Collection of Open Access (OA) ebooks from MIT Press on business, arts and humanities, education, computers and engineering, medicine, psychology, political science, social sciences and science.
New Aesthetic Thought, Methodology, and Structure of Systemic Philosophy by Jie WuThe methodologies of aesthetic thought have always had a deep, historic foundation and serve as a staple of philosophy. Researchers have begun re-examining the structure and levels of aesthetics by tracing the history of this practice and studying European and Asian traditions.
Philosophy of Suffering by David Bain (Editor); Michael Brady (Editor); Jennifer Corns (Editor)Suffering is a central component of our lives. We suffer pain. We fall ill. We fail and are failed. Our loved ones die. It is a commonplace to think that suffering is, always and everywhere, bad. But might suffering also be good? If so, in what ways might suffering have positive, as well as negative, value? This important volume examines these questions and is the first comprehensive examination of suffering from a philosophical perspective. An outstanding roster of international contributors explore the nature of suffering, pain, and valence, as well as the value of suffering and the relationships between suffering, morality, and rationality. Philosophy of Suffering: Metaphysics, Value, and Normativity is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, cognitive and behavioral psychology as well as those in health and medicine researching conceptual issues regarding suffering and pain.
What Is Philosophy? by Michael MunroIt's clear that "philosophy" comes from the Greek "philosophia," love of wisdom. What is not at all clear is what that phrase means. In the connection it articulates between love and wisdom, what, precisely, does philosophy name?This small book, or extended essay, is divided into three sections. The first section (What is Philosophy?) takes seriously Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari's contention in their book of the same title that, "The nonphilosophical is perhaps closer to the heart of philosophy than philosophy itself, and this means that philosophy cannot be content to be understood only philosophically or conceptually, but is essentially addressed to nonphilosophers as well?" (including the nonphilosopher in every philosopher). The second section (On Argument) interrogates the status and value of evidence, and self-evidence. The third section (On Not Knowing) generalizes a parenthetical observation of Agamben's on Heidegger, "If we may attempt to identify something like the characteristic Stimmung of every thinker, perhaps it is precisely this being delivered over to something that refuses itself that defines the specific emotional tonality of Heidegger's thought": Might not philosophy be defined, the phil of sophia, precisely, as what it is to be delivered over to something that refuses itself? That is precisely what this small explores.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780615685137
Publication Date: 2012 (Project Muse)
What Is Political Philosophy? by Charles LarmoreA new understanding of political philosophy from one of its leading thinkers What is political philosophy? What are its fundamental problems? And how should it be distinguished from moral philosophy? In this book, Charles Larmore redefines the distinctive aims of political philosophy, reformulating in this light the basis of a liberal understanding of politics. Because political life is characterized by deep and enduring conflict between rival interests and differing moral ideals, the core problems of political philosophy are the regulation of conflict and the conditions under which the members of society may thus be made subject to political authority. We cannot assume that reason will lead to unanimity about these matters because individuals hold different moral convictions. Larmore therefore analyzes the concept of reasonable disagreement and investigates the ways we can adjudicate conflicts among people who reasonably disagree about the nature of the human good and the proper basis of political society. Challenging both the classical liberalism of Locke, Kant, and Mill, and more recent theories of political realism proposed by Bernard Williams and others, Larmore argues for a version of political liberalism that is centered on political legitimacy rather than on social justice, and that aims to be well suited to our times rather than universally valid. Forceful and thorough yet concise, What Is Political Philosophy? proposes a new definition of political philosophy and demonstrates the profound implications of that definition. The result is a compelling and distinctive intervention from a major political philosopher.
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780691200873
Publication Date: 2020
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