Anything Considered

Bennett is an English expatriate living in France with a champagne taste and a beer bankroll. Happy-go-lucky and a bit roguish, he places an ad in the International Herald Tribune offering his services -- any services. He pursues a response from a wealthy Englishman named Julian Poe who has developed a means of producing truffles and is close to cornering the immensely lucrative truffle market. Bennett signs on and finds himself in Monaco, where he is able to live in a style to which he has always wished to become accustomed (including eating to his heart's content -- a Mayle trademark!). Soon the Sicilian and Corsican Mafiosi intrude and Bennett is joined by the beautiful and experienced (in all ways) Anna. Ham-fisted goons, gendarmes working at cross purposes, French village busybodies, and an order of monks dedicated to the god Bacchus all play a role in the surprising, and more than a little satisfying, denouement.

Dieser Band enthält Yasuhiko Tomidas bemerkenswerte Essays über Locke, Berkeley und Kant sowie einen Aufsatz, der Denkanstöße gibt und gemeinsam mit einem Experimental-Physiker verfasst wurde. Tomida behauptet, dass der logische Platz der Theorie der Ideen ursprünglich ‚naturalistisch‘ ist im Quine’schen Sinn des Begriffs, und dass Berkeley und Kant ihn auf ihre jeweilige Weise ‚entstellen‘. Damit bietet der Autor eine völlig neue Perspektive auf die Historiographie der Theorie der Ideen. Die durchgesehene und erweiterte zweite Auflage enthält einen zusätzlichen Aufsatz über Lockes holistische Logik. „Professor Tomida hat wertvolle, neue Einsichten zum Verständnis von Lockes Text geliefert. Wer auch immer an Lockes Darstellung des Wissens und der impliziten Ontologie des Essay interessiert ist, sollte sein Werk sehr sorgfältig studieren.“ (John W. Yolton) „Der Verfasser ist zehn Jahre lang für seine Grundüberzeugung bezüglich Locke eingetreten; es gibt sicherlich vieles, was für seine Berkeley-Interpretation spricht (und seine Kenntnis der Texte und der Sekundärliteratur ist beeindruckend), und selbst wenn Berkeley oder einer seiner Anhänger eine Verteidigung gegen den Vorwurf einer Entstellung versuchen wollten, bin ich keineswegs überzeugt, dass sie ‚gewinnen‘ würden. ... Es macht mir immer Vergnü¬gen, Tomida zu lesen. ... Was ich auch von Tomida lese, es trägt zu meiner Hochachtung für ihn als Locke-Experten bei.“ (Ian C. Tipton) This volume consists of Yasuhiko Tomida’s notable essays on Locke, Berkeley, and Kant as well as a thought-provoking article written in collaboration with an experimental physicist. Tomida asserts that the logical space of the theory of ideas is originally ‘naturalistic’ in Quine’s sense of the term and that Berkeley and Kant ‘distort’ it in their respective ways, thus offering a wholly new viewpoint concerning the historiography of the theory of ideas. The revised and enlarged second edition carries one more article on Locke’s holistic logic. ‘Professor Tomida has brought some valuable, fresh insights to the reading of Locke’s text. All those interested in Locke’s account of knowledge and the implicit ontology of the Essay should examine [his work] very carefully.’ John W. Yolton ‘The author has … been arguing for his basic stance of Locke for these ten years; his reading of Berkeley certainly does have a lot going for it (and his knowledge on the texts and the secondary literature is impressive), and even if Berkeley or a Berkeleian might attempt some sort of defence against that charge of a distortion, I am not totally convinced that they’d “win”. … I always enjoy reading Tomida. … [E]verything I read by Tomida contributes to my respect for him as a Locke scholar.’ Ian C. Tipton

First published in 1928, The Correspondence of Spinoza is deeply interesting in many ways. It presents a pageant of the leading types of seventeenth-century mentality. It affords contemporary glimpses of important scientific researches and discoveries. It brings us into touch with some of the social and political events and tendencies of the period. This book includes correspondent letters containing things of first-rate importance for the correct interpretation of the philosophy of Spinoza.

The combination of current cosmology, physical theories, ancient cosmogonies, theologies, and metaphysics poses three main questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? Why does being take many forms? What is the origin of everything? Many different answers have been given in various different fields to these questions. In theological, creationist metaphysics, the only answer is the existence of a creator who has given rise not only to everything, but also to the laws that govern existence. Non-theological metaphysics, instead, has engaged in the determination of some first principles (archái), from which derives the reality in its various forms. Science, for a long time, evaded these questions, focusing instead on particular aspects of reality by formulating explanations of natural phenomena. In the course of their current development, physics (including quantum theory) and cosmology have posed questions concerning the origin of the whole universe and the reasons for its existence. They believe it is possible to formulate a theory of everything, just as metaphysical cosmologists and theologians thought. The papers collected in this volume offer interesting contributions to the debates surrounding this ultimate “why” question.

Psychology is a field of many paradoxes. Since its earliest beginnings as a natural science, psychologists have been in search of their proper subject matter. Today they are in less agreement than ever. In this classic text, originally published as "What Man Has Made of Man, "Mortimer J. Adler goes to the root of the problem. He shows that psychology is simultaneously a particular social science "and "a branch of philosophical knowledge. These two parts must be distinguished from, yet related to, each other if sound philosophical analysis is to replace bad "philosophizing," which scientific psychologists too often use to describe their research findings. Adler also examines the scientific contribution of psychoanalysis by distinguishing it from Freud's meta-psychology, which he shows to be an inadequate statement of the traditional or classical philosophical positions. Adler believes that psychology is crucially important in modern culture. It is theoretically important because it is central to the errors of modern philosophy. It has practical significance because economic, moral, and political doctrines are determined by the view that man reviews his own nature. To understand the history of modern times, and to correct its normative deviations, we must, according to Adler, consider what man has made of man. This engaging analytical study will be a valuable tool for psychologists, psychoanalysts, philosophers, and sociologists.

Foreword by Janet Yellen Weijian Shan's Out of the Gobi is a powerful memoir and commentary that will be one of the most important books on China of our time, one with the potential to re-shape how Americans view China, and how the Chinese view life in America. Shan, a former hard laborer who is now one of Asia's best-known financiers, is thoughtful, observant, eloquent, and brutally honest, making him well-positioned to tell the story of a life that is a microcosm of modern China, and of how, improbably, that life became intertwined with America. Out of the Gobi draws a vivid picture of the raw human energy and the will to succeed against all odds. Shan only finished elementary school when Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution tore his country apart. He was a witness to the brutality and absurdity of Mao's policies during one of the most tumultuous eras in China's history. Exiled to the Gobi Desert at age 15 and denied schooling for 10 years, he endured untold hardships without ever giving up his dream for an education. Shan's improbable journey, from the Gobi to the "People's Republic of Berkeley" and far beyond, is a uniquely American success story – told with a splash of humor, deep insight and rich and engaging detail. This powerful and personal perspective on China and America will inform Americans' view of China, humanizing the country, while providing a rare view of America from the prism of a keen foreign observer who lived the American dream. Says former Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen: "Shan's life provides a demonstration of what is possible when China and the United States come together, even by happenstance. It is not only Shan's personal history that makes this book so interesting but also how the stories of China and America merge in just one moment in time to create an inspired individual so unique and driven, and so representative of the true sprits of both countries."

Dream Codes is a powerful little book about the purpose of dreaming. It not only explains why we dream, but also how to remember and interpret your dreams. The author gives a few examples of things that can affect our dreaming, and how, when acknowledged, dreams can change and improve our life. The author explains why we have ghosts and how they can affect our life, and even our sleep and dreams. He also includes things like, spiritual energy, the truth about psychics, and the importance of harmony between, the mind, body and soul. The book also includes a three hundred word dream dictionary which gives on average, three examples of what each dream symbol may mean. The symbols chosen are what the author feels are the most commonly dreamed about, and also the ones that trouble people most. The dictionary is detailed and authoritative, and offers insight into the language of dreams.

First published in 1999. The purpose of this series is to provide a contemporary assessment and history of the entire course of philosophical thought. Each book constitutes a detailed, critical introduction to the work of a philosopher of major influence and significance. This book includes two volumes of essays on Locke's work.