Book Description
This comprehensive reference provides an exhaustive guide to current scholarship on the perennial problem of Free Will--perhaps the most hotly and voluminously debated of all philosophical problems. While reference is made throughout to the contributions of major thinkers of the past, the emphasis is on recent research. The essays, most of which are previously unpublished, combine the work of established scholars with younger thinkers who are beginning to make significant contributions. Taken as a whole, the Handbook provides an engaging and accessible roadmap to the state of the art thinking on this enduring topic.
Customer Reviews:
Oxford and Kane have done it again!.......2005-01-17
So far forth, the editors of the Oxford Handbook series have managed to put together products which both the neophyte and the fully-informed scholar will find beneficial. Robert Kane has certainly done his part to keep up the trend.
All of the essays in this volume are written by philosophers who have made significant individual contributions to the contemporary discussion about human freedom. Most of the authors have also produced influential works in related fields (philosophy of mind, action theory and moral psychology), and many of them are thoroughly conversant with the relevant empirical research in physics and neuroscience. Indeed, parts II and VIII of the book are dedicated, respectively, to the interplay between the problems of free will and quantum physics/chaos theory on the one hand, and recent work in neuroscience on the other. The result is a compilation of essays written with the sort of texture and philosophical sensitivity that repays careful (re-)reading, and brimming with suggestive ideas that could well move the debate into some relatively unexplored terrain. (We should expect nothing less from a volume edited by Kane, who has himself long advocated the importance of approaching the ancient problem of free will from novel directions.) What's more, the collection includes essays from several philosophers whose own books on free will are, though quite important and valuable, somewhat cost prohibitive. (Anyone living on a graduate student's salary who's tried to pick up a copy of Pereboom's or Clarke's or Double's or Strawson's books will know what I mean.) So the expense of the present volume is, when seen in that light, thoroughly justifiable. In fact it's a steal! Or so I've tried to convince my wife.
Finally, with his characteristic combination of clarity and rigor, Kane provides a lengthy introduction to the book that will help both the professional philosopher and the new-comer find their bearings in this complex debate with as little intellectual turmoil as can reasonably be hoped for. The book is a good one, highly recommended.
Robert Kane's *The Oxford Handbook on Free Will*.......2005-01-13
Do you want to brought up to speed on the state of the art in philosophical discussions of free will? Do you want to give yourself a top-flight graduate course on this exciting philosophical topic? Then read Robert Kane's The Oxford Handbook on Free Will. This book might be the single best book to study if one wants a comprehensive overview of most of the controversies unfolding in debates about free will and moral responsibility. The essays are all outstanding. Each is penned by one of the leading figures in the field, and each combines an effort to teach at a very advanced level with a novel contribution to the literature pitched from the perspective of the author. For example, in the section devoted to compatibilism (the view that free will and moral responsibility are compatible with determinism), Kane includes four essays, one by Bernard Berofsky, another by Ishtiyaque Haji, a third by Paul Russell, and a forth by Daniel Dennett and Christopher Taylor. Each essay is detailed, crisp, completely informed, and clear as a bell. Each also advances the author's own views. Reading through this section, one can learn exactly what is now taking place in the arena of compatibilism. The same can be said about the section devoted to libertarianism (the thesis that some persons act from a sort of free will that requires the falsity of determinism). In this section, Kane includes probably the four finest philosophers currently defending this topic, Tim O'Connor, Randy Clarke, Carl Ginet, and Kane himself.
In all, there are eight sections to Kane's collection with a total of 25 essays. The sections are devoted to the following topics: 1) theological issues as they pertain to free will, 2) theories of physics and the free will problem, 3) the consequence argument (a highly influential argument for the thesis that determinism is incompatible with the ability to do otherwise), 4) compatibilism, 5) the relevance of alternative possibilities for moral responsibility (some philosophers think that the freedom to act otherwise is not required for moral responsibility), 6) libertarian views, 7) non-standard views about the relationship between free will, moral responsibility and determinism (such as the view that no one has free will or moral responsibility regardless of the truth or falsity of determinism), and finally, 8) neuroscientific influences on our understanding of the free will topic. An impressive range of topics indeed.
I have been publishing and writing on the topics of free will and moral responsibility for over 10 years now and I simply know of no single collection that even approximates the impressive quality and breadth of Kane's handbook. It is an outstanding book.
Kane's Compilation Will Leave You Proud To Lose An Argument.......2005-01-11
I first encountered Bob Kane's skill with the daedal discipline of free will in his book *The Significance of Free Will.* At that time, I realized that Kane had an almost suspicious talent for articulating my own objections, and then articulating a response that would often satisfy me more than my own.
While such a talent may be a bit threatening for readers aiming to claim their own victories, Kane's affability and enthusiasm always leave the reader not only with the necessary knowledge, but with a sense of pride in having participated in his well-authenticated jaunts.
This work, in particular, highlights Kane's skills as both an original author and an editor with an honest eye for the best arguments of his opponents. It will certainly become a staple, if it has not already, for professional scholars of free will and curious by-standers alike. The *Oxford Handbook of Free Will* draws together balanced selections from the most relevant authors in the field, and-despite its depth-manages to cover a range broad enough that the book would be equally well placed on the shelves of theologians, philosophers, and physicians.
My main criticism is that the compilation elides some selections that, to me, seem indispensable. Then again, such a problem *should* be inevitable for a field as factious as free will, and is blunted by Kane's need to balance his equations.
The Oxford group has again demonstrated their wisdom in selecting Kane as the editor of this volume. Compared to its competitors in the prosy pantheon of free-will texts, this selection will leave you energized to gnaw through the next puzzle (rather than feeling deflated by the fact that there remain more arguments to be broached).
-Christian P. Erickson, M.D.
christianerickson@alumni.duke.edu
Nice Broad Overview of Issues.......2004-04-13
The Oxford Handbook of Free Will is a nice overview of issues related to free will. Kane's introduction is itself insightful. Authors appear to be surveyish of the literature that pertains to the topic they are covering. The book is broken up into the following sections:
Part I: Theology and Fatalism
Part II: Physics, Determinism, and Indeterminism
Part III: The Modal or Consequence Argument for Incompatibilism
Part IV: Compatibilist Perspectives
Part V: Frankfurt-Style Cases
Part VI: Libertarian Perspectives on Free Agency and Will
Part VII: Nonstandard Views
Part VIII: Neurophilosophy and Free Will
The extensive bibliography in the back is also worth having for one's own research. The articles are written by a group of all-stars in the field: Fischer, O'Conner, Widerker, Dennett, Zagzebski, Mele, Double, Pereboom, Ginet, and on and on (sorry to all those I've left out). With all the work being done on this topic, I wouldn't be surprised if Oxford will need to publish another edition with new articles in about 5-10 years. But for now, this is a great selection of essays and I highly recommend this for becoming familiar with the territory, even if it costs a wallet-killing 80 bucks!
Book Description
An ontology is a description (like a formal specification of a program) of concepts and relationships that can exist for an agent or a community of agents. The concept is important for the purpose of enabling knowledge sharing and reuse. The
Handbook on Ontologies provides a comprehensive overview of the current status and future prospectives of the field of ontologies. The handbook demonstrates standards that have been created recently, it surveys methods that have been developed and it shows how to bring both into practice of ontology infrastructures and applications that are the best of their kind.
Book Description
The Oxford Handbooks series is a major new initiative in academic publishing. Each volume offers an authoritative and up-to-date survey of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned essays from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates. Oxford Handbooks provide scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The Oxford Handbook of Metaphysics offers the most authoritative and compelling guide to this diverse and fertile field of philosophy. Twenty-four of the world's most distinguished specialists provide brand-new essays about what kinds of things there are, in what ways they exist, and how they relate to each other. They give the latest word on such topics as identity, modality, time, causation, persons and minds, freedom, and vagueness. The Handbook's unrivalled breadth and depth make it the definitive reference work for students and academics across the philosophical spectrum.
Product Description
Handbook of Greek Philosophy is a real guide for anyone who wants to know about Ancient Greek philosophy, but he does not know how to start. Since there are thousands of writings about it, the one who is eager to be informed of Greek philosophy, is all at sea. With the present study one can be gradually initiated into the main principles of the great philosophers, whose thought is the basis of the modern philosophical thought. Due to chronological presentation of the fifteen Greek philosophical schools, the reader can gradually get to the understanding of the philosophical terms and concepts, beginning with the simple (of Thales, Anaximander etc..) and proceeding to the most complex ones (Plato, Aristotle etc..). The original fragments, which have been carefully selected out of thousands, along with their thorough analysis, can enable the reader to fathom the reasoning of the Greek thinkers, and acquire a deep comprehension of their Gnoseology, Ontology and Ethics. With this substantial work of scholarship, both the student and the teacher of philosophy alike can find useful concepts, ideas and quotations, so as to broaden their knowledge and views of philosophy. Apart from that, this essay can help them to make a further inquiry concerning Ontology and Ethics of Greek Philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant interpretation .......2006-06-25
I find most of the reviews really enlightening on the qualities of the book; so to say ` an excellent guide and interpretation of Greek philosophy and not a mere collection of translated texts of the Greek thinkers'. However, I would not agree with such a discriminating proposal as `to rewrite the book in native speaking English', unless we mean to suggest that Leibniz and Beckett's excellent writings in French and Wittgenstein's works in English should be rewritten by a native language speaking person.
The author, by developing progressively the concepts and due to his brilliant interpretation of the different philosophical schools of thought, leads the reader to gradual comprehension of the Greek philosophical conceptions. The `Doric' style of the language (poor), following the Greek philosophical tradition, does not interfere with the reader's understanding, but on the contrary develops a feeling of immediacy and prompts the student to go on and to search through the original writings of the philosophers by himself. All that makes the book valuable as a guide and introduction to Greek philosophy, because it increases the reader's awareness of philosophical questions and consequently it is getting more people interested in philosophy.
Illuminating and useful tool for the student of classical philosophy.......2006-01-10
Although a philosophical work, I found this book immensely stimulating and made me want to read more and more. Its gradual development of the concepts, its clear and essential interpretation of the Greek philosophers' sayings, along with its references to their works helps the reader to achieve a great deal of understanding. To sum up, the references to the Greek philosophical terms, which are very well interpreted, make the book an illuminating and useful guide for any student of philosophy.
Excellent introduction to Ancient Greek philosophy.......2005-12-28
I am a student of philosophy and I have had many difficulties in understanding the Greek philosophical terms and concepts. This book with its countless citations enabled me to understand all these terms like logos, phronesis, doxa, episteme, nous, eudaimonia etc. Due to its essential reference to the most of the Presocratics I could finally grasp the metaphysical and epistemological concepts of Plato and Aristotle. The author does not only show the way to discover the Greek wisdom through the innumerable fragments, but he also helps the student to do a further research into the enormous work of Plato and Aristotle, since he quotes the references of their work related to certain topics.
Really amazing and helpful work!!
Excellent book of ancient Greek philosophy.......2005-08-23
Finally I found the right book, which helped me to understand the main concepts of ancient Greek philosophy.
back to the origins in Greek philosophy.......2005-08-20
This little 'Handbook of Greek Philosophy' introduces the reader to all those authors who have become a staple of any history of European philosophy: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics.
The author had the good idea to devote nearly half of the pages to the Pre-Socratics from Thales to Democritus. As a result of this, much of what we know from Plato becomes better understandable, and besides this reader's awareness of the wealth of thoughts debated before the rise of Socrates is much heightened.
The term 'handbook' is a bit misleading, since this is not a magisterial work bringing several pounds of heavy scholarship onto your desk. It is more aptly called 'a first guide to the origins of European philosophy for the uninitiated.' However, this should not devalue the book. The book radiates the charm of old diaries and notebooks. There are many valuable nuggets strewn throughout the text, so one gets hooked and reads on.
There are some minor technical weaknesses. Readers looking for a synoptic vision which puts all things in their proper context and builds a grandiose web of cross references will be disappointed. But the bottom-line is: Read this book and you will have not wasted your time but on the contrary gained a strong feeling of what philosophy is all about and how the Greeks did it.
From the countless citations an intense feeling of immediacy develops, of being near to the sources from where philosophy once sprang like from a well of fresh water. What looks like a weakness turns out to be a strength: The author is not standing in the way of getting at the sources of original insight but makes you go there yourself.
I have to admit that I am no specialist on Greek philosophy, while the author seems to be. Thus I cannot evaluate the quality of the selections. But this does not change my evaluation as a reader that the book deserves close reading and will repay study.
Because there remains much to be improved in technicalities as is cross-referencing and index etc. I gave only 4 stars this time.
Average customer rating:
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The Apprentice God's Handbook
Steve Quadrio
Manufacturer: Authors Choice Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Consciousness & Thought
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
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| Books
General
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
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Metaphysics
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
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ASIN: 0595171885 |
Book Description
A concise no frills attack on society and all its ills. It tells the aspiring god how to create their own universe with themselves as the reigning deity. The author discusses why history, religion and politics keeps humans suppressed and why God is not a Canadian woman with a physical disability. It tells you how to discover why and who you are in the structure of your own universe.
Average customer rating:
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Handbook of Ontologies for Business Interaction
Manufacturer: Information Science Reference
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
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General
| Business & Investing
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MIS
| Industries & Professions
| Business & Investing
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General & Reference
| Technology
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General
| Computers & Internet
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ASIN: 1599046601 |
Book Description
The first edition of the
Handbook of Philosophical Logic (four volumes) was published in the period 1983-1989 and has proven to be an invaluable reference work to both students and researchers in formal philosophy, language and logic.
The second edition of the Handbook is intended to comprise some 18 volumes and will provide a very up-to-date authoritative, in-depth coverage of all major topics in philosophical logic and its applications in many cutting-edge fields relating to computer science, language, argumentation, etc.
The volumes will no longer be as topic-oriented as with the first edition because of the way the subject has evolved over the last 15 years or so. However the volumes will follow some natural groupings of chapters.
Audience: Students and researchers whose work or interests involve philosophical logic and its applications.
Book Description
1867. This book contains a brief history of Freemasonry in Europe and America; symbolic chart; the old charges; Anderson's constitutions; constitutional rules; resolutions, decisions, and opinions of Grand Lodges and enlightened Masons on questions liable to arise in subordinate lodges. A code of by-laws for subordinate lodges. Instructions and suggestions for secretaries of lodges.
Book Description
Oxford Handbooks offer authoritative and up-to-date surveys of original research in a particular subject area. Specially commissioned essays from leading figures in the discipline give critical examinations of the progress and direction of debates. Oxford Handbooks provide scholars and graduate students with compelling new perspectives upon a wide range of subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy is the definitive guide to what's going on in this lively and fascinating subject. Jackson and Smith, themselves two of the world's most eminent philosophers, have assembled more than thirty distinguished scholars to contribute incisive and up-to-date critical surveys of the principal areas of research. The coverage is broad, with sections devoted to moral philosophy, social and political philosophy, philosophy of mind and action, philosophy of language, metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of the sciences. This Handbook will be a rich source of insight and stimulation for philosophers, students of philosophy, and for people working in other disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, who are interested in the state of philosophy today.
Average customer rating:
- Handbook of Metaphysics and Ontology
|
Handbook of Metaphysics and Ontology (Analytica (Philosophia Verlag).)
Manufacturer: Philosophia Verlag, Munich
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Metaphysics
| Philosophy
| Nonfiction
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History
| Encyclopedias
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 388405080X |
Customer Reviews:
Handbook of Metaphysics and Ontology.......1999-10-13
Handbook of Metaphysics and Ontology by H. Burkhardt, Barry Smith vol.1 + vol. 2 Munich,Philadelphia,Vienna 1991
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