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PHILOSOPHY

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Posts in Philosophy
Materialism and Empirio-Criticism Critical Comments on A Reactionary Philosophy

By Vladimir I . Lenin

A number of writers, would-be Marxists, have this year undertaken a veritable campaign against the philosophy of Marxism. In the course of less than half a year four books devoted mainly and almost exclusively to attacks on dialectical materialism have made their appearance. These include first and foremost Studies irt (?—it would have been more proper to say “against”) the Philosophy of Marxism (St. Petersburg, 1908), a symposium by Bazarov, Bogdanov, Lunacharsky, Berman, Helfond, Yushkevich and Suvorov; Yushkevich’s Materialism and Critical Realism; Berman’s Dialectics in the Light of the Modern Theory of Knowledge and Valentinov’s The Philosophical Constructions of Marxism. All these people could not have been ignorant of the fact that Marx and Engels scores of times termed their philosoph- \ / ical views dialectical materialism. Yet all these people, who, despite the sharp divergence of their political views, are united in their hostility toward dialectical materialism, at the same time claim to be Marxists in philosophy! Engels’ dialectics is “mysticism,” says Berman. Engels’ views have become “antiquated,” remarks Bazarov casually, as though it were a self-evident fact. Materialism thus appears to be refuted by our bold warriors, who proudly allude to the “modern theory of knowledge,” “recent philosophy” (or “recent positivism”), the “philosophy of modern natural science,” or even the “philosophy of natural science of the twentieth century.” Supported by all these supposedly recent doctrines, our destroyers of dialectical materialism proceed fearlessly to downright fideism1 (in the case of Lunacharsky it is most evident, but by no means in his case alone!)

FOREIGN LANGUAGES PUBLISHING HOUSE, LAWRENCE AND WISHART LTD. LONDON, 1950, 393p.

Masters of Political Thought: Plato to Machiavelli

By Michael B. Foster

What is attempted in the following volume is to present to the reader a series of actual excerpts from the writings of the greatest political theorists of the past; selected and arranged so as to show the mutual coherence of various parts of an author’s thought and his historical relation to his predecessors or successors; and accompanied by introductory notes and intervening comments designed to assist the understanding of the meaning and importance of the doctrine quoted. The book does not purport to be a history of political theory, with quotations interspersed to illustrate the history. It is rather a collection of texts, to which I have endeavored to supply a commentary. I have tried rather to render the work of Aristotle, Augustine, and the rest accessible to the student, than to write a book about them; and the main object of this work will have been achieved if it serves not as a substitute for a further study of t

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY, 1941, 311p.

Mans's Fate

By Andre Malraux

WTH this translation of Andre Malraux's La Con- dition Humaine the publishers offer to the American public what is already coming to be regarded in the world at large as one of the important novels of our generation. Here at last is the revolutionary novel that has been so long anticipated and so often foreshadowed in contempo- rary literature. To say that Man's Fate is genuinely a novel of revolu- tion is merely to say that its subject is central to our time. There have been many novels of revolution in the last decade, some of which possess high merit. Among them Man's Fate, by virtue of its specific subject, makes a bid for an important place, for it deals with a crucial episode in the Chinese Revolution, which, in the history of world revolution, forms a brilliant and tragic chapter: brilliant because of the will and courage of those who fought in it, tragic because of the mass murders which ended it

The Modern Library New York, 1934, 357p.

The Possible Pleasures and Pains of Philosophy

MAY COTAIN MARKUP

By Prof. Ben-Ami Scharfstein

From a short story,Fragments on Method By Graeme R. Newman:“Once a meat carver was about to eat an orange, when an outrageous question beset him: What is an orange? Hisinstant inclination was to cut the orange up, which he did, dividing it into three parts. It so happened that one of the parts was much bigger than the other two. The meat carver was delighted, and proceeded to slice the large piece into 6 pieces, whereas the other two parts could be sliced into only two pieces each.

An apprentice had watched this enterprise from the beginning, and was fascinated by the meat carver's obvious satisfaction. "What pleases you so?" asked the apprentice."I now know not only why this is an orange, but also, this larger piece tells me much more about the orange than the other two pieces combined."

609 pages

Philosophical Perspectives on Punishment

MAY COTAIN MARKUP

Edited by Gertrude Ezorsky

Concepts of Punishment: Explore Definitions and fundamental ideas about punishment, including its role in enforcing obedience and expressing societal condemnation.

The Justification of Punishment:oTeleological Theories: Discusses punishment as a means to achieve beneficial outcomes, such as deterrence and reform.oRetributivism: Argues that punishment is justified as a form of justice and moral right.

Teleological Retributivism: Combines elements of both teleological and retributive theories, emphasizing justice and beneficial consequences.

Strict Liability: Examines the rationale and implications of imposing punishment without the need to prove intent or negligence.

The Death Penalty: Analyzes the moral and practical arguments for and against capital punishment.

Alternatives to Punishment:Investigates non-punitive measures such as rehabilitation and societal approaches to crime.

The book features contributions from notable philosophers like Plato, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx, providing a comprehensive analysis of the ethical, legal, and social dimensions of punishment.

State University of New York Press, 2015, 377 pages

Fortitudes of Creativity

MAY COTAIN MARKUP

Edited by Hemdat Libi Israeli

Introduction and OverviewThe book is dedicated to Shlomo Giora Shoham, celebrating his interdisciplinary contributions. It includes essays from various scholars, reflecting on creativity from multiple perspectives.

Criminology and CreativitySentencing Reform and the Role of the Criminologist: Discusses the evolution of criminology and sentencing reforms over fifty years, emphasizing the need for criminologists to adapt to new legislative frameworks.Evolution,Development, and Comparative Criminology: Explores how evolutionary and developmental theories can inform comparative criminology,suggesting that understanding crime requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Philosophical Perspectives Martin Buber: His Place in Twentieth-Century Philosophy: Analyzes Buber Philosophical contributions, particularly his ideas on human relations and the significance of dialogue.Rethinking Turing Test: Identity, Learning, and Self-Improvement: Examines the limitations of theTuring Test in assessing machine intelligence, arguing for a more nuanced understanding of identity and learning.

Psychological InsightsEmotional Morphology and Mythology: Investigates the relationship between emotions and mythological thinking, highlighting how myths shape emotional responses and cognitive processes.The Years of Extermination: A Plea for an Integrated History of the Holocaust:Calls for a comprehensive history of the Holocaust that includes the perspectives of both perpetrators and victims, emphasizing the complexity of human behavior during this period.

Art and CreativityPictures at an Exhibition: Art Galleries, the Academy, and Anti-Israel Polemics:Discusses how art exhibitions can be used to advance political agendas, using examples from Chicago to illustrate the intersection of art and politics.Jerusalem against Athens: Towards a Biblical Psychology: Contrasts Greek andBiblical views on psychology, suggesting that Biblical narratives offer a more hopeful and transformative perspective on human behavior.

Reflections on CreativityThe essays collectively argue that creativity is a multifaceted phenomenon that cannot be fully understood through a single disciplinary lens.They emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in exploring the depths of human creativity and its impact on various fields.

Overall,“The Fortitudes of Creativity” provides a rich and diverse exploration of creativity honoring Shoham’s legacy by bringing together insights from criminology, philosophy, psychology, and art.

Israel, 2010, 264 pages

Contemporary Philosophy: Philosophy in Service to Humanity

May Contain Markup

Editor-in-Chief, Wendy Koenig

Metaphysical Criminology: This field analyzes crime through metaphysical contexts, bridging gaps between metaphysical good and criminological bad.

Criminological Limitations: Traditional criminology often ignores metaphysical aspects due to its focus on observable and measurable data.

Integration of Disciplines: The document advocates for integrating metaphysical analysis with criminological research to better understand and address crime. 

Debate Highlights: The Ryan/Pabst debate explores the strengths and weaknesses of metaphysical criminology, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach between secular and spiritual perspectives.

REALIA, Institute for Advanced Philosophic Research, 2007, 36 pages

The Philosophy of Aristotle

MAY CONTAIN MARKUP

BARBARA JANCAR

"The Philosophy of Aristotle" delves into the foundational ideas of one of history's most influential philosophers. Aristotle's insights on ethics, politics, metaphysics, and more continue to shape our understanding of the world. This comprehensive exploration provides a deep dive into Aristotle's philosophical system, making it an essential read for scholars and anyone interested in classical philosophy.

NY. Monarch Press.1966. 281p.