This study of axiology explores the axiocentricity of being human. Human beings dwell in the realm of value. Values are not simply what persons have; values in large part are what persons are. The mystique of values is analyzed here in terms of their cultural, phenomenological, and ontological status. The relationship between science and values is debated. Values should not be submitted to reductionism. Postmodernism raises new problems for the future of a philosophy of values. Yet, we may direct our hopes toward happiness, universalism, and humanism as inseparable from value-life.
Offering readers much to ponder, Richard H. Jones approaches the "big questions" of philosophy such as the nature of reality, consciousness, free will, the existence of God, and the meaning of life not by weighing the merits of leading arguments in these debates, but instead by questioning the extent to which we are even in a position to answer such questions in the first place. Regardless of continuous technical and even groundbreaking advances in knowledge, there will always be gaps in what we can fully understand. Distinguishing true mysteries from problems yet to be solved but within the scope of our intellectual grasp, Jones provides a penetrating and high-level overview of the scope and limits of scientific and philosophical inquiry.
Becoming someone is a learning process; and what we learn is the new values around which, if we succeed, our lives will come to turn. Agents transform themselves in the process of, for example, becoming parents, embarking on careers, or acquiring a passion for music or politics. How can such activity be rational, if the reason for engaging in the relevant pursuit is only available to the person one will become? How is it psychologically possible to feel the attraction of a form of concern that is not yet one's own? How can the work done to arrive at the finish line be ascribed to one who doesn't (really) know what one is doing, or why one is doing it? In Aspiration, Agnes Callard asserts that these questions belong to the theory of aspiration. Aspirants are motivated by proleptic reasons, acknowledged defective versions of the reasons they expect to eventually grasp. The psychology of such a transformation is marked by intrinsic conflict between their old point of view on value and the one they are trying to acquire. They cannot adjudicate this conflict by deliberating or choosing or deciding-rather, they resolve it by working to see the world in a new way. This work has a teleological structure: by modeling oneself on the person he or she is trying to be, the aspirant brings that person into being. Because it is open to us to engage in an activity of self-creation, we are responsible for having become the kinds of people we are.
One of the most significant unsolved problems in mathematics is the complete classification of knots. The main purpose of this book is to introduce the reader to the use of computer programming to obtain the table of knots. The author presents this problem as clearly and methodically as possible, starting from the very basics. Mathematical ideas and concepts are extensively discussed, and no advanced background is required.
This character education program for young children is based on retellings of ancient Hawaiian legends, but emphasizes universal values. Ready-to-color line drawings. Teacher's guide available.
Four American mystery writers have contributed new dimensions to the mystery form. Tony Hillerman's Navajos and their customs, Amanda Cross's (Carolyn Heilbrun's) academics and their feminist credentials (or lack thereof), James Lee Burke's Southern Louisiana Cajuns and his own fiercely moral take on Southern gothic fiction, and Walter Mosley's urban blacks and their culture have challenged the conventional mystery's focus. Using feminist and black critical theory, mythic and historical patterns, and literary genre theory, Samuel Coale examines these writers' works and investigates the compromises that each is forced to make when working within a recognizably popular literary form.
It is a challenge to talk about values and a provocation to call them "valid". But it is necessary when human dignity is at stake. Freedom, love, truth and life determine and protect this dignity. The highest value is life; when it is threatened, one loses the experience of dignity. Mere autonomy going beyond value-oriented freedom can threaten life, physically and psychologically. If we do not respect our livelihoods, we threaten them. Genuine love of one's neighbour prevents tolerance from turning into populist, intolerant ideologies. Dignity as the standard for our coexistence gives rise to hope. Therefore, this book invites us to think, feel and act responsibly for a life in fullness (John 10:10).
The Mystery of Moral Authority argues for a sceptical and pragmatic view of morality as an all-too-human institution. Searching, intellectually rigorous, and always fair to rival views, it represents the state of the art in a tradition of moral philosophy that includes Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, and J.L. Mackie.
