Skepticism

Sample

Susan Neiman

The first major study of Kant's account of reason, The Unity of Reason argues that Kant's wide-ranging interests and goals can only be understood by redirecting attention from the epistemological questions in his work to those concerning the nature of reason. Rather than accepting a notion of reason given by his predecessors, a fundamental aim of Kant's philosophy is to reconceive the nature of reason. This enables us to understand Kant's insistence on the unity of theoretical and practical reason as well as his claim that his metaphysics was driven by practical and political ends. Susan Neiman begins by discussing the historical roots of Kant's conception of reason and by showing Kant's solution to problems which earlier conceptions left unresolved. Kant's notion of reason itself is examined through a discussion of all the activities Kant attributes to reason. In separate chapters discussing the role of reason in science, morality, religion, and philosophy, Neiman explores Kant's distinctions between reason and knowledge, and his difficult account of the regulative principles of reason. Through examination of these principles in Kant's major and minor writings, The Unity of Reason provides a fundamentally new perspective on Kant's entire work.

Sample

James Giles

Phenomenalism is a philosophical theory of perception involving the idea that statements about material objects can be explained in terms of statements about actual and possible sense experiences. In this study James Giles explores the development of phenomenalism through the works of Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and others. He shows how problems occur for phenomenalists precisely at the point where they abandon their empiricism. Holding to empiricism, Giles then presents his own version of phenomenalism as a metaphysical thesis in which the material objects are constructed out of sense experience. He then argues that the major critiques of phenomenalism, including Wittgenstein’s private language argument and Sellars’ famous attack on the ‘myth of the given’, all fail to dislodge the basic phenomenalist insights.

Sample

Elizabeth Bredeck

Metaphors of Knowledge examines the work of philosopher and critic Fritz Mauthner, who influenced much of the discussion on language and literature in turn-of-the-century Austria and Germany. This monograph provides an in-depth analysis of Mauthner's Beitrage zu einer Kritik der Sprache, written in 1901-02, at the time of the "linguistic turn" in the history of philosophy. Bredeck analyzes Mauthner's views of language and knowledge, then considers their implications for his understanding of philosophy as language critique. Noting historical parallels between Mauthner and his contemporaries, the author also draws on recent philosophers and theorists including Richard Rorty and Jacques Derrida, who have re-examined critical commonplaces about philosophical discourse in particular and language in a very general sense. This study considers Mauthner's views on language and thought as "metaphorical," then traces the consequences of those views in his discussion of language origin, history, and the problems of distinguishing between both individual disciplines and types of disciplines. Bredeck gives an overview of Mauthner's critique, but also does more, since a reconstruction of key arguments reveals some troubling inconsistencies. To account for these discrepancies rather than simply identify them, she looks at both what Mauthner says and how he says it. Though Bredeck's emphasis on rhetorical aspects of Mauthner's writing reflects the influence of contemporary trends in interpretation, it is Mauthner's own practice that invites, and even necessitates, such an approach. To view Mauthner in light of current theoretical debates not only helps explain some obvious, fundamental discrepancies in Mauthner's arguments, it also represents an inquiry into the historical background of those present-day discussions. Thus, Mauthner serves as a lens through which we can get a new perspective on issues in contemporary theory, while contemporary theory helps shed new light on the complexities of Mauthner's own thought.

Sample

[edited by] Elizabeth Johnston Taylor

Religion is a significant aspect of human experience that can provide a framework for an individual's response to a health challenge or transition. Individual religious beliefs, or those of a patient's family or community, may influence health care decisions and provide a means for coping. This book provides accessible and comprehensive information about various religions, offering nurses insight into their patients' religious beliefs and practices nad thereby enhancing therapeutic care. The centerpiece of this book is the compilation about diverse religions written by highly knowledgeable religionists. The reference includes information, formatted concisely and consistently, on a religion's history and theology; views on health and suffering, explanations for disease; beliefs and practices related to birthing, childrearing, and dying; healing rituals; corporate religious resources for the sick; and more. Prefacing this information are chapters discussing clinical aspects of addressing religion at the bedside. These include strategies for sensitive and respectful communication about religion with patients, assessing a patient's religious beliefs, supporting bedside rituals that are part of a patient's religion, and understanding ethical and legal considerations. The book also provides a comprehensive list of additional resources.