Philip Kitcher's Books

The Lives to Come

By: Philip Kitcher

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ect, Philip Kitcher takes readers into the heart of the revolution in genetic research today and raises important philosophical questions about its impact on ethical, legal, and political issues, now and in the future.

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402

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0684827050

ISBN 13

9780684827056

Moral Progress

By: Philip Kitcher

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Moral Progress

By: Philip Kitcher

This inaugural volume in the Munich Lectures in Ethics series presents lectures by noted philosopher Philip Kitcher. In these lectures, Kitcher develops further the pragmatist approach to moral philosophy, begun in his book The Ethical Project. He uses three historical examples of moral progress--the abolition of chattel slavery, the expansion of opportunities for women, and the increasing acceptance of same-sex love--to propose methods for moral inquiry. In his recommended methodology, Kitcher sees moral progress, for individuals and for societies, through collective discussions that become more inclusive, better informed, and involve participants more inclined to engage with the perspectives of others and aim at actions tolerable by all. The volume is introduced by Jan-Christoph Heilinger and contains commentaries from distinguished scholars Amia Srinivasan, Susan Neiman, and Rahel Jaeggi, and Kitcher's response to their commentaries.

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173

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197549179

ISBN 13

9780197549179

Science, Truth, and Democracy

By: Philip Kitcher

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Science, Truth, and Democracy

By: Philip Kitcher

Striving to re-direct the philosophy of science, this controversial book examines the role of science in shaping our lives.

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234

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195165527

ISBN 13

9780195165524

What's the Use of Philosophy?

By: Philip Kitcher

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What's the Use of Philosophy?

By: Philip Kitcher

What's the Use of Philosophy? aims to answer the question posed in its title, whether the questioner intends to dismiss philosophy, or seeks a positive answer. The first three chapters explore the grounds for dismissal. Chapter 1 expresses skepticism about the value of much professional Anglophone philosophy, while recognizing virtues in work often viewed as peripheral. Chapter 2 studies a philosophical subfield, the philosophy of science, arguing that, while its condition may be better than the norm, it is far from perfect. In Chapter 3, a more systematic critique is offered, in the form of a pathology report. Its diagnosis identifies six justifiable philosophical impulses that, when pursued obsessively, generate distortions and diseases: clarity becomes a fetish, formalism becomes obfuscation, "intuition" is given burdens it cannot bear, appeals to the a priori sprinkle fairy dust on controversial claims, ideas grabbed from other fields are used in cartoon forms, and questions no longer relevant are treated as if they were "timeless." Chapter 4 attempts to identify the legitimate goals of philosophy. It sees value in attempts to respond to questions arising from the difficulties of the age, in attempts to reform methods of inquiry, and, above all, in the construction of syntheses capable of helping people as they struggle to make sense of their lives. Philosophy is renewed when these traditional goals once again become central to its discussions. The final chapter responds to a frequently voiced worry in a letter to young philosophers who wonder how they can align their aspirations with the hyper-professionalism expected of them"--

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209

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197657249

ISBN 13

9780197657249

Preludes to Pragmatism

Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

By: Philip Kitcher

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Preludes to Pragmatism

Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

By: Philip Kitcher

In these essays, distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher argues for a reconstruction of philosophy along the lines of classical Pragmatism

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459

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

019989955X

ISBN 13

9780199899555

In Mendel's Mirror

Philosophical Reflections on Biology

By: Philip Kitcher

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In Mendel's Mirror

Philosophical Reflections on Biology

By: Philip Kitcher

Philip Kitcher is one of the leading figures in the philosophy of science today. Here he collects, for the first time, many of his published articles on the philosophy of biology, spanning from the mid-1980's to the present. The book's title refers to Gregor Mendel, an Augustinian monk who was one of the first scientists to develop a theory of heredity. Mendel's work has been deeply influential to our understanding of our selves and our world, just as the study of genetics today will have a profound and long-term impact on future scientific research. Kitcher's articles cover a broad range of topics with similar philosophical and social significance: sociobiology, evolutionary psychology, species, race, altruism, genetic determinism, and the rebirth of creationism in Intelligent Design. Kitcher's work on the intersection of biology and the philosophy of science is both unprecedented and wide-ranging, and will appeal not only to philosophers of science, but to scholars and students across disciplines.

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404

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195348559

ISBN 13

9780195348552

Science in a Democratic Society

By: Philip Kitcher

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Science in a Democratic Society

By: Philip Kitcher

In this successor to his pioneering Science, Truth, and Democracy, the author revisits the topic explored in his previous work—namely, the challenges of integrating science, the most successful knowledge-generating system of all time, with the problems of democracy. But in this new work, the author goes far beyond that earlier book in studying places at which the practice of science fails to answer social needs. He considers a variety of examples of pressing concern, ranging from climate change to religiously inspired constraints on biomedical research to the neglect of diseases that kill millions of children annually, analyzing the sources of trouble. He shows the fallacies of thinking that democracy always requires public debate of issues most people cannot comprehend, and argues that properly constituted expertise is essential to genuine democracy. No previous book has treated the place of science in democratic society so comprehensively and systematically, with attention to different aspects of science and to pressing problems of our times.

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326

Publisher

Prometheus Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1616144084

ISBN 13

9781616144081

Abusing Science

The Case Against Creationism

By: Philip Kitcher

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Abusing Science

The Case Against Creationism

By: Philip Kitcher

Abusing Science is a manual for intellectual self-defense, the most complete available for presenting the case against Creationist pseudo-science. It is also a lucid exposition of the nature and methods of genuine science. The book begins with a concise introduction to evolutionary theory for non-scientists and closes with a rebuttal of the charge that this theory undermines religious and moral values. It will astonish many readers that this case must still be made in the 1980s, but since it must, Philip Kitcher makes it irresistibly and forcefully. Not long ago, a federal court struck down an Arkansas law requiring that "scientific" Creationism be taught in high school science classes. Contemporary Creationists may have lost one legal battle, but their cause continues to thrive. Their efforts are directed not only at state legislatures but at local school boards and textbook publishers. As Kitcher argues in this rigorous but highly readable book, the integrity of science is under attack. The methods of inquiry used in evolutionary biology are those which are used throughout the sciences. Moreover, modern biology is intertwined with other fields of science—physics, chemistry, astronomy, and geology. Creationists hope to persuade the public that education in science should be torn apart to make room for a literal reading of Genesis. Abusing Science refutes the popular complaint that the scientific establishment is dogmatic and intolerant, denying "academic freedom" to the unorthodox. It examines Creationist claims seriously and systematically, one by one, showing clearly just why they are at best misguided, at worst ludicrous.

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225

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

026261037X

ISBN 13

9780262610377

Living with Darwin

Evolution, Design, and the Future of Faith

By: Philip Kitcher

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Living with Darwin

Evolution, Design, and the Future of Faith

By: Philip Kitcher

Those who believe in intelligent design and those who look to Darwin and science to understand the world are opponents in one of the major schisms of out time. Why does this debate continue to rage given that the scientific concensus in favour of Darwin is overwhelming? This text seeks to answer this question.

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209

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195384342

ISBN 13

9780195384345

Scientific Realism and Democratic Society

The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher

By: Philip Kitcher

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Scientific Realism and Democratic Society

The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher

By: Philip Kitcher

Philip Kitcher is among the key philosophers of science of our times. This volume offers an up to date analysis of his philosophical perspective taking into account his views on scientific realism and democratic society. The contributors to the volume focus on four different aspects of Kitcher's thought: the evolution of his philosophy, his present views on scientific realism, the epistemological analysis of his modest (“real” or “piecemeal”) realism, and his conception of scientific practice. In the final chapter, the philosopher replies to his critics. The volume will be of interest to philosophers as well as anyone interested in the relation between science and society.

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432

Publisher

Brill Rodopi

Published Date

ISBN 10

9042034491

ISBN 13

9789042034495

The Advancement of Science

Science Without Legend, Objectivity Without Illusions

By: Philip Kitcher

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The Advancement of Science

Science Without Legend, Objectivity Without Illusions

By: Philip Kitcher

Beginning from an outline of classical views in philosophy of science, this text attempts to understand the notions of scientific progress, scientific objectivity, and the growth of knowledge.

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432

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Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195096533

ISBN 13

9780195096538

The Main Enterprise of the World

Rethinking Education

By: Philip Kitcher

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The Main Enterprise of the World

Rethinking Education

By: Philip Kitcher

Introduction -- Part 1. Overload -- Individuality -- Fulfillment -- Citizens -- Moral Development -- A Role for Religion? -- Part 2. The Natural Sciences -- The Arts -- Understanding Ourselves -- Part 3. Social Change -- Utopia?

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441

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190928972

ISBN 13

9780190928971

The Effortless Economy of Science?

By: Philip Mirowski

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The Effortless Economy of Science?

By: Philip Mirowski

A compilation of essays by the author that reveals the value for science studies of examples arising within the history of economics.

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478

Publisher

Duke University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0822333228

ISBN 13

9780822333227

Moral Progress

By: Philip Kitcher

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Moral Progress

By: Philip Kitcher

The overall aim of this book is to understand the character of moral progress, so that making moral progress may become more systematic and secure, less chancy and less bloody. Drawing on three historical examples - the abolition of chattel slavery, the expansion of opportunities for women, and the increasing acceptance of same-sex love - it asks how those changes were brought about, and seeks a methodology for streamlining the kinds of developments that occurred. Moral progress is conceived as pragmatic progress, progress from rather than progress to, achieved by overcoming the problems and limits of the current situation. Two kinds of problems are distinguished: problems of exclusion, found when the complaints of some people (the oppressed) are ignored; and problems of false consciousness, present when the oppressed adopt judgments from the ambient society and do not protest their condition. The proposed methodology advocates procedures for listening to voiced complaints and for systematically reviewing the way in which particular self-conceptions, ideals and identities are taken to be appropriate for various groups of people. Through outlining a picture of moral practice, at both the individual and the societal levels, the book seeks to orient moral philosophy away from metaethical questions of realism and towards moral methodology"--

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201

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0197549152

ISBN 13

9780197549155

Vaulting Ambition

Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature

By: Philip Kitcher

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Vaulting Ambition

Sociobiology and the Quest for Human Nature

By: Philip Kitcher

Provides a critical analysis of the evidence for the sociobiologists' theories that the basis of human behavior is biological and genetic

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456

Publisher

Mit Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262610493

ISBN 13

9780262610490

The Lives to Come

By: Philip Kitcher

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The Lives to Come

By: Philip Kitcher

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402

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

0684827050

ISBN 13

9780684827056

Preludes to Pragmatism

Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

By: Philip Kitcher

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Preludes to Pragmatism

Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

By: Philip Kitcher

In these essays, distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher argues for a reconstruction of philosophy along the lines of classical Pragmatism

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459

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

019989955X

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9780199899555

Science, Truth, and Democracy

By: Philip Kitcher

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Science, Truth, and Democracy

By: Philip Kitcher

Striving to re-direct the philosophy of science, this controversial book examines the role of science in shaping our lives.

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238

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195165527

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9780195165524

On John Stuart Mill

By: Philip Kitcher

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On John Stuart Mill

By: Philip Kitcher

John Stuart Mill expressed many of the central tenets of liberalism with unsurpassed clarity and enduring influence. Yet Mill’s apparent victory in the marketplace of ideas has numbed us to the power of his arguments. To many readers today, his views can seem utterly familiar, even banal. Sharing insights from teaching Mill for many years, the eminent philosopher Philip Kitcher makes a cogent case for why we should read this nineteenth-century thinker now. He portrays Mill as a conflicted humanist who wrestled with problems that are equally urgent in our own time. Kitcher reflects on Mill’s ideas in the context of contemporary ethical, social, and political issues such as COVID mandates, gun control, income inequality, gay rights, and climate change. More broadly, he shows, Mill’s writings help us cultivate our own capacities for critical thought and ethical decision making. Inviting readers into a conversation with Mill, this book shows that he supplies tools for thinking that are as valuable today as they were in the nineteenth century.

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100

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231555393

ISBN 13

9780231555395

The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge

By: San Diego Philip Kitcher Professor of Philosophy University of California

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The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge

By: San Diego Philip Kitcher Professor of Philosophy University of California

This book argues against the view that mathematical knowledge is a priori, contending that mathematics is an empirical science and develops historically, just as natural sciences do. Kitcher presents a complete, systematic, and richly detailed account of the nature of mathematical knowledge and its historical development, focusing on such neglected issues as how and why mathematical language changes, why certain questions assume overriding importance, and how standards of proof are modified.

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302

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0198020406

ISBN 13

9780198020400

In Mendel's Mirror

Philosophical Reflections on Biology

By: Philip Kitcher

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In Mendel's Mirror

Philosophical Reflections on Biology

By: Philip Kitcher

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404

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Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195348559

ISBN 13

9780195348552

Science in a Democratic Society

By: Philip Kitcher

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Science in a Democratic Society

By: Philip Kitcher

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326

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Prometheus Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1616144084

ISBN 13

9781616144081

Oneness

East Asian Conceptions of Virtue, Happiness, and how We are All Connected

By: Philip J. Ivanhoe

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Oneness

East Asian Conceptions of Virtue, Happiness, and how We are All Connected

By: Philip J. Ivanhoe

This work concerns the oneness hypothesis--the view, found in different forms and across various disciplines, that we and our welfare are inextricably intertwined with other people, creatures, and things--and its implications for conceptions of the self, virtue, and human happiness.

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209

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Oxford University Press

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ISBN 10

019084051X

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9780190840518

Arithmetic and Ontology

A Non-Realist Philosophy of Arithmetic. Edited by Pieranna Garavaso

By: Philip Hugly,Charles Sayward

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Arithmetic and Ontology

A Non-Realist Philosophy of Arithmetic. Edited by Pieranna Garavaso

By: Philip Hugly,Charles Sayward

This volume documents a lively exchange between five philosophers of mathematics. It also introduces a new voice in one central debate in the philosophy of mathematics. Non-realism, i.e., the view supported by Hugly and Sayward in their monograph, is an original position distinct from the widely known realism and anti-realism. Non-realism is characterized by the rejection of a central assumption shared by many realists and anti-realists, i.e., the assumption that mathematical statements purport to refer to objects. The defense of their main argument for the thesis that arithmetic lacks ontology brings the authors to discuss also the controversial contrast between pure and empirical arithmetical discourse. Colin Cheyne, Sanford Shieh, and Jean Paul Van Bendegem, each coming from a different perspective, test the genuine originality of non-realism and raise objections to it. Novel interpretations of well-known arguments, e.g., the indispensability argument, and historical views, e.g. Frege, are interwoven with the development of the authors’ account. The discussion of the often neglected views of Wittgenstein and Prior provide an interesting and much needed contribution to the current debate in the philosophy of mathematics.

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397

Publisher

BRILL

Published Date

ISBN 10

9004333681

ISBN 13

9789004333680

The Problem of God in Modern Thought

By: Philip Clayton

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The Problem of God in Modern Thought

By: Philip Clayton

It is widely believed that modern philosophers have dismissed the idea of God and opted instead for a secular humanism. Challenging these stereotypes through a careful study of major philosophical texts written since the Enlightenment, Philip Clayton shows how the main thinkers of the modern period have continued to wrestle with the problem of God and to make proposals for understanding the divine. Following up on his award-winning book God and Contemporary Science, Clayton here explores the constructive resources that modern thought offers to those struggling with the notion of God as "infinite" and "perfect." He finds in the narrative of modern thought about God strong support for panentheism, the new theological movement that maintains the transcendence of God while denying the separation of God and the world.

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550

Publisher

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

0802838855

ISBN 13

9780802838858

Free Speech on Campus

By: Martin Philip Golding

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Free Speech on Campus

By: Martin Philip Golding

If the University had a constitution, would it contain a free speech provision such as exists in the U.S. Constitution? The author develops in some detail the idea of the University as a special social institution that has as its goal the dissemination and advancement of knowledge.Free Speech on Campus examines the arguments, pro and con, concerning appropriate standards of discourse and expression that are particularly germane to the campus context, public or private, whether or not they are constitutionally enforceable. Students and teachers in every discipline will find this book engaging and illuminating; it is especially relevant for ethicists and philosophers of education.

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132

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

0847687929

ISBN 13

9780847687923

Kant's Idealism

By: Philip J. Neujahr

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Kant's Idealism

By: Philip J. Neujahr

Other works on Kant and on his Critical Philosophy attempt either to remove Kant's transcendental idealism from his system or to defend it as being essential to the Kantian enterprise. In Kant's Idealism, Professor Neujahr argues - he may be the first to do so - that there is no single doctrine that is Kant's transcendental idealism to either explain or explain away. In his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant claims to present a distinctive form of idealism he calls "transcendental" idealism and that he contrasts with the "empirical" idealism of his predecessors. Professor Neujahr argues that on the contrary there is no single form of idealism in Kant's system and no simple contrast between Kant's transcendental idealism and the idealist doctrines of his philosophical forebears. Neujahr finds (and clearly delineates) "strands of idealism" in Kant's philosophy. He argues that the source of these various forms of idealism is the conflicting demands of Kant's theories of perception (sensibility) and thought (understanding). How in fact a subject relates to an object finds no single unified explanation in the Critical Philosophy of Kant. Indeed, in spite of Kant's efforts to combine his various theories into a single theory of experience, his doctrines of perception and thought do not fit together. It is, Neujahr contends, this lack of fit that ultimately prevents there being any single transcendental version of idealism in Kant's system. This also helps explain why Kant's system is so difficult. Neujahr's critical review of that system in Kant's Idealism may be the "handle" needed to get hold of Kant's notoriously difficult but potentially very useful Critical Philosophy.

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148

Publisher

Mercer University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

086554476X

ISBN 13

9780865544765

More Heat than Light

Economics as Social Physics, Physics as Nature's Economics

By: Philip Mirowski

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More Heat than Light

Economics as Social Physics, Physics as Nature's Economics

By: Philip Mirowski

More Heat Than Light is a history of how physics has drawn some inspiration from economics and also how economics has sought to emulate physics, especially with regard to the theory of value. It traces the development of the energy concept in Western physics and its subsequent effect upon the invention and promulgation of neoclassical economics. Any discussion of the standing of economics as a science must include the historical symbiosis between the two disciplines. Starting with the philosopher Emile Meyerson's discussion of the relationship between notions of invariance and causality in the history of science, the book surveys the history of conservation principles in the Western discussion of motion. Recourse to the metaphors of the economy are frequent in physics, and the concepts of value, motion, and body reinforced each other throughout the development of both disciplines, especially with regard to practices of mathematical formalisation. However, in economics subsequent misuse of conservation principles led to serious blunders in the mathematical formalisation of economic theory. The book attempts to provide the reader with sufficient background in the history of physics in order to appreciate its theses. The discussion is technically detailed and complex, and familiarity with calculus is required.

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468

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Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1107717183

ISBN 13

9781107717183

The Birth of Ethics

Reconstructing the Role and Nature of Morality

By: Philip Pettit

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The Birth of Ethics

Reconstructing the Role and Nature of Morality

By: Philip Pettit

Imagine a human society, perhaps in pre-history, in which people were generally of a psychological kind with us, had the use of natural language to communicate with one another, but did not have any properly moral concepts in which to exhort one another to meet certain standards and to lodge related claims and complaints. According to The Birth of Ethics, the members of that society would have faced a set of pressures, and made a series of adjustments in response, sufficient to put them within reach of ethical concepts. Without any planning, they would have more or less inevitably evolved a way of using such concepts to articulate desirable patterns of behavior and to hold themselves and one another responsible to those standards. Sooner or later, they would have entered ethical space. While this central claim is developed as a thesis in conjectural history or genealogy, the aim of the exercise is philosophical. Assuming that it explains the emergence of concepts and practices that are more or less equivalent to ours, the story offers us an account of the nature and role of morality. It directs us to the function that ethics plays in human life and alerts us to the character in virtue of which it can serve that function. The emerging view of morality has implications for the standard range of questions in meta-ethics and moral psychology, and enables us to understand why there are divisions in normative ethics like that between consequentialist and Kantian approaches.

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288

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190904933

ISBN 13

9780190904937

John Dewey

Prophet of an Educated Democracy

By: Philip B. Moore

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John Dewey

Prophet of an Educated Democracy

By: Philip B. Moore

This concise biography tells the story of John Dewey, a pioneer of pragmatism and the first original school of philosophy created in America. The school was born out of a specific historical context, in the wake of a country at war with itself, and in response to the rapid changes of industrialization. Dewey’s pragmatism celebrated human intelligence and agency and the promise that tomorrow could be better than today. For Dewey, pragmatism was the philosophy of democracy. Dewey lived from just before the Civil War to just before school integration. As such, the book touches on many key moments in American history, from social reform in turn of the century Chicago, to censorship during World War One, and to the government’s responsibilities in the Great Depression. It covers all this in the context of the life of a man whose ideas helped shape American culture and intellectual life. John Dewey: Prophet of an Educated Democracy will appeal to students, scholars, and all those interested in American philosophy and history of the 19th and 20th centuries. It will also complement humanities courses on American philosophy, history, and intellectual traditions.

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181

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Published Date

ISBN 10

1040145388

ISBN 13

9781040145388

Californian Architecture in Santa Barbara

By: H. Philip Staats

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Californian Architecture in Santa Barbara

By: H. Philip Staats

Following a devastating earthquake in 1925 that destroyed most of Santa Barbara’s significant buildings, the city became the first in the country to have a controlled building plan that encouraged a unified style using elements of Spanish colonial architecture. With airy broad patios, thick adobe walls, and warm-colored tile roofs, Californian architecture is beautifully distinctive. The product of many architects, it combines the harmony and color of Spanish colonial style with some of the best of American architecture. It is inspired by the play of sunshine on light surfaces as well as the contrast of deep shadows. Here, where gardens are so much a part of the house, the homes have become part of the garden. In 1929, H. Philip Staats presented 231 photos and plans of the rebuilt Santa Barbara: its public and commercial buildings, homes, interiors, and gardens. This book contains that collection, and is meant to serve as an inspiration for those planning and decorating in the Hispanic styles.

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145

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Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

1442224282

ISBN 13

9781442224285

A Modern Introduction to Theology

New Questions for Old Beliefs

By: Philip Kennedy

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A Modern Introduction to Theology

New Questions for Old Beliefs

By: Philip Kennedy

Philip Kennedy, here, offers the first book that any student - with or without religious convictions - can profitably use to get quickly to grips with the essentials of the Christian religion: its history and its key thinkers, its successes and its failures. Most existing undergraduate textbooks of theology begin from essentially traditional positions on the Bible, doctrine, authority, interpretation, and God. What makes Philip Kennedy's book both singularly important and uniquely different is that it has a completely new starting-point. The author contends that traditional Christian theology must extensively overhaul many of its theses because of a multitude of modern social, historical and intellectual revolutions. Offering a grand historical sweep of the genesis of the modern age, and writing with panache and a magisterial grasp of the relevant debates, conflicts and controversies, "A Modern Introduction to Theology" moves a tired and increasingly incoherent discipline in genuinely fresh and exciting directions, and will be welcomed by students and readers of the subject.

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305

Publisher

Bloomsbury Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

085771483X

ISBN 13

9780857714831

The Anatomy of Judgment

By: Philip J. Regal

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The Anatomy of Judgment

By: Philip J. Regal

A discussion of mind and judgment from the perspectives of science, history, philosophy, and policy. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

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Page Count

383

Publisher

U of Minnesota Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0816618232

ISBN 13

9780816618231

Beyond Belief

Life After Faith

By: Philip Stewart

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Beyond Belief

Life After Faith

By: Philip Stewart

How and why does faith so often fade away? Where does it go, and what do you hold on to when it is gone? Between the believer and the unbeliever lies a sort of communicational voida cultural gapusually marked by silence or, alternatively, by rage. This extended essay draws on history, literature, and theology as well as personal experience in an attempt to give some kind of account of the demise of belief in terms that a believer can perhaps understand and, in the process, to cover some of the principal reasons why the arguments usually put forward to buttress faith prove to be without force. In the end, faith can enrich a persons life only at the expense of the illusions on which it is based.

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Page Count

192

Publisher

Xlibris Corporation

Published Date

ISBN 10

1499073224

ISBN 13

9781499073225

Book's by Philip Kitcher

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