By Eric G. Wilson (NHC Fellow, 2003–04) This lively intellectual biography of the second half of Coleridge's life argues that the poet, in his mature work, reveals a brilliant though troubled genius for conveying the ambiguities of psychological limbo. Asserting that the later poetry is the key element of Coleridge's career, Eric G. Wilson proposes … Continued
By John M. Doris (NHC Fellow, 2008–09) The unconscious, according to contemporary psychology, determines much of our lives: very often, we don't know why we do what we do, or even exactly what we are doing. This realization undermines the philosophical-and common sense-picture of human beings as rational, responsible, agents whose behavior is ordered by … Continued
By Alvin I. Goldman (NHC Fellow, 1981–82) Whatever the target of our effort to know—whether we probe the origin of the cosmos, the fabric of man-made symbols and culture, or simply the layout of our immediate environment—all knowledge is grounded in natural cognitive capacities. Philosophers of knowledge must therefore make use of the science of … Continued
By Owen Flanagan (NHC Fellow, 2015–16) The Geography of Morals is a work of extraordinary ambition: an indictment of the parochialism of Western philosophy, a comprehensive dialogue between anthropology, empirical moral psychology, behavioral economics, and cross-cultural philosophy, and a deep exploration of the opportunities for self, social, and political improvement provided by world philosophy. We live … Continued
By Steven Marcus (Trustee; NHC Fellow, 1980–81; 1981–82) Steven Marcus discusses Freud's famous cases "Dora" and "The Rat Man," as well as the Freud–Fliess correspondence, the Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, and the evolution of Freud's notion of the superego. Through his close reading of various of Freud's theoretical and clinical texts, he … Continued
By Robert E. Lane (NHC Fellow, 1983–84) In a period when market economies are widely recognized as the most desirable form of economic organization, Robert Lane offers evidence that the major premises of market economics are mistaken. Lane shows that work, far from being a disutility, as economic theory would have it, is instead one … Continued
By Joseph Adelson (NHC Fellow, 1978–79)
Edited by John M. Doris (NHC Fellow, 2008–09) The Moral Psychology Handbook offers a survey of contemporary moral psychology, integrating evidence and argument from philosophy and the human sciences. The chapters cover major issues in moral psychology, including moral reasoning, character, moral emotion, positive psychology, moral rules, the neural correlates of ethical judgment, and the attribution … Continued
By Owen Flanagan (NHC Fellow, 2015–16) The world today is full of anger. Everywhere we look, we see values clashing and tempers rising, in ways that seem frenzied, aimless, and cruel. At the same time, we witness political leaders and others who lack any sense of shame, even as they display carelessness with the truth … Continued
By William M. Reddy (NHC Fellow, 1995–96) In The Navigation of Feeling: A Framework for the History of Emotions, William M. Reddy offers a theory of emotions which both critiques and expands upon recent research in the fields of anthropology and psychology. Exploring the links between emotion and cognition, between culture and emotional expression, Reddy … Continued