others perceive it as bad for academic standards.

During the academic year 1940-1941, several giants of analytic philosophy congregated at Harvard, holding regular private meetings, with Carnap, Tarski, and Quine. "Carnap, Tarski, and Quine at Harvard" allows the reader to act as a fly on the wall for their conversations. Carnap took detailed notes during his year at Harvard. This book includes both a German transcription of these shorthand notes and an English translation in the appendix section. Carnap's notes cover a wide range of topics, but surprisingly, the most prominent question is: If the number of physical items in the universe is finite, what form should scientific discourse take? This question is closely connected to an abiding philosophical problem: What is the relationship between the logico-mathematical realm and the material realm? Carnap, Tarski, and Quine's attempts to answer this question involve issues central to philosophy today.This book focuses on three such issues: nominalism, the unity of science, and analyticity. In short, the book reconstructs the lines of argument represented in these Harvard discussions, discusses their historical significance (especially Quine's break from Carnap), and relates them when possible to contemporary treatments of these issues.

For almost a half-century G.E. Moore has exercised an enormous influence on modern thought. Since 1903, when his famous "Refutation of Idealism" burst upon the philosophical world, he has had a long and distinguished career. The present volume is a living testament to this great realist and to his reputation (along with his colleagues, Russell and Whitehead) as one of the most profound thinkers of our century.Here every aspect of Professor Moore''s thought is described and examined--in nineteen brilliant, searching and incisive essays which form a definitive critique of his work and from which all further evaluations must spring. Each contributor and critic has been chosen because of his thorough familiarity and deep interest in the subject--and each is a noted American or European philosopher in his own right.

This volume in the Popular Culture and Philosophy series delves into the tragic and redemptive history of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise. Drawing on philosophers from Aristotle to Sartre, chapters range from issues of faith and spirituality to tragedy, irony, existentialism, Sabermetrics, and the infamous "curse of the Bambino." With an emphasis on "Red Sox Nation" — the community of Red Sox fans across the globe — the book connects important philosophical ideas with one of the most storied teams in the history of Major League Baseball. The chapters make complex philosophical arguments easy to understand while providing an insider’s knowledge of the hometown team. All but one of the authors in this volume are all Red Sox fans who comment on their team philosophically. There''s even a Yankee fan’s perspective! With a foreword by Dick Bresciani, vice president and official historian of the Boston Red Sox, this book provides a unique philosophical experience for the die-hard Red Sox fan.

The New Testament is perhaps the most influential book in the world from both an intellectual and literary standpoint. Still, few readers understand how to read the New Testament as a piece of literature. The New Testament and Literature acts as a guide, focusing on the underlying patterns that combine ideas with literary devices. The book identifies the literary formulas in the New Testament and shows how these elements have shaped English and American literature.

In Volume Two in Open Court's "Creative Marxism" series readers have a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on a provocative, wide-ranging conversation between two lively intellects. "Marxism and the Call of the Future" reproduces an actual discussion between Bill Martin, a DePaul University philosophy professor, and Bob Avakian, the controversial leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP). Though the scope and relevance of Marxism is at the heart of this spirited exchange, the two also offer up a sharp-witted critique of George W. Bush and touch on animal rights, The Simpsons, secularism and religion, Bob Dylan, and the post-9/11 agenda of the United States.

Bringing together two high-powered pastimes - the sport of baseball and the academic discipline of philosophy - Eric Bronson asks 18 young professors to provide their profound analysis of some aspect of baseball. The results offer surprisingly deep insights into this most American of games.

In On Disgust, pioneering philosopher Aurel Kolnai (1905-1973) draws on Husserl's phenomenological method to examine the experience of disgust. He distinguishes disgust from other emotions of aversion such as fear and contempt and shows how it relates to the five senses. Kolnai argues that disgust is never related to inorganic or nonbiological matter, and that its arousal by moral objects has an underlying similarity with its arousal by organic material: a particular combination of life and death. This book also includes an article published shortly before the author's death titled "The Standard Modes of Aversion: Fear, Disgust, and Hatred."

Rudolf Carnap (1891-1970) is considered the pioneer of logical positivism, but his work was thought to have been repudiated. Recently, however, he has been undergoing a reappraisal, and these essays by philosophers, logicians and art historians attempt to return Carnap to his place.

This work argues that what we now think of as "reason" or "objective thinking" is not a natural product of the existence of an enlarged brain. Rather, it is a way of learning to use the brain that runs counter to the natural characteristics involved in being an animal, a mammal and a primate.

If ethics encompasses not just a concern for self and family but also for a wider circle of others, what resources do Chinese and Western ethics offer to motivate and guide this expansion of concern? This question is the theme uniting these essays by leading Chinese and Western philosophers.

This volume examines the provocative philosophical work of Marjorie Grene, the first woman to be chosen as a subject in the "Library of Living Philosophers" series. The book includes a biography of the woman, 25 essays, Grene's replies to the essays and a bibliography of her work.