The debate about the relative epistemic weights carried in favour of a theory by predictions of new phenomena as opposed to accommodations of already known phenomena has a long history. We readdress the issue through a detailed re-examination of a particular historical case that has often been discussed in connection with it-that of Mendeleev and the prediction by his periodic law of the three 'new' elements, gallium, scandium and germanium. We find little support for the standard story that these predictive (...) successes were outstandingly important in the success of Mendeleev's scheme. Accommodations played an equal role-notably that of argon, the first of the 'noble gases' to be discovered; and the methodological situation in this chemical example turns out to be in interesting ways different from that in other cases-invariably from physics-that have been discussed in this connection. The historical episode when accurately analysed provides support for a different account of the relative weight of prediction and accommodation-one that is further articulated here. (shrink)

This short work is concerned primarily to identify and elaborate Aristotle’s contribution to the understanding of emotional response and to trace the consequences of these doctrines for other departments of Aristotle’s thought. Incident to these purposes is an attempt to show the superiority of Aristotle’s views on these subjects over that of his predecessors, principally Plato. The book is considerably broader in scope than its title indicates, being virtually a concise history of the development of philosophical psychology in ancient Greece.

This is a remarkable book for many reasons, not the least of which are the circumstances of its composition and its narrow escape from destruction. It was written during the war, between 1939 and 1943. "During the Warsaw Rising in August 1944," the author relates, "I managed to rescue the manuscript when my house was set on fire. While I was being marched to the regroupment camp it was seized by a German officer who was searching my suitcase. ‘A work (...) of scholarship?’ he shouted, ‘you won't be needing that. There’s no more Polish culture'. He threw the manuscript into the gutter. I took a chance and retrieved it, and in this way the work was saved." The purpose of the book is also somewhat remarkable in light of the dearth of other books on what is arguably the most important thing in life for any member of the human race. Finally, the work is remarkable for its bringing together so many different texts of so many different kinds, from literature, mythology, religion, philosophy, folklore, and biography, to research in the exact sciences. (shrink)

An elaborately extended analysis of what Singer believes to be the basic form of moral argument: If everyone did that, the consequences would be undesirable, therefore you ought not to do that. This argument in conjunction with several principles of a modified utilitarianism are interpreted as grounding rational morality. The place of reason in ethics, classical utilitarianism, the distinction between moral rules, laws, and principles, and the distinction between prudence and morality are discussed in detail. The general argument of the (...) book is rather complicated and at times the transitions seem weak.--E. R. G. (shrink)

Hall's final statement of his "intentionalistic empiricism" in epistemology and ethics. He takes emotional experience to be basic; perceptions are only an abstracted portion of this experience. Truth as a property of empirical propositions, and legitimacy as a property of value propositions, are interpreted as unanalyzable relations between propositions and facts or values. The test of truth and legitimacy is coherence. The examples of emotionally expressive language found throughout the second half of this work show sensitivity to the variety in (...) such a language.--E. R. G. (shrink)

This is a collection of essays, most being reprints or revisions of works which have appeared elsewhere, focusing on aspects of Rawls’ treatise. The intent of the volume is to furnish a "guide to the problems and lines of criticism which must be pursued" in the furtherance of a "full scholarly assessment of Rawls’ achievement." Additionally, the editor hopes that the collection may serve as "an aid to the education of advanced students" who may be reading Rawls in graduate seminars. (...) The volume is organized around four main themes: 1) contractarianism and the original position, 2) the attack on utilitarianism and the attempt to avoid intuitionism, 3) the doctrines of justice as fairness and the difference principle, and 4) criticisms from the social sciences. The contributors are: Thomas Nagel, Ronald Dworkin, Milton Fisk, R. M. Hare, Joel Feinberg, Gerald Dworkin, David Lyons, T. M. Scanlon, Richard Miller, H. L. A. Hart, Norman Daniels, A. K. Sen, Benjamin Barber, and Frank Michelman. Daniels has also provided an excellent introduction summarizing the issues and criticisms which are debated within: it furnishes a helpful overview of the volume’s contents as well as a conspectus of Rawls criticism generally. Finally there is a selected bibliography of further criticism, and a name index. (shrink)