Santayana and America: Values, Liberties, ResponsibilityGeorge Santayana (1863â "1952), a Spanish-American philosopher, is an influential personage on the cultural stage in English- and Spanish-speaking countries. His numerous books and papers on topics as varied as epistemology, ontology, aesthetics, ethics, anthropology, value theory, and American studies, along with his best-selling novel, his sophisticated poetry, and his famous autobiography, make him a vivid and profound source of reflection on the history of American and European thought, as well as a stimulus for future work. Santayanaâ (TM)s exceptionality was appreciated by William James and Josiah Royce, his most eminent colleagues in Harvard Universityâ (TM)s Department of Philosophy, and has been discussed by such respected authors as John Dewey, Bertrand Russell, Charles Hartshorne, Eric Voegelin, Alfred Schutz, Richard Rorty, Hilary Putnam, Arthur Danto, and Ferdinand Savater, among others. This book aims to understand Santayana by considering his often provocative views on America. Other scholars have reconstructed his thought at various times and in a variety of ways, but no one has yet considered Santayanaâ (TM)s approach toward America in a serious and profound way (at least not in the English language). This book attempts to convince the reader that the impartiality of Santayanaâ (TM)s philosophy, its transcendence of cultural limits and mental borders, makes it a living philosophy, and that this is the strongest aspect of Santayanaâ (TM)s thought. |
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Santayana and America. Values, Liberties, Responsibility Krzysztof Piotr Skowronski Limited preview - 2009 |
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According to Santayana affairs American democracy anthropocentric appreciated approach articulated arts Avila axiocentrism axiological beauty character claim concept conviction COUS criticism cultivation culture democratic deontology devoted Dewey's Eliot epiphenomenalism especially essence existence freedom genteel tradition George Herbert Palmer George Santayana happiness Harvard hierarchies of values Hilary Putnam human humanistic ideal ideas imagination individual intellectual John Dewey Josiah Royce justified Last Puritan liberal living material means metaphysical mind modern moral native Native Americans natural one's opinion orthodoxies past perfection philosopher political position possible practical pragmatism pragmatists problem professors progress Ralph Waldo Emerson reality realization realm of matter religion responsibility Richard Rorty role Santayana explained Santayana Society Santayana wrote Santayana's philosophy sense social Spain Spanish spiritual technological theocentric things thinkers thought truth understanding United University Press various vision vital liberties William James wisdom York