What Philosophy Is

by Carel, Havi; Gamez, David; Blackburn, Simon

• ISBN13: 9780826472410
• ISBN10: 0826472419
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-05-10
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic

Summary

What do we mean when we talk about philosophy today? How does philosophy relate to science, to politics, to literature? What methods does the modern philosopher use, and how does philosophy progress? Does philosophy differ from place to place? What can philosophy do for us? And what can it not do? This book, with contributions from such exciting and influential contemporary philosophers as Simon Blackburn, Michael Friedman, Simon Critchley and Manuel DeLanda, offers us a fascinating picture of the character and methods of philosophy; its possibilities and its limitations. And of course, it is itself a piece of philosophy in action, not merely offering us answers but also prompting us to ask further questions and to philosophise for ourselves.

Table of Contents

Contributors	viii
Foreword	xiii
Simon Blackburn
Acknowledgements	xix
Introduction to the Volume	1	(6)
I Political Philosophy	7	(30)
Philosophy as Politics: Some Guesses as to the Future of Political Philosophy	10	(13)
Matt Matrevers
Philosophy as Logo: The Thought of Branding and the Branding of Thought	23	(14)
Julie Kuhlken
II Philosophy and Science	37	(62)
Philosophy as Biology: Evolutionary Explanations in Philosophy	40	(11)
Bence Nanay
Philosophy as Intensive Science	51	(22)
Manuel DeLanda
Philosophy as Dynamic Reason: The Idea of a Scientific Philosophy	73	(26)
Michael Friedman
III Philosophizing from Different Places	99	(30)
Philosophy as if Place Mattered: The Situation of African Philosophy	103	(13)
Bruce Janz
Philosophy as a Problem in Latin America	116	(13)
Juan Cristóbal Cruz Revueltas
IV Philosophical Method	129	(52)
Philosophy as Bricolage	132	(9)
Ed Brandon
Philosophy as Judgement	141	(14)
Julian Baggini
Philosophy as Nomadism	155	(13)
Simon Glendinning
Philosophy as an 'As'	168	(13)
Eran Dorfman
V Philosophy and Literature	181	(30)
Philosophy as Poetry: The Intricate Evasions of As	185	(15)
Simon Critchley
Philosophy as Sideshadowing: The Philosophical, the Literary, and the Fantastic	200	(11)
Evgenia V. Cherkasova
VI Therapeutic Philosophy	211	(28)
Philosophy as Therapy	213	(12)
David J. Rosner
Philosophy as Listening: The Lessons of Psychoanalysis	225	(14)
Havi Carel
VII Professional Philosophy	239	(32)
Philosophy as Profession	241	(14)
Patricia Sayre
Philosophy as Deep and Shallow Wisdom	255	(16)
David Gamez
Epilogue:The Limits of Philosophy?	271	(21)
Philosophy as Saying the Unsayable	274	(18)
Hilary Lawson
Glossary	292	(9)
Notes	301	(22)
Index	323