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Starting with Derrida: Plato, Aristotle And Hegel (Starting with…)
by Sean GastonHow does one start with Derrida? In this exciting and accessible book, Sean Gaston presents a new kind of introduction to Jacques Derrida, arguably the most important and influential European thinker of the last century. Derrida claimed that 'However old I am, I am on the threshold of reading Plato and Aristotle ... we need to read them again and again and again.' In Starting with Derrida, Gaston introduces all Derrida's major works and ideas by tracing Derrida's reading (and re-reading) of Plato, Aristotle and Hegel throughout his writings. Starting with Derrida argues for the importance of the relationship between philosophy, literature and history in Derrida's work and addresses all the key concepts in Derrida's thought, including his work on time and space, being and the soul, sensation and thought, history and literature, the concept and the name. The book encourages the reader to enter Derrida's varied and complex legacy through the moments in Derrida's work that are concerned with the question of origins and beginnings. By actively engaging with Derrida's ideas in this way, Gaston reveals a new and highly original reading of Derrida's work and provides a useful introduction to his entire corpus. This exciting new book is essential reading for students of philosophy and literary theory and, indeed, anyone interested in the work of this hugely important thinker.
Revisiting Normativity with Deleuze (Bloomsbury Studies in Continental Philosophy)
by Rosi Braidotti Patricia PistersThis volume assembles some of the most distinguished scholars in the field of Deleuze studies in order to provide both an accessible introduction to key concepts in Deleuze's thought and to test them in view of the issue of normativity. This includes not only the law, but also the question of norms and values in the broader ethical, political and methodological sense. The volume argues that Deleuze's philosophy rejects the unitary vision of the subject as a self-regulating rationalist entity and replaces it with a process-oriented relational vision of the subject. But what can we do exactly with this alternative nomadic vision? What modes of normativity are available outside the parameters of liberal, self-reflexive individualism on the one hand and the communitarian model on the other? This interdisciplinary volume explores these issues in three directions that mirror Deleuze and Guattari's defense of the parallelism between philosophy, science, and the arts. The volume therefore covers socio-political and legal theory; the epistemological critique of scientific discourse and the cultural, artistic and aesthetic interventions emerging from Deleuze's philosophy.
On Zizek's Dialectics: Surplus, Subtraction, Sublimation (Continuum Studies in Continental Philosophy)
by Fabio VighiOn Žižek's Dialectics explores the theoretical and practical potential of the psychoanalytic method deployed by Slavoj Žižek by investigating its epistemological implications within our contemporary capitalist universe. The book begins by evaluating Zizek's account of the capitalist ideology of enjoyment through the analysis of Lacan's critique of Marx's surplus-value. If the originality of Žižek's wager lies in the claim that enjoyment secretly sustains our ideological space, can we think of surplus-jouissance in a way that not only unmasks the ruse of capitalism but also adumbrates the construction of an alternative social space? The answer to this question is developed in the second part of the book. Arguing that the transformative potential of Zizek's epistemology needs to be fully unravelled if it is to avoid the risk of congealing into mere academic exercise, Fabio Vighi attempts to politicise Žižek's groundbreaking critical method by calling upon the necessity to translate its emphasis on the "indigestible" surplus of knowledge into the drive to think the new. Under the current conditions, this creative moment can no longer be delayed.
Aristotle's Ethics: Moral Development and Human Nature (Continuum Studies in Ancient Philosophy #22)
by Hope MayAristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is devoted to the topic of human happiness. Yet, although Aristotle's conception of happiness is central to his whole philosophical project, there is much controversy surrounding it. Hope May offers a new interpretation of Aristotle's account of happiness - one which incorporates Aristotle's views about the biological development of human beings. May argues that the relationship amongst the moral virtues, the intellectual virtues, and happiness, is best understood through the lens of developmentalism. On this view, happiness emerges from the cultivation of a number of virtues that are developmentally related. May goes on to show how contemporary scholarship in psychology, ethical theory and legal philosophy signals a return to Aristotelian ethics. Specifically, May shows how a theory of motivation known as Self-Determination Theory and recent research on goal attainment have deep affinities to Aristotle's ethical theory. May argues that this recent work can ground a contemporary virtue theory that acknowledges the centrality of autonomy in a way that captures the fundamental tenets of Aristotle's ethics.
Cinema After Deleuze (Deleuze Encounters)
by Richard RushtonCinema After Deleuze offers a clear and lucid introduction to Deleuze's writings on cinema which will appeal both to undergraduates and specialists in film studies and philosophy. The book provides explanations of the many categories and classifications found in Deleuze's two landmark books on cinema and offers assessments of a range of films, including works by John Ford, Sergei Eisenstein, Alfred Hitchcock, Michelangelo Antonioni, Alain Resnais and others. Contemporary directors such as Steven Spielberg, Lars von Trier, Martin Scorsese and Wong Kar-wai are also examined in the light of Deleuze's theories, thus bringing Deleuze's writings on cinema right up to date. Cinema After Deleuze demonstrates why Deleuze is rightly considered today to be one of the great philosophers of cinema. The book is essential reading for students in philosophy and film studies alike.
Reconciling Community and Subjective Life: Trauma Testimony as Political Theorizing in the Work of Jean Améry and Imre Kertész
by Magdalena ZolkosThis is an examination of the difficult interplay between the collective pursuit of justice and reconciliation on one hand and the individual subjective experience of trauma on the other, proposing that it be thought as a potentially productive tension. To do so, Zolkos looks at how texts from Jean Améry and Imre Kertész speak to the question of the politics of the past and, ultimately, to the post-foundational notions of community and justice.The text works with issues of reconciliation at a theoretical level that bring together insights from political theory, trauma studies, holocaust studies, history and literary theory. The book has the greatest relevance for the critical reconciliation theory, as well as for those working on the concept of community within the continental tradition.
Simultaneity and Delay: A Dialectical Theory of Staggered Time (Continuum Studies in Continental Philosophy)
by Jay LampertThrough original speculations on the surprisingly complementary concepts of simultaneity and delay, and new interpretations of the great philosophers of time, this book proposes an innovative theory of staggered time. In the early 20th Century, Bergson and Husserl (following Einstein) made Simultaneity-what it means for events to occur at the same time-a central motif in philosophy. In the late 20th Century, Derrida and Deleuze instead emphasized Delay-events staggered over distant times. This struggle between convergent and staggered time also plays out in 20th Century aesthetics (especially music), politics, and the sciences. Despite their importance in the history of philosophy, this is the first book to comprehensively examine the concepts of simultaneity and delay. By putting simultaneity and delay into a dialectical relation, this book argues that time in general is organized by elastic rhythms. Lampert's concepts describe the time-structures of such diverse phenomena as atonal music, political decision-making, neuronal delays, leaps of memory and the boredom of waiting; and simultaneities and delays in everyday experience and behaviour.
Jerome Bruner: The Cognitive Revolution In Educational Theory (Bloomsbury Library of Educational Thought)
by David R. Olson Richard BaileyJerome Bruner is the vanguard of "the cognitive revolution†? in psychology and the predominant spokesman for the role of culture and education in the making of the modern mind. In this text Olson encourages the reader to think about children as Bruner did, not as bundles of traits and dispositions to be diagnosed and remediated, but as thoughtful, keenly interested, agentive persons who are willing and indeed able to play an important role in their own learning and development.Through the unique approach of combining commentary and conversation with Bruner, the author provides an insight into what it is like to engage with one of the intellectual masters of our time and highlights the relevance and importance of his contribution to educational thinking today.
The Continuum Companion to Hume (Bloomsbury Companions)
by Alan BaileyDavid Hume (1711-1776), philosopher, historian, andessayist, is widely considered to be Britain's greatest philosopher.One of the leading intellectual figures ofthe Scottish Enlightenment, his major works and central ideas, especially hisradical empiricism and his critique of the pretensions of philosophicalrationalism, remain hugely influential on contemporary philosophers. This comprehensive and accessible guide to Hume'slife and work includes 21 specially commissioned essays, written by a team ofleading experts, covering every aspect of Hume's thought. The Companion presents details of Hume'slife, historical and philosophical context, a comprehensive overview of all thekey themes and topics apparent in his work, including his accounts of causalreasoning, scepticism, the soul and the self, action, reason, free will,miracles, natural religion, politics, human nature, women, economics andhistory, and an account of his reception and enduring influence. This is anessential reference tool for anyone working in the fields of Hume Studies and Eighteenth-CenturyPhilosophy.
Reimagining Liberal Education: Affiliation and Inquiry in Democratic Schooling
by Hanan AlexanderThis challenging and provocative book reimagines the justification, substance, process, and study of education in open, pluralistic, liberal democratic societies.Hanan Alexander argues that educators need to enable students to embark on a quest for intelligent spirituality, while paying heed to a pedagogy of difference. Through close analysis of the work of such thinkers as William James, Charles Taylor, Elliot Eisner, Michael Oakeshott, Isaiah Berlin, Martin Buber, Michael Apple and Terrence McLaughlin, Reimagining Liberal Education offers an account of school curriculum and moral and religious instruction that throws new light on the possibilities of a nuanced, rounded education for citizenship. Divided into three parts – Transcendental Pragmatism in Educational Research, Pedagogy of Difference and the Other Face of Liberalism, and Intelligent Spirituality in the Curriculum, this is a thrilling work of philosophy that builds upon the author's award-winning text Reclaiming Goodness: Education and the Spiritual Quest.
Conflict, Power, and Multitude in Machiavelli and Spinoza: Tumult and Indignation (Continuum Studies in Philosophy)
by Filippo Del LuccheseConflict, Power and Multitude in Machiavelli and Spinoza explores Spinoza's political philosophy by confronting it with that of Niccolò Machiavelli. Filippo Del Lucchese conducts a study of the relationship between Machiavelli and Spinoza from a perspective at once philosophical, historical and political. The book begins by showing how closely tied the two thinkers are in relation to realism. Del Lucchese then goes on to examine the theme of conflict as a crucial element of an understanding of Machiavelli and Spinoza's conceptions of modernity. The book concludes with an examination of the concept of 'multiplicity' and 'plural' expressions of politics, namely Machiavelli's popolo and Spinoza's multitudo. Overall, the Machiavelli-Spinoza axis offers a fruitful perspective through which to analyse the relationship between contending ideas of modernity from a historical point of view, and provides an original point of departure for discussing some key theoretical, political and juridical notions that have resurfaced in contemporary debates.
Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste (33 1/3 Ser.)
by Carl WilsonFor his 2007 critically acclaimed 33 1/3 series title, Let's Talk About Love, Carl Wilson went on a quest to find his inner Céline Dion fan and explore how we define ourselves by what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate. At once among the most widely beloved and most reviled and lampooned pop stars of the past few decades, Céline Dion's critics call her mawkish and overblown while millions of fans around the world adore her “huge pipes” and even bigger feelings. How can anyone say which side is right? This new, expanded edition goes even further, calling on thirteen prominent writers and musicians to respond to themes ranging from sentiment and kitsch to cultural capital and musical snobbery. The original text is followed by lively arguments and stories from Nick Hornby, Krist Novoselic, Ann Powers, Mary Gaitskill, James Franco, Sheila Heti and others. In a new afterword, Carl Wilson examines recent cultural changes in love and hate, including the impact of technology and social media on how taste works (or doesn't) in the 21st century.
Aesthetic Sexuality: A Literary History of Sadomasochism
by Romana ByrneTo understand why the concept of aesthetic sexuality is important, we must consider the influence of the first volume of Foucault's seminal The History of Sexuality. Arguing against Foucault's assertions that only scientia sexualis has operated in modern Western culture while ars erotica belongs to Eastern and ancient societies, Byrne suggests that modern Western culture has indeed witnessed a form of ars erotica, encompassed in what she calls 'aesthetic sexuality'.To argue for the existence of aesthetic sexuality, Byrne examines mainly works of literature to show how, within these texts, sexual practice and pleasure are constructed as having aesthetic value, a quality that marks these experiences as forms of art. In aesthetic sexuality, value and meaning are located within sexual practice and pleasure rather than in their underlying cause; sexuality's raison d'être is tied to its aesthetic value, at surface level rather than beneath it. Aesthetic sexuality, Byrne shows, is a product of choice, a deliberate strategy of self-creation as well as a mode of social communication.
American Philosophy: From Wounded Knee to the Present
by Erin McKenna Scott L. PrattAmerican Philosophy offers the first historically framed introduction to the tradition of American philosophy and its contemporary engagement with the world.Born out of the social and political turmoil of the Civil War, American philosophy was a means of dealing with conflict and change. In the turbulence of the 21st century, this remains as relevant as ever. Placing the work of present-day American philosophers in the context of a history of resistance, through a philosophical tradition marked by a commitment to pluralism, fallibilism and liberation, this book tells the story of a philosophy shaped by major events that call for reflection and illustrates the ways in which philosophy is relevant to lived experience. This book presents a survey of the historical development of American philosophy, as well as coverage of key contemporary issues in America including race theory, feminism, indigenous peoples, and environmentalism and is the ideal introduction to the work of the major American thinkers, past and present, and the sheer breadth of their ideas and influence.
A to Z of Philosophy
by Alexander MoseleyAto Z of Philosophy is a fun, concise and accessible introduction to a fascinating subject. Ideal for the general reader or first-year student, this A to Z guide covers all the key terms, concepts and thinkers. The book offers more than 100 entries on topics from Animal Ethics to Wittgenstein and includes witty anecdotes and handy tips on further reading. Entries cover all the key concepts and figures in philosophy, but also include philosophical looks at everyday topics such as food, love, happiness and sex. No prior knowledge of philosophy is required to enjoy this reader-friendly guide - this is the ideal reference tool for anyone starting out in philosophy. More than 100 A to Z entries, including: Aesthetics / ArtBuddhist PhilosophyCrime / PunishmentDescartesEpistemologyEthicsHappinessKantLanguageLogicLoveMindNietzscheOntologyPhenomenologyPlatoPolitical PhilosophyReasonReligionScienceTimeWittgenstein
The Marx Dictionary (Continuum Philosophy Dictionaries)
by Ian Fraser Lawrence WildeThe Marx Dictionary is a comprehensive and accessible guide to the world of Karl Marx. Meticulously researched and extensively cross-referenced, this unique book covers all his major works, ideas and influences and provides a firm grounding in the central themes of Marx's thought from a philosophical perspective. Students will discover a wealth of useful information, analysis and criticism. A-Z entries include clear definitions of all the key terms used in Marx's writings, coverage of their German origins, and detailed synopses of all his key works. The Dictionary also includes entries on Marx's major philosophical and political influences and contemporaries. It covers everything that is essential to a sound understanding of Marx's work, offering clear and accessible explanations of often complex terminology. The Marx Dictionary is the ideal resource for anyone reading or studying Marx or Nineteenth-Century Political Thought more generally.
Thinking Through Feeling: God, Emotion and Passibility (Continuum Studies in Philosophy of Religion)
by Anastasia Philippa ScruttonContemporary debates on God's emotionality are divided between two extremes. Impassibilists deny God's emotionality on the basis of God's omniscience, omnipotence and incorporeality. Passibilists seem to break with tradition by affirming divine emotionality, often focusing on the idea that God suffers with us. Contemporary philosophy of emotion reflects this divide. Some philosophers argue that emotions are voluntary and intelligent mental events, making them potentially compatible with omniscience and omnipotence. Others claim that emotions are involuntary and basically physiological, rendering them inconsistent with traditional divine attributes. Thinking Through Feeling: God, Emotion and Passibility creates a three-way conversation between the debate in theology, contemporary philosophy of emotion, and pre-modern (particularly Augustinian and Thomist) conceptions of human affective experience. It also provides an exploration of the intelligence and value of the emotions of compassion, anger and jealousy.
Starting with Kant (Starting with…)
by Andrew WardImmanuelKant is undoubtedly one of the most important thinkers in the history ofphilosophy. He is also notoriously difficult for beginners to understand. Starting with Kant offers a genuinelyaccessible introduction to the metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and moralphilosophy of this hugely influential figure. It assumes no prior acquaintancewith his ideas. Thematicallystructured, the book opens with a completely non-technical overview of thedevelopment of Kant's mature thought, resulting in a wide-ranging understandingof his famous and ground breaking 'Copernican revolution in metaphysics'. Thebook evaluates the basic framework of his metaphysical outlook, and sets outits implications for his theory of knowledge and moral philosophy. Kant'sposition in these fields is related to other philosophers of his period so thata number of his seminal ideas can be clearly understood through an appreciationof their opposing views. This is the ideal introduction for anyone coming tothe work of his hugely important thinker for the first time.
Berkeley: A Guide For The Perplexed (Guides for the Perplexed #190)
by Talia Mae BettcherGeorge Berkeley was an idealist and an extraordinarily eloquent man of letters. Yet his views are traditionally regarded as wild and extravagant. He is well known for his departure from common sense, yet perversely represents himself as siding with 'the common folk', presenting a complex challenge for students. Berkeley: A Guide for the Perplexed covers the whole range of Berkeley's philosophical work, offering an accessible review of his views on philosophy and common sense and the nature of philosophical perplexity, together with an examination of his two major philosophical works, The Principles of Human Knowledge and Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to have a sound understanding of Berkeley's thought, the book provides a cogent and reliable survey of the various concepts and paradoxes of his thought. This is the ideal companion to the study of this most influential and challenging of philosophers.
John Dewey (Continuum Library of Educational Thought)
by Richard Pring Richard BaileyBertrand Russell's History of Philosophy refers to Dewey as 'generally admitted to be the leading living philosopher of America'. This honourable mention lay partly in his pragmatic theory of meaning, through which so many baffling philosophical problems were claimed to have been solved – as well as educational ones. It is in connection with his educational ideas, however, that Dewey became either famous or infamous. In the United States he had been seen both as saviour of American education by those who welcomed a more child-centred curriculum, and yet as 'worse than Hitler' by those who saw his ideas as undermining traditional education – an accusation shared by his detractors in Britain. This account seeks to bring together Dewey's educational thinking and its frequently forgotten foundations in a pragmatic theory of meaning. In so doing, the book seeks to show that John Dewey is 'a philosopher of education for our time'.
The Secular Contract: The Politics of Enlightenment
by Alex SchulmanThe Secular Contract seeks to defend the European Enlightenment's secularization of political philosophy by promoting an understanding of Enlightenment secular liberalism and extending it to contemporary issues.The work proposes that the Enlightenment united the secularizing trends that occurred at the time across all areas of knowledge into a "secular contract" for modern politics. It argues that this was a normatively valuable enterprise whose aims and arguments need to be recovered today, especially in light of the challenges faced by the West, including fundamentalist Christianity in the US and radical Islam in Europe.Looking at the works of many thinkers, such as Hobbes, Jefferson, Madison, Rousseau, the book then shifts to the present day to argue for a different liberalism, as suggested by such contemporary thinkers as William Galston or Stephen Macedo. An engaging read, The Secular Contract will appeal to anyone interested in political theory and the history of ideas.
Performatives After Deconstruction (Bloomsbury Studies in Continental Philosophy)
by Mauro SenatoreWhat has happened since de Man and Derrida first read Austin? How has the encounter between deconstruction and the performative affected each of these terms? In addressing these questions, this book brings together scholars whose works have been provoked in different ways by the encounter of deconstruction and the performative.Following Derrida's appeal to any rigorous deconstruction to reckon with Austin's theorems and his ever growing commitment to rethink and rewrite the performative and its multiple articulations, it is now urgent that we reflect upon the effects of a theoretical event that has profoundly marked the contemporary scene. The contributors to this book suggest various ways of re-reading the heritage and future of both deconstruction and the performative after their encounter, bringing into focus both the constitutive aporia of the performative and the role it plays within the deconstruction of the metaphysical tradition.
Divinely Abused: A Philosophical Perspective on Job and his Kin
by N. VerbinVerbin engages with the logical features of the experience of divine abuse and the religious difficulties to which it gives rise.
The Writing Notebooks
by Helene Cixous Susan SellersHélène Cixous is among the most influential and original literary critics and feminist thinkers of our time. This volume reproduces - for the first time, in any language - a collection of pages from her original writing notebooks, offering a unique insight into her radical thought and work. The material gathered here ranges across the full spectrum of Cixous' writing, including the concept of écriture féminine, and the starting points and sources of inspiration for her poetry and prose. The editor's introduction succinctly outlines the central tenets of Cixous' theory of writing. Each extract is accompanied by editorial commentary and a translation, both by Susan Sellers. The book concludes with an interview with Cixous herself, in which she discusses the writing process, her own criticism, fiction and poetry and the value and importance of these notebooks. Students and teachers of literature, psychoanalysis, philosophy and feminist theory will find this an illuminating and inspiring collection of writings. Edited by Susan Sellers, Professor of English and Related Literature at the Univeristy of St Andrews.
Nozick's Libertarian Project: An Elaboration and Defense (Continuum Studies in Political Philosophy)
by Mark D. FriedmanElaborating on and defending a rigorous, rights-based libertarianism, Mark D. Friedman here develops the seminal ideas articulated by Robert Nozick in his landmark work Anarchy, State and Utopia. Consolidating more than three decades of scholarly and popular writing to have emerged in the wake of Nozick's text, Friedman offers a 21st century defense of the minimal libertarian state. In the course of this analysis, and drawing on further insights offered by the work of F.A. Hayek, Nozick's Libertarian Project shows that natural rights libertarianism can offer convincing answers to the fundamental questions that lie at the heart of political theory. The book also rebuts many of the most common criticisms to have been levelled at this worldview, including those from left libertarians and from egalitarians such as as G.A. Cohen.