Demystifying the key ideas of the world's greatest philosophers, and exploring all of the most important branches of thought including philosophy of science, philosophy of religion and feminist philosophy in a uniquely visual way, this ebook is the perfect introduction to the history of philosophy. A clear and accessible guide to philosophy, How Philosophy Works combines bold infographics and jargon-free text to demystify fundamental concepts. Covering everything from ethics to epistemology and phenomenology, the book presents the ideas and theories of key philosophical traditions and philosophers - from Plato and Socrates to Nietzsche and Wittgenstein via Kant - in a novel, easy-to-understand way. Its infographics will help you to understand the elements of philosophy on a conceptual level and, by tackling life's "big questions", it will help you to look at the world in an entirely new way. With its unique graphic approach and clear, authoritative text, How Philosophy Works is the perfect introduction to philosophy, and the ideal companion to DK's The Philosophy Book in the "Big Ideas" series.
Philosophy and the Problems of Work brings together for the first time important philosophical perspectives on the subjects of labor and work, spanning analytical and Continental traditions. This comprehensive collection engages contemporary debates in political theory and the philosophy of economics, including the perspectives of classical and welfare liberals, anarchists, and feminists, about the nature and meaning of work in modern technological society, the issues of meaningful work and exploitation, justice and equality, the welfare state and democratic rights, and whether market socialism is a competitive alternative to traditional capitalism. An introduction by the editor charts the historical development of these issues in philosophical and political discussions and examines the central importance of the organization and structures of work for both individual self-realization and human societies generally.Philosophy and the Problems of Work brings together for the first time important philosophical perspectives on the subjects of labor and work, spanning analytical and Continental traditions. This comprehensive collection engages contemporary debates in political theory and the philosophy of economics, including the perspectives of classical and welfare liberals, anarchists, and feminists, about the nature and meaning of work in modern technological society, the issues of meaningful work and exploitation, justice and equality, the welfare state and democratic rights, and whether market socialism is a competitive alternative to traditional capitalism. An introduction by the editor charts the historical development of these issues in philosophical and political discussions and examines the central importance of the organization and structures of work for both individual self-realization and human societies generally.
Ken Blanchard’s Leading at a Higher Level techniques are inspiring thousands of leaders to build high-performing organizations that make life better for everyone. Now, in Helping People Win at Work, Blanchard and WD-40 Company leader Garry Ridge reveal how WD-40 has used Blanchard’s techniques of Partnering for Performance with every employee--achieving levels of engagement and commitment that have fortified the bottom line. Ridge introduces WD-40 Company’s year-round performance review system, explaining its goals, features, and the cultural changes it requires. Next, he shares his leadership point of view: what he expects of people, what they can expect of him, and where his beliefs about leadership and motivation come from. Finally, Blanchard explains why WD-40 Company’s Partnering for Performance system works so well--and how to leverage its high-value techniques in your organization. In this book, you’ll learn how to: · Stop building failure into your mentoring of employees · Set goals using the SMART approach: specific, motivational, attainable, relevant and trackable · Help people move through all four stages of mastery · Create a culture that shares knowledge and encourages nonstop learning “I’m thrilled that the first book in our Leading at a Higher Level series is with Garry Ridge, president of WD-40 Company. For years I’ve been concerned about how people’s performance is evaluated. People are often forced into a normal distribution curve, or even worse, rank ordered. Not only does this not build trust, it also does not hold managers responsible for coaching people and helping them win. The manager’s responsibility is focused on sorting people out. When I was a college professor, I always gave my students the final exam at the beginning of the course and spent the rest of the semester helping them answer the questions so that they could get an A. Life is all about getting As, not some stupid normal distribution curve. Garry Ridge got this, and wow! What a difference it has made in WD-40 Company’s performance.” --Ken Blanchard “When I first heard Ken talk about giving his final exam at the beginning of the course and then teaching students the answers so they could get an A, it blew me away. Why don’t we do that in business? So that’s exactly what I did at WD-40 Company when we set up our ‘Don’t Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A’ performance management system. Has it made a difference? You’d better believe it. Ever since we began the system, our company’s annual sales have more than tripled, from $100 million to more than $339 million. And we’ve accomplished this feat while making the company a great place to work.” --Garry Ridge
REASON AT WORK is designed for Introduction to Philosophy courses where the instructor prefers to use a collection of readings to introduce the broad divisions of the discipline. This edition includes sixty-two readings organized into the six major branches of philosophical inquiry: Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophy of Mind.
Philosophy of physics is concerned with the deepest theories of modern physics - quantum theory, our theories of space, time and symmetry, and thermal physics - and their strange, even bizarre conceptual implications. This book explores the core topics in philosophy of physics, and discusses their relevance for both scientists and philosophers.
Are statements of fact true or only more or less useful? This question is of vital importance, because it cuts to the core of the nature of truth; it leads to decisive choices in modern philosophy. Beneath the concept ́truth ́ serious problems defy and resist philosophic analysis; revealing and resolving them is the early focus of PHILOSOPHY THAT WORKS. The way things are, people mix up what they mean by ́truth ́ and get bound up in fallacies that condemn human knowledge to seeminly pointless relativism. But an adequate understanding of ́truth ́ transforms philosophy and individual undertanding, improves thinking itself, and strengthens education, organizations, and society. Showing how so much progress is possible is the business end of this book, the payoff of its thoughtful investigations into truth and knowledge. PHILOSOPHY THAT WORKS is an intellectual adventure, an impassioned story about navigating philosophy from its backwaters down a great river of advancing civilization. The philosopher, disillusioned with academic philosophies, begins an investigation into the many meanings of truth. He makes a lasting discovery that changes what philosophy itself can achieve and what it can mean. He faces daunting tasks but reconfigures philosophy; confusion concerning truth resolves into clear understanding. Who should join the adventure'. Not only philosophers. This is a book for everyone who likes to think. It has power, narrative conviction, and a soulful center that resonates through its pages. (From the Introduction) "...Albert Einstein once mentioned that humanity cannot solve its vexing problems at the same level of thought that produced the crisis. A higher level of thinking will require a philosophic transformation. That ́s what Philosophy That Works is all about. Despite postmodern skepticism, a simplistic true and false outlook on reality remains the commonplace of a civilization; this is the level that has produced the crisis. This book describes a basic change in the dominant paradigm of the age. It shows that a colossal mistake underlies the commonsense outlook, an error that has prevented consensus about what is real and, therefore, what life can mean: it penetrates the problem to its heart..."
This book presents a full decade of Sartre's work, from the publication of the Critique of Dialectical Reason in 1960, the basic philosophical turning-point in his postwar development, to the inception of his major study on Flaubert, the first volumes of which appeared in 1971. The essays and interviews collected here form a vivid panorama of the range and unity of Sartre's interests, since his deliberate attempt to wed his original existentialism to a rethought Marxism. A long and brilliant autobiographical interview, given to New Left Review in 1969, constitutes the best single overview of Sartre's whole intellectual evolution. Three analytic texts on the US war in Vietnam, the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and the lessons of the May Revolt in France, define his political positions as a revolutionary socialist. Questions of philosophy and aesthetics are explored in essays on Kierkegaard, Mallarme and Tintoretto. Another section of the collection explores Sartre's critical attitude to orthodox psychoanalysis as a therapy, and is accompanied by rejoinders from colleagues on his journal Les Temps Modernes. The volume concludes with a prolonged reflection on the nature and role of intellectuals and writers in advanced capitalism, and their relationship to the struggles of the exploited and oppressed classes. Between Existentialism and Marxism is an impressive demonstration of the breadth and vitality of Sartre's thought, and its capacity to respond to political and cultural changes in the contemporary world.
In its vast scope, this book presents the continuum of Western philosophy. Ranging from ancient Greece to nineteenth-century America, it traces the history of our civilization through the seminal works of its most influential thinkers. Each philosopher in this volume made intellectual history; each created a revolution in ideas; each reaffirmed man’s view of himself as a sentient being capable of creating order out of the baffling contradictions of existence. And the most powerful reflections and speculations of each are represented here. Plato: Apology, Crito and the Death of Socrates, from Phado Aristotle: Poetics St. Ansem: The ontological Proof of St. Ansem, from Proslogium St. Thomas Aquinas: St. Thomas’ Proofs of God’s Existence, from the SummaTheologica René Descartes: Meditations on the First Philosophy David Hume: An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding Immanuel Kant: Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics John Stuart Mill: Utilitarianism William James: The Will to Believe
In Steve Jobs and Philosophy sixteen philosophers take a close look at the inspiring yet often baffling world of Steve Jobs. What can we learn about business ethics from the example of Jobs? What are the major virtues of a creative innovator? How could Jobs successfully defy and challenge conventional business practices? How did Jobs combine values and attitudes previously believed to be unmixable? What does it really mean to “think different”? Can entrepreneurs be made or are they just born? If Jobs didn’t make any major inventions, just what was his contribution? How is Jobs’s life illuminated by Buddhism? How does a counter-culture transform mainstream culture? What does Jobs teach us about the notions of simplicity and functionality in design? How do Jobs’s achievements alter the way we think about technology in relation to human life? The chapters cover vital issues in ethics, business, aesthetics, and technology. They are followed by a fascinating appendix listing all the philosophers mentioned in the book, along with explanations of their lives and key themes in their thoughts. Steve Jobs and Philosophy is aimed at readers interested Jobs himself, in entrepreneurship, in technology, culture, and values.
The Book of Job is about a question for all of us. Why is there suffering? Job is a personal book that speaks to each of us as we face suffering and meaninglessness. Job is a theological book that both builds on the Biblical Worldview and prepares its readers for the Gospel. Job is a philosophical book that critically examines solutions to this question. It is a book centered around a philosophical dialogue. It requires us to find an answer by going deeper in our understanding of the meaning of good and evil. Job's friends call him to repent of fruit sin but his Friend calls him to repent of root sin.
