This book examines reality using verbs in their real time, which, like a segment of clock time, runs from the occurrence of the cause to the inevitable effect. As argued here, errors in our decisions often result from a ‘noun approach’ to the problem. A good decision depends on whether it is made on the basis of real premises and whether the decision-maker is able to define what is ‘good’. These two eternal issues, ‘truth’ and ‘goodness’ are the subject of inquiry here. The findings presented in this book invalidate the paradigm of ‘noun philosophy’ of the 20th century. It will appeal to philosophers, as well as managers and decision makers.
"A highly original examination of the writings and practices of mystic and spiritualist Mina Bergson (1865-1925), in the light of her seemingly estranged brother, Henri Bergson's (1859-1941) ultra-realist ideas in the philosophies of time and of mind (the past really survives in memory). Her proposal that 'material science' was 'spiritualizing itself' just as 'occult science' was 'materializing itself' converges with her brother's attempt to overcome the duality of spirit and matter through a process metaphysics. Yet her approach comes from the tradition of Western Esotericism rather than Western Philosophy, a difference that will motivate an analysis of the ontology and methodology of the Bergson siblings. In doing so, it also engages with contemporary ideas in panpsychism, memory studies, the philosophy of time, as well as the relationship between spirit and matter within contemporary materialist thinking (Catherine Malabou, Karen Barad, and Jane Bennett). This study is then able to conceptualise for the first time the relations between a non-mechanistic view of matter as heterogenous, non-local, and creative, and Mina Bergson's mystical performances of a spiritualised materiality. In this process of cross-fertilisation, a number of new concepts emerge involving the meta-spiritual, hetero-continuity, the supernormal, and the hyperbolic while also helping to side-step the duality of an immaterial or paranormal spiritualism on the one side and a reductive materialism on the other"--
This collection of essays focuses on one of Harold Pinter’s most popular and challenging plays, The Dumb Waiter, while addressing also a range of significant issues current in Pinter studies and which are applicable beyond this play. The interesting and provocative dialogues between established and emerging scholars featured here provide close readings of The Dumb Waiter, within relevant cultural and historical contexts and from a range of theoretical perspectives. The essays range over issues of autobiography and theater, genre studies, and the impact of Pinter’s political activism on his dramatic production, among others. The collection is also concerned with the meaning of the play when assessed against other example’s of Pinter’s work, both dramatic and non-dramatic writing. Each contributor shows a gift for presenting a complex argument in an accessible style, making this book an important resource for a wide range of readers, from undergraduates to postgraduates and specialist researchers. The collection offers essays that approach The Dumb Waiter, from an interdisciplinary perspective and as both a literary and dramatic text. Thus, the book should be of equal significance to those encountering Pinter within the context of English Studies, drama, and performance.
The principle aim of this book is to explore the relationship between contemporary literary theory and analytic philosophy. The volume addresses this issue in two ways: first, through four exchanges between, on the one hand, proponents of avant-garde literary theory and, on the other, proponents of analytic philosophy (or of related literary critical positions); and second, through three cross-disciplinary essays on the relationship in question. Central topics in the volume include Self, Ethics, Interpretation, Language and characterisations of 'analytic' and 'continental' philosophy.
Ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus provided some of our most cherished assumptions about physics and ethics. He postulated an infinite universe made exclusively of atoms and void. He also treated slaves and women as equals and defined our standards of pleasure and luxury. Now David Swift turns to Epicurus for help with another significant mystery: the scientific explanation of mind. Using Epicurean ideas that our minds are in our chests and, perhaps even more radically, that meaning is understood in our sense organs he re-examines and reinterprets the works of philosophers like Descartes, Locke, Kant and Mill and scientists such as Pavlov, Freud, Skinner and Rogers. Seen in the light of the Epicurean concept, Renaissance philosophy and classic scientific psychology validate a surprisingly consistent and coherent scientific explanation of behaviour. The mechanisms of meaning, knowledge, learning and remembering are explained in terms of biological reflexes. The secrets of love, hate and loyalty are revealed as non-verbal knowledge only accessible as feelings. And success, failure, criminal and other behaviours are shown to be the results of learned experience not genetic predisposition. At last we have the possibility of a plausible biologically-based general psychological theory.
Facebook and Philosophy is an entertaining, multi-faceted exploration of what Facebook means for us and for our relationships. With discussions ranging from the nature of friendship and its relationship to "friending," to the (debatable) efficacy of "online activism," this book is the most extensive and systematic attempt to understand Facebook yet. And with plenty of new perspectives on Twitter and Web 2.0 along the way, this fun, thought-provoking book is a serious and significant contribution for anyone working with social media, whether in academia, journalism, public relations, activism, or business. Exploring far-reaching questions — Can our interactions on Facebook help us care about each other more? Does Facebook signal the death of privacy, or (perhaps worse yet) the death of our desire for privacy? — Facebook and Philosophy is vital reading for anyone involved in social networks today.
The new field of experimental philosophy has emerged as the methods of psychological science have been brought to bear on traditional philosophical issues. Oxford Studies in Experimental Philosophy will be the place to go to see outstanding new work in the field. It will feature papers by philosophers, papers by psychologists, and papers co-authored by people in both disciplines. The series heralds the emergence of a truly interdisciplinary field in which people from different disciplines are working together to address a shared set of questions. The inaugural volume is roughly structured into four sections. The first three papers focus on recent developments in moral psychology, a topic that has seen lively debate and a great deal of progress over the last decade. The second section highlights three contributions that bring new methods to moral psychology: formal modeling and special populations. The third section brings together four papers that adopt an experimental philosophy approach to novel topics, including intuitive dualism, generics, joint action, and happiness. And the last two papers provide critical and historical context to the development of experimental philosophy.
If you do not understand how communication works, then you may become perplexed and frustrated by interactions in the workplace. However, if you understand how communication works, then you have a good chance of diagnosing and fixing communication problems. Best of all, you can influence and motivate your employees, make better decisions, negotiate more effectively, build better work teams, and accomplish business objectives. This book discusses the various forms of communication.
The application of philosophy to language study, and language study to philosophy, has experienced demonstrable intellectual growth and diversification in recent decades. Concise Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Language and Linguistics comprehensively analyzes and evaluates many of the most interesting facets of this vibrant field. An edited collection of articles taken from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, Second Edition, this volume acts as a single-stop desk reference resource for the field, comprising contributions from the foremost scholars of philosophy of linguistics in their various interdisciplinary specializations. From Plato's Cratylus to Semantic and Epistemic Holism, this fascinating work authoritatively unpacks the diverse and multi-layered concepts of meaning, expression, identity, truth, and countless other themes and subjects straddling the linguistic-philosophical meridian, in 175 articles and over 900 pages. - Authoritative review of this dynamic field placed in an interdisciplinary context - Approximately 175 articles by leaders in the field - Compact and affordable single-volume format
