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THE VALUE OF SCIENCE INTRODUCTION The search for truth should be the goal of our activities; it is the sole end worthy of them. Doubtless we should first bend our efforts to assuage human suffering, but why ? Not to suffer is a negative ...

One of the most influential of the Victorian philosophers, Henry Sidgwick also made important contributions to fields such as economics, political theory and classics. A proponent of the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, which he analysed in his classic work The Methods of Ethics, he later turned to the practical side of politics in this work, published in 1891. His aim was to have a 'rational discussion of political questions in modern states', and he offers a (...) thorough examination of Victorian politics, beginning with a discussion of political theory before moving on to more concrete matters such as property and law. The later chapters discuss the function of government through themes such as procedural matters, international affairs, war, political parties, and public participation, giving a comprehensive account of both ideas about and the functioning of late-nineteenth-century government. (shrink)

-- v. 3. From modernity to modernism (towards a metaphilosophy of daily life).

Henri Meschonnic was a linguist, poet, translator of the Bible and one of the most original French thinkers of his generation. He strove throughout his career to reform the understanding of language and all that depends on it. His work has had a shaping influence on a generation of scholars and here, for the first time, a selection of these are made available in English for a new generation of linguists and philosophers of language. This Reader, featuring fourteen texts covering (...) the core concepts and topics of Meschonnic's theory, will enrich, enhance and challenge your understanding of language. It explores his key ideas on poetics, the poem, rhythm, discourse and his critique of the sign. Meschonnic's vast oeuvre was continuously preoccupied with the question of a poetics of society; he constantly connected the theory of language to its practice in various fields and interrogated what that means for society. In exploring this fundamental question, this book is central to the study and philosophy of language, with rich repercussions in fields such as translation studies, poetics and literary studies, and in redefining notions such as rhythm, modernity, the poem and the subject. (shrink)

On the nature of mathematical reasoning -- Mathematical magnitude and experience -- Non-Euclidian geometries -- Space and geometry -- Experience and geometry -- Classical mechanics -- Relative and absolute motion -- Energy and thermodynamics -- Hypotheses in physics -- Theories of modern physics -- Probability calculus -- Optics and electricity -- Electrodynamics -- The end of matter.

" Vivid . . . immense clarity . . . the product of a brilliant and extremely forceful intellect." — Journal of the Royal Naval Scientific Service "Still a sheer joy to read." — Mathematical Gazette "Should be read by any student, teacher or researcher in mathematics." — Mathematics Teacher The originator of algebraic topology and of the theory of analytic functions of several complex variables, Henri Poincare (1854–1912) excelled at explaining the complexities of scientific and mathematical ideas to lay (...) readers. Science and Method, written in 1908, has been appreciated by a wide audience of nonprofessionals and translated into many languages. It defines the basic methodology and psychology of scientific discovery, particularly in regard to mathematics and mathematical physics. Drawing on examples from many fields, it explains how scientists analyze and choose their working facts, and it explores the nature of experimentation, theory, and the mind. 1914 edition. Translated by Francis Maitland. (shrink)

This edition contains a new introduction by Stefan Kipfer, explaining the book’s contemporary ramifications in the ever-expanding reach of the urban in the ...

Both an ideal entrée for beginning readers and a solid text for scholars, the second edition of Peter Kalkavage's acclaimed translation of Plato's _Timaeus_ brings enhanced accessibility to a rendering well known for its faithfulness to the original text. An extensive essay offers insights into the reading of the work, the nature of Platonic dialogue, and the cultural background of the _Timaeus_. Appendices on music, astronomy, and geometry provide additional guidance. A brief outline of the themes of the work, a (...) detailed glossary, and a selected bibliography are also included. (shrink)

An eminent philosopher explains why we owe it to future generations to take immediate action on global warming Climate change is the supreme challenge of our time. Yet despite growing international recognition of the unfolding catastrophe, global carbon emissions continue to rise, hitting an all-time high in 2019. Unless humanity rapidly transitions to renewable energy, it may be too late to stop irreversible ecological damage. In The Pivotal Generation, renowned political philosopher Henry Shue makes an impassioned case for taking (...) immediate, radical action to combat global warming. Shue grounds his argument in a rigorous philosophical analysis of climate change’s moral implications. Unlike previous generations, which didn’t fully understand the danger of burning carbon, we have the knowledge to comprehend and control rising carbon dioxide levels. And unlike future generations, we still have time to mitigate the worst effects of global warming. This generation has the power, and thus the responsibility, to save the planet. Shirking that responsibility only leaves the next generation with an even heavier burden—one they may find impossible to bear. Written in direct, accessible language, The Pivotal Generation approaches the latest scientific research with a singular moral clarity. It’s an urgently needed call to action for anyone concerned about the planet’s future. (shrink)

There is growing interest in machine ethics in the question of whether and under what circumstances an artificial intelligence would deserve moral consideration. This paper explores a particular type of moral status that the author terms psychological moral patiency, focusing on the epistemological question of what sort of evidence might lead us to reasonably conclude that a given artificial system qualified as having this status. The paper surveys five possible criteria that might be applied: intuitive judgments, assessments of intelligence, the (...) presence of desires and autonomous behavior, evidence of sentience, and behavioral equivalence. The author suggests that despite its limitations, the latter approach offers the best way forward, and defends a variant of that, termed the cognitive equivalence strategy. In short, this holds that an artificial system should be considered a psychological moral patient to the extent that it possesses cognitive mechanisms shared with other beings such as nonhuman animals whom we also consider to be psychological moral patients. -/- . (shrink)

Moral reasoning is individual or collective practical reasoning about what, morally, one ought to do. Philosophical examination of moral reasoning faces both distinctive puzzles — about how we recognize moral considerations and cope with conflicts among them and about how they move us to act — and distinctive opportunities for gleaning insight about what we ought to do from how we reason about what we ought to do.

Leading French thinker with his key work on philosophical thought In Metaphilosophy, Henri Lefebvre works through the implications of Marx’s revolutionary thought to consider philosophy’s engagement with the world. Lefebvre takes Marx’s notion of the “world becoming philosophical and philosophy becoming worldly” as a leitmotif, examining the relation between Hegelian–Marxist supersession and Nietzschean overcoming. Metaphilosophy is conceived of as a transformation of philosophy, developing it into a programme of radical worldwide change. The book demonstrates Lefebvre’s threefold debt to Hegel, Marx (...) and Nietzsche, but it also brings a number of other figures into the conversation, including Sartre, Heidegger and Axelos. A key text in Lefebvre’s oeuvre, Metaphilosophy is also a milestone in contemporary thinking about philosophy’s relation to the world. (shrink)

L'aître, nous dit le Littré, est, dans une église, "ce corps avancé qui précède le portail", ce vestibule par lequel il nous faut accéder afin d'entrer dans l'imposant édifice. Avant d'habiter la langue en laquelle nous pensons, nous faut-il en passer par ses aîtres, lesquels, s'ils ne sont eux-mêmes la demeure, nous y donnent accès. Une langue, en effet, ne se parle usuellement qu'en nous imposant son état construit, et le plus souvent, intentionnel. Or, tout l'enjeu de cet ouvrage, publié (...) pour la première fois en 1975, consiste à méditer, en deçà de la logique de la signification établie, son état pré-construit, son moment d'ouverture par lequel elle surgit à l'état naissant, forte de cette lucidité puissancielle qui la rend inventive et proprement pensante. En méditant le rapport du verbe et du temps, l'instance du parfait dans la langue philosophique grecque ou encore la puissance comme l'impuissance du logos dans l'ensemble de ses acceptions, les trois études qui composent cet ouvrage ont pour vocation de nous rendre attentifs à ce qui, nourrissant toute signification, n'en relève pas encore. (shrink)

This book explains, in simple but accurate terms, how orthodox quantum mechanics works. The author, a distinguished theoretical physicist, shows how this theory, realistically interpreted, assigns an important role to our conscious free choices. Stapp claims that mainstream biology and neuroscience, despite nearly a century of quantum physics, still stick essentially to failed classical precepts in which mental intentions have no effect upon our bodily actions. He shows how quantum mechanics provides a rational basis for a better understanding of this (...) connection, even allowing an explanation of certain phenomena currently held to be "paranormal". These ideas have major implications for our understanding of ourselves and our mental processes, and thus also for the meaningfulness of our lives. (shrink)

Axios's Essence of... Series takes the greatest works of practical philosophy and pares them down to their essence. Selected passages flow together to create a seamless work that will capture your interest from page one. This newest volume in the series is dedicated to David Hume who is ranked as one of the greatest Western philosophers and economists. You will find three main sections on Hume (Religion, Morals, and Economics) as well as a section on his life.

This chapter contains sections titled: The Intentions of Art Can Private Intentions Go Public? The Intention to Make a Poem Poems Are Made out of Words Blake's “London”.

The critical attacks of Philosophy upon the Catholic Faith which have developed since the eighteenth century have at last forced the defenders of that religion to consider the metaphysical foundations of their belief. This is all to the good; the disastrous attempt to separate belief from the searching questions of Reason has resulted in confusion and embarrassment both to Faith and Philosophy.

It is often assumed that singular thought requires that an agent be epistemically acquainted with the object the thought is about. However, it can sometimes truthfully be said of someone that they have a belief about an object, despite not being interestingly epistemically acquainted with that object. In defense of an epistemic acquaintance constraint on singular thought, it is thus often claimed that belief ascriptions are context sensitive and do not always track the contents of an agent’s mental states. This (...) paper uses first-person attitude reports to argue that contextualism about belief ascriptions does not present an adequate defense of an acquaintance constraint on singular thought. (shrink)

La Praxis est le point de départ et le point d'arrivée du matérialisme dialectique. Ce mot désigne philosophiquement ce que le sens commun appelle : "la vie réelle", cette vie qui est à la fois plus prosaïque et plus dramatique que celle de l'esprit, spéculatif. Le but du matérialisme dialectique n'est autre que l'expression lucide de la Praxis, du contenu réel de la vie - et corrélativement la transformation de la Praxis actuelle en une pratique sociale consciente, cohérente et libre. (...) Le but théorique et le but pratique - la connaissance et l'action créatrice - sont inséparables. HENRI LEFEBVRE. (shrink)

Chacun parle couramment d’art ou de pensée moderne, de techniques modernes, d’amour moderne, etc. Malgré l’usage et les abus, le mot n’a pas perdu son prestige. Il sert dans la publicité, dans les propagandes et dans l’expression de tout ce qui est ou paraît nouveau. Mais que signifie-t-il exactement? Ambigu, ce mot révèle à l’analyse deux sens et recouvre deux réalités : tantôt il désigne une exaltation plus ou moins factice et soumise à la mode, tantôt il indique un certain (...) nombre de problèmes et de possibilités (ou d’impossibilités). La première acceptation peut se nommer « modernisme », la seconde « modernit頻. Le modernisme est un phénomène sociologique : l’acte d’une conscience sociale qui peut avoir ses lois. La modernité est une motion liée à une critique naissante et à une problématique définissable. Les douze préludes que contient ce volume s’efforcent de distinguer modernisme et modernité, pour saisir leurs rapports dialectiques. Ils cherchent à préciser les contours de la notion de « modernit頻, en formulant les questions qu’elle pose ou plutôt qu’elle enveloppe. Ce qui ne va pas sans une contestation radicale des réalités et des idées qui semblent établies dans notre société dite moderne. (shrink)

[Bd.] I. Opera theologica.--[Bd.] II. T. 1-2. Opera philosophica.

There is a close coincidence in time between the appearance of psychology as a science and the rise of evolutionary theory. The first laboratory of experimental psychology was established in Germany by Wilhelm Wundt just as Darwin's writings were beginning to have their enormous impact, especially as they might be applied to understanding the human mind (Darwin, 1871). Psychology is an important discipline because it straddles the boundary between the biological sciences and the social or human sciences (defined as those (...) sciences that study exclusively human characteristics) of anthropology, sociology and economics. Given that importance, and given that new sciences lack the conceptual history within which older, established sciences might be mired, it might have been expected that psychology would have embraced in a way that established sciences did not the equally new, sensational and central theorem of biology which spoke to the origins of species as well as the origins of their traits and, crucially, the functions of those traits. Yet for over a century evolutionary theory had virtually no presence in psychology, despite having powerful friends like William James at court (James, 1880). (shrink)

La logique de l'infini (Texte de juillet 1909)--La morale et la science.--L'évolution des lois.--Les rapports de la matière et de l'éther.--La logique de l'infini; (Texte du 3 mai 1912)--L'espace et le temps.--L'hypothèse des quanta.--L'union pour l'éducation morale.--Pourquoi l'espace a trois dimensions.--Appendice: Les fondements de la géométrie. Cornot et les principes du calcul infinitésimal. Le libre examen en matière scientifique. Le démon d'Arrhénius.

On aimerait que la logique de la science soit infaillible. Mais la nature et la rigueur du raisonnement scientifique reposent en grande partie sur l'importance de l'hypothèse, et celle de la convention. Qu'en est-il par exemple du nombre, autrement dit de la grandeur mathématique? La trouvons-nous dans la nature, ou est-ce nous qui l'y introduisons? De même pour l'espace : d'où viennent les premiers principes de la géométrie? Nous sont-ils imposés par la logique? L'espace nous est-il révélé par nos sens? (...) La géométrie dérive-t-elle de l'expérience? Parcourant les sciences, de l'arithmétique et la géométrie jusqu'à la mécanique et la physique expérimentale, Poincaré livre ici son premier essai philosophique, écrit au début du XXe siècle et devenu un classique. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: Notes References.