"Freedom of speech, religion, choice, will - - humans have fought, and continue to fight, for all of these. But what is human freedom, and what are the main threats to it today? These questions and more are discussed in this comprehensive investigation of the nature of freedom in contemporary society. Our behaviours, thoughts and actions are governed by a variety of restrictions, deadlines and burdens. Taking a broad approach across metaphysics, politics and ethics, A Philosophy (...) of Freedom questions how we can successsfully create meaningful lives for ourselves and others when we are estranged from the very concept of what it means to be free. By tackling such issues as the nature of free agency and the possibility of freedom in a universe goverened by natural laws, Svendsen concludes that the real definition of personal freedom is first and foremost the liberty to devote yourself to what truly matters to you. Drawing on the fascinating debates surrounding the possibility of freedom and its limits within society, A Philosophy of Freedom provides an engaging, accessible and insightful overview of modern philosophical thought on what it is to be free." --Jacket flap. (shrink)

The Philosophy of Freedom describes Rudolf Steiner's path to freedom. It contains the nonconformist ideals of his youth that result from his study of mathematics, science, and philosophy culminating in a philosophy of life founded upon individualistic truth and ethical individualism. This is the first English translation and the only one sanctioned by Rudolf Steiner himself. Joint translators Prof. and Mrs. R. F. Alfred Hoernlé were selected for their outstanding qualifications. First published in 1916, it (...) is based on the original 1894 German "Die Philosophie der Freiheit". Other translations have been based on the 1918 revised German edition and renamed "The Philosophy Of Spiritual Activity" and "Intuitive Thinking As A Spiritual Path". This original edition includes inspiring passages about individualism that were removed from the book in 1918 and are missing in later translations: "We no longer believe that there is a norm to which we must all strive to conform." "If only we probe deep enough into the very heart of our being, there dwells something noble, something worthy of development." Learn all about Rudolf Steiner's The Philosophy Of Freedom at https: //philosophyoffreedom.com/. (shrink)

Freedom of speech, religion, choice, will—humans have fought, and continue to fight, for all of these. But what is human freedom really? Taking a broad approach across metaphysics, politics, and ethics, Lars Svendsen explores this question in his engaging book, while also looking at the threats freedom faces today. Though our behaviors, thoughts, and actions are restricted by social and legal rules, deadlines, and burdens, Svendsen argues that the fundamental requirement for living a human life is the (...) ability to be free. _A Philosophy of Freedom_ questions how we can successfully create meaningful lives when we are estranged from the very concept of freedom. Svendsen tackles such issues as the nature of free agency and the possibility of freedom in a universe governed by natural laws. He concludes that the true definition of personal freedom is first and foremost the liberty to devote yourself to what really matters to you—to realize the true value of the life you are living. Drawing on the fascinating debates around the possibility of freedom and its limits within society, this comprehensive investigation provides an accessible and insightful overview that will appeal to academics and general readers alike. (shrink)

The Vedanta of conciousness : transcendence, enlightenment and everyday life -- The alienated self and the Kabbala of transformation -- The Zen of creativity and the critique of the discursive intellect -- The Tao of love and unconditionality in commitment -- The yoga of action and effortless efficiency -- The nous of perception and the re-enchantment of the tree of life -- The gnosis of freedom and the Fana of fulfilment.

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This special reprint, featuring the acclaimed translation by Michael Wilson, is being made available again in response to public demand.Are we free, whether we ...

Hegel offers perhaps the most profound and systematic modern attempt to understand the state as the realization of human freedom. In this examination of the philosopher’s ideas on freedom, Paul Franco focuses particularly on G. W. F. Hegel’s masterpiece, Philosophy of Right. Franco traces the development of Hegel’s ideas and relates them to modern political theory.

Peter C. Hodgson explores Hegel's bold vision of history as the progress of the consciousness of freedom. Following an introductory chapter on the textual sources, the key categories, and the modes of writing history that Hegel distinguishes, Hodgson presents a new interpretation of Hegel's conception of freedom. Freedom is not simply a human production, but takes shape through the interweaving of the divine idea and human passions, and such freedom defines the purpose of historical events in (...) the midst of apparent chaos. Freedom is also a process that unfolds through stages of historical/cultural development and is oriented to an end that occurs within history (the 'kingdom of freedom'). The purpose and the process of history are tragic, however, because history is also a 'slaughterhouse' that shatters even the finest human creations and requires a constant rebuilding. Hegel's God is not a supreme being or 'large entity' but the 'true infinite' that encompasses the finite. History manifests the rule of God ('providence'), and it functions as the justification of God ('theodicy'). But the God who rules in and is justified by history is a crucified God who takes the suffering, anguish, and evil of the world into and upon godself, accomplishing reconciliation in the midst of ongoing estrangement and inescapable death. Shapes of Freedom addresses these themes in the context of present-day questions about what they mean and whether they still have validity. (shrink)

This trans-disciplinary, socio-spatial study analyzes the history of decolonial existentialist and phenomenological theory in the work of figures such as Simone de Beauvoir, Richard Wright, Franz Fanon, Lewis Gordon, Audre Lorde, Sylvia Wynter, and Jamaica Kincaid to decolonize dominant discourses on femininity, Blackness, and Black peoples.

This paper is in three parts. In the first part, I consider Maritain’s definition of freedom. He differentiates between two types of freedom: freedom of choice, which he also calls freedom from necessity, and freedom of autonomy or terminal freedom, also called freedom from constraint. The second part considers the three types of political philosophy of freedom identified by Maritain. They may respectively be called liberal individualism, statesponsored collectivism, and communal and (...) personalist philosophy. The third political philosophy, communal and personalist, is advocated by Maritain. In the third part of this paper, I raise concerns about losses of freedom that have become more evident in the last few years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I reflect upon how Maritain’s philosophy of freedom may apply in our contemporary situation. (shrink)

This first book-length work of the prominent German philosopher Gunter Figal to appear in English offers a radical defense of metaphysical philosophy in the era of postmodern thought.

"Most of the essays gathered in this volume have had an earlier life... at the international conference 'Gilles Deleuze and Fâelix Guattari: Refrains of Freedom'... held at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, Greece in April 2015" --ECIP galley, translator's prologue.

A vigorous and wide-ranging defense of Hartshorne’s “neoclassical metaphysics” of creative freedom.

Hegel's Philosophy of Right was his last systematic work and the most complete statement of his mature views on ethical and political philosophy. It explores the relationships between three distinct conceptions of human freedom: persons as possessing contract rights, subjects as reflective moral agents, and individuals as members of an ethical community. It strongly influenced the early Marx and with the rise of debates over liberalism and communitarianism in the latter half of the twentieth century. In this (...) volume an outstanding line up of contributors examine the nature and impact of Hegel's Philosophy of Right. A diverse array of topics is examined, ranging from Hegel's account of rights, freedom, the state and history to some hitherto relatively overlooked topics such as Hegel and Luther, art and nationality and Hegel and the market. Hegel's Philosophy of Right: Critical Perspectives on Freedom and History will be valuable reading for scholars of Hegel, nineteenth-century German philosophy, political philosophy and history of political thought. (shrink)

An intriguing work that considers the shared tradition of Canadian political philosophy.

This book connects the philosophy of Henri Bergson to contemporary debates in metaphysics and analytic philosophy of religion. More specifically, the book demonstrates how Bergson’s philosophy of time can respond to the problem of foreknowledge and free will. The question of how humans can be free if God knows everything has been a perennial issue of debate in analytic philosophy of religion. The solution to this problem relies heavily on what one thinks about time. The problem (...) of time is central to Bergson’s philosophical system. In this book, the author offers a systematic application of Bergson’s thought to the freedom and foreknowledge problem. The first chapter presents a discussion of Bergson’s central concept of la durée (duration). The subsequent two chapters link la durée to the relation of time and space. Here the author provides a Bergsonian response to McTaggart’s argument for the unreality of time and develops a novel theory of time connected to Bergson’s analysis of temporal experience. The last three chapters explore the relation between free will, determinism, and divine foreknowledge. The author reconstructs Bergson’s theory of freedom and shows how it undermines the underlying dogmas of contemporary free-will theories. The author then argues that Bergson’s philosophy can be used to resolve the free will and foreknowledge problem in philosophy of religion. The monograph concludes by opening avenues for new research into Bergson and analytic philosophy of religion, such as the philosophy of religious language, the relation between God and modality, religious experience, and religious pluralism. (shrink)

An American Ethic takes the basis for American life - freedom - and describes the reality behind that abstraction, the transcendent nature of man. The book analyzes freedom and communication along with the inalienable rights and obligations that necessarily flow from the transcendent nature of man. It explains and distinguishes the usual norms of morality: natural law, positive law, religion, and conscience; and then proceeds to discuss contemporary moral issues: sanction for crime, animal rights, business ethics, sexual morality, (...) homosexuality, and abortion. In light of that analysis, the book critiques three recent and well-known works of ethics: Robert Pirsig's Lila, James Q. Wilson's The Moral Sense, and Peter Singer's Practical Ethics. (shrink)

The author considers the particularities of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s negativism. Jiddu Krishnamurti is a well-known thinker, spiritual teacher, and master, who did not join in with anytrend of religion, philosophy or social and political movements. The atypical nature of his negativism is that Jeddah Krishnamurti rejects the external forms of achieving freedom and truth, emphasizing the impossibility of cultivating and developing a sense of love, and draws attention to the need for an internal revolution here and now. It is (...) carried out only on the basis of a choiceless, total, and careful observation of the whole field of life, which includes the individual and society, the observer and the observed. Such observation leads to the destruction of the self as a center in which the past (experience) and projection (future) are intertwined. Being here and now, without any support for the past or for the future, a person realizes truth and freedom, and her/his only feeling is the love for the whole creation. The significance of the basic concepts used by Jiddu Krishnamurti several times to explain his position during meetings, as well as in his books is analyzed. These are concepts of active now, unconscious awareness, conditionality, denial, nothingness, emptiness, that make possible certain streamlining of his philosophy and defining its basic concepts. (shrink)

The author considers the particularities of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s negativism. Jiddu Krishnamurti is a well-known thinker, spiritual teacher, and master, who did not join in with any trend of religion, philosophy or social and political movements. The atypical nature of his negativism is that Jeddah Krishnamurti rejects the external forms of achieving freedom and truth, emphasizing the impossibility of cultivating and developing a sense of love, and draws attention to the need for an internal revolution here and now. It (...) is carried out only on the basis of a choiceless, total, and careful observation of the whole field of life, which includes the individual and society, the observer and the observed. Such observation leads to the destruction of the self as a centre in which the past (experience) and projection (future) are intertwined. Being here and now, without any support for the past or for the future, a person realizes truth and freedom, and her/his only feeling is the love for the whole creation. The significance of the basic concepts used by Jiddu Krishnamurti several times to explain his position during meetings, as well as in his books is analyzed. These are concepts of active now, unconscious awareness, conditionality, denial, nothingness, emptiness, that make possible certain streamlining of his philosophy and defining its basic concepts. (shrink)

A previously unpublished manuscript found among Hartshorne's papers, the book was completed by Hartshorne in the mid-1980s and constitutes a vigorous and wide-ranging defense of his “neoclassical metaphysics” of creative freedom. Eight of the chapters are revisions of articles Hartshorne published between 1953 and 1986; the remaining five chapters and the preface were not published prior to the appearance of this book.

_This first book-length work of the prominent German philosopher Gunter Figal to appear in English offers a radical defense of metaphysical philosophy in the era of postmodern thought._.

Creative Experiencing was an unpublished manuscript found among Hartshorne’s papers now deposited at the Center for Process Studies at the Claremont School of Theology. Hartshorne mentions in the manuscript’s preface that he considered the book to be the final part of a trilogy including Creative Synthesis and Philosophic Method (1970) and Wisdom as Moderation (1987). The book was edited and published under the direction of longtime Hartshorne scholars Donald Viney and Jincheol O.“Metaphysics,” Hartshorne writes in the preface, “is the attempt (...) to interpret concrete experience rationally, in terms of the most general principles of valid reasoning” (xi). The first chapter, “Some Formal Criteria of Good .. (shrink)