What really makes the concepts of obligation or permission so important for practical philosophy? What if we could find a better concept, one that, despite the simplicity, could show itself as intuitive and rich as possible? Could justifications be used in common language and practice as a sign of ethical judgment and as a strong motive for action? In most scenarios, for example, it really doesn’t matter if a given action is obliged, permitted or forbidden, one may perform the action (...) as long as a justification for doing it is present. In this sense, the notion of justification seems to be more basic and powerful than other concepts used in the philosophical discourse. The existence of formal systems based on the epistemological side of justification, created by Artemov, led us primarily to think that justification could make the formal discourse much more accurate for ethics than the ones using deontological concepts. In the semantical and syntactical aspects, almost all of Artemov’s systems directly proved to be fruitful for ethical purposes. We also developed combinations between the standard deontic logic and logics of justification, resulting in what whe called the Logics of Normative Justification. These systems were able to change the object of the justification formulas and shed some light in ethics as a whole, normative and metaethics. Metaethics were a forgotten subject in formal ethics. We were also able to deal with some known problems in deontic logic, like the famous Ross’s paradox and the expressiveness of prima facie and all-things-considered obligations. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: Acosta, José de (1539–1600) Alberdi, Juan Bautista (1810–84) Bello, Andrés (1781–1865) Bilbao, Francisco (1823–65) Bolkvar, Simón (1783–1830) Casas, Bartolomé de las (1484–1566) Caso, Antonio (1883–1946) Cruz, Sor Juana Inés de la (1651–95) da Costa, Newton Carneiro Affonso (b. 1929) Dussel, Enrique (b. 1934) Frondizi, Risieri (1910–83) Gaos, José (1900–69) González Prada, Manuel (1848–1918) Gracia, Jorge J. E. (b. 1942) Haya de la Torre, Victor Raúl (1895–1979) Hostos, Eugenio Marka de (1839–1903) Ingenieros, José (1877–1925) Korn, (...) Alejandro (1860–1936) Lastarria, José Victorino (1817–88) Lemos, Miguel (1854–1917) Mariátegui, José Carlos (1895–1930) Martk, José (1853–95) Méndez Sierra, Justo (1848–1912) Mora, José Maria Luis (1794–1850) Miró Quesada, Francisco (b. 1918) Rabossi, Eduardo (1930–2005) Ramos, Samuel (1897–1959) Rodó, José Enrique (1872–1917) Romero, Francisco (1891–1962) Sahagún, Fray Bernardino de (1499–1590) Salazar Bondy, Augusto (1925–74) Sarmiento, Domingo Faustino (1811–88) Ofelia Schutte (b. 1945) Sepslveda, Juan Ginés de (ca. 1494–1573) Torretti, Roberto (b. 1930) Vasconcelos, José (1882–1959) Vaz Ferreira, Carlos (1872–1958) Villoro, Luis (b. 1922) Vitoria, Francisco de (ca. 1483–1546) Zea Aguilar, Leopoldo (1912–2004) Acknowledgment Further Reading. (shrink)

Ética e subjetividade no Budismo chinês contemporâneo Resumo: O presente artigo procura pensar as questões da ética e da subjetividade no contexto do pensamento budista na China contemporânea. Ele parte de uma genealogia do conceito de subjetividade conforme desenvolvido através do debate entre a escola Yogacãra do Budismo indiano e o Novo Confucionismo. Ao mesmo tempo, aponta para as possíveis implicações deste conceito de subjetividade em sua relação com as questões éticas presentes na China contemporânea. Palavras-chave: Ética. Subjetividade. Escola Yogacãra (...) do Budismo indiano. Novo Confucionismo. Ethics and subjectivity in contemporary Chinese Buddhism: This article tries to think the matters of ethics and subjectivity in the context of Buddhist thought in contemporary China. It has its starting point in an analysis of the concept of subjectivity as developed in the debate between the Yogacãra school of indian Buddhism and the New Confucianism. At the same time, it points to the possible implications of this concept of subjectivity for the ethical matters in contemporary chinese society. Keywords: Ethics. Subjectivity. Yogacãra school of indian Buddhism. New Confucianism. Ética y subjetividad en el budismo chino contemporáneo Resumen: Este artículo busca reflexionar sobre cuestiones de ética y subjetividad en el contexto del pensamiento budista en la China contemporánea. Comienza con una genealogía del concepto de subjetividad desarrollado a través del debate entre la escuela Yogacara del budismo indio y el nuevo confucianismo. Al mismo tiempo, señala las posibles implicaciones de este concepto de subjetividad en su relación con los problemas éticos presentes en la China contemporánea. Palabras clave: Ética. Subjetividad. Escuela de yogacara del budismo indio. Nuevo confucianismo. Data de registro: 29/07/2020 Data de aceite: 21/10/2020. (shrink)

Portuguese: Thomas Nagel propõe uma conceção de objetividade que ele designada por “a perspetiva de lado nenhum”. Dependendo da área de conhecimento à qual será aplicada, esta perspetiva tem como requisito diferentes níveis de distanciamento de posições subjetivas. Todavia, de acordo com Jonathan Dancy e Alan Thomas, Nagel propõe dois modelos diferentes de objetificação, em vez de apenas um. Partindo das inter- pretações destes autores, mas acabando por divergir deles, proponho que estes dois modelos de objetificação são, na verdade, semelhantes. (...) O elemento fundamental para chegar a esta conclusão está no significado que “reflexão crítica” tem em cada um dos modelos. Neste artigo, argumento que “reflexão crítica” tem apenas um significado: distanciamento. Consequentemente, concluirei que a conceção de objetividade proposta por Nagel terá que ser entendida como excluindo perspetivas subjetivas. Mais especificamente, concluirei que esta conceção requer distanciamento absoluto de perspetivas subjetivas, independentemente da área de conhecimento em consideração. -/- /////// English: Thomas Nagel defends a conception of objectivity as the view from nowhere. This view, ideally, would require different degrees of detachment from subjective positions, depending on the area of knowledge to which it would be applied. However, in doing this, and according to Jonathan Dancy and Alan Thomas, Nagel formulates two different models of objectification. Starting from these authors’ interpretations, but essentially diverging from them, I argue that the two models of objectification are, in fact, similar. The key element to reach this conclusion is the meaning of “critical reflection” in each one of the models. Given my argument that “critical reflection” has only one meaning – detachment –, Nagel’s conception of objectivity cannot include subjective perspectives in it; in fact, it requires absolute detachment from those subjective perspectives, independently of the area of knowledge being considered. (shrink)

In Complicity and Moral Accountability, Gregory Mellema presents a philosophical approach to the moral issues involved in complicity. Starting with a taxonomy of Thomas Aquinas, according to whom there are nine ways for one to become complicit in the wrongdoing of another, Mellema analyzes each kind of complicity and examines the moral status of someone complicit in each of these ways. Mellema's central argument is that one must perform a contributing action to qualify as an accomplice, and that it (...) is always morally blameworthy to perform such an action. Additionally, he argues that an accomplice frequently bears moral responsibility for the outcome of the other's wrongdoing, but he distinguishes this case from cases in which the accomplice is tainted by the wrongdoing of the principal actor. He further distinguishes between enabling, facilitating, and condoning harm, and introduces the concept of indirect complicity. Mellema tackles issues that are clearly important to any case of collective and shared responsibility, yet rarely discussed in depth, always presenting his arguments clearly, concisely, and engagingly. His account of the nonmoral as well as moral qualities of complicity in wrongdoing--especially of the many and varied ways in which principles and accomplices can interact--is highly illuminating. Liberally sprinkled with helpful and nuanced examples, Complicity and Moral Accountability vividly illustrates the many ways in which one may be complicit in wrongdoing. "In Complicity and Moral Accountability, Gregory Mellema has made an immensely important contribution to the discussion of group morality and collective responsibility both within and far beyond professional academic philosophy. His clearly written book will be essential reading." --Fergus Kerr, Honorary Fellow, University of Edinburgh. (shrink)

In this paper, I explain the curious role played by the Argument from Absolute Terms in Peter Unger's book Ignorance, I provide a critical presentation of the argument, and I consider some outstanding issues and the argument’s contemporary significance.

A Aprendizagem Baseada em Problemas é uma das metodologias de ensino que vem sendo adotada em diferentes níveis educacionais. O objetivo deste artigo é promover reflexões sobre a utilização dessa prática na educação básica do Brasil, em particular no campo da educação matemática. Este trabalho é um ensaio teórico que engloba pesquisas teóricos e práticas na área. A partir de inspirações da análise de conteúdo são evidenciados alguns resultados que parecem favorecer tanto a prática docente quanto as aprendizagens dos estudantes.

Now in its twentieth year of publication, this rich collection, popular among teachers and students alike, provides an in-depth look at major cases that have shaped the field of medical ethics. The book presents each famous (or infamous) case using extensive historical and contextual background, and then proceeds to illuminate it by careful discussion of pertinent philosophical theories and legal and ethical issues.

Este artigo tem como objetivo ilustrar as contribuições de Edith Stein para a Psicologia a partir de uma pesquisa empírica que buscou compreender o processo formativo dos moradores de uma região periférica de Salvador. Para tanto, apresenta os resultados de uma análise, baseada na obra Contribuições à fundamentação filosófica da Psicologia e das Ciências do Espírito, que ilustra o percurso individual de três participantes da pesquisa. A análise possibilita identificar cinco vivências comuns que marcam o processo de transformação dos sujeitos, (...) orientados por um projeto pessoal. Exemplifica, deste modo, a contribuição da fenomenologia de Edith Stein para a Psicologia no sentido de não reduzir a pessoa aos desafios do contexto em que vive ou aos condicionamentos psicofísicos aos quais está submetida, mas a enxergá-la na sua inteireza, discriminando as diferentes naturezas de vivências e o seu modo singular de viver, com a potência que ele contém. (shrink)

Virtually all historical treatments of just war recognize the importance of the account given by Thomas Aquinas in Summa theologiae II-II, q. 40, ?De bello?, where he outlines three conditions ? legitimate authority, just cause, and right intention ? for a justifiable use of armed force. It is, however, less well known that within the same section of the work (q. 50, a. 4) Aquinas extended his reflection on just war into a theory of military prudence. By placing generalship under (...) the category of ?prudence?, rather than ?art? or ?science?, he held that military command involves more than a morally neutral skill with victory as its sole aim. Building on the premise that service to the common good constitutes the overarching purpose of the military profession, Aquinas showed how the virtue of prudence provides an inner compass for decision-making amid the uncertainty and confusion of the battlefield. (shrink)

Princípios lakatosianos e a abordagem de problemas matemáticos na perspectiva do PBL: possíveis contribuições Resumo: Imre Lakatos foi um importante filósofo do século XX que abordou conhecimentos relacionados à ciência e à Matemática. Esta última é fortemente explorada na obra Provas e Refutações e é tratada neste artigo como base essencial para se explorar princípios lakatosianos relacionados à abordagem de problemas matemáticos. Tal perspectiva é abordada aqui sob o enfoque do Problem-Based Learning (PBL). O objetivo é explorar possíveis relações entre (...) determinadas contribuições filosóficas de Lakatos e uma abordagem em torno de problemas. Este artigo estrutura-se em bases de uma pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter exploratório e bibliográfico. Pretende-se contribuir com a ampliação de estudos e reflexões envolvendo o campo da Filosofia e da Educação Matemática. Palavras-chave: Lakatos; Filosofia da Matemática; Provas e Refutações; Problemas matemáticos; PBL. Lakatosian principles and the approach of mathematical problems from the perspective of the pbl: possible contributions Abstract: Imre Lakatos was an important philosopher of the twentieth century who addressed knowledge related to science and mathematics. The latter is strongly explored in the work Proof and Refutation and is treated in this article as an essential basis for exploring Lakatosian principles related to the approach to mathematical problems. Such perspective is approached here under the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach. The aim is to explore possible relationships between certain philosophical contributions by Lakatos and an approach to problems. This article is structured on the basis of a qualitative, exploratory and bibliographic research. It is intended to contribute to the expansion of studies and reflections involving the field of philosophy and mathematical education. Key-words: Lakatos; Philosophy of mathematics; Proof and Refutation; Mathematical problems; PBL. Principios lakatosianos y el enfoque de los problemas matemáticos desde la perspectiva del pbl: posibles contribuciones Résumé: Imre Lakatos fue un importante filósofo del siglo XX que abordó los conocimientos relacionados con las ciencias y las Matemáticas. Este último está fuertemente explorado en el trabajo Pruebas y Refutación y se trata en este artículo como una base esencial para explorar los principios lakatosianos relacionados con el enfoque de problemas matemáticos. Esta perspectiva se aborda aquí bajo el enfoque de aprendizaje basado en problemas (ABP). El objetivo es explorar las posibles relaciones entre determinadas aportaciones filosóficas de Lakatos y una aproximación a los problemas. Este artículo se estructura a partir de una investigación cualitativa, exploratoria y bibliográfica. Se pretende contribuir a la expansión de estudios y reflexiones que involucren el campo de la filosofía y la educación Matemática. Mots-clés: Lakatos ; Filosofía de las Matemáticas ; Pruebas y Refutación ; Problemas matemáticos ; PBL. Financiamento de Pesquisa: CAPES Data de registro: 06/03/2021 Data de aceite: 18/08/2021. (shrink)

Death is the destiny we all share, and this will not change. Yet the way we die, which had remained the same for many generations, has changed drastically in a relatively short time for those in developed countries with access to healthcare. For generations, if people were lucky enough to reach old age, not having died in infancy or childhood, in childbirth, in war, or by accident, they would take to bed, surrounded by loved ones who cared for them, and (...) fade into death. Most likely, they would have seen their parents and grandparents die the same way, and so this manner of dying would be familiar: it was part of the natural cycle of life. Now less than 25 per cent of Americans die at home, having reached much older ages than people would have dreamed of in past generations, often after surviving many illnesses and even diseases that would have been terminal for their grandparents. We are fortunate to live (and die) today, supported by myriad scientific, medical, and technological advancements, however we also face new problems as a result of the new way in which we die. We can no longer anticipate a peaceful waning at home with family. We know our lives will likely end in hospitals likely after we have endured grueling treatments to prolong life. We have to decide what decisions we want our loved ones, or care-givers, to make when we cannot choose for ourselves. We have to think about whether in any circumstances we would seek physician-assisted death. We know we face other questions as well, but we may not even know where to start. In the face of these decisions, we can feel daunted and afraid. The best remedy is information and planning. In this book, Gregory Eastwood - a physician who has cared for dying patients, served as an ethics consultant, and taught end of life issues to medical and other health profession students - draws from his substantial experience with patients and families to provide the information that will help us think clearly about the choices and issues we will face at the end of our own lives, and when faced with the deaths of our loved ones. With sensitivity and profound insight, Eastwood guides us through all the important questions about death and dying in straightforward, clear language, enhanced by real-life stories. Throughout, he shows us how we can take ownership of the way we want to die, when we must die, and feel more in control as death approaches. (shrink)

Henry Kyburg’s lottery paradox (1961, p. 197) arises from considering a fair 1000 ticket lottery that has exactly one winning ticket. If this much is known about the execution of the lottery it is therefore rational to accept that one ticket will win. Suppose that an event is very likely if the probability of its occurring is greater than 0.99. On these grounds it is presumed rational to accept the proposition that ticket 1 of the lottery will not win. Since (...) the lottery is fair, it is rational to accept that ticket 2 won’t win either—indeed, it is rational to accept for any individual ticket i of the lottery that ticket i will not win. However, accepting that ticket 1 won’t win, accepting that ticket 2 won’t win, . . . , and accepting that ticket 1000 won’t win entails that it is rational to accept that no ticket will win, which entails that it is rational to accept the contradictory proposition that one ticket wins and no ticket wins. (shrink)

Preliminary Abstract: -/- The late Mary Midgley (1919-2018) was one of the most relevant and wide-ranging moral philosophers of the last century. For over forty years, she drew attention to the necessity of philosophy in everyday life while making significant contributions on such topics as human nature, ethics, animals and the environment, science, religion, and other real-world issues. Midgley’s remarkable career saw the publication of over 250 books, journal articles, pamphlets, and other materials, concluding with the publication of What Is (...) Philosophy For? at age 99, just one month before her death. This work was the last in a series of publications late in Midgley’s career that underscored her reputation as a singular thinker and a shining example of the significant presence of women in philosophy. -/- Mary Midgley on What Matters offers a window into this noteworthy period late in Midgley’s career. This volume invites the reader into a series of visits and conversations between Gregory McElwain and Mary Midgley at her home in Newcastle from 2011-2018. Framed and thematically curated by McElwain, these conversations present Midgley’s thoughts, reminiscences, and concerns on life and the topics for which she is best known, with special emphasis on her influential perspective on animals and the environment. Midgley’s witty and lively voice is emphasized throughout this accessbile book, engaging the reader with one of the more vibrant philosophers in living memory. (shrink)

The purpose of this article is to explore the close link between technology and death in the philosophical writings of Lewis Mumford. Mumford famously argued that throughout the history of western civilization we find intertwined two competing forms of technics; the democratic biotechnic form and the authoritarian monotechnic form. The former technics were said to be strongly compatible with an organic form of life while the latter were said to be allied to a mechanical power complex. What is perhaps less (...) well known is the extent to which Mumford characterizes the authoritarian technical form as being a technics of death. This article will argue that the connection between death and technics is a key theme in Mumford’s philosophy of technology. In addition to elaborating this theme and detailing how it informs Mumford’s other positions on the nature of technology, this article will also argue that Mumford’s theory of a technics of death bears witness, both implicitly and explicitly, to the influence of Sigmund Freud’s theory of the death instinct. Freud’s account of the death instinct will be outlined briefly and its influence on Mumford’s writings will be explained. Death, in Mumford’s technological writings, has a generally negative function and serves to warn humanity of the perilous course that its technological civilization is set upon. However it also has a positive function in that it encourages man to transcend its biological existence in acts of creativity and purpose. Death, in this positive sense, serves the purpose of life whereas, in the negative sense, it hinders it. The role of death, in both aspects, will be explored and related to Mumford’s overall perspective on technics and life. It is argued that Mumford’s philosophy of technology cannot be fully understood without an awareness of his views on death and its role in the life of technological society. (shrink)

This book offers a philosophical approach to religion that acknowledges both the diversity of religions and the many and varied dimensions of the religious life. Rather than restricting itself to Christian theism, it covers a wide range of religious traditions, examining their beliefs in the context of the actual practice of the religious life. After outlining the aims of religion, the book focuses on claims to knowledge. What kinds of knowledge do religions purport to offer? In what idiom is it (...) couched? From what sources do devotees draw their claims to knowledge? Are these sources reliable? Rather than trying to settle age-old questions about religious belief, the book offers its readers a set of criteria with which they can make informed decisions in matters of faith. Gregory W. Dawes is Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He completed his first graduate degree at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome before returning to New Zealand to complete PhD degrees in both biblical studies and philosophy. His previous books include The Historical Jesus Question, Theism and Explanation, and Galileo and the Conflict between Religion and Science. (shrink)

Discute-se, neste trabalho, o surgimento e a articulação de modelos de psicoterapia de casal, emergentes no final do século XX e início do século XXI. Para tanto foram utilizados artigos de revisão sobre psicoterapia de casal publicados e indexados ao Psiclit, de 1980 até agosto de 2006, sob as pala..

Nous nous sommes proposés d’étudier, dans ce travail, les conceptions et les expériences vécues dans des relations amoureuses d’adolescents appartenant aux couches dites « populaires » de la ville de Rio de Janeiro.Au moyen d’entretiens semi-structurés, nous avons interrogé dix adolescents, cinq du sexe féminin et cinq du sexe masculin, âgés de 13 à 17 ans, sur le rôle que ces relations tiennent dans leur vie. Nous pouvons en conclure que nos sujets ne semblent rien désirer de bien différent de (...) ce à quoi aspiraient les générations antérieures, car leurs paramètres et leurs aspirations sont demeurés pour la plupart les mêmes, si ce n’est qu’ils utilisent des moyens nouveaux et encore tout récents. (shrink)

The Nicomachean Ethics is generally thought to be a “dialectical” work, aimed at resolving aporia in a set of endoxa, which it takes as its starting-point. I argue that Aristotle’s aim in the treatise is, rather, to produce definitions of key ethical terms, and that his starting-points are limited to evaluative and discriminative judgments of a certain sort, which are demanded by the nature of the discipline and are not endoxa. I discuss also how the definitions are reached (focusing on (...) the cases of the virtues of character) and the roles that aporiai do play in the process. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: Cheerful Resignation Self‐Sufficiency Murphy was an Optimist: Negative Visualization Agency and Control Fate, Freedom, and Sailing.

This chapter contains sections titled: Classical Theories of Success Morris's 3‐D Approach to Life Lance Discovers His Positive Talents Lance Develops His Talents: Pre‐Cancer Lance Develops His Talents: Post‐Cancer Lance Deploys His Talents Notes.

This chapter focuses on one of the common fallacies in Western philosophy, appeal to ridicule. An appeal to ridicule is closely related to an ad hominem argument because both attack the person. There is a similarity between an appeal to ridicule and an appeal to emotion in that both attempt to bypass rational assessment of a point of view and elicit an emotional reaction from the audience. An appeal to ridicule may be an attempt to elicit humor at another's expense, (...) or it may be an attempt to elicit enmity, playing on the fears and prejudices of the group. The difference between a reductio ad absurdum and an appeal to ridicule is that the former uses good evidence while the latter does not. Perhaps the best way to avoid this fallacy is to cultivate an attitude of respect for other points of view. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: Warning: Plot Spoiler! Mediums: The Seen and the Felt Competing Messages: “Man was in the Forest” vs. “There is Another” Challenging Bambi Bambi's Counter‐Charge Re‐gifting Bambi Notes.

This chapter contains sections titled: The Non‐Darwinian Revolution 1870–1880: The Struggle for Existence and Cultural Evolution 1880–1882: Nietzsche contra Spencer 1883–1888: The Will to Power as Bildungstrieb Conclusion.

ArgumentContrary to common portrayals of social Darwinism as a transference of laissez-faire values, the widely read evolutionism of Japan's foremost Darwinist of the early twentieth-century, Oka Asajirō (1868–1944), reflects a statist outlook that regards capitalism as the beginning of the nation's degeneration. The evolutionary theory of orthogenesis that Oka employed in his 1910 essay, “The Future of Humankind,” links him to a pre-Darwinian idealist tradition that depicted the state as an organism that develops through life-cycle stages. For Oka, laissez-faire capitalism (...) marked the moment when the state began to decline toward extinction due to the orthogenetic overdevelopment of hitherto subordinate individual egos. Because conservative bureaucrat-intellectuals had been drawing upon this same organicist-developmental tradition since the 1880s in an attempt to forestall the social ills of industrialism, Oka's call for statist measures, including eugenics, to lessen and delay the atomizing, enervating, and corrupting influence of capitalism articulated the political vision of officialdom. Statist evolutionism, not social Darwinism, might be the term that best describes Oka's approach. (shrink)

The thirteenth century mystic Ibn ʻArabi was the foremost Sufi theorist of the premodern era. For more than a century, Western scholars and esotericists have heralded his universalism, arguing that he saw all contemporaneous religions as equally valid. In Rethinking Ibn ʻArabi, Gregory Lipton calls this image into question and throws into relief how Ibn ʻArabi's discourse is inseparably intertwined with the absolutist vision of his own religious milieu-- that is, the triumphant claim that Islam fulfilled, superseded, and therefore (...) abrogated all previous revealed religions. Lipton juxtaposes Ibn ʻArabi's absolutist conception with the later reception of his ideas, exploring how they have been read, appropriated, and universalized within the reigning interpretive field of Perennial Philosophy in the study of Sufism. The contours that surface through this comparative analysis trace the discursive practices that inform Ibn ʻArabi's Western reception back to the eighteenth and nineteenth century study of 'authentic' religion, where European ethno-racial superiority was wielded against the Semitic Other - both Jewish and Muslim. Lipton argues that supersessionist models of exclusivism are buried under contemporary Western constructions of religious authenticity in ways that ironically mirror Ibn ʻArabi's medieval absolutism. (shrink)

Philosophy explores the deepest, most fundamental questions of reality and this accessible and entertaining chronology presents 250 milestones of the most important theories, events, and seminal publications in the field over the last 3,500 years. The brief, engaging entries cover a range of topics and cultures, from the Hindu Vedas and Plato's theory of forms to Ockham's razor, Pascal's wager, Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature, existentialism, feminism, Philosophical zombies, and the Triple Theory of Ethics. Beautifully illustrated and filled with (...) unexpected insights, The Philosophy Book will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers. (shrink)

A guide for achieving an enlightened mind through the art of non-doing.

Exploring Aristotle's concept of logos, this volume advances our understanding of it as a singular feature of human nature by arguing that it is the organizing principle of human life itself. Tracing its multiple meanings in different contexts, including reason, logic, speech, ratio, account, and form, contributors highlight the ways in which we can see logos in human thinking, in the organizing principles of our bodies, in our perception of the world, in our social and political life, and through our (...) productive and fine arts. Through this focus, logos reveals itself not as one feature amongst others, but instead as the feature that organizes all others, from the most "animal" to the most "spiritual." By presenting logos in this way, readers gain a complex account of the philosophy of human nature. (shrink)