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Thomas A. Russman argues forcefully that it is now possible to return in a new way to the once familiar ground of epistemological realism-the pre-Cartesian view that things themselves are knowable through perception and that such knowledge is foundational. This view has been rejected by most contemporary philosophers, who follow the path outlined convincingly by the likes of Wilfrid Sellers, Willard Quine, Thomas Kuhn, and Richard Rorty. Recognizing that any return to philosophical realism must deal with the criticisms raised by these prominent philosophers, Professor Russmanoffers his own incisive critique of a contemporary myth-what Karl Popper called "the myth of the framework," which replaced the earlier "myth of the given," as Wilfrid Sellars named it in his attack on realism. The battle between theses two myths is, according to Professor Russman, "a battle to the death." he believes that the observation framework is the abode of permanent truths about the world. He proceeds to explain why the current assumption to the contrary arose and why it is wrong. Then he shows how the "informal foundationalism" that he proposes can avoid the philosophical pitfalls of the earlier formal foundationalism in allowing for political toleration and artistic freedom: it works better than pragmatism as a general epistemology: and it supports a dynamic, nonreductive view of human nature. Thomas Russman earned an M.A. in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Princeton University. He teaches philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.
Douglas B. Rasmussen and Douglas J. Den Uyl maintain that a realist turn—namely, one in which the natural order is the basis for individual rights—is needed to bring about a proper understanding and defense of liberty. They argue that the critical character of individual rights results from their being tethered to metaphysical realism. After reprising their explanation and defense of natural rights, Rasmussen and Den Uyl explain metaphysical realism and defend it against neo-pragmatist objections. They show it to be a formidable and preferable alternative to epistemic constructivism and crucial for a suitable understanding of ideal theory.
Do our thoughts and claims about the world give us rational access to the way the world really is? Can subjective experience ever provide a basis for grasping objec­tive truth? These perennial philosophical questions reach to the heart of every human endeavor, from education to science to everyday, successful practice.
This important volume explores alternative ways in which those involved in the field of speech communication have attempted to find a philosophical grounding for rhetoric. Recognizing that rhetoric can be supported in a wide variety of ways, this text examines eight different philosophies of rhetoric: realism, relativism, rationalism, idealism, materialism, existentialism, deconstructionism, and pragmatism. The value of this book lies in its pluralistic and comparative approach to rhetorical theory. Although rhetoric may be the more difficult road to philosophy, the fact that it is being traversed by a group of authors largely from speech communication demonstrates important growth in this field. Ultimately, there is recognition that if different thinkers can have solid reasons to adhere to disparate philosophies, serious communication problems can be eliminated. Rhetoric and Philosophy will assist scholars in choosing from among the many philosphical starting places for rhetoric.
Autism and the Crisis of Meaning presents a systematic way of understanding the logic of meaningful perception in everyday life. Working from concepts of formal logic and logical inference, the author suggests that informal logics of social inferencing may address part of the way we organize our perceptions in social life. By discussing the way our social inferencing reflects inductive, deductive, and abductive logics, the social inferencing theory of meaningful perception is shown to entail a theory of autistic perception. Durig shows that everyday meaningful perception may be organized largely by a balanced ratio of inductive to deductive logics, and that autistic perception is comprised of significantly higher levels of deductive social inferencing relative to inductive social inferencing. This perception theory is capable of addressing the five core behaviors associated with autism. By presenting meaningful perception and autistic perception in terms of ratios of social inferencing, Durig introduces a concept of slight autism: an individual may have normative inductive social inferencing, and super deductive social inferencing, thus accounting for a highly intelligent person who nevertheless has difficulty expressing themselves in formal social situations.
Rhetoric and Incommensurability examines the complex relationships among rhetoric, philosophy, and science as they converge on the question of incommensurability, the notion jointly (though not collaboratively) introduced to science studies in 1962 by Thomas Kuhn and Paul Feyerabend. The incommensurability thesis represents the most profound problem facing argumentation and dialogue—in science, surely, but in any symbolic encounter, any attempt to cooperate, find common ground, get along, make better knowledge, and build better societies. This volume brings rhetoric, the chief discipline that studies argumentation and dialogue, to bear on that problem, finding it much more tractable than have most philosophical accounts.
Looks at being a follower of Aristotle or St. Thomas Aquinas in a modern philosophical world.
Within the past ten years, the discussion of the nature of folk psychology and its role in explaining behavior and thought has become central to the philosophy of mind. However, no comprehensive account of the contemporary debate or collection of the works that make up this debate has yet been available. Intending to fill this gap, this volume begins with the crucial background for the contemporary debate and proceeds with a broad range of responses to and developments of these works -- from those who argue that "folk theory" is a misnomer to those who regard folk theory as legitimately explanatory and necessary for any adequate account of human behavior. Intended for courses in the philosophy of mind, psychology, and science, as well as anthropology and social psychology, this anthology is also of great value in courses focusing on folk models, eliminative materialism, explanation, psychological theory, and -- in particular -- intentional psychology. It is accessible to both graduate students and upper-division undergraduate students of philosophy and psychology as well as researchers. As an aid to students, a thorough discussion of the field and the articles in the anthology is provided in the introduction; as an aid to researchers, a complete bibliography is also provided.