Philosophy Archives | Page 7 of 28 | National Humanities Center

Philosophy

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African Philosophical and Literary Possibilities: Re-reading the Canon

Edited by Aretha Phiri (NHC Fellow, 2018–19) Recognizing philosophy’s traditional influence on—and literature’s creative stimulus for—sociopolitical discourses, imaginations, and structures, African Philosophical and Literary Possibilities: Re-reading the Canon, edited by Aretha Phiri, probes the cross-referential, interdisciplinary relationships between African literature and African philosophy. The contributors write within the broader context of renewed interest in and … Continued

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Belief and Resistance: Dynamics of Contemporary Intellectual Controversy

By Barbara Herrnstein Smith (NHC Fellow, 1992–93) Truth, reason, and objectivity—can we survive without them? What happens to law, science, and the pursuit of social justice when such ideas and ideals are rejected? These questions are at the heart of the controversies between traditionalists and “postmodernists” that Barbara Herrnstein Smith examines in her wide-ranging book, which also … Continued

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Common Morality: Deciding What to Do

By Bernard Gert (NHC Fellow, 2001–02) Moral problems do not always come in the form of great social controversies. More often, the moral decisions we make are made quietly, constantly, and within the context of everyday activities and quotidian dilemmas. Indeed, these smaller decisions are based on a moral foundation that few of us ever … Continued

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Epicurus’ Ethical Theory: The Pleasures of Invulnerability

By Phillip Mitsis (NHC Fellow, 1987–88) The ethical theory of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341–271 B.C.) is commonly taken to be narrowly egoistic, and there is ample evidence in his writings to support this view―for example, in his maxims on friendship, his emphasis on the utility of friends, and his continual effort to link friendship … Continued

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History, Theory, Text: Historians and the Linguistic Turn

By Elizabeth A. Clark (NHC Fellow, 1988–89; 2001–02) In this work of sweeping erudition, one of our foremost historians of early Christianity considers a variety of theoretical critiques to examine the problems and opportunities posed by the ways in which history is written. Elizabeth Clark argues forcefully for a renewal of the study of premodern Western history … Continued

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Kant and Political Philosophy: The Contemporary Legacy

Edited by William James Booth (NHC Fellow, 1987–88) and Ronald Beiner In recent years there has been a major revival of interest in the political philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Thinkers have looked to Kant's theories about knowledge, history, the moral self and autonomy, and nature and aesthetics to seek the foundations of their own political … Continued

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Montesquieu: Selected Political Writings

By MontesquieuEdited and translated by Melvin Richter (NHC Fellow, 1989–90) The essential political writings of Montesquieu—a substantial abridgment of The Spirit of the Laws, plus judicious selections from The Persian Letters and Considerations of the Romans’ Greatness and Decline—are masterfully translated by Melvin Richter. Prefaced by a new fifty-page introduction by Richter for this revised … Continued

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Procedural Justice: Allocating to Individuals

Edited by Michael D. Bayles (NHC Fellow, 1984–85) During the last half of the twentieth century, legal philosophy (or legal theory or jurisprudence) has grown significantly. It is no longer the domain of a few isolated scholars in law and philosophy. Hundreds of scholars from diverse fields attend international meetings on the subject. In some … Continued

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Relating Humanities and Social Thought

By Abraham Edel (NHC Fellow, 1978–79) In the current atmosphere of controversy about modes of interpreting literature, historical influences in science, and subtle ideologies in social theory, Abraham Edel confronts the institutionalized separation of the humanities and the sciences, the segregation of disciplines through structures that rest on entrenched dualisms, and the isolations reenforced by … Continued