Public Freedom


Book Description

Villa critically examines, among other topics, the promise and limits of civil society and associational life as sources of democratic renewal; the effects of mass media on the public arena; and the problematic but still necessary ideas of civic competence and democratic maturity."--BOOK JACKET.




Uncommon Dissent


Book Description

Recent years have seen the rise to prominence of ever more sophisticated philosophical and scientific critiques of the ideas marketed under the name of Darwinism. In Uncommon Dissent, mathematician and philosopher William A. Dembski brings together essays by leading intellectuals who find one or more aspects of Darwinism unpersuasive. As Dembski explains, Darwinism has gathered around itself an aura of invincibility that is inhospitable to rational discussion—to say the least: “Darwinism, its proponents assure us, has been overwhelmingly vindicated. Any resistance to it is futile and indicates bad faith or worse.” Indeed, those who question the Darwinian synthesis are supposed, in the famous formulation of Richard Dawkins, to be ignorant, stupid, insane, or wicked. The hostility of dogmatic Darwinians like Dawkins has not, however, prevented the advent of a growing cadre of scholarly critics of metaphysical Darwinism. The measured, thought-provoking essays in Uncommon Dissent make it increasingly obvious that these critics are not the brainwashed fundamentalist buffoons that Darwinism’s defenders suggest they are, but rather serious, skeptical, open-minded inquirers whose challenges pose serious questions about the viability of Darwinist ideology. The intellectual power of their contributions to Uncommon Dissent is bracing.




Mind and Cosmos


Book Description

The modern materialist approach to life has conspicuously failed to explain such central mind-related features of our world as consciousness, intentionality, meaning, and value. This failure to account for something so integral to nature as mind, argues philosopher Thomas Nagel, is a major problem, threatening to unravel the entire naturalistic world picture, extending to biology, evolutionary theory, and cosmology. Since minds are features of biological systems that have developed through evolution, the standard materialist version of evolutionary biology is fundamentally incomplete. And the cosmological history that led to the origin of life and the coming into existence of the conditions for evolution cannot be a merely materialist history, either. An adequate conception of nature would have to explain the appearance in the universe of materially irreducible conscious minds, as such. Nagel's skepticism is not based on religious belief or on a belief in any definite alternative. In Mind and Cosmos, he does suggest that if the materialist account is wrong, then principles of a different kind may also be at work in the history of nature, principles of the growth of order that are in their logical form teleological rather than mechanistic. In spite of the great achievements of the physical sciences, reductive materialism is a world view ripe for displacement. Nagel shows that to recognize its limits is the first step in looking for alternatives, or at least in being open to their possibility.







The Cunning Of Unreason


Book Description

All human action lies under the shadow of prospective regret, but there are few areas of contemporary life over which that shadow falls so darkly as it does over politics. We hear constantly that Americans are less likely than ever to vote and are increasingly cynical about the ability of politicians to effect change. Why is politics so consistently disappointing? Starting from the premise that the professional study of politics can offer us a way to understand why we have so little faith in the political process, The Cunning of Unreason explores competing definitions of politics, probing the hidden assumptions and implications of each. In energetic and engaging prose, Cambridge political theorist John Dunn makes a convincing case for the ongoing relevance of great political thinkers from Aristotle to Marx. Along the way, he bridges the academic world of political theory and the public world of debate about democracy, corruption, globalization, and the recent trend toward conservatism. A must read for every politician, spin doctor, and professional pundit, The Cunning of Unreason offers a greater understanding of the way politics works in contemporary society and what its promise is for the future.




Evidence


Book Description




EBook: Social Psychology 3e


Book Description

Social psychology has a profound influence on our everyday lives; from our shopping habits to our interactions at a party. It seeks to answer questions that we often think and talk about; questions such as: - What circumstances prompt people to help, or not to help? - What factors influence the ups and downs of our close relationships? - Why do some people behave differently when on their own compared to in a group? - What leads individuals sometimes to hurt, and other times to help one another? - Why are we attracted to certain types of people? - How do some persuade others to do what they want? This new edition of Social Psychology has been revised to introduce a more flexible structure for teaching and studying. It includes up-to-date, international research with an emphasis throughout on its critical evaluation. Applied examples across the chapters help to highlight the relevance, and hence the impact, that the theories and methods of this fascinating subject have upon the social world. Key Features Include: - Research Close-Up: Following a brand-new style, this feature matches the layout used in research papers, providing an accessible introduction to journal articles and the research methods used by social psychologists. - Focus On: Fully revised, these boxes look at opposing viewpoints, controversial research or alternative approaches to the topics. This offers a more critical outlook and prompts the questioning of the validity of published research - Recommended Readings: New to this edition, recommended further readings of both classic and contemporary literature have been added to each chapter, providing a springboard for further consideration of the topics. Connect Psychology is McGraw-Hill’s digital learning and teaching environment. Students – You get easy online access to homework, tests and quizzes designed by your instructor. You receive immediate feedback on how you’re doing, making it the perfect platform to test your knowledge. Lecturers – Connect gives you the power to create auto-graded assignments, tests and quizzes online. The detailed visual reporting allows you to easily monitor your students’ progress. In addition, you can access key support materials for your teaching, including a testbank, seminar materials and lecture support. Visit: http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com for more details. Professor David N. Myers holds the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History. As of fall 2017, he serves as the director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy. He previously served as chair of the UCLA History Department (2010-2015) and as director of the UCLA Center for Jewish Studies (1996-2000 and 2004-2010). Dr Jackie Abell is a Reader in Social Psychology with the Research Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, based at Coventry University, UK. Her current areas of research interest include the application of social psychology to wildlife conservation and environmental issues to facilitate resilience and sustainable development, place attachment and identity, social cohesion and inclusion. Professor Fabio Sani holds a Chair in Social and Health Psychology at the University of Dundee. His general research interest concerns the mental and physical health implications of group processes, social identity and sense of belonging. He has been an associate editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology.







Guide to Philosophy


Book Description

Brilliant British expositor surveys various problems, explanations, solutions, systematizations of great philosophers. Three parts include "Theory of Knowledge," "Critical Metaphysics," and "Constructive Metaphysics."