Onto-ethologies

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Sheldon M. Cohen

This book examines Aristotle's metaphysics and his account of nature, stressing the ways in which his desire to explain observed natural processes shaped his philosophical thought. It departs radically from a tradition of interpretation in which Aristotle is understood to have approached problems with a set of abstract principles in hand - principles derived from critical reflection on the views of his predecessors. A central example in the book interprets Aristotle's essentialism as deriving from an examination of the kinds of unity that various sorts of things have, and from his account of elemental motion, alteration, transformation, and the growth of organisms. An important conclusion of this argument is that a substance may, under certain circumstances, lack some of its essential attributes. The book goes on to develop a notion of incomplete substance and explores the connection between Aristotle's concept of nature and its role in scientific explanation. In this way Cohen breaks down the sharp division that many interpreters have chosen to see between Aristotle's natural science and his philosophy. This is a major reevaluation of Aristotle's metaphysics that will interest philosophers, classicists, and historians of classical science.

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Irving Singer

Philosophical thinking has traditionally decreed that the human condition is split into two realms of being: nature and spirit - the one physical and psychological; the other an inherently transcendent dimension that exceeds the natural. Irving Singer finds this distinction unacceptable. Preceded by The Creation of Value and The Pursuit of Love, this final book in Singer's Meaning in Life trilogy argues that separating nature and the life of spirit not only precludes an understanding of how consciousness, awareness of value, and the pursuit of ideal possibilities originate in nature but also masks the discovery of how experience can be both meaningful and a source of happiness. Studying the interaction between nature and spirit, Singer examines the ways in which we may resolve our sense of being divided and thereby overcome the suffering in life. He speculates about concepts of happiness, play, acceptance of mere existence, and the need to live in unity with nature.

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Gilbert Walking Bull and Sally Moore

Gilbert Walking Bull tells the story of a gift of thunder eggs and how his dog, Gimo, set them free. The resulting book is an expression of the belief that all things in creation are sacred.

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Frances Wosmek

This book points the reader toward a renewed sense of wonder and oneness with nature. With balance and beauty Wosmek delivers profound insights combining science, nature, art, philosophy, conscience, and a loving concern for all that lives.