Should we welcome the end of humanity?

In this blistering book about the history of an idea, one of our leading critics draws on his dazzling range and calls our attention to a seemingly inconceivable topic that is being seriously discussed: that the end of humanity's reign on earth is imminent, and that we should welcome it. Kirsch journeys through literature, philosophy, science, and popular culture, to identify two strands of thinking: Anthropocene antihumanism says that our climate destruction has doomed humanity and we should welcome our extinction, while Transhumanism believes that genetic engineering and artificial intelligence will lead to new forms of life superior to humans.

Kirsch's introduction of thinkers and writers from Roger Hallam to Jane Bennett, David Benatar to Nick Bostrom, Patricia MacCormack to Ray Kurzweil, Ian McEwan to Richard Powers, will make you see the current moment in a new light. The revolt against humanity has already spread beyond the fringes of the intellectual world, and it can transform politics and society in profound ways--if it hasn't already.

Thacker's discourse on the intersection of horror and philosophy is utterly original and utterly captivating...Thomas Ligotti, author of The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

The world is increasingly unthinkable, a world of planetary disasters, emerging pandemics, and the looming threat of extinction. In this book Eugene Thacker suggests that we look to the genre of horror as offering a way of thinking about the unthinkable world. To confront this idea is to confront the limit of our ability to understand the world in which we live - a central motif of the horror genre. In the Dust of This Planet explores these relationships between philosophy and horror. In Thacker's hands, philosophy is not academic logic-chopping; instead, it is the thought of the limit of all thought, especially as it dovetails into occultism, demonology, and mysticism. Likewise, Thacker takes horror to mean something beyond the focus on gore and scare tactics, but as the under-appreciated genre of supernatural horror in fiction, film, comics, and music.

Critical theory emerged in the 1920s from the work of the Frankfurt School, the circle of German-Jewish academics who sought to diagnose -- and, if at all possible, cure -- the ills of society, particularly fascism and capitalism. In this book, Stephen Eric Bronner provides sketches of leading representatives of the critical tradition (such as George Lukács and Ernst Bloch, Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and Jurgen Habermas) as well as many of its seminal texts and empirical investigations.

This Very Short Introduction sheds light on the cluster of concepts and themes that set critical theory apart from its more traditional philosophical competitors. Bronner explains and discusses concepts such as method and agency, alienation and reification, the culture industry and repressive tolerance, non-identity and utopia. He argues for the introduction of new categories and perspectives for illuminating the obstacles to progressive change and focusing upon hidden transformative possibilities. In this newly updated second edition, Bronner targets new academic interests, broadens his argument, and adapts it to a global society amid the resurgence of right-wing politics and neo-fascist movements.

Niccolo Machiavelli (1459-1527) is one of most influential modern political thinkers. His works, above all The Prince, The Discourses on Livy, The Florentine Histories, and The Art of War, are still passionately discussed in the intellectual community and continue to suscitate new visions of political action. Against the trite commonplace that Machiavelli was a teacher of evil who justified political immorality, Maurizio Viroli shows, on the basis of a rigorous study of his texts, that Machiavaelli taught instead the best way to attain true glory through political action and that his works were inspired by a profound love of republican liberty. Extracts are taken from the whole corpus of Machiavelli's works, including his personal letters.

Michel Foucault was a twentieth-century philosopher of extraordinary talent, a political activist, social theorist, cultural critic and creative historian. He shaped the ways we think today about such controversial issues as power, sexuality, madness and criminality. Johanna Oksala explores the conceptual tools that Foucault gave us for constructing new forms of thinking as well as for smashing old certainties. She offers a lucid account of him as a thinker whose persistent aim was to challenge the self-evidence and seeming inevitability of our current experiences, practices and institutions by showing their historical development and, therefore, contingency. Extracts are taken from the whole range of Foucault's writings - his books, essays, lectures and interviews - including the major works History of Madness, The Order of Things, Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality

An instant classic....an intellectual feast and an existential feat! --Cornel West

By intertwining autobiography and conceptual critique, Geuss underlines the idea that in order to gain a critical perspective on liberalism, it is necessary to become almost bilingual: able to speak the language of liberalism while also becoming fluent in the vocabulary of its critique. --Times Literary Supplement

Fascinating...deserves to be a classic. It is at once relatable and profound, humane and auspicious. In his best moments, Geuss offers his own life as a challenge to readers to think differently and more imaginatively.--Matt McManus, Jacobin

[Geuss's] broad, skeptical account of human powers and interests that is aimed at challenging the hubris of abstract theorizers, is compelling. His account of the unusual formation of his own intellectual and political sensibility is both moving and illuminating.--Richard Eldridge, Los Angeles Review of Books

Liberalism is so amorphous and pervasive that for many people it is background noise. But there are nooks and crannies in every society where the prevailing winds don't blow. Raymond Geuss grew up some distance from the cultural mainstream and recounts here the unusual perspective he absorbed: one in which liberal capitalism was synonymous with moral emptiness and political complacency.

The bright son of a Catholic steelworker, Geuss was admitted in 1959 to an unusual boarding school on the outskirts of Philadelphia, where Hungarian priests sought to immunize students against the twin dangers of oppressive communism and vapid liberal capitalism. From there he went on to university in the early days of the Vietnam War and to West Germany, where critical theory was experiencing a major revival. An incisive thinker, Geuss looks beyond the horrors of authoritarianism and the shallow freedom of liberalism to glimpse a world of genuinely new possibilities.

Michel Foucault was a philosopher of extraordinary talent, political activist, social theorist, cultural critic, and creative historian. He irreversibly shaped the way we think today about such controversial issues as power, sexuality, madness, and criminality.

Johanna Oksala explores the conceptual tools that Foucault gave us for constructing new forms of thinking as well as for smashing old certainties. She offers a lucid account of him as a thinker whose persistent aim was to challenge the self-evidence and necessity of our current experiences, practices, and institutions by showing their historical development and, therefore, contingency.

Extracts are taken from the whole range of Foucault's writings--his books, essays, lectures, and interviews--including the major works History of Madness, The Order of Things, Discipline and Punish, and The History of Sexuality.

The genius of Anthony Esolen, dubbed the best writer in America, again shines through in these pages. Esolen deftly weaves together literature, history, and contemporary examples to masterfully reveal objective truth to a culture assailed by one fusillade of lies after another. In these incisive pages, containing fresh, logical insights about belief in God, you will rediscover beauty and reason in your life.

Through captivating stories and pearls of wisdom, you will see common threads that will lead you to a deeper sense of gratitude, awe, and wonder about the sacredness of life. Thus renewed, you will be empowered to share the liberating truth of God's love with others. You will discover:

• The two conditions to which refusal to believe in God conforms us
• The evils that result from a utilitarian rejection of absolute values
• Seven lies in contemporary society -- and the truths that they attempt to hide
• How you can become more discerning to detect the language of lies
• Ways in which beauty is illuminating and reflects the truth
• The dangers of experiments against reality (e.g., with sexual relations, gender, etc.)

You will be edified by unvarnished real-world examples of authentic community building (and tearing down) in families, schools, and society. In addition, you will find out what equality really means in education and relationships as well as how to grow in true obedience and virtue.

Esolen includes a special reflection on the Ten Commandments and how they relate to your life personally today. He reveals numerous oxymorons inherent in society's advancement of feminism and wars against organized religion, sound schooling, health care, and manliness -- all while elevating your ability to sift through misinformation and distorted statistics. Whether using examples from miracles, philology, or math, he will help restore your belief in the transcendent.

From the creator of the Cuck Philosophy YouTube channel comes this timely and explosive re-evaluation of Marx and Nietzsche for the 21st-century left.

Modernity has been defined by humanity's capacity for self-destruction.

Over the last century, the means which threaten not only life's joy but its very existence have only multiplied. At the same time, as a new wave of nationalism and right-wing politics spreads across the world, fewer and fewer people are being convinced that socialism could improve their everyday lives, let alone save us from our own destruction.

In this timely and explosive book, philosopher and YouTuber Jonas Čeika (aka Cuck Philosophy) re-invigorates socialism for the twenty-first century. Leaving behind its past associations with bureaucracy and state tyranny, and it's lifeless and drab theoretical accounts, Čeika instead uses the works of Marx and Nietzsche to reconnect socialism with its human element, presenting it as something not only affecting, but created by living, breathing, suffering human individuals.

At a time when ecological collapse is hurtling towards us, and capitalism offers no solution except more growth and exploitation, How to Philosophise with a Hammer and Sickle shows us the way forward to a socialism grounded in human experience and accessible to all.

twilight and Philosophy

What can vampires tell us about the meaning of life?
Is Edward a romantic hero or a dangerous stalker?
Is Bella a feminist? Is Stephenie Meyer?
How does Stephenie Meyer's Mormonism fit into the fantastical world of Twilight?
Is Jacob better for Bella than Edward?

The answers to these philosophical questions and more can be found inside Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Pursuit of Immortality. With everything from Taoism to mind reading to the place of God in a world of vampires, this book offers some very tasty philosophy for both the living and the undead to sink their teeth into. Whether you're on Team Edward or Team Jacob, whether you loved or hated Breaking Dawn, this book is for you!

To learn more about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series, visit www.andphilosophy.com

Jimmy Buffett and his music have touched the lives of millions of people around the world, spanning generations and genres. But is Buffett's music just a good time, or is there a deeper level to it? Jimmy Buffett and Philosophy shows the philosophical side of this self-proclaimed non-philosopher's work. The articles in this book provide an accessible approach to thinking about Buffett's music philosophically and to thinking about philosophy from the perspective of Jimmy Buffett's music. Along the way, questions are raised about figures in the philosophical tradition from ancient to contemporary -- Epicurus, Diogenes, Heidegger, Josiah Royce, William James, John Dewey, and Judith Butler. In addition, questions about a wide range of traditional philosophical issues, including aesthetic theory, identity, knowledge, culture, and being, are explored.

Written by Sharon Kaye, who is Professor of Philosophy at John Carroll University, Philosophy: A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to succeed, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear jargon-free English, and then providing added-value features like summaries of key books, and even lists of questions you might be asked in your seminar or exam.

The book uses a structure that mirrors many university courses on philosophy - using the work of key philosophers to springboard into a discussion of all the main areas of philosophy.

Teach Yourself titles employ the 'Breakthrough method', which is designed specifically to overcome problems that students face.
- Problem: I find it difficult to remember what I've read.; Solution: this book includes end-of-chapter questions and summaries, and flashcards of key points available on-line and as apps
- Problem: Most books mention important other sources, but I can never find them in time.; Solution: this book includes key texts and case studies are summarised, complete with fully referenced quotes ready to use in your essay or exam.
- Problem: Lots of introductory books turn out to cover totally different topics than my course.; Solution: this book is written by a current university lecturer who understands what students are expected to know.

In this path-breaking work, Susan Buck-Morss draws new connections between history, inequality, social conflict, and human emancipation. Hegel, Haiti, and Universal History offers a fundamental reinterpretation of Hegel's master-slave dialectic and points to a way forward to free critical theoretical practice from the prison-house of its own debates. Historicizing the thought of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and the actions taken in the Haitian Revolution, Buck-Morss examines the startling connections between the two and challenges us to widen the boundaries of our historical imagination. She finds that it is in the discontinuities of historical flow, the edges of human experience, and the unexpected linkages between cultures that the possibility to transcend limits is discovered. It is these flashes of clarity that open the potential for understanding in spite of cultural differences. What Buck-Morss proposes amounts to a \u201cnew humanism, \u201d one that goes beyond the usual ideological implications of such a phrase to embrace a radical neutrality that insists on the permeability of the space between opposing sides and as it reaches for a common humanity.

This book presents the archaeology of a single sense: the sense of being sentient. Aristotle was perhaps the first to define this faculty when, in his treatise On the Soul, he identified a sensory power irreducible to the five senses, by which animals perceive that they are perceiving: the simple sense, as he wrote, that we are seeing and hearing. After him, thinkers returned, time and again, to define and redefine this curious sensation.

The classical Greek and Roman philosophers as well as the medieval Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin thinkers who followed them all investigated a power they called the common sense, which one ancient author likened to a kind of inner touch, by which we are able to grasp ourselves. Their many findings were not lost with the waning of the Middle Ages. From Montaigne and Francis Bacon to Locke, Leibniz, and Rousseau, from nineteenth-century psychiatry and neurology to Proust and Walter Benjamin, the writers and thinkers of the modern period have turned knowingly and unknowing to the terms of older traditions in exploring the perception that every sensitive being possesses of its life.

The Inner Touch reconstructs and reconsiders the history of this perception. In twenty-five concise chapters that move freely among ancient, medieval, and modern cultures, Daniel Heller-Roazen investigates a set of exemplary phenomena that have played central roles in philosophical, literary, psychological, and medical accounts of the nature of animal existence. Here sensation and self-sensation, sleeping and waking, aesthetics and anesthetics, perception and apperception, animal nature and human nature, consciousness and unconsciousness, all acquire a new meaning.

The Inner Touch proposes an original, elegant, and far-reaching philosophical inquiry into a problem that has never been more pressing: what it means to feel that one is alive.

Revised Edition. A new, perfect-bound edition of Andrew Joron's unprecedented work on the development of surrealist tendencies in American poetry between 1966-1999. This revised edition contains a new afterword of the last decade (1999-2009), bringing the book up to the contemporary moment. Beginning with the seminal poems of Philip Lamantia, Joron's essay runs through the major surrealist-influenced poetry in the U.S., including View, the New York School, Deep Image, Chicago Surrealists, Caliban, Kayak, Language Poetry, and much more. Among its highlights are considerations of such poets as Will Alexander, Jayne Cortez, Rikki Ducornet, Barbara Guest, Bob Kaufman, Sotere Torregian, and John Yau. THE SUN AT NIGHT is a definitive book for anyone interested in surrealism's impact on American poetry.

From the moderator of The New York Times philosophy blog The Stone, a book that argues that if we want to understand ourselves we have to go back to theater, to the stage of our lives

Tragedy presents a world of conflict and troubling emotion, a world where private and public lives collide and collapse. A world where morality is ambiguous and the powerful humiliate and destroy the powerless. A world where justice always seems to be on both sides of a conflict and sugarcoated words serve as cover for clandestine operations of violence. A world rather like our own.

The ancient Greeks hold a mirror up to us in which we see all the desolation and delusion of our lives but also the terrifying beauty and intensity of existence. This is not a time for consolation prizes and the fatuous banalities of the self-help industry and pop philosophy.

Tragedy allows us to glimpse, in its harsh and unforgiving glare, the burning core of our aliveness. If we give ourselves the chance to look at tragedy, we might see further and more clearly.