Philosophy

25001 books

$17.69

by James Edward Stroud (Author)What is philosophy? What is history? Is much of what we have been taught false concerning these two? Author James Stroud not only breaks down the often neglected field of philosophy of history but shows why much of what we have taken for granted in the subject of ""Origins"" belongs just as much in the field of history as it does in science. Supporting an open-philosophy of history versus the current closed-philosophy in place, Stroud systematically shows why th...

This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life - Hardcover

$21.00

by David Foster Wallace (Author)In this rare peak into the personal life of the author of numerous bestselling novels, gain an understanding of David Foster Wallace and how he became the man that he was. Only once did David Foster Wallace give a public talk on his views on life, during a commencement address given in 2005 at Kenyon College. The speech is reprinted for the first time in book form in This is Water. How does one keep from going through their comfortable, prosperous adult life un...

Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologiae: A Guide and Commentary - Paperback

$99.18

by Brian Davies (Author)Following a scholarly account of Thomas Aquinas's life, Davies explores his purposes in writing the Summa Theologiae and works systematically through each of its three Parts. He also relates their contents and Aquinas's teachings to those of other works and other thinkers both theological and philosophical. The concluding chapter considers the impact Aquinas's best-known work has exerted since its first appearance, and why it is still studied today. Intended for studen...

Love: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

$14.02

by Ronald de Sousa (Author)Although there are many kinds of love, erotic love has been celebrated in art and poetry as life's most rewarding and exalting experience, worth living and dying for and bringing out the best in ourselves. And yet it has excused, and even been thought to justify, the most reprehensible crimes. Why should this be? This Very Short Introduction explores this and other puzzling questions. Do we love someone for their virtue, their beauty, or their moral or other qualiti...

$63.25

by Shelly Kagan (Author)Most thoughtful people worry at one time or another about whether there can actually be such a thing as objective moral truth. They might wonder, for example, whether the prevalence of moral disagreement makes it reasonable to conclude that there aren't really any moral facts at all. Or they might be bothered by questions like these: What could objective moral facts possibly be like? Isn't it obvious that morality is simply relative to particular societies and particul...

The Meaning of Life: A Very Short Introduction - Paperback

$12.99

by Terry Eagleton (Author)The phrase "the meaning of life" for many seems a quaint notion fit for satirical mauling by Monty Python or Douglas Adams. But in this spirited Very Short Introduction, famed critic Terry Eagleton takes a serious if often amusing look at the question and offers his own surprising answer. Eagleton first examines how centuries of thinkers and writers--from Marx and Schopenhauer to Shakespeare, Sartre, and Beckett--have responded to the ultimate question of meaning. He...

The Moral Metaphor System: A Conceptual Metaphor Approach - Hardcover

$196.65

by Ning Yu (Author)This book investigates moral metaphors in English and Chinese, applying conceptual metaphor theory to a comparative study of the linguistic manifestation of the moral metaphor system rooted in the domains of bodily and physical experience. Ning Yu sheds light on the metaphorical nature of moral cognition and how it is systematically manifested in language, and explores the potential commonalities that define moral cognition in general, as well as the differences that charac...

$131.67

by Thagard (Author)How do brains make minds? Paul Thagard presents a unified, brain-based theory of cognition and emotion with applications to the most complex kinds of thinking, right up to consciousness and creativity. Neural mechanisms are used to explain mental operations for analogy, action, intention, language, and the self. Brain-Mind develops a brilliant account of mental operations using promising new ideas from theoretical neuroscience. Single neurons cannot do much by themselves, b...

What Is It Like to Be an Addict?: Understanding Substance Abuse - Hardcover

$31.48

by Owen Flanagan (Author)A powerful and important exploration of how addiction functions on social, psychological and biological levels, integrated with the experience of being an addict, from an acclaimed philosopher and former addict. What is addiction? Theories about what kind of thing addiction is are sharply divided between those who see it purely as a brain disorder, and those who conceive of it in psychological and social terms. Owen Flanagan, an acclaimed philosopher of mind and ethic...

Learning to Look: Dispatches from the Art World - Hardcover

$28.99

by Alva Noë (Author)Learning to Look is a wandering journey through the nature of art - and the ways it can transform us, if we let it. Author of Infinite Baseball, Alva Noë, presents a collection of short, stimulating essays that explore how we experience art and what it means to be an "observer." Experiencing art - letting it do its work on us - takes thought, attention, and focus. It requires creation, even from the beholder. And it is in this process of confrontation and reorganization th...

The Intellectual World of the Italian Renaissance - Paperback

$40.00

by Christopher S. Celenza (Author)In this book, Christopher Celenza provides an intellectual history of the Italian Renaissance during the long fifteenth century, from c.1350-1525. His book fills a bibliographic gap between Petrarch and Machiavelli and offers clear case studies of contemporary luminaries, including Leonardo Bruni, Poggio Bracciolini, Lorenzo Valla, Marsilio Ficino, Angelo Poliziano, and Pietro Bembo. Integrating sources in Italian and Latin, Celenza focuses on the linked issu...

An Analysis of Ludwig Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations - Paperback

$14.51

by Michael O' Sullivan (Author)Many still consider Ludwig Wittgenstein's 1953 Philosophical Investigations to be one of the breakthrough works of twentieth-century philosophy. The book sets out a radically new conception of philosophy itself, and demonstrates all the attributes of a fine analytical mind. Taking an argument from Plato and subjecting it to detailed (and very clear) analysis, Wittgenstein shows his understanding of how the sequence and function of differing parts of a highly-com...

The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents - Paperback

$18.99

by William Martin (Author)Classic Taoist wisdom applied to the world of parenting, guiding mothers and fathers to meaningful conversations and relationships with their children. William C. Martin has freshly reinterpreted the Tao Te Ching to speak directly and clearly to the most difficult of modern tasks -- parenting. With its combination of free verse and judicious advice, The Parent's Tao Te Ching addresses the great themes that permeate the Tao and that support loving parent- child relat...

The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge - Paperback

$63.16

by Karl Popper (Author), Troels Eggers Hansen (Editor), Andreas Pickel (Translator)In a letter of 1932, Karl Popper described Die beiden Grundprobleme der Erkenntnistheorie - The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge - as '...a child of crises, above all of ...the crisis of physics.'Finally available in English, it is a major contribution to the philosophy of science, epistemology and twentieth century philosophy generally.The two fundamental problems of knowledge that lie at th...

Making AI Intelligible: Philosophical Foundations - Hardcover

$83.77

by Herman Cappelen (Author), Josh Dever (Author)Can humans and artificial intelligences share concepts and communicate? Making AI Intelligible shows that philosophical work on the metaphysics of meaning can help answer these questions. Herman Cappelen and Josh Dever use the externalist tradition in philosophy to create models of how AIs and humans can understand each other. In doing so, they illustrate ways in which that philosophical tradition can be improved. The questions addressed in the ...

Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers - Hardcover

$37.99

by Cheryl Misak (Author)The full story of Frank Ramsey's extraordinary life. When he died in 1930 aged 26, Frank Ramsey had already invented one branch of mathematics and two branches of economics, laying the foundations for decision theory and game theory. Keynes deferred to him; he was the only philosopher whom Wittgenstein treated as an equal. Had he lived he might have been recognized as the most brilliant thinker of the century. This amiable shambling bear of a man was an ardent socialis...

Steiner's Theosophy and Principles of Spiritual Science - Paperback

$16.00

by Carl Unger (Author)"[In February 1904] Dr. Steiner began his lecture tours. Meanwhile, his book Theosophy was published, and I threw myself into it with the greatest enthusiasm, wrestling with it for months with every page, every sentence, and many words. When I had the foundation for a judgment, which I had somewhat carelessly expressed after my visit to Berlin, I would follow this man blindfolded. For now I had learned to follow with open eyes." -Carl Unger In part one, Carl Unger outlin...

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: Wonderful Wisdom from Everyone's Favorite Neighbor - Hardcover

$15.00

by Melissa Wagner (Author), Fred Rogers Productions (Author), Max Dalton (Illustrator)From Fred Rogers Productions, comes a delightful gift book that shows how the wisdom of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is as relevant for adults as it is for children. With colorful illustrations and quotes that touch on themes of kindness, empathy, self-care, respect, and love, this is the feel-good book for our times. More than just a children's television show host, Mister Rogers was the friend who helped us...

The Astrological Cinema Ride: A Cosmic Take On Contemporary Cinema - Paperback

$19.42

by B. P. Geiger (Author)The Astrological Cinema Ride is an esoteric and astrological exploration of Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey and the many layers of cinematic storytelling. Showcasing the astrological symbolism contained within six contemporary films - Star Wars: A New Hope, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Superbad, Trainspotting, Mean Girls, and Snatch. B.P. Geiger explores an in-depth astrological study into the interrelated parts and why audience members gravitate towards this time...

What Would Socrates Say?: An Introduction to Philosophy by the Socratic Method - Hardcover

$26.95

by Peter Kreeft (Author)The greatest teacher of philosophy in all of history was Socrates, according to philosopher Peter Kreeft. In 2,400 years, no one has topped him or his Socratic method, teaching not by monologue, but by dialogue; not by lecturing, but by logical questioning. Yet of the hundreds of textbooks for beginning philosophers today, none uses his method. Kreeft has imagined Socrates University: a log, with Socrates at one end and a typical intelligent modern student beginner at...

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings - Paperback

$14.95

by Paul Reps (Author), Nyogen Senzaki (Author)"It has stayed with me for the last 30 years, a classic portraying Zen mind to our linear thinking." --Phil Jackson, Head Coach of the Chicago Bulls and author of Sacred Hoops Zen Flesh, Zen Bones offers a collection of accessible, primary Zen sources so that readers can contemplate the meaning of Zen for themselves. Within the pages, readers will find: 101 Zen Stories, a collection of tales that recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese...

The Animal Mind: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Animal Cognition - Paperback

$84.22

by Kristin Andrews (Author)The philosophy of animal minds addresses profound questions about the nature of mind and the relationships between humans and other animals. In this fully revised and updated introductory text, Kristin Andrews introduces and assesses the essential topics, problems, and debates as they cut across animal cognition and philosophy of mind, citing historical and cutting-edge empirical data and case studies throughout. The second edition includes a new chapter on animal...

The Architecture of Happiness - Paperback

$23.00

by Alain de Botton (Author)The Achitecture of Happiness is a dazzling and generously illustrated journey through the philosophy and psychology of architecture and the indelible connection between our identities and our locations.One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets that surround us. And yet a concern for architecture is too often described as frivolous, even self-indulge...

$16.95

by David Shields (Author)A landmark book, "brilliant, thoughtful" (The Atlantic) and "raw and gorgeous" (LA Times), that fast-forwards the discussion of the central artistic issues of our time, from the bestselling author of The Thing About Life Is That One Day You'll Be Dead. Who owns ideas? How clear is the distinction between fiction and nonfiction? Has the velocity of digital culture rendered traditional modes obsolete? Exploring these and related questions, Shields orchestrates a chorus ...

$35.00

by Radek Chlup (Author)Proclus of Lycia (412-485) was one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity, producing the most systematic version of late Neoplatonic thought. He exercised enormous influence on Byzantine, medieval, Renaissance and German Classical philosophy, ranking among the top five of ancient philosophers in terms of the number of preserved works. Despite this he is rarely studied now, the enormous intricacy of his system making the reading of his treatises difficult for beginner...

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: The Phenomenology of Spirit - Paperback

$44.99

by Georg Wilhelm Fredrich Hegel (Author), Terry Pinkard (Editor), Terry Pinkard (Translator)Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) is one of the most influential texts in the history of modern philosophy. In it, Hegel proposed an arresting and novel picture of the relation of mind to world and of people to each other. Like Kant before him, Hegel offered up a systematic account of the nature of knowledge, the influence of society and history on claims to knowledge, and the social character...

Wittgenstein: Lectures, Cambridge 1930-1933 - Paperback

$42.00

by David G. Stern (Editor), Brian Rogers (Editor), Gabriel Citron (Editor)This edition of G. E. Moore's notes taken at Wittgenstein's seminal Cambridge lectures in the early 1930s provides, for the first time, an almost verbatim record of those classes. The presentation of the notes is both accessible and faithful to their original manuscripts, and a comprehensive introduction and synoptic table of contents provide the reader with essential contextual information and summaries of the topics i...

$25.00

by Meister Eckhart (Author), Reiner Schürmann (Introduction by), David Appelbaum (Foreword by)In this remarkable work, Reiner Schürmann shows Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century Christian mystic, as the great teacher of the birth of God in the soul, which shatters the dualism between God and the world, the self and God. This is an exposition of Eckhar's mysticism--perhaps the best in English--and, because Eckhart is a profound philosopher for whom knowing precedes being, it is also an exe...

$35.00

by Henri Bortoft (Author)Whereas most readers are familiar with Goethe as a poet and dramatist, few are familiar with his scientific work. In this brilliant book, Henri Bortoft (who began his studies of Goethean science with J. G. Bennett and David Bohm) introduces the fascinating scientific theories of Goethe. He succeeds in showing that Goethe's way of doing science was not a poet's folly but a genuine alternative to the dominant scientific paradigm. Bortoft shows that a different, "gentler...

$31.00

by Henri Bergson (Author), N. M. Paul (Translator), W. S. Palmer (Translator)"Since the end of the last century," Walter Benjamin wrote, "philosophy has made a series of attempts to lay hold of the 'true' experience as opposed to the kind that manifests itself in the standardized, denatured life of the civilized masses. It is customary to classify these efforts under the heading of a philosophy of life. Towering above this literature is Henri Bergson's early monumental work Matter and Memory....

$49.52

by Michel Foucault (Author), Jean Khalfa (Editor), Jean Khalfa (Translator)When it was first published in France in 1961 as Folie et Déraison: Histoire de la Folie à l'âge Classique, few had heard of a thirty-four year old philosopher by the name of Michel Foucault. By the time an abridged English edition was published in 1967 as Madness and Civilization, Michel Foucault had shaken the intellectual world. This translation is the first English edition of the complete French texts of the first ...

Why I Am Not a Christian: And Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects - Paperback

$48.58

by Bertrand Russell (Author), Simon Blackburn (Introduction by)While its tone is playful and frivolous, this book poses tough questions over the nature of religion and belief. Religion provides comfortable responses to the questions that have always beset humankind - why are we here, what is the point of being alive, how ought we to behave? Russell snatches that comfort away, leaving us instead with other, more troublesome alternatives: responsibility, autonomy, self-awareness. He tells us th...