Kategoria BISAC: Philosophy >> General

Universalism vs. Communitarianism focuses on the question, raised by recent work in normative philosophy, of whether ethical norms are best derived and justified on the basis of universal or communitarian standards. It is unique in representing both Continental and American points of view and both the older and a younger generation of scholars. The essays introduce the key issues involved in universalism vs. communitarianism and take up ethics in historical perspective, practical reason and ethical responsibility, justification, application and history, and communitarian alternatives....

The new and rapidly growing field of communication sciences owes as much to Norbert Wiener as to any one man. He coined the word for it--cybernetics. In God & Golem, Inc., the author concerned himself with major points in cybernetics which are relevant to religious issues.The first point he considers is that of the machine which learns. While learning is a property almost exclusively ascribed to the self-conscious living system, a computer now exists which not only can be programmed to play a game of checkers, but one which can "learn" from its past experience and improve on its own game....

Hubert L. Dreyfus's engagement with other thinkers has always been driven by his desire to understand certain basic questions about ourselves and our world. The philosophers on whom his teaching and research have focused are those whose work seems to him to make a difference to the world. The essays in this volume reflect this desire to "make a difference"--not just in the world of academic philosophy, but in the broader world.Dreyfus has helped to create a culture of reflection--of questioning the deep premises that inform and shape work in artificial intelligence and cognitive science....

What basic ethical principles should guide American journalists to help them justify their invasion of an individual's privacy, to be objective in their reporting, to avoid being influenced by government or economic controls? A wire service and newsroom veteran and a sociologist and scholar in mass media/communications have designed a philosophical guide for students, scholars, and practitioners to use as a kind of moral compass. Key excerpts from some of the most important writings on the subject from Milton to Louis Brandeis, from Plato to Sissela Bok, and from Adam Smith to John Merrill...

Designed for those wanting to be teachers, administrators, or other educational practitioners, this work shows how the study of educational philosophy should and can be of considerable practical value. The author provides students with a method--one of questioning--and a set of principles of moral agency for assessing the purposes and decisions of educational practice. Students can see the practical value of educational philosophy through case studies which include: a school district committee's efforts to write a mission statement; a disciplinary hearing for a middle school student; a...

The current development of biomedical ethics is a source of radical critique not only in the clinic, but also in the classroom. This volume argues that today's moral education is too abstract to be effective and would benefit from the adoption of the practical approach which is typical of biomedical ethics--thinking with cases. In presenting this approach, Radest explores various issues of moral epistemology and advocates the urgency of realism and decision in ethics. The use of a rich and complex literature drawn from biomedical ethics, pedagogy, and philosophy serves to stimulate the...

Although philosophy has become a purely academic discipline over the last few centuries, it once played an important role in the politics of many Western nations. Now, the end of the 20th century, philosophy seems to be returning to its original, practical purposes, thanks to the new practice of philosophical counseling, which is now emerging as an alternative to psychoanalysis and other clinical approaches. This volume describes the main theoretical aspects of this practice based on an open-ended dialogue between a philosophical practitioner and a client or a group, and places it in a...

Raabe critiques both existing theoretical conceptions of philosophical counseling and accounts of its practice. He then presents and defends an overarching model of philosophical counseling that captures the best conceptions and reports of practice.

The volume begins with an examination of the principles of philosophical counseling as they have been gathered from theoretical normative hypotheses and from accounts of actual practice. Raabe then presents a new model of philosophical counseling based on the combination of principles presented earlier and experiential data from...

Important ideas that helped shape 20th-century thought--ideas which continue to hold great significance for anyone interested in the social world--are made accessible in this illuminating volume. Readers will be motivated to delve into the deeper pool of knowledge available on major social theorists and their groundbreaking ideas.

A mixture of biographical and historical ideas, this book was written to introduce social theory to a broad audience. It looks at the intersection between the theorist as a social actor and as a reflection of his or her time. The volume's breadth...

Although the physician's use and misuse of power have been discussed in the social sciences and in literature, they have never been explored in medical ethics until now. In this book, Dr. Howard Brody argues that the central task is not to reduce the physician's power, as others have suggested, but to develop guidelines for its use, so that the doctor shares with the patient both information and the responsibility for deciding on appropriate treatment.

Dr. Brody first reviews literary works dealing with medical power, from Dostoevsky's "The Grand Inquisitor" to stories by...