In the Critique of Judgement, Kant offers a penetrating analysis of our experience of the beautiful and the sublime. He discusses the objectivity of taste, aesthetic disinterestedness, the relation of art and nature, the role of imagination, genius and originality, the limits of representation, and the connection between morality and the aesthetic. He also investigates the validity of our judgements concerning the degree in which nature has a purpose, with respect to the highest interests of reason and enlightenment.
The work profoundly influenced the artists, writers, and philosophers of the classical and romantic period, including Hegel, Schelling, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. In addition, it has remained a landmark work in fields such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, the Frankfurt School, analytical aesthetics, and contemporary critical theory. Today it remains an essential work of philosophy, and required reading for all with an interest in aesthetics.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Process thought is the foundation for studies in many areas of contemporary philosophy, theology, political theory, educational theory, and the religion-science dialogue. It is derived from Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy, known as process theology, which lays a groundwork for integrating evolutionary biology, physics, philosophy of mind, theology, environmental ethics, religious pluralism, education, economics, and more.

In Process-Relational Philosophy, C. Robert Mesle breaks down Whitehead's complex writings, providing a simple but accurate introduction to the vision that underlies much of contemporary process philosophy and theology. In doing so, he points to a way beyond both reductive materialism and the traps of Cartesian dualism by showing reality as a relational process in which minds arise from bodies, in which freedom and creativity are foundational to process, in which the relational power of persuasion is more basic than the unilateral power of coercion.

Because process-relational philosophy addresses the deep intuitions of a relational world basic to environmental and global thinking, it is being incorporated into undergraduate and graduate courses in philosophy, educational theory and practice, environmental ethics, and science and values, among others. Process-Relational Philosophy: A Basic Introduction makes Whitehead's creative vision accessible to all students and general readers.

Everything in the Universe is one Reality, and one set of rules governs all. This is the fundamental concept Spinoza uses to set forth his vision of Being, illuminated by his awareness of God. Spinoza views God and Nature as two different names for the same thing, namely the basis of the universe.

Collected in this 3-in-one omnibus edition are Kant's ground breaking critiques. The Critique of Pure Reason, The Critique of Practical Reason, and The Critique of Judgement. The Critique of Pure Reason is one of the most influential philosophy books of all times. Kant's influence on modern perception of reason cannot be over estimated. Here Kant redefines reason and gives us the tools to understand reason on two levels: the empirical and the metaphysical. The Critique of Practical Reason is the second of Immanuel Kant's three critiques and it deals with Kant's own moral philosophy and his views on free will. A masterpiece of philosophical writing. In The Critique of Judgement Kant states that Philosophy may be said to contain the principles of the rational cognition that concepts afford us of things (not merely, as with logic, the principles of the form of thought in general irrespective of the objects), and, thus interpreted, the course, usually adopted, of dividing it into theoretical and practical is perfectly sound.

As with all of Kant's writings, this has become an important piece of philosophy that is an important read for any student or thinker today.

This 2nd edition Handbook of Spinoza retains a unique focus on the biographical details of Spinoza's life, as well as essential scholarship on his influences and early critics. A glossary of key Latin Spinozan terms with English translations remains a key feature alongside short synopses of Spinoza's writings. Adding to the updated contemporary scholarship on Spinoza from across Europe and the US is the recognition of Spinoza's influence more globally.

Distinct from other reference works on Spinoza, this book offers the tools and methodology necessary for students and scholars who are completing their own research. Accompanying each main section is an updated and detailed bibliography that situates both the summative and original scholarship therein. This 2nd edition includes a revised biography from Jeroen van de Ven who has systematically revisited the archive; influences will now include reference to Machiavelli and Hobbes primarily, as well as remarks on the De La Court brothers, La Perèyre, and Delmedigo. A new entry on the critic, Willem van Blijenbergh, alongside a reconstruction of dozens of letters now lost from Spinoza consolidates new directions of study which are supported by additional glossary terms on Axioma (cf. Ordo geometricus), Definitio (ibid.), Excommunicare, Lumen, Methodus, Negatio, Pax, Ratio, (Cf. Cognitio), Scientia intuitiva, and Tempus amongst others.

Maintaining an approach that is refreshingly independent of the historicist/analytic/continental divide, this work features scholars from across these traditions, and remains an essential point of reference for students and scholars alike.

Here, for the first time in English, is volume one of Jurgen Habermas's long-awaited magnum opus: The Theory of Communicative Action. This pathbreaking work is guided by three interrelated concerns: (1) to develop a concept of communicative rationality that is no longer tied to the subjective and individualistic premises of modern social and political theory; (2) to construct a two-level concept of society that integrates the 'lifeworld' and 'system' paradigms; and (3) to sketch out a critical theory of modernity that explains its sociopathologies in a new way.

Habermas approaches these tasks through a combination of conceptual analyses, systematic reflections, and critical reconstructions of such predecessors as Marx and Weber, Durkheim and Mead, Horkheimer and Adorno, Schutz and Parsons. Reason and the Rationalization of Society develops a sociological theory of action that stresses not its means-ends or teleological aspect, but the need to coordinate action socially via communication. In the introductory chapter Habermas sets out a powerful series of arguments on such foundational issues as cultural and historical relativism, the methodology of Verstehen, the inseparabilty of interpretation from critique. In addition to clarifying the normative foundations of critical social inquiry, this sets the stage for a systematic appropriation of Weber's theory of rationalization and its Marxist reception by Lukacs, Horkheimer and Adorno.

This is an important book for degree students of philosophy, sociology and related subjects.

This study offers a systematic reconstruction of the theoretical foundations and framework of critical social theory. It is Habermas' magnum opus, and it is regarded as one of the most important works of modern social thought. In this second and final volume of the work, Habermas examines the relations between action concepts and systems theory and elaborates a framework for analyzing the developmental tendencies of modern societies. He discusses in detail the work of Marx, Durkheim, G.H. Mead and Talcott Parsons, among others. By distinguishing between social systems and what he calls the life-world, Habermas is able to analyze the ways in which the development of social systems impinges upon the symbolic and subjective dimensions of social life, resulting in the kind of crises, conflicts and protest movements which are characteristic of advanced capitalist societies in the late-20th century.

One of Kant's most well-known and classic philosophical writings, this is well worth reading for any student.

Philosophy may be said to contain the principles of the rational cognition that concepts afford us of things (not merely, as with logic, the principles of the form of thought in general irrespective of the objects), and, thus interpreted, the course, usually adopted, of dividing it into theoretical and practical is perfectly sound.

Philosophy may be said to contain the principles of the rational cognition that concepts afford us of things (not merely as with logic the principles of the form of thought in general irrespective of the objects) and thus interpreted the course usually adopted of dividing it into theoretical and practical is perfectly sound.

Philosophy may be said to contain the principles of the rational cognition that concepts afford us of things (not merely as with logic the principles of the form of thought in general irrespective of the objects) and thus interpreted the course usually adopted of dividing it into theoretical and practical is perfectly sound. But this makes imperatgvive a specific distinction on the part of the concepts by which the principles of this rational cognition get their object assigned to them for if the concepts are not distinct they fail to justify a division which always presupposes that the principles belonging to the rational cognition of the several parts of the science in question are themselves mutually exclusive.

It's a tour de force. A masterly synthesis of a vast and varied mass of material, and a penetrating and illuminating commentary. I hope it will be widely read. The world would be a better place if it were. Charles Foster, Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford University.

What an amazing experience it has been to read this book. It's a deep dive into what philosophers have said about consciousness, helping me appreciate the almost paradoxical embodiment in Generative AI of enormous powers along with severe limitations on trustworthiness, Peter Denning, 18th President of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

A significant contribution to the field of philosophy. I find Nazareth's investigation of the realm of the symbolic particularly important. His approach is authentic, interdisciplinary, and refreshing. Sanja Ivic, International Society for Philosophers (ISFP).

Science today is largely governed by an expanded version of Descartes' famous dictum: I compute, therefore I think, therefore I am.

The overarching thesis of this book argues that this dictum must be reversed. Only then can the natural sciences move beyond their current focus on the world of things and develop a deeper understanding of the psychological and phenomenological realms of nature-the world of no-thing. Rooted in the natural philosophy of organism espoused by four great philosopher-scientists-Henri Bergson, William James, Gustav Theodor Fechner, and Alfred North Whitehead-this book offers insights into the mystery of consciousness and addresses the deep spiritual malaise of the present.

The exploration extends to the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT, considering how these emerging technologies intersect with and challenge the book's central thesis.

Human beings are both supremely rational and deeply superstitious, capable of believing just about anything and of questioning just about everything. Indeed, just as our reason demands that we know the truth, our skepticism leads to doubts we can ever really do so.
In Walking the Tightrope of Reason, Robert J. Fogelin guides readers through a contradiction that lies at the very heart of philosophical inquiry. Fogelin argues that our rational faculties insist on a purely rational account of the universe, yet at the same time, the inherent limitations of these faculties ensure that we will never fully satisfy that demand. As a result of being driven to this point of paradox, we either comfort ourselves with what Kant called metaphysical illusions or adopt a stance of radical skepticism. No middle ground seems possible and, as Fogelin shows, skepticism, even though a healthy dose of it is essential for living a rational life, has an inherent tendency to become unlimited in its scope, with the result that the edifice of rationality is destroyed. In much Postmodernist thought, for example, skepticism takes the extreme form of absolute relativism, denying the basis for any value distinctions and treating all truth-claims as equally groundless. How reason avoids disgracing itself, walking a fine line between dogmatic belief and self-defeating doubt, is the question Fogelin seeks to answer.
Reflecting upon the ancient Greek skeptics as well as such thinkers as Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein, Nietzsche, and Whitman, this book takes readers into--and through--some of philosophy's most troubling paradoxes.

The Critique of Judgement

Part I:

Critique of Aesthetic Judgement

Immanuel Kant

translated by James Creed Meredith

The Critique of Judgment, also translated as the Critique of the Power of Judgment, is a 1790 philosophical work by Immanuel Kant. Sometimes referred to as the third Critique, the Critique of Judgment follows the Critique of Pure Reason (1781) and the Critique of Practical Reason (1788).

The faculty of knowledge from a priori principles may be called pure reason, and the general investigation into its possibility and bounds the Critique of Pure Reason. This is permissible although pure reason, as was the case with the same use of terms in our first work, is only intended to denote reason in its theoretical employment, and although there is no desire to bring under review its faculty as practical reason and its special principles as such. That Critique is, then, an investigation addressed simply to our faculty of knowing things a priori. Hence it makes our cognitive faculties its sole concern, to the exclusion of the feeling of pleasure or displeasure and the faculty of desire; and among the cognitive faculties it confines its attention to understanding and its a priori principles, to the exclusion of judgement and reason, (faculties that also belong to theoretical cognition, ) because it turns out in the sequel that there is no cognitive faculty other than understanding capable of affording constitutive a priori principles of knowledge.

Often named the Prince of Philosophers, Benedict Baruch Spinoza is considered one of the most prominent Rationalists in the history of Philosophy. His scientifically grounded work laid the foundation for the 18th century Enlightenment, and modern biblical criticism. His ideas were branded as heresy, by both Christian and Jewish religious leaders. This special edition of The Philosophy of Spinoza contains 3 full essays, originally published in 1926 and edited by Joseph Ratner. His introduction to the life of Spinoza also includes an analysis of the writings and world view of the Dutch philosopher. Collected in this special edition are the full length original texts of: 1) On God 2) On Man 3) On Man's Well-being

Philosophy may be said to contain the principles of the rational cognition that concepts afford us of things (not merely, as with logic, the principles of the form of thought in general irrespective of the objects), and, thus interpreted, the course, usually adopted, of dividing it into theoretical and practical is perfectly sound. But this makes imperatgvive a specific distinction on the part of the concepts by which the principles of this rational cognition get their object assigned to them, for if the concepts are not distinct they fail to justify a division, which always presupposes that the principles belonging to the rational cognition of the several parts of the science in question are themselves mutually exclusive.

SEASONS OF FREETHOUGHT brings the Freethought publications of G.W. Foote together in one collected volume. For the first time in print, you can enjoy Arrows of Freethought and Flowers of Freethought in two volumes. As founder of the world's first Freethought magazine called the Freethinker, Foote used the power of the pen to slay the imaginary beasts of human superstition. His witty criticism and exacting commentary of religious intolerance, injustice, and hypocrisy makes Foote's writing both highly edifying and enjoyable. This is a must own collection for anyone who is interested in The Great Debate as well as the history of the Golden Age of the Freethought movement. G.W. Foote was a great defender of reason, rationality, and the Freethought cause. This is the perfect book for sharing the secular worldview, introducing friends and family to humanism, and for starting conversations about what it means to be a nonbeliever.

Ancient Greek philosophy was divided into three sciences: physics, ethics, and logic. This division is perfectly suitable to the nature of the thing; and the only improvement that can be made in it is to add the principle on which it is based, so that we may both satisfy ourselves of its completeness, and also be able to determine correctly the necessary subdivisions

2011 Reprint of 1949 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Also known as The Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals. This is Kant's first contribution to moral philosophy. It argues for an a priori basis for morality. Where the Critique of Pure Reason laid out Kant's metaphysical and epistemological ideas, this relatively short, primarily meta-ethical, work was intended to outline and define the concepts and arguments shaping his future work, The Metaphysics of Morals. The treatise is broken into a preface, followed by three sections. Kant's argument works from common reason up to the supreme unconditional law, in order to identify its existence. He then works backwards from there to prove the relevance and weight of the moral law. The third and final section of the book is famously obscure, and it is partly because of this that Kant later, in 1788, decided to publish the Critique of Practical Reason.