Hardcover. Buffalo NY, William S. Hein, reprint, 1995, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, tan buckram with black spine lettering. This is a reprint of the first English translation from the Latin, originally published in 1925 by The Clarendon Press. 946 pages. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean. PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO WEIGHT DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.
Softcover. NY, Continuum, reprint, 1989, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 258 pages. Dialectic of Enlightenment is undoubtedly the most influential publication of the Frankfurt School of Critical Theory. Written during the Second World War and circulated privately, it appeared in a printed edition in Amsterdam in 1947. "What we had set out to do," the authors write in the Preface, "was nothing less than to explain why humanity, instead of entering a truly human state, is sinking into a new kind of barbarism." Yet the work goes far beyond a mere critique of contemporary events. Historically remote developments, indeed, the birth of Western history and of subjectivity itself out of the struggle against natural forces, as represented in myths, are connected in a wide arch to the most threatening experiences of the present. The book consists in five chapters, at first glance unconnected, together with a number of shorter notes. The various analyses concern such phenomena as the detachment of science from practical life, formalized morality, the manipulative nature of entertainment culture, and a paranoid behavioral structure, expressed in aggressive anti-Semitism, that marks the limits of enlightenment. The authors perceive a common element in these phenomena, the tendency toward self-destruction of the guiding criteria inherent in enlightenment thought from the beginning. Using historical analyses to elucidate the present, they show, against the background of a prehistory of subjectivity, why the National Socialist terror was not an aberration of modern history but was rooted deeply in the fundamental characteristics of Western civilization. Spine faded, Clean copy.
Hardcover. Leiden/NY, E.J. Brill, 1st, 1996, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 376 pages. This volume consists of 21 papers delivered at an international Spinoza conference on Disguised and Overt Spinozism around 1700, held at the Erasmus University (Rotterdam) in October 1994. In these papers, scholars from Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the United States examine the impact of Spinoza's philosophy on the European Republic of Letters, one generation after the death, in 1677, of the greatest philosopher in the history of the Netherlands. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Cambridge, MA, Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1st Edition, 1961, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 154 pages. Hardcover. Navy blue cloth cover boards, title on spine in white and small gilt design on front cover board. Previous owner's name on front flyleaf. Light pencil marks (erasable) throughout. Binding tight. Spine straight. This small book, the last work of a world-renowned scholar, has established itself as a classic. It provides a superb overview of the vast historical process by which Christianity was Hellenized and Hellenic civilization became Christianized.
Hardcover. Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press, 1st, 1969, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 556 pages. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Oxford UK, Oxford University Press, 1st, 2016, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 382 pages. This study addresses the need for a more current understanding of Cartesian philosophy by considering the different constructions of Descartes's thought that emerged in the Calvinist United Provinces (Netherlands) and Catholic France, the two main centers for early modern Cartesianism, during the period dating from the last decades of his life to the century or so following his death in 1650. It turns out that we must speak not of a single early modern Cartesianism rigidly defined in terms of Descartes's own authorial intentions, but rather of a loose collection of early modern Cartesianisms that involve a range of different positions on various sets of issues. Though more or less rooted in Descartes's somewhat open-ended views, these Cartesianisms evolved in different ways over time in response to different intellectual and social pressures. Chapters of this study are devoted to: the early modern Catholic and Calvinist condemnations of Descartes and the incompatible Cartesian responses to these; conflicting attitudes among early modern Cartesians toward ancient thought and modernity; competing early modern attempts to combine Descartes's views with those of Augustine; the different occasionalist accounts of causation within early modern Cartesianism; and the impact of various forms of early modern Cartesianism on both Dutch medicine and French physics. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.
Hardcover. Salem MA, Cushing and Carlton, 1st US, 1795, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 144 pages, 2 parts bound in one volume, bound in leather. Front cover hinge partially cracked, loose. Light pencil writing on last blank page, otherwise clean, tight copy.
Hardcover. Princeton NJ, Princeton University Press, 2nd pr., 2013, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 332 pages, b&w illustrations. Einstein and the Quantum reveals for the first time the full significance of Albert Einstein's contributions to quantum theory. Einstein famously rejected quantum mechanics, observing that God does not play dice. But, in fact, he thought more about the nature of atoms, molecules, and the emission and absorption of light-the core of what we now know as quantum theory-than he did about relativity.A compelling blend of physics, biography, and the history of science, Einstein and the Quantum shares the untold story of how Einstein-not Max Planck or Niels Bohr-was the driving force behind early quantum theory. It paints a vivid portrait of the iconic physicist as he grappled with the apparently contradictory nature of the atomic world, in which its invisible constituents defy the categories of classical physics, behaving simultaneously as both particle and wave. And it demonstrates how Einstein's later work on the emission and absorption of light, and on atomic gases, led directly to Erwin Schrodinger's breakthrough to the modern form of quantum mechanics. The book sheds light on why Einstein ultimately renounced his own brilliant work on quantum theory, due to his deep belief in science as something objective and eternal. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1st, 2000, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 223 pages. In Elements, Principles and Particles, Antonio Clericuzio explores the relationships between chemistry and corpuscular philosophy in the age of the Scientific Revolution. Science historians have regarded chemistry and corpuscular philosophy as two distinct traditions. Clericuzio's view is that since the beginning of the 17th century atomism and chemistry were strictly connected. This is attested by Daniel Sennert and by many hitherto little-known French and English natural philosophers. They often combined a corpuscular theory of matter with Paracelsian chemical (and medical) doctrines. Boyle plays a central part in the present book: Clericuzio redefines Boyle's chemical views, by showing that Boyle did not subordinate chemistry to the principles of mechanical philosophy. When Boyle explained chemical phenomena, he had recourse to corpuscles endowed with chemical, not mechanical, properties. The combination of chemistry and corpuscular philosophy was adopted by a number of chemists active in the last decades of the 17th century, both in England and on the Continent. Using a large number of primary sources, the author challenges the standard view of the corpuscular theory of matter as identical with the mechanical philosophy. He points out that different versions of the corpuscular philosophy flourished in the 17th century. Most of them were not based on the mechanical theory, i.e. on the view that matter is inert and has only mechanical properties. Throughout the 17th century, active principles, as well as chemical properties, are attributed to corpuscles. Given its broad coverage, the book is a significant contribution to both history of science and history of philosophy.
Hardcover. Bristol UK, Thoemmes Press, reprint, 1997, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, blue cloth with gilt lettering on spine, 403 pages plus a 27 page addenda. A facsimile printing of the 1671 edition. Some 100 illustrations to text showing physical or geometrical calculations. Henry More (1614-1687), was an influential Jesuit, Neoplatonist, and philosopher. This work on metaphysics profoundly influenced the development of Newton's thought, "It seems undeniable that Newton read and was influenced by More's views on space and time, as presented in the Enchiridion metaphysicum. Like More, Newton also believed that for something to exist it must exist in space, and he identified the immensity of infinite space with the extension of God the similarities between their views of space and time, and their relationship to God, guarantees More's place in the history of science." Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean and bright.
Hardcover. NY, E.J. Brill, 1st, 1993, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 578 pages plus charts, b&w photos in rear. Translation and notes by H.P. Salomon and I.S.D. Sassoon. Da Costa's long-lost book rejects the divine origin of the rabbinic tradition. His insight was that what he calls Pharisaism is irreconcilable with the religion of the Pentateuch and therefore cannot derive from the same source. He claims, for example, that the Law of Moses does not allow for a belief in an afterlife for individual human beings. Concomitantly he denied the Mosaic origin of the notion of eternal punishment. The rabbinic reading of the Mosaic Law appeared to him almost as great a falsification as the Christian one. Yet there could be no reversion to Christianity and despite his deep rift with the synagogue he still believed in ultimate redemption for the Jewish people. As he so dramatically declares in his closing sonnet, Israel's rehabilitation depends on its shedding man-made doctrines, and holding fast to the Law in its purity.
Softcover. Minneapolis, University Of Minnesota Press, 3rd pr., 2008, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 388 pages. Translated by Jeff Fort. French Theory is the first comprehensive account of the American fortunes of these unlikely philosophical celebrities. Francois Cusset looks at why America proved to be such fertile ground for French theory, how such demanding writings could become so widely influential, and the peculiarly American readings of these works. Reveling in the gossipy history, Cusset also provides a lively exploration of the many provocative critical practices inspired by French theory. Ultimately, he dares to shine a bright light on the exultation of these thinkers to assess the relevance of critical theory to social and political activism today-showing, finally, how French theory has become inextricably bound with American life. Clean copy.
Hardcover. Ithaca, NY, Cornell University Press, 1st Edition, 1986, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 336 pages. Hardcover. SIGNED BY AUTHOR. Tan cloth bound covers, red title on spine. In excellent condition, pages clean, bright, unmarked. Binding tight. Spin straight. Dust jacket unclipped, has a touch of tanning, otherwise very good, no tears or rips. Previous bookstore's label on spine. Traces the historical roots of an idea that has had an incalculable impact on twentieth-century thought and culture by examining the interplay of Freud's inner life--his fantasies and dreams--with the world around him.
Hardcover. Oxford at the Clarendon Press, London, England, 1959, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 505 pages. Hardcover. Previous owner's name on front flyleaf. Navy blue cloth boards, some chipping at top and bottom of spine, gilt title on spine, faded. Some light tanning to pages and edges. Spine straight. Binding good.
Softcover. Cambridge UK, Cambridge University Press, 1st pbk, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 492 pages. Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) is one of the most influential texts in the history of modern philosophy. In it, Hegel proposed an arresting and novel picture of the relation of mind to world and of people to each other. Like Kant before him, Hegel offered up a systematic account of the nature of knowledge, the influence of society and history on claims to knowledge, and the social character of human agency itself. A bold new understanding of what, after Hegel, came to be called 'subjectivity' arose from this work, and it was instrumental in the formation of later philosophies, such as existentialism, Marxism, and American pragmatism, each of which reacted to Hegel's radical claims in different ways. This edition offers a new translation, an introduction, and glossaries to assist readers' understanding of this central text, and will be essential for scholars and students of Hegel. Clean copy.
Softcover. Cambridge UK, Cambridge University Press, 1st pbk, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 492 pages. Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) is one of the most influential texts in the history of modern philosophy. In it, Hegel proposed an arresting and novel picture of the relation of mind to world and of people to each other. Like Kant before him, Hegel offered up a systematic account of the nature of knowledge, the influence of society and history on claims to knowledge, and the social character of human agency itself. A bold new understanding of what, after Hegel, came to be called 'subjectivity' arose from this work, and it was instrumental in the formation of later philosophies, such as existentialism, Marxism, and American pragmatism, each of which reacted to Hegel's radical claims in different ways. This edition offers a new translation, an introduction, and glossaries to assist readers' understanding of this central text, and will be essential for scholars and students of Hegel. Clean copy.
Hardcover. New York, State University of New York Press, 1st, 1991, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 233 pages. Hardcover. Dust jacket with light wear. Clean unmarked text.
Hardcover. New Haven CT, Yale University Press, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 232 pages. Political theorist Michael Walzer reports his findings after decades of thinking about the politics of the Hebrew Bible. Attentive to nuance while engagingly straightforward, Walzer examines the laws, the histories, the prophecies, and the wisdom of the ancient biblical writers and discusses their views on such central political questions as justice, hierarchy, war, the authority of kings and priests, and the experience of exile. Because there are many biblical writers with differing views, pluralism is a central feature of biblical politics. Yet pluralism, Walzer observes, is never explicitly defended in the Bible; indeed, it couldn't be defended since God's word had to be as singular as God himself. Yet different political regimes are described in the biblical texts, and there are conflicting political arguments--and also a recurrent anti-political argument: if you have faith in God, you have no need for strong institutions, prudent leaders, or reformist policies. At the same time, however, in the books of law and prophecy, the people of Israel are called upon to overcome oppression and "let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream." Name on front fly leaf, light pencil marking to pages.
Softcover. Boston, Brill Academic, 1st, 2003, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 562 pages. This monograph demonstrates why humanism began in Italy in the mid-thirteenth century. It considers Petrarch a third generation humanist, who christianized a secular movement. The analysis traces the beginning of humanism in poetry and its gradual penetration of other Latin literary genres, and, through stylistic analyses of texts, the extent to which imitation of the ancients produced changes in cognition and visual perception. The volume traces the link between vernacular translations and the emergence of Florence as the leader of Latin humanism by 1400 and why, limited to an elite in the fourteenth century, humanism became a major educational movement in the first decades of the fifteenth. It revises our conception of the relationship of Italian humanism to French twelfth-century humanism and of the character of early Italian humanism itself. Clean, bright copy.
Softcover. Cambridge UK, Cambridge University Press, 1st pbk, 2004, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 148 pages. Andrew Janiak examines Newton's philosophical positions and his relations to canonical figures in early modern philosophy through Newton's principal philosophical writings. Janiak's study includes excerpts from the Principia and the Opticks, Newton's famous correspondence with Boyle and with Bentley, and his equally significant correspondence with Leibniz, often ignored in favor of Leibniz's later debate with Samuel Clarke. (Newton's exchanges with Leibniz place their different understandings of natural philosophy in sharp relief.) Clean copy.
Hardcover. Tokyo, Toyo Bunko, Reprint, 1969, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 377 pages. Hardcover. Volume II only. Illustrated with black & white photographs. Light wear. Clean, tight copy.
Hardcover. Oxford UK, Oxford University Press, 1st, 2011, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 252 pages. Peter Anstey presents an innovative study of John Locke's views on the method and content of natural philosophy--the study of the natural world. He argues that Locke was an advocate of the Experimental Philosophy: the new approach to natural philosophy championed by the scientists of the Royal Society who were opposed to speculative philosophy. Clean, bright copy.