Philosophical Problems Today

Philosophical Problems Today is a new series of publications from the Institut International de Philosophie. lt follows upon Contemporary Philosophy, a series presenting philosophical research in various world cultures and so far published in seven volumes: Vols. 1-4 on European Philosophy, Vol. 5 on African Philosophy, Vol. 6 on Medieval Philosophy (Part 1 and 2) and Vol. 7 on Asian Philosophy (appeared in 1993). A further volume, dealing with the Philosophy of South America, is still in prepa ration (to appear in 1994/95). The new series is based on a different concept. Bach volume consists as a rule of five articles. The articles are extensive discussions of topical philosophical problems and offer always some original contributions. The articles in each volume repre sent different philosophical traditions and cultures and may thus contribute to crosscultural communication. Volume 1 in the new series contains articles on standard problems in European and American philosophy. Quine writes on truth and discusses various difficulties connected with the clear definition of the correspondence theory of truth. What are true and false, are propositions. Part of the difficulty stems from the ambiguity of "proposition". Some think that the word refers to certain types of sentences, others that it rather refers to the meaning of such sentences. Another major difficulty is due to the fact that the world, being unique, may be variously grasped.

In this book philosophers try to answer the following question: What is globalization and what does "globe" or "world" (monde) signify? Rémi Brague returns to the Greek idea of the cosmos in order to track the worldhood (mondanéité) of the world, that is, the process by which the idea of the world is formed. Don Ihde shows how a world has developed, in which technologies are no longer considered neutral means serving the ends of human action, but become the very means by which people exist in the world. Vittorio Mathieu describes the economical world at two levels – that of the individual and that of society. Tomonobu Imamichi analyses the capacity of aesthetic experience to disclose a world other than the world of technological efficiency. Francisco Miró Quesada C. emphasises that the great political questions are not solvable without worldviews that express value systems. David Rasmussen describes sensus communis as a cosmopolitan concept, which founds a political globalization of the world. And Peter Kemp attempts to grasp the meaning of that globalization upon which the destiny of our planet depends.

This book gives an insightful account of how some fundamental phenomena and mechanisms control human consciousness, impacting the way we think, will, and act. The book identifies these phenomena and mechanisms as ihe mkpuchi anya, the super-maxim, and the inherently tension-laden ambivalent character of our experience of reality. It re-examines fundamental problems of philosophy from the perspective of ibuanyidanda (complementary reflection) and how the problems reappear in the way philosophy is conducted in Africa today. (Series: Studies in African Philosophy - Vol. 8)

This accessible new book provides a clear and wide-ranging introduction to the defining problems of contemporary philosophy. Its unique feature is to focus on problems that cut across the established divide between analytic and continental philosophical traditions. Instead of segregating the two traditions, as is usually done, the authors offer a critical orientation and guide for readers who are not exclusively affiliated with either approach and who want to understand the increasingly shared questions philosophers are asking and addressing today. Each chapter starts with a fundamental overarching question: (1) What and how can we know? (2) What is the structure of the world? (3) What goes beyond the physical world? (4) What is to be done? (5) What does it mean to orient oneself philosophically? Under these headings, the authors critically examine the discipline's most fundamental problems. Their approach reveals deep and unexpected connections across the analytic/continental divide, and opens up new ways of thinking about critique itself. No other book about contemporary philosophy is as comprehensive and cosmopolitan. The Problems of Contemporary Philosophy provides newcomers and seasoned philosophers alike with an entertaining, engaging, and far-reaching portrait of today's philosophical landscape. It is an exemplary instance of thinking across and beyond the analytic/continental divide.

A fresh and original introduction to philosophy, written in a clear and entertaining style. The first part of the book presents philosophical problems, the second part contains solutions and further discussions.

'Engaging, smart and wise, Mini-Philosophy is a diverse taster menu of ideas on life, the mind and the world. Nutritious, bite-sized portions of philosophy that whet the appetite for more' - David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks Why do people enjoy watching scary movies? Should we bet on the existence of God? Why is pleasure better than pain? And when is a duck not a duck? Mini Philosophy is a fascinating journey into what some of the greatest minds of the last 2500 years have to say about the big questions in life, and why they are relevant to us today. Covering everything from Sun Tzu's strategy for winning at board games to Freud's insights into our 'death drive'; why De Beauvoir believed the mothering instinct is a myth to why Schopenhauer probably wasn't much fun at parties, these mini meditations will expand your mind (and bend it too).