Suchergebnisse

Introduction -- The material, i.e. nature -- Capitalism as we know it -- The question of revolution -- What is being proposed here -- The anti-hegelian argument -- Hypostatization : the logical argument -- A wider philosophical framework -- Metaphysics vs. the abstract -- Ruptures and oblivion -- Political economy of capitalism -- Mainstream economic theory -- Marxist theory -- Capitalism, economics, the economy -- Metaphysics vs. the concrete -- Ruptures and dynamism -- The iterative character of capitalism -- Capitalism as a cultural frame -- The philosophical explanation -- Side-effects of iterativeness -- The firm and the market -- Marketing of products -- Capitalism's politeia -- Capitalism's institutions -- The nation-state -- International deals : trade and war -- Imperialism -- Fascism again -- Capitalism vs. individuality -- Materialism is a lonely endeavour -- Capitalism is an anti-culture -- Revolution -- Individuality -- Like cut flowers -- The so-called "transformation problem" -- Intellectual drift -- Withered individuality

In "The Metaphysics of Meaning, Jerrold J. Katz offers a radical reappraisal of the "linguistic turn" in twentieth century philosophy. He shows that the naturalism which emerged to become the dominant philosophical position was never adequately proven. Katz critiques the major arguments for contemporary naturalism and develops a new conception of the naturalistic fallacy. This conception, inspired by Moore, explains why attempts to naturalize disciplines like linguistics and logic, and perhaps ethics, will fail. He offers a Platonist view of such disciplines, justifying it as the best explanation of their autonomy, objectivity, and normativity. Katz examines in detail both Wittgenstein's arguments for a deflationary naturalism on which metaphysics transcends the limits of language, and Quine's arguments for a scientific naturalism on which epistemology is "an enterprise within natural science." He also analyzes related arguments, including Kripke's on rule following, Chomsky's for the psychological reality of language, Dummett's on the nature of theories Of meaning, and Davidson's and Putnam's against intensionalism. Katz shows that, although largely successful against the Fregean psychologized versions of intensionalism, all these arguments fail against an intensionalism that avoids both Fregeanism and psychologism. "The Metaphysics of Meaning concludes with a reassessment of the nature of philosophical problems. It explains their recalcitrance, without, like

"Rorty, Religion, and Metaphysics argues that while Rorty's case is clearly and robustly made, it is fundamentally challenged by the phenomenon of human recognition, the relationship that arises between people when they talk to one another. John Owens demonstrates that recognition, so central to human life, cannot be accommodated within Rorty's proposals, given that it precisely attributes a reality to others that goes beyond anything a pragmatist framework can offer. It follows that there is more to human interaction than can be explained by Rorty's pragmatism."--

In this essay, Aaron Beaver argues that the poetry of Gavrila Derzhavin routinely and consistently connects metaphysical beliefs with moral ones, and that, at its most sophisticated, this connection amounts to a full "metaphysics of morality" much like that developed by Derzhavin's contemporary, the philosopher Immanuel Kant. Beaver begins by exploring Derzhavin's belief in the immortality of virtue; he then examines how Derzhavin's famous monument poems assert the poet's immortalitybecausehe verbally pays tribute to those who are virtuous; finally he analyzes Derzhavin's 1797 poem "Bessmertie dushi," in which the poet realizes the connection between the immortality of the soul and morality. The latter part of the article examines Derzhavin's poetic expression of this connection in light of Kant's two postulates of the moral law—the immortality of the soul and the existence of God—and finds that Derzhavin's poetry expresses a similar position with genuine philosophical rigor.

The past three decades have witnessed the emergence, at the forefront of political thought, of several Kantian theories. Both the critical reaction to consequentialism inspired by Rawlsian constructivism and the universalism of more recent theories informed by Habermasian discourse ethics trace their main sources of inspiration back to Kant's writings. Yet much of what is Kantian in contemporary theory is formulated with more or less strict caveats concerning Kant's metaphysics. These range from radical claims that theories of justice must be political, not metaphysical, to more cautious calls

"Intended for those interested in Kant's contribution to philosophy, this volume provides an overview of Kant's arguments concerning central issues in metaphysics and ethics. Arthur Melnick argues that the key to all of Kant's arguments is his constructivist theory of space and time."--Jacket

The Metaphysics of Morals is Kant's final major work in moral philosophy. In it, he presents the basic concepts and principles of right and virtue and the system of duties of human beings as such. The work comprises two parts: the Doctrine of Right concerns outer freedom and the rights of human beings against one another; the Doctrine of Virtue concerns inner freedom and the ethical duties of human beings to themselves and others. Mary Gregor's translation, lightly revised for this edition, is the only complete translation of the entire text, and includes extensive annotation on Kant's difficult and sometimes unfamiliar vocabulary. This edition includes numerous new footnotes, some of which address controversial aspects of Gregor's translation or offer alternatives. Lara Denis's introduction sets the work in context, explains its structure and themes, and introduces important interpretive debates. The volume also provides thorough guidance on further reading including online resources.

"The work of women philosophers in the early modern period has traditionally been overlooked, yet their writing on topics such as reality, time, mind and matter holds valuable lessons for our understanding of metaphysics and its history. Investigating issues from eternity to free will and from body to natural laws, the essays uncover long- neglected perspectives and demonstrate their importance for philosophical debates, both then and now. Combining careful philosophical analysis with discussion of the intellectual and historical context of each thinker, they will set the agenda for future enquiry and will appeal to scholars and students of the history of metaphysics, science, religion and feminism"--

Francis J. Beckwith's (2001) critique of Paul D. Simmons's (2000) analysis of US abortion policy & of Justice Blackman's opinion in the US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973) is challenged. An overview of the social & cultural context surrounding the contemporary abortion debate is presented, emphasizing the rise in the practice of abandoning infants in US society. Beckwith's contention that involving metaphysics into discussions of abortion is unavoidable is questioned & contrasted to Simmons's & Blackman's respective positions that metaphysics has no place in democratic policy making. Several problems with Beckwith's argument for using the viability standard to determining when a fetus become a human being are then identified, eg, the use of metaphysical perspectives to interpret constitutional documents, especially in pluralistic societies. In addition, Beckwith's claim that Simmons's "no-subject perspective" necessarily makes him a metaphysical materialist is strongly repudiated. Ultimately, Beckwith is delineated as a philosophical fundamentalist & is urged to consider the works of American pragmatists William James & John Dewey. J. W. Parker

This book examines Richard Rorty's position that religious and metaphysical beliefs should simply be abandoned, and proposes that his position is contradicted by what is a fundamental part of every human life, namely the phenomenon of human recognition of other people.