Reason and Value collects 15 new papers by leading contemporary philosophers on themes from the work of Joseph Raz. Raz has made major contributions in a wide range of areas, including jurisprudence, political philosophy, and the theory of practical reason; but all of his work displays a deep engagement with central themes in moral philosophy. The subtlety and power of Raz's reflections on ethical topics make his writings a fertile source for anyone working in this area. Especially significant are his (...) explorations of the connections between practical reason and the theory of value, which constitute a sustained and penetrating treatment of a set of issues at the very center of moral philosophy as it is practiced today. The contributors to the volume acknowledge the importance of Raz's contributions by engaging critically with his positions and offering independent perspectives on the topics that he has addressed. The volume aims both to honour Raz's accomplishments in the area of ethical theorizing, and to contribute to an enhanced appreciation of the significance of his work for the subject. (shrink)

The Nature of God explores a perennial problem in the philosophy of religion.

Despite All Critique (2014) -- World Politics and Western Reason (1980) -- The Doubled Outsides of the Modern International (2005) -- The Subject of Security (1995) -- The Protection of Nature and the Nature of Protection (2005) -- Social Movements/World Politics (1994) -- Europe is Not Where It is Supposed to Be (2000) -- They Seek it Here, They Seek it There : Looking for Politics in Clayoquot Sound (2003) -- Violence, Modernity, Silence : From Weber to International Relations (1993) (...) -- Hobbes, Origins, Limits (2011) -- War, Terror, Judgement (2002) -- International, Imperial, Exceptional (2005) -- Which Democracy for Which Demos? (2013) -- The Political Theory of Boundaries and the Boundaries of Political Theory : Interview With Raia Prokhovnik (2012). (shrink)

Elliot R. Wolfson intervenes in the debate over Martin Heidegger and Nazism from a unique perspective, as a scholar of Jewish mysticism and philosophy who has been profoundly influenced by Heidegger's work. He reveals crucial aspects of Heidegger's thinking that betray an affinity with dimensions of Jewish thought.

In this exploratory study, we examine political polarization regarding the online discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic. We use data from Reddit to explore the differences in the topics emphasized by different subreddits according to political ideology. We also examine whether there are systematic differences in the credibility of sources shared by the subscribers of subreddits that vary by ideology, and in the tendency to share information from sources implicated in spreading COVID-19 misinformation. Our results show polarization in topics of discussion: (...) the Trump, White House, and economic relief topics are statistically more prominent in liberal subreddits, and China and deaths topics are more prominent in conservative subreddits. There are also significant differences between liberal and conservative subreddits in their preferences for news sources. Liberal subreddits share and discuss articles from more credible news sources than conservative subreddits, and conservative subreddits are more likely than liberal subreddits to share articles from sites flagged for publishing COVID-19 misinformation. (shrink)

This book focuses upon the perennial question of the existence and nature of an obligation to obey the law. Leading writers have, at one time or another, emphasized considerations such as gratitude, 'divine ordering, ' prudence, contract, autonomy, and utility in seeking to justify, or to deny any justification for, some sort of obligation to obey the positive law. The book provides relevant selections from a sampling of the historical approaches to legal obligation taken by writers such as Plato, Augustine, (...) Aquinas, Hobbes, Locke, Hume, Rousseau, Thoreau, Bentham, Marx and Engels, and Martin Luther King, Jr. These classical discussions are augmented by critical questions and commentary, by independent discussions of the question of legal obligation by a wide range of contemporary writers, and by relevant judicial cases discussing matters such as conscientious objection and civil disobedience. (shrink)

Friedrich Nietzsche e a crítica da subjetividade cartesiana O nome de Descartes aparece várias vezes nas obras publicadas e nos fragmentos póstumos de Nietzsche. As considerações do filósofo alemão são quase sempre críticas e recuperam, embora com um diferente juízo de valor, a interpretação do pensamento cartesiano fornecida pela tradição idealista. Nesta perspetiva, Descartes é considerado o pai do racionalismo ocidental, o pensador que teria colocado o cogito no centro da representação. A este respeito, analisar criticamente a leitura nietzschiana não (...) significa só questionar a validade da sua interpretação, mas pôr em causa os mesmos cânones da modernidade filosófica. Palavras-chave: Nietzsche; Descartes; Cogito; Idealismo alemão; Heidegger; Modernidade. Friedrich Nietzsche et la critique de la subjectivité cartésienne Résumé: Le nome de Descartes apparait plusieurs fois dans les œuvres publiées et dans les fragments posthumes de Nietzsche. Les considérations du philosophe allemand sont presque toujours critiques et reprennent, même si avec un diffèrent jugement de valeur, l’interprétation de la pensée cartésienne fournie par la tradition idéaliste. Dans cette perspective, Descartes est considéré comme le père du rationalisme occidental, à savoir, le penseur qui aurait placé le cogito au centre de la représentation. À cet égard, analyser de façon critique l’approche de Nietzsche n’implique pas seulement mettre en question la validité de son interprétation, mais aussi remettre en cause les canons de la modernité philosophique. Mots-clés: Nietzsche; Descartes; Cogito; Modernité. Friedrich Nietzsche e the criticism of Cartesian subjectivity Abstract: Descartes’ name appears several times in Nietzsche’s published works and in his posthumous fragments. The considerations of the German philosopher are almost always critical and resume, although with a different value of judgement, the interpretation of Cartesian thought provided by Idealistic tradition. In this perspective, Descartes is considered as the father of Western Rationalism, namely, the author that would place the cogito at the center of representation. In this regard, to critically analyzing Nietzschean approach toward Descartes it does not only imply to questioning the validity of his interpretation, but also to questioning the very same canons of philosophical modernity. Keywords: Nietzsche; Descartes; Cogito; Modernity. (shrink)

The concept of yinyang lies at the heart of Chinese thought and culture. The relationship between these two opposing, yet mutually dependent, forces is symbolized in the familiar black and white symbol that has become an icon in popular culture across the world. The real significance of yinyang is, however, more complex and subtle. This brilliant and comprehensive analysis by one of the leading authorities in the field captures the richness and multiplicity of the meanings and applications of yinyang, including (...) its visual presentations. Through a vast range of historical and textual sources, the book examines the scope and role of yinyang, the philosophical significance of its various layers of meanings and its relation to numerous schools and traditions within Chinese philosophy. By putting yinyang on a secure and clear philosophical footing, the book roots the concept in the original Chinese idiom, distancing it from Western assumptions, frameworks and terms, yet also seeking to connect its analysis to shared cross-cultural philosophical concerns. (shrink)

This paper aims to investigate the reception of the Cartesian theory of eternal truths in Spinoza’s thought. As demonstrated by several occurrences in his works, he had a deep and articulated knowledge of Descartes’s doctrine. Unlike most of important philosophers of the period, Spinoza did not simply reject the theory, but he tried to incorporate and integrate it in his own reflection. For this reason, by accepting some of its premises – the centrality of God’s efficient causation, the creation of (...) both the essence and the existence of things –, Spinoza ended up by refuting its metaphysical consequences. (shrink)

Information can be public among a group. Whether or not information is public matters, for example, for accounts of interdependent rational choice, of communication, and of joint intention. A standard analysis of public information identifies it with (some variant of) common belief. The latter notion is stipulatively defined as an infinite conjunction: for p to be commonly believed is for it to believed by all members of a group, for all members to believe that all members believe it, and so (...) forth. This analysis is often presupposed without much argument in philosophy. Theoretical entrenchment or intuitions about cases might give some traction on the question, but give little insight about why the identification holds, if it does. The strategy of this paper is to characterize a practical-normative role for information being public, and show that the only things that play that role are (variants of) common belief as stipulatively characterized. In more detail: a functional role for “taking a proposition for granted” in non-isolated decision making is characterized. I then present some minimal conditions under which such an attitude is correctly held. The key assumption links this attitude to beliefs about what is public. From minimal a priori principles, we can argue that a proposition being public among a group entails common commitment to believe among that group. Later sections explore partial converses to this result, the factivity of publicity and publicity from the perspective of outsiders to the group, and objections to the aprioricity of the result deriving from a posteriori existential presuppositions. (shrink)

This paper is aimed to indicate two new possible Descartes’ sources. As far as the Cartesian theory of free creation of eternal truths is concerned, this doctrine has often been considered as a reaction to the thought of Francisco Suárez. In this article, we tried to demonstrate that there is the possibility of extending the domain of Cartesian references. In this regard, we have focused on Pedro da Fonseca and the Coimbra Commentaries, trying to point out some additional sources in (...) the Cartesian reflection. (shrink)

How do we access the authentic self in order to live fulfilling, meaningful lives? In straightforward terms, The Heart of the Matter: Gifts in Strange Wrapping Paper explains a simple but extraordinarily powerful technique called the See, Feel, Hear Challenge that enables people to easily gain entry into the storehouse of their subconscious core beliefs. In the process, it cracks the coded messages that those beliefs release in the form of disease, suffering, addictions, unhappy relationships, and victimized circumstances. Based in (...) the latest findings in neuroscience and neurocardiology, this book guides readers to an uncomplicated understanding of the astounding power of our emotions and how life automatically delivers experiences that trigger negative reactions that subconsciously impact us. These emotions form the foundation of core beliefs that create unhealthy attitudes and dis-ease patterns that keep us from experiencing the authentic, satisfying lives we desire. Using clear examples and true stories from clients, Dr. Weissman’s latest work demonstrates how we can release these stored emotions and their wisdom via the See, Feel, Hear Challenge. It then explains how to use this simple method to evoke feelings that positively impact the quantum field, remolding our bodies, minds, and everyday lives into purposeful expressions of inner joy and radiant well-being. Whether you’re dealing with addictions, dysfunctional relationships, or illness, or are focused on becoming an Olympic champion, The Heart of the Matter gives you a potent tool for positive change and transformation that you can use for the rest of your life. (shrink)

This volume gathers together for the first time are all the key texts in a crucial debate in modern philosophy, centered on Leibniz's famous 1695 essay, the "New System of the Nature of Substances and their Communication," in which he introduced his strikingly original theory of metaphysics. His "system" became increasingly famous and drew him into discussion and development of these ideas, both in public and in private, with a variety of thinkers, most notably the great French philosopher Pierre Bayle. (...) Woolhouse's and Francks's new English edition gives the only full representation of this debate, and will therefore be essential reading for anyone who wishes to gain a proper understanding of Leibniz's philosophy and its intelletual context. All the texts are newly translated and extensively annotated; many appear in English for the first time. (shrink)

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a recepção crítica da teoria cartesiana das verdades eternas no pensamento de Leibniz. A sua reflexão, de fato, pode ser interpretada como uma tentativa de fazer face às implicações e às possíveis consequências da doutrina de Descartes. Aliás, se o filósofo alemão não tivesse criticamente interrogado as premissas da teoria cartesiana, nunca teria podido formular um discurso capaz de justificar o agir divino. À luz desta exigência, Leibniz acaba por limitar a extensão do poder (...) divino, reintroduzindo, após Descartes, a univocidade entre Deus e as criaturas. (shrink)

Trees with indistinguishability relations provide a semantics for a temporal language “composed by” the Peircean tense operators and the Ockhamist modal operator. In this paper, a finite axiomatization with a non standard rule for this language interpreted over bundled trees with indistinguishability relations is given. This axiomatization is proved to be sound and strongly complete.

O artigo tem como objetivo investigar as razões que levaram Descartes a não concluir as Regras para a direção do Espírito, estabelecendo uma relação entre a interrupção da obra e a teoria de 1630 sobre a natureza criada das verdades eternas. Com a doutrina da livre criação das verdades, Descartes apresenta uma proposta metafísica que exigia uma revisitação dos pressupostos da sua própria epistemologia. Se nas Regras a matemática e a geometria eram consideradas isentas de toda incerteza, com a entrada (...) em cena da teoria de 1630 essas disciplinas encontram-se submetidas à causalidade arbitrária da onipotência divina. Essa consideração metafísica requer uma reflexão ulterior para avaliar as suas consequências. O projeto das Regras – interrompido, mas não abandonado – será assim reformulado à luz da novidade metafísica de 1630. As Meditações se encarregarão dessa tarefa, demonstrando de que modo a natureza criada das verdades eternas não implica colocar em questão o conhecimento humano. (shrink)

This article aims to present the Coimbra Commentaries as a critical source of the Cartesian Meditations. The Cursus Conimbricensis played an important role in shaping the philosophical pedagogy of the seventeenth century, and many modern scholars were formed through the pages of these volumes. Although we do not know for sure whether the Coimbra Commentaries were used as textbooks in La Flèche, there are solid reasons for believing that, when Descartes refers to the possibility of divine deception in the first (...) meditation, he is using some examples taken from the Commentary on Physics written by Manuel de Góis. (shrink)

Résumé: Cet article vise à analyser la réception de la théorie cartésienne des vérités éternelles dans les œuvres de Leibniz et Malebranche. Les deux auteurs ont critiqué et refusé ses prémisses pour éviter les conséquences dont ils pensaient qu’elles découlaient de la doctrine de Descartes. L’objectif est celui de démontrer qu’on ne peut pas comprendre pleinement leurs réflexions sans les interpréter à la lumière de la théorie cartésienne, dans la mesure où elle représente la condition critique de possibilité de leur (...) approche philosophique. Mots-clés: Théodicée Moderne. Vérités Éternelles. Descartes. Leibniz. Malebranche. Descartes and the genealogy of modern theodicy in Leibniz and Malebranche: This article aims to analyze the reception of the Cartesian theory of the eternal truths in the works of Leibniz and Malebranche. Both authors criticized and refused the premises of Descartes’ doctrine in order to avoid the consequences they believed derived from it. The main goal is to demonstrate that we cannot fully understand their reflections without interpreting them in the light of the Cartesian theory, as it represents the critical condition of possibility of their philosophical approach. Key-words: Modern Theodicy. Eternal Truths. Descartes. Leibniz. Malebranche. Descartes e a genealogia da teodiceia moderna em Leibniz e Malebranche Resumo: Este artigo propõe-se a analisar a recepção da teoria de Descartes das verdades eternas nas obras de Leibniz e Malebranche. Os dois autores criticaram e recusaram as premissas cartesianas para evitar as consequências que eles pensavam dependentes da doutrina. O objetivo é demonstrar que não podemos compreender plenamente as reflexões de Leibniz e Malebranche sem interpretá-las à luz da teoria cartesiana, como se essa doutrina representasse a condição crítica de possibilidade da sua abordagem filosófica. Palavras-chave: Teodiceia Moderna. Verdades Eternas. Descartes. Leibniz. Malebranche. (shrink)

Fredric Jameson, considerato il massimo critico e teorico di ispirazione marxista nel mondo angloamericano, sin dagli esordi ha proposto una lettura dei concetti piů rilevanti della Critica della ragione dialettica di Sartre, indirizzandoli verso una critica del capitalismo, letto come fenomeno di totalizzazione. L'obiettivo del saggio č discutere l'ereditÀ del pensiero di Sartre nella riflessione marxista contemporanea sulla totalitÀ, nella quale pare emergere, in particolare, un'analisi dei suoi movimenti formali: nella recente disamina di Jameson, per esempio, l'attualizzazione di Sartre č (...) diretta verso la costituzione di una ‘poetica della totalitÀ', in cui estetica e politica trovano una relazione filosofica ponendosi quali forme di resistenza alla totalitÀ capitalistica. (shrink)

Il est impossible de tromper la nature. C’est l’avertissement que Galilée adresse aux « ingénieurs ignorants» qui étaient convaincus que les machines pouvaient vaincre la nature en réalisant l’impossible. Dans Le mecaniche il montre que les mouvements mécaniques ne peuvent pas se produire contre la nature. Les machines doivent obéir à certaines lois de la nature auxquelles on ne peut pas déroger, comme le principe de compensation qui établit une liaison entre la force motrice et la résistance déplacée; formulé en (...) termes de mouvements virtuels, il devient le principe fondamental d’une nouvelle approche de la dynamique, au moyen de laquelle Galilée construit une nouvelle science de l’équilibre, première forme de la statique moderne. (shrink)

Il est impossible de tromper la nature. C’est l’avertissement que Galilée adresse aux « ingénieurs ignorants» qui étaient convaincus que les machines pouvaient vaincre la nature en réalisant l’impossible. Dans Le mecaniche il montre que les mouvements mécaniques ne peuvent pas se produire contre la nature. Les machines doivent obéir à certaines lois de la nature auxquelles on ne peut pas déroger, comme le principe de compensation qui établit une liaison entre la force motrice et la résistance déplacée; formulé en (...) termes de mouvements virtuels, il devient le principe fondamental d’une nouvelle approche de la dynamique, au moyen de laquelle Galilée construit une nouvelle science de l’équilibre, première forme de la statique moderne. (shrink)

L’articolo si propone di analizzare la ricezione della relazione tra Descartes e Kant nella storiografia post-kantiana, con particolare riguardo per le interpretazioni di Paul Natorp e Ferdinand Alquié. La prima sezione dell’articolo analizza la presenza di Descartes in Kant, rilevando un paradosso: nonostante i vari riferimenti presenti nel _corpus_ kantiano, non esiste una sola citazione diretta del filosofo francese. La seconda sezione si concentra sull’interpretazione fornita da Natorp, con particolare attenzione per il ruolo centrale svolto dal metodo nella riflessione cartesiana. (...) La terza sezione affronta l’opposta lettura di Alquié e sottolinea le ragioni, tanto teoriche quanto storiografiche, che ci portano a preferire quest’ultimo approccio. (shrink)

In diesem Aufsatz untersuchen wir Leibniz' Ansicht uber die "Ars Analytica". Gelegenheit dazu bietet die Diskussion uber die Losung der sogenannten "Probleme eines Hollanders". Es geht dabei um 12 Probleme uber das Dreieck. Gegeben sind in diesen Problemen: einer der Basiswinkel, die Differenz von Basissegmenten und ein Verhaltnis,das bei den einzelnen Problemen variiert zwischen den Seiten des Dreiecks. "Die Probleme des Hollanders" sind aus mehreren Grunden wichtig. Sie liefern einen aufschllussreichen Test, den Stand der Mathematik in Italien in der zweiten (...) Halfte des 17. Jahrhunderts zu prufen. Sie lassen das Nebeneinanderbestehen unterschiedlicher mathematischer Methoden erkennen, und zwar klassischer und moderner Methoden. Schliessich sind die Probleme sehr interessant fur den Stand der Gedanken, die Leibniz zu ihrer Behandlung aussert. (shrink)

A defence of the idea that there are sui generis duties of love: duties, that is, that we owe to people in virtue of standing in loving relationships with them. I contrast this non-reductionist position with the widespread reductionist view that our duties to those we love all derive from more generic moral principles. The paper mounts a cumulative argument in favour of the non-reductionist position, adducing a variety of considerations that together speak strongly in favour of adopting it. The (...) concluding section connects this debate with larger issues in moral theory concerning the general idea of obligation. (shrink)