Bioethical Prescriptions collects F.M. Kamm's articles on bioethics -- revised for publication in book form -- which have appeared over the last 25 years and which have made her among the most widely-respected philosophers working in this field.

"Not only one of the best but also the most comprehensive treatment of Stoicism written in this century." --Times Literary Supplement.

This book is a philosophical discussion of moral, legal, and medical issues related to aging, dying, and death. One of its aims is to decide whether and when it might make sense to not resist or bring about the end of one's life. To answer this question it considers views about meaning in life and what makes life worth living. It also evaluates recent attempts to help the general public plan in advance for the end of life. It also considers (...) whether or not physician-assisted suicide is morally permissible and if it should be legalized. (shrink)

On the History of Modern Philosophy is a key transitional text in the history of European philosophy. In it, F. W. J. Schelling surveys philosophy from Descartes to German Idealism and shows why the Idealist project is ultimately doomed to failure. The lectures trace the path of philosophy from Descartes through Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Fichte, Jacobi, to Hegel and Schelling's own work. The extensive critiques of Hegel prefigure many of the arguments to be found in Feuerbach, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, (...) and Derrida. This is the first English translation of On the History of Modern Philosophy. In his introduction Andrew Bowie sets the work in the context of Schelling's career and clarifies its philosophical issues. The translation will be of special interest to philosophers, intellectual historians, literary theorists, and theologians. (shrink)

The highly sophisticated techniques of modern engineering are normally conceived of in practical terms. Corresponding to the instrumental function of technology, they are designed to direct the forces of nature according to human purposes. Yet, as soon as the realm of mere skills is exceeded, the intended useful results can only be achieved through planned and preconceived action processes involving the deliberately considered application of well designed tools and devices. This is to say that in all complex cases theoretical reasoning (...) becomes an indispensable means to accomplish the pragmatic technological aims. Hence the abstracting from the actual concrete function of technology opens the way to concentrate attention on the general conceptual framework involved. If this approach is adopted the relevant knowledge and the procedures applied clearly exhibit a logic of their own. This point of view leads to a methodological and even an epistemological analysis of the theoretical structure and the specific methods of procedure characteristic of modern technology. Investigations of this kind, that can be described as belonging to an ana lytical philosophy of technology, form the topic of this anthology. The type of research in question here is closely akin to that of the philosophy of science. But it is an astonishing fact that the commonly accepted and carefully investigated philosophy of science has not yet found its counterpart in an established philosophy of technology. (shrink)

Using a clear, non-technical style, Professor Rohrlich discusses the two major theories of twentieth-century physics: relativity and quantum mechanics. Discussed conceptually and philosophically, rather than using mathematics, the philosophical issues raised show how new discoveries forced physicists to accept often strange and unconventional notions. He aims to remove the mystery and misrepresentation that often surround the ideas of modern physics and to show how modern scientists construct theories, so that the reader can appreciate their successes and failures and understand problems (...) that are as yet unresolved. (shrink)

Reviewed Works:G. Priest, R. Routley, Graham Priest, Richard Routley, Jean Norman, First Historical Introduction. A Preliminary History of Paraconsistent and Dialethic Approaches.Ayda I. Arruda, Aspects of the Historical Development of Paraconsistent Logic.G. Priest, R. Routley, Systems of Paraconsistent Logic.G. Priest, R. Routley, Applications of Paraconsistent Logic.G. Priest, R. Routley, The Philosophical Significance and Inevitability of Paraconsistency.

Of the many cognitive processes and data structures pro-posed to account for conscious awareness, only reflexivity or self-knowing occurs exclusively in the conscious state. However, the viability of reflexivity as the proper index or principal defining characteristic of consciousness has been been questioned on the basis that it is either implausible or merely subjective. The implausibility objection proves to be based on a mischaracterization of conscious reflexivity as either a form of introspection, reflective elaboration, or intentional representation. Closer examination shows (...) reflexivity to be none of the above, but rather a modal property of the cognitive state, and not a property of what is represented in the state. As for the objection that reflexivity is merely subjective, there are substantial objective warrants for each of its five properties which together support the contention that reflexivity has a basis in empirical fact and can be accounted the principal index of consciousness. (shrink)

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Contributions in the concept of the divine; influence; Islamic philosophy.

Context: The advent of a general artificial intelligence mechanism that learns like humans do would represent the realization of an old and major dream of science. It could be achieved by an artifact able to develop its own cognitive structures following constructivist principles. However, there is a large distance between the descriptions of the intelligence made by constructivist theories and the mechanisms that currently exist. Problem: The constructivist conception of intelligence is very powerful for explaining how cognitive development takes place. (...) However, until now, no computational model has successfully demonstrated the underlying mechanisms necessary to realize it. In other words, the artificial intelligence (AI) community has not been able to give rise to a system that convincingly implements the principles of intelligence as postulated by constructivism, and that is also capable of dealing with complex environments. Results: This paper presents the constructivist anticipatory learning mechanism (CALM), an agent learning mechanism based on the constructivist approach of AI. It is designed to deal dynamically and interactively with environments that are at the same time partially deterministic and partially observable. CALM can model the regularities experienced in the interaction with the environment, on the sensorimotor level as well, as by constructing abstract or high-level representational concepts. The created model provides the knowledge necessary to generate the agent behavior. The paper also presents the coupled agent environment system (CAES) meta-architecture, which defines a conception of an autonomous agent, situated in the environment, embodied and intrinsically motivated. Implications: The paper can be seen as a step towards a computational implementation of constructivist principles, on the one hand suggesting a further perspective of this refreshing movement on the AI field (which is still too steeped in a behaviorist influence and dominated by probabilistic models and narrow applied approaches), and on the other hand bringing some abstract descriptions of the cognitive process into a more concrete dimension, in the form of algorithms. Constructivist content: The connection of this paper with constructivism is the proposal of a computational and formally described mechanism that implements important aspects of the subjective process of knowledge construction based on key ideas proposed by constructivist theories. (shrink)

L'étude aborde la question de la méthode théologique, en considérant sa nature et sa typologie, ses possibilités et ses limites, ainsi que les conditions de sa légitimité devant les instances du «depositum fidei». On attribue une importance spéciale à la tension de fond entre l'usage de la méthode kérygmatique et de la méthode dialogale dans la théologie du passé, mais surtout dans le débat actuel, spécialement entre divers courants de la théologie de la transcendance, telles les «théologies de la parole» (...) et la «méthode de corrélation», ou encore entre les «théologies du mystère» et la «méthode transcendantale». Pareille tension s'aggrave dans les «théologies de l'immanence», telles les théologies de la «mort de Dieu» ou les «théologies de l'histoire», ou entre les «théologies de la modernité» et certaines «théologies de la praxis». A la fin de ce panorama du pluralisme méthodologique actuel, on formule certains principes fondamentaux sur le problème débattu. Finalement, on considère le caractère obligatoire du «depositum fidei» comme instance théologique définitive. (shrink)

La «question de l'Inconditionné» est développée par Paul Tillich dans une Religionsphilosophie pensée comme Logique de la raison religieuse et comme Théorie du sens, dans une perspective théonome. La présente étude analyse le projet du premier Tillich, après l'avoir situé en relation au paradigme de la Modernité. Tillich mène un double combat, face à l'«hybris religieuse» de l'hétéronomie et à l'«hybris culturelle» de la pure autonomie. Partant de la tension fondamentale entre identité mystique et différence éthique, le projet de Tillich (...) souligne l'aspect paradoxal et dialectique de la religion, son vouloir d'atteindre le contenu inconditionné à travers des formes conditionnées, sa résistance à être pur objet et concept d'une science. Dépassant le paradigme de la Modernité, Tillich construit une Philosophie de la Religion située dans le système des sciences, mais non fondée sur le conditionné, mais au contraire sur l'Inconditionné. Les éléments et catégories du religieux sont soumis à l'analyse à travers un processus méthodologique complexe, critique et dialectique, intuitif et vital; est ainsi formulée l'unité de sens entre le fondé, le fondant et le fondement ultime qui soutient tout. La dialectique du sacré et du profane, du divin et du démoniaque, de la foi et de l'incrédulité, de Dieu et du monde, est éclairée dans la perspective théonome; d'où est surpassée la pure autonomie, en lutte avec l'hétéronomie religieus. (shrink)