Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-century Philosophy

Download Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-century Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (914 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-century Philosophy by : Graham A. J. Rogers

Download or read book Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-century Philosophy written by Graham A. J. Rogers and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy

Download Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135227527
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (352 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy by : G.A.J. Rogers

Download or read book Insiders and Outsiders in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy written by G.A.J. Rogers and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2009-10-28 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seventeenth-century philosophy scholars come together in this volume to address the Insiders--Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, and Hobbes--and Outsiders--Gassendi, Digby, Gale, Cudworth and Malebranche--of the philosocial canon. Contrasting the Insiders’ receptions with those of the Outsiders, this collection gives new insight into the history of philosophy.

British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century

Download British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191059501
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century by : Sarah Hutton

Download or read book British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century written by Sarah Hutton and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2015-06-04 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sarah Hutton presents a rich historical study of one of the most fertile periods in modern philosophy. It was in the seventeenth century that Britain's first philosophers of international stature and lasting influence emerged. Its most famous names, Hobbes and Locke, rank alongside the greatest names in the European philosophical canon. Bacon too belongs with this constellation of great thinkers, although his status as a philosopher tends to be obscured by his status as father of modern science. The seventeenth century is normally regarded as the dawn of modernity following the breakdown of the Aristotelian synthesis which had dominated intellectual life since the middle ages. In this period of transformational change, Bacon, Hobbes, Locke are acknowledged to have contributed significantly to the shape of European philosophy from their own time to the present day. But these figures did not work in isolation. Sarah Hutton places them in their intellectual context, including the social, political and religious conditions in which philosophy was practised. She treats seventeenth-century philosophy as an ongoing conversation: like all conversations, some voices will dominate, some will be more persuasive than others and there will be enormous variations in tone from the polite to polemical, matter-of-fact, intemperate. The conversation model allows voices to be heard which would otherwise be discounted. Hutton shows the importance of figures normally regarded as 'minor' players in philosophy (e.g. Herbert of Cherbury, Cudworth, More, Burthogge, Norris, Toland) as well as others who have been completely overlooked, notably female philosophers. Crucially, instead of emphasizing the break between seventeenth-century philosophy and its past, the conversation model makes it possible to trace continuities between the Renaissance and seventeenth century, across the seventeenth century and into the eighteenth century, while at the same time acknowledging the major changes which occurred.

The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century

Download The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191642002
Total Pages : 672 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (916 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century by : Peter R. Anstey

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century written by Peter R. Anstey and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-06-27 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century comprises twenty-six new essays by leading experts in the field. This unique scholarly resource provides advanced students and scholars with a comprehensive overview of the issues that are informing research on the subject, while at the same time offering new directions for research to take. The volume is ambitious in scope: it covers the whole of the seventeenth century, ranging from Francis Bacon to John Locke and Isaac Newton. The Handbook contains five parts: the introductory Part I examines the state of the discipline and the nature of its practitioners as the century unfolded; Part II discusses the leading natural philosophers and the philosophy of nature, including Bacon, Boyle, and Newton; Part III covers knowledge and the human faculty of the understanding; Part IV explores the leading topics in British moral philosophy from the period; and Part V concerns political philosophy. In addition to dealing with canonical authors and celebrated texts, such as Thomas Hobbes and his Leviathan, the Handbook discusses many less well-known figures and debates from the period, whose importance is only now being appreciated.

Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers

Download Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190274883
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers by : David S. Sytsma

Download or read book Richard Baxter and the Mechanical Philosophers written by David S. Sytsma and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-07-03 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Baxter, one of the most famous Puritans of the seventeenth century, is generally known as a writer of practical and devotional literature. But he also excelled in knowledge of medieval and early modern scholastic theology, and was conversant with a wide variety of seventeenth-century philosophies. Baxter was among the early English polemicists who wrote against the mechanical philosophy of René Descartes and Pierre Gassendi in the years immediately following the establishment of the Royal Society. At the same time, he was friends with Robert Boyle and Matthew Hale, corresponded with Joseph Glanvill, and engaged in philosophical controversy with Henry More. In this book, David Sytsma presents a chronological and thematic account of Baxter's relation to the people and concepts involved in the rise of mechanical philosophy in late-seventeenth-century England. Drawing on largely unexamined works, including Baxter's Methodus Theologiae Christianae (1681) and manuscript treatises and correspondence, Sytsma discusses Baxter's response to mechanical philosophers on the nature of substance, laws of motion, the soul, and ethics. Analysis of these topics is framed by a consideration of the growth of Christian Epicureanism in England, Baxter's overall approach to reason and philosophy, and his attempt to understand creation as an analogical reflection of God's power, wisdom, and goodness, or vestigia Trinitatis. Baxter's views on reason, analogical knowledge of God, and vestigia Trinitatis draw on medieval precedents and directly inform a largely hostile, though partially accommodating, response to mechanical philosophy.

The Philosophy of Kenelm Digby (1603–1665)

Download The Philosophy of Kenelm Digby (1603–1665) PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030998223
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (39 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Philosophy of Kenelm Digby (1603–1665) by : Laura Georgescu

Download or read book The Philosophy of Kenelm Digby (1603–1665) written by Laura Georgescu and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-05-18 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the philosophical and scientific achievements of Sir Kenelm Digby, a successful English diplomat, privateer and natural philosopher of the mid-1600s. Not widely remembered today, Digby is one of the most intriguing figures in the history of early modern philosophers. Among scholars, he is known for his attempt to reconcile what perhaps seem to be irreconcilable philosophical frameworks: Aristotelianism and early modern mechanism. This contributed volume offers the first full-length treatment of Digby’s work and of the unique position he occupied in early modern intellectual history. It explores key aspects of Digby’s metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophical method, and offers a new appraisal of his contributions to early modern natural philosophy and mathematics. A dozen contributors offer their expert insight into such topics as Body, quantity, and measures in Digby's natural philosophy Ecumenism and common notions in Digby Aristotelianism and accidents in Digby's philosophy Digby on body and soul Digby on method and experiments This book volume will be of benefit to a broad audience of scholars, educators, and students of the history of early modern science and philosophy.

Historical Dictionary of Leibniz's Philosophy

Download Historical Dictionary of Leibniz's Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538178451
Total Pages : 457 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (381 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Historical Dictionary of Leibniz's Philosophy by : Stuart C. Brown

Download or read book Historical Dictionary of Leibniz's Philosophy written by Stuart C. Brown and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2023-04-30 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historical Dictionary of Leibniz's Philosophy, Second Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 500 cross-referenced entries on Leibniz’s philosophy, written work, teachers, contemporaries, and philosophers influenced by him.

The Cambridge Platonists and Early Modern Philosophy

Download The Cambridge Platonists and Early Modern Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1009426907
Total Pages : 329 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (94 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Cambridge Platonists and Early Modern Philosophy by : Samuel M. Kaldas

Download or read book The Cambridge Platonists and Early Modern Philosophy written by Samuel M. Kaldas and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2024-05-16 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Often neglected by historians today, the seventeenth-century philosophers known as the Cambridge Platonists were recognised in their time as some of the most influential and controversial philosophers in England. Whereas most studies of the Cambridge Platonists have discussed their later careers, this book focuses on their early, formative years at Cambridge during the English Civil Wars. Samuel M. Kaldas explores how the Cambridge Platonists addressed issues central to philosophy of religion as we know it today through their engagement with early seventeenth-century religious controversies about predestination, the character and nature of God, and the role of reason in religion. His study serves as an accessible introduction to both the Cambridge Platonists, and to English religious controversies that contributed to the birth of the modern philosophy of religion. At the same time, Kaldas provides context for and fresh insights into the Cambridge Platonists' intellectual development and the coherence of their thought.

The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism

Download The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019251721X
Total Pages : 728 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism by : Steven Nadler

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism written by Steven Nadler and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-25 with total page 728 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism comprises fifty specially written chapters on René Descartes (1596-1650) and Cartesianism, the dominant paradigm for philosophy and science in the seventeenth century, written by an international group of leading scholars of early modern philosophy. The first part focuses on the various aspects of Descartes's biography (including his background, intellectual contexts, writings, and correspondence) and philosophy, with chapters on his epistemology, method, metaphysics, physics, mathematics, moral philosophy, political thought, medical thought, and aesthetics. The chapters of the second part are devoted to the defense, development and modification of Descartes's ideas by later generations of Cartesian philosophers in France, the Netherlands, Italy, and elsewhere. The third and final part considers the opposition to Cartesian philosophy by other philosophers, as well as by civil, ecclesiastic, and academic authorities. This handbook provides an extensive overview of Cartesianism - its doctrines, its legacies and its fortunes - in the period based on the latest research.

Pierre Gassendi

Download Pierre Gassendi PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1315521717
Total Pages : 502 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (155 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Pierre Gassendi by : Delphine Bellis

Download or read book Pierre Gassendi written by Delphine Bellis and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-04-21 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pierre Gassendi (1592–1655) was a major figure in seventeenth-century philosophy and science and his works contributed to shaping Western intellectual identity. Among “new philosophers,” he was considered Descartes’s main rival, and he belonged to the first rank of those attempting to carve out an alternative to Aristotelian philosophy. In his writings, he promoted a revival of atomism and Epicureanism within a Christian framework, and advocated an empiricist and probabilistic epistemology which was to have a major impact on later thinkers such as Locke and Newton. He is moreover important for his astronomical work, for his defense of Galileo’s mechanics and cosmology, and for his activity as a biographer. Given the importance of Gassendi for the history of science and philosophy, it is surprising to see that he has been largely ignored in the Anglophone world. This collection of essays constitutes the first book on Gassendi in the English language that covers his biography, bibliography, and all aspects of his work. The book is divided into three parts. Part I offers a reconstruction of the genesis of Gassendi’s Epicurean project, an overview of his biography, and analyses of Gassendi’s early attacks on Aristotle, of his advocacy of Epicurean philosophy, and his relation to the skeptical tradition and to Cicero’s thought. Part II addresses Gassendi as a participant in seventeenth-century philosophical and scientific debates, focusing especially on his controversies with Descartes and Fludd. Part III explores Gassendi’s contributions to logic, theories of space and time, mechanics, astronomy, cosmology, and the study of living beings, and presents the reception of Gassendi’s thought in England. This book is an essential resource for scholars and upper-level students of early modern philosophy, intellectual history, and the history of science who want to get acquainted with Pierre Gassendi as a major philosopher and intellectual figure of the early modern period.

Experiment, Speculation and Religion in Early Modern Philosophy

Download Experiment, Speculation and Religion in Early Modern Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429663625
Total Pages : 296 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Experiment, Speculation and Religion in Early Modern Philosophy by : Alberto Vanzo

Download or read book Experiment, Speculation and Religion in Early Modern Philosophy written by Alberto Vanzo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-03-11 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experimental philosophy was an exciting and extraordinarily successful development in the study of nature in the seventeenth century. Yet experimental philosophy was not without its critics and was far from the only natural philosophical method on the scene. In particular, experimental philosophy was contrasted with and set against speculative philosophy and, in some quarters, was accused of tending to irreligion. This volume brings together ten scholars of early modern philosophy, history and science in order to shed new light on the complex relations between experiment, speculation and religion in early modern Europe. The first six chapters of the book focus on the respective roles of experimental and speculative philosophy in individual seventeenth-century philosophers. They include Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Margaret Cavendish, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Isaac Newton. The next two chapters deal with the relation between experimental philosophy and religion with a special focus on hypotheses and natural religion. The penultimate chapter takes a broader European perspective and examines the paucity of concerns with religion among Italian natural philosophers of the period. Finally, the concluding chapter draws all these individuals and themes together to provide a critical appraisal of recent scholarship on experimental philosophy. This book is the first collection of essays on the subject of early modern experimental philosophy. It will appeal to scholars and students of early modern philosophy, science and religion.

Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences

Download Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3319310690
Total Pages : 2267 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (193 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences by : Dana Jalobeanu

Download or read book Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences written by Dana Jalobeanu and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-08-27 with total page 2267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Encyclopedia offers a fresh, integrated and creative perspective on the formation and foundations of philosophy and science in European modernity. Combining careful contextual reconstruction with arguments from traditional philosophy, the book examines methodological dimensions, breaks down traditional oppositions such as rationalism vs. empiricism, calls attention to gender issues, to ‘insiders and outsiders’, minor figures in philosophy, and underground movements, among many other topics. In addition, and in line with important recent transformations in the fields of history of science and early modern philosophy, the volume recognizes the specificity and significance of early modern science and discusses important developments including issues of historiography (such as historical epistemology), the interplay between the material culture and modes of knowledge, expert knowledge and craft knowledge. This book stands at the crossroads of different disciplines and combines their approaches – particularly the history of science, the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of science, and intellectual and cultural history. It brings together over 100 philosophers, historians of science, historians of mathematics, and medicine offering a comprehensive view of early modern philosophy and the sciences. It combines and discusses recent results from two very active fields: early modern philosophy and the history of (early modern) science. Editorial Board EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Dana Jalobeanu University of Bucharest, Romania Charles T. Wolfe Ghent University, Belgium ASSOCIATE EDITORS Delphine Bellis University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Zvi Biener University of Cincinnati, OH, USA Angus Gowland University College London, UK Ruth Hagengruber University of Paderborn, Germany Hiro Hirai Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Martin Lenz University of Groningen, The Netherlands Gideon Manning CalTech, Pasadena, CA, USA Silvia Manzo University of La Plata, Argentina Enrico Pasini University of Turin, Italy Cesare Pastorino TU Berlin, Germany Lucian Petrescu Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium Justin E. H. Smith University de Paris Diderot, France Marius Stan Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA Koen Vermeir CNRS-SPHERE + Université de Paris, France Kirsten Walsh University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Et Amicorum: Essays on Renaissance Humanism and Philosophy

Download Et Amicorum: Essays on Renaissance Humanism and Philosophy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004355324
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Et Amicorum: Essays on Renaissance Humanism and Philosophy by :

Download or read book Et Amicorum: Essays on Renaissance Humanism and Philosophy written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-11-20 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jill Kraye, Professor Emerita of the Warburg Institute, is renowned internationally for her scholarship on Renaissance philosophy and humanism. This volume pays tribute to her achievements with essays by friends, colleagues, and doctoral students—all leading scholars—on subjects as diverse as her work. Articles on canonical figures such as Marsilio Ficino and Justus Lipsius mix with more quirky pieces on alphabetic play and the Hippocratic aphorisms. Many chapters seek to bridge the divide between humanism and philosophy, including David Lines's survey of the way fifteenth-century humanists actually defined philosophy and Brian Copenhaver's polemical essay against the concept of humanist philosophy. The volume includes a full bibliography of Professor Kraye's scholarly publications. Contributors are: Michael Allen, Daniel Andersson, Lilian Armstrong, Stefan Bauer, Dorigen Caldwell, Brian Copenhaver, Martin Davies, Germana Ernst, Guido Giglioni, Robert Goulding, Anthony Grafton, James Hankins, J. Cornelia Linde, David Lines, Margaret Meserve, John Monfasani, Anthony Ossa-Richardson, Jan Papy, Michael Reeve, Alessandro Scafi, and William Stenhouse.

Beyond Reception

Download Beyond Reception PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN 13 : 3110638770
Total Pages : 214 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (16 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Beyond Reception by : Patrick Baker

Download or read book Beyond Reception written by Patrick Baker and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2019-04-01 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beyond Reception applies a new concept for analyzing cultural change, known as ‘transformation', the study of Renaissance humanism. Traditional scholarship takes the Renaissance humanists at their word, that they were simply viewing the ancient world as it actually was and recreating its key features within their own culture. Initially modern studies in the classical tradition accepted this claim and saw this process as largely passive. 'Transformation theory' emphasizes the active role played by the receiving culture both in constructing a vision of the past and in transforming that vision into something that was a meaningful part of the later culture. A chapter than explains the terminology and workings of 'transformation theory' is followed by essays by nine established experts that suggest how the key disciplines of grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and philosophy in the Renaissance represent transformations of what went on in these fields in ancient Greece and Rome. The picture that emerges suggests that Renaissance humanism as it was actually practiced both received and transformed the classical past, at the same time as it constructed a vision of that past that still resonates today.

Early Modern Philosophers and the Renaissance Legacy

Download Early Modern Philosophers and the Renaissance Legacy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 331932604X
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (193 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Early Modern Philosophers and the Renaissance Legacy by : Cecilia Muratori

Download or read book Early Modern Philosophers and the Renaissance Legacy written by Cecilia Muratori and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-27 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When does Renaissance philosophy end, and Early Modern philosophy begin? Do Renaissance philosophers have something in common, which distinguishes them from Early Modern philosophers? And ultimately, what defines the modernity of the Early Modern period, and what role did the Renaissance play in shaping it? The answers to these questions are not just chronological. This book challenges traditional constructions of these periods, which partly reflect the prejudice that the Renaissance was a literary and artistic phenomenon, rather than a philosophical phase. The essays in this book investigate how the legacy of Renaissance philosophers persisted in the following centuries through the direct encounters of subsequent generations with Renaissance philosophical texts. This volume treats Early Modern philosophers as joining their predecessors as ‘conversation partners’: the ‘conversations’ in this book feature, among others, Girolamo Cardano and Henry More, Thomas Hobbes and Lorenzo Valla, Bernardino Telesio and Francis Bacon, René Descartes and Tommaso Campanella, Giulio Cesare Vanini and the anonymous Theophrastus redivivus.

The Virtue of Sympathy

Download The Virtue of Sympathy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300210418
Total Pages : 429 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Virtue of Sympathy by : Seth Lobis

Download or read book The Virtue of Sympathy written by Seth Lobis and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2015-01-06 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with an analysis of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and building to a new reading of Milton’s Paradise Lost, author Seth Lobis charts a profound change in the cultural meaning of sympathy during the seventeenth century. Having long referred to magical affinities in the universe, sympathy was increasingly understood to be a force of connection between people. By examining sympathy in literary and philosophical writing of the period, Lobis illuminates an extraordinary shift in human understanding.

Sympathy

Download Sympathy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190273291
Total Pages : 455 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Sympathy by : Eric Schliesser

Download or read book Sympathy written by Eric Schliesser and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our modern-day word for sympathy is derived from the classical Greek word for fellow-feeling. Both in the vernacular as well as in the various specialist literatures within philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, economics, and history, "sympathy" and "empathy" are routinely conflated. In practice, they are also used to refer to a large variety of complex, all-too-familiar social phenomena: for example, simultaneous yawning or the giggles. Moreover, sympathy is invoked to address problems associated with social dislocation and political conflict. It is, then, turned into a vehicle toward generating harmony among otherwise isolated individuals and a way for them to fit into a larger whole, be it society and the universe. This volume offers a historical overview of some of the most significant attempts to come to grips with sympathy in Western thought from Plato to experimental economics. The contributors are leading scholars in philosophy, classics, history, economics, comparative literature, and political science. Sympathy is originally developed in Stoic thought. It was also taken up by Plotinus and Galen. There are original contributed chapters on each of these historical moments. Use for the concept was re-discovered in the Renaissance. And the volume has original chapters not just on medical and philosophical Renaissance interest in sympathy, but also on the role of antipathy in Shakespeare and the significance of sympathy in music theory. Inspired by the influence of Spinoza, sympathy plays a central role in the great moral psychologies of, say, Anne Conway, Leibniz, Hume, Adam Smith, and Sophie De Grouchy during the eighteenth century. The volume offers an introduction to key background concepts that are often overlooked in many of the most important philosophies of the early modern period. About a century ago the idea of Einfühlung (or empathy) was developed in theoretical philosophy, then applied in practical philosophy and the newly emerging scientific disciplines of psychology. Moreover, recent economists have rediscovered sympathy in part experimentally and, in part by careful re-reading of the classics of the field.