Exercises in Constructive Imagination

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Modern, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book Exercises in Constructive Imagination by Ermanno Bencivenga, Springer Netherlands
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ermanno Bencivenga ISBN: 9789401009522
Publisher: Springer Netherlands Publication: December 6, 2012
Imprint: Springer Language: English
Author: Ermanno Bencivenga
ISBN: 9789401009522
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Publication: December 6, 2012
Imprint: Springer
Language: English

Philosophy in this century has often self-consciously presented itself as aiming at the destruction or deconstruction of the philosophical tradition or even of theorizing as such. The basis for such self-description may well be a deep-seated anxiety about death; but whatever its grounds, the procession of distinguished intellectuals who seem mostly concerned with who gets to turn off the light on philosophy on his/her way out is one main reason why philosophy seems to have lost its grip on public opinion and public policy. Which is ironical, because there is often considerable constructive work going on under the pretence of all this `destruction', but the superficial rhetoric has more currency and impact than the substance of that work. This book brings back the spirit of bold, imaginative, even outrageous theorizing into philosophy, and contains a series of examples of it, venturing playfully into quantum mechanics and political theory, psychoanalysis and environmental ethics, philosophy of language and sociology, without any attempt at `systematically exhausting' these disparate fields but rather using them as suggestive excuses and arenas for the display of intellectual creativity. There are numerous echoes among the various pieces, and between them and other works by the same author; but again these resonances are not systematized. The result is more to be seen as a collection of snapshots of an intellectual landscape than as a hierarchical regimentation of it.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Philosophy in this century has often self-consciously presented itself as aiming at the destruction or deconstruction of the philosophical tradition or even of theorizing as such. The basis for such self-description may well be a deep-seated anxiety about death; but whatever its grounds, the procession of distinguished intellectuals who seem mostly concerned with who gets to turn off the light on philosophy on his/her way out is one main reason why philosophy seems to have lost its grip on public opinion and public policy. Which is ironical, because there is often considerable constructive work going on under the pretence of all this `destruction', but the superficial rhetoric has more currency and impact than the substance of that work. This book brings back the spirit of bold, imaginative, even outrageous theorizing into philosophy, and contains a series of examples of it, venturing playfully into quantum mechanics and political theory, psychoanalysis and environmental ethics, philosophy of language and sociology, without any attempt at `systematically exhausting' these disparate fields but rather using them as suggestive excuses and arenas for the display of intellectual creativity. There are numerous echoes among the various pieces, and between them and other works by the same author; but again these resonances are not systematized. The result is more to be seen as a collection of snapshots of an intellectual landscape than as a hierarchical regimentation of it.

More books from Springer Netherlands

Cover of the book Belowground Responses to Rising Atmospheric CO2: Implications for Plants, Soil Biota, and Ecosystem Processes by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book The Problem of Certainty in English Thought 1630–1690 by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book The Cambridge Diet by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Thermophilic Microbes in Environmental and Industrial Biotechnology by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book The Metal-Driven Biogeochemistry of Gaseous Compounds in the Environment by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Educational Evaluation: Classic Works of Ralph W. Tyler by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Data-Driven Modeling: Using MATLAB® in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Systematic Evaluation by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Advanced Technologies, Embedded and Multimedia for Human-centric Computing by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book IUTAM Symposium on Nonlinear Dynamics for Advanced Technologies and Engineering Design by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Women on Corporate Boards of Directors by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Public Choice by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book A Russian Advocate of Peace: Vasilii Malinovskii (1765–1814) by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Jacobi Dynamics by Ermanno Bencivenga
Cover of the book Yearbook of Morphology 1999 by Ermanno Bencivenga
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy