Normative individualism appears to be an obvious normative premise underlying a liberal conception of the desirable social order. The shortcomings of some common Interpretations of this premise are discussed and a more consistent as well as a more workable standard for assessing the ‘goodness’ of alternative socio-institutional arrangements is specified. With such an Interpretation of normative individualism, a contractrarian conception as advocated by J.M. Buchanan can be viewed as a systematic extension of classical liberalism.

The article discusses some of the fundamental conceptual and theoretical aspects of rational choice and moral order. A distinction is drawn between constitutional interests and compliance interests, and it is argued that a viable moral order requires that the two interests somehow be brought into congruence. It is shown that with regard to the prospects for a spontaneous emergence of such congruence, a distinction between two kinds of moral rules which we call trust-rules and solidarity-rules is of crucial importance.

What is the nature and role of competition in markets and politics? This book examines the institutional dimension of markets and the rules and institutions that condition the operation of market economies. Particular attention is paid to the the role of the state, specifically the role of governments in shaping and maintaining the economic constitution of their societies.

What is the nature and role of competition in markets and politics? This book examines the institutional dimension of markets and the rules and institutions that condition the operation of market economies. Particular attention is paid to the the role of the state, specifically the role of governments in shaping and maintaining the economic constitution of their societies.

Darwin himself suggested the idea of generalizing the core Darwinian principles to cover the evolution of social entities. Also in the nineteenth century, influential social scientists proposed their extension to political society and economic institutions. Nevertheless, misunderstanding and misrepresentation have hindered the realization of the powerful potential in this longstanding idea. Some critics confuse generalization with analogy. Others mistakenly presume that generalizing Darwinism necessarily involves biological reductionism. This essay outlines the types of phenomena to which a generalized Darwinism applies, and (...) upholds that there is no reason to exclude social or economic entities. (shrink)

This book is a radical reappraisal of positivism as a major movement in philosophy, science and culture. In examining positivist movement and its contemporary impact, I had the following goals. First, to provide a more precise and systematic definition of the notion of positivism. Second, to describe positivism as a trend of thought concerned not only with the theory of knowledge and philosophy of science, but also with problems of ethics, social, and political philosophy, and show that its representatives usually (...) thought that the problems of the latter cannot be solved without solving the former first. Third, to examine the development of positivism as a movement which preserves a certain tradition and hence possesses some coherence, although the forms of this movement changed in different historical circumstances: it was born in the eighteenth century during the Enlightenment, took the form of social positivism in the nineteenth century, was transformed at the turn of the twentieth century with the emergence of empirio-criticism, and became logical positivism in the twentieth century. Fourth, to reveal the external and internal factors of this evolution. Fifth, to disclose the relation of positivism to other trends of philosophy. Sixth, to determine the influence the positive mind had not only upon philosophy, but upon other cultural phenomena, such as the natural and social sciences, law, politics, arts, religion, and everyday life. (shrink)

Ṣadr al-Dīn Shīrāzī, Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm, -1641 -- View on eschatology. ; Resurrection (Islam).

Verse treatises on Advaita Jaina, and Nyaya philosophy.

Las mujeres desafiaron la condición de "inferiores", "incapaces" o "dependientes" a que las destinaba su esencia femenina. Eligieron la literatura, la ciencia y la filosofía para expresarse. Incluso, en los períodos más adversos por la censura pública, algunas de ellas teorizaron en diarios íntimos o epístolas. Muchas veces se les prohibió el uso de la palabra y de la pluma, o simplemente fueron asesinadas por proseguir sus investigaciones. Durante largos períodos, no les fue permitido firmar con nombre propio sus textos, (...) para no deshonrar a sus familias, figurando su obra como de "autor anónimo". Superada la etapa de anonimato forzado, la mayoría firmaba con su inicial y su apellido paterno o marital, o un seudónimo masculino, desdibujándose así su autoría. Lo cierto es que la mayoría de las filósofas tuvo que esperar hasta el siglo XX para que sus obras fueran rescatadas del anonimato. Las mujeres llevaron a cabo un debate interesante respecto de la no-sexuación del alma. Desde la Antigüedad, la mayoría de los filósofos varones sostuvo una concepción dualista del ser humano, es decir, en términos de cuerpo y alma unidos pero separados o separables. Ellos sostuvieron que la carne o cuerpo material limitaba al alma o la razón. Y como los cuerpos de las mujeres sufren procesos que no controlan -menstruación, embarazo, lactancia-no alcanzan la perfección, son materia imperfecta, haciéndolas esto más débiles, fofas y frágiles. Sin embargo, ellas siempre entendieron al "alma" o "razón" como a-sexuada y al "cuerpo" como portador de las marcas del sexo, de la raza u otras. Es decir, que un mismo argumento les valió para desmontar la jerarquización de los sexos y de las razas impuesto al pensamiento a lo largo de los siglos. Por esto, para conocer las ideas, la obra y los aportes de estas mujeres, Ellas lo pensaron antes. Filósofas excluidas de la memoria reúne una selección de veintidós filósofas que desde la Antigüedad hasta nuestros días han contribuido y contribuyen a la construcción del pensamiento y el desarrollo de la sociedad. Ellas lo pensaron antes aims to shed a light on the lives of extraordinary women who defied conventional female roles by devoting themselves to literature, science, and philosophy. In these pages, readers will become acquainted with the ideas, works, and contributions of twenty-two female philosophers from Antiquity until the present time who have been--and still are--instrumental to the evolution of ideas and the development of our societies. ​. (shrink)