Questions about perception remain some of the most difficult and insoluble in both epistemology and in the philosophy of mind. This controversial but highly accessible introduction to the area explores the philosophical importance of those questions by re-examining what had until recent times been the most popular theory of perception - the sense-datum theory. Howard Robinson surveys the history of the arguments for and against the theory from Descartes to Husserl. He then shows that the objections to the theory, (...) particularly Wittgenstein's attack on privacy and those of the physicalists, have been unsuccessful. He argues that we should return to the theory sense-data in order to understand perception. In doing so he seeks to overturn a consensus that has dominated the philosophy of perception for nearly half a century. (shrink)

A philosophical exploration of the origin and limits of the modern world.

When I was a student, reigning opinion held that Newton, although unquestionably in the foremost rank of the great among scientists, was a shallow and unoriginal philosopher. In a work whose reputation at that time was high, E. A. Burtt put it thus: “In scientific discovery and formulation Newton was a marvelous genius; as a philosopher he was uncritical, sketchy, inconsistent, even second rate.”.

The paper begins with consideration of Plato and Aristotle, but the question addressed in this essay is the following: What has been meant--and what role has been played--in the succession of doctrines of physics we have had since the seventeenth century, by notions of “power” and of “cause”? The essay concludes with consideration of field theories set in relativistic space-time.

CHAPTER I POLITICAL FAITH AND UTOPIAN THOUGHT In the three and a half centuries since Bacon and the miller prayed for peace among the willows, countless men ...

Her importance seems to hinge on the fact that she is both a symbol and a historical reality.

This book is about questions that one would hesitate to ask in certain groups, because the questioning itself would mark him or her as an outsider, or a liberal, or a conservative, or a reactionary interested in resurrecting issues which have been satisfactorily settled. But Western philosophy, jump-started by the Socratic dialogues memorialized by Plato, has traditionally concerned itself with reexamining meanings and values that many thought settled once and for all. In this book the interlocutors, who disagree about almost (...) everything, nevertheless search for areas of agreement as they continue in this Socratic tradition. (shrink)

The studies comprising this volume, most of them appearing for the first time in English, deal with some of the main topics in Maimonides? philosophy and that of his followers in Provence. At the heart of these topics lies the issue of whether they adopted a completely naturalistic picture of the workings of the world order, or left room for the volitional activity of God in history. These topics include divine law, creation, the Account of the Chariot, prophet and sage, (...) Mosaic prophecy, reasons for the commandments, and prayer. Special attention is paid to three lesser known but highly significant Provenȧl Jewish thinkers: Moses Ibn Tibbon, Levi ben Avraham, and Nissim ben Moses of Marseille. (shrink)

This is an accessible and practical introduction to formal semantics for students new to the subject. Features: * Shows how meanings are built up and interrelated * Provides a progression of exercises with answers at the back of the book * Backs up activities with short, clear explanations * Includes a glossary of technical terms and an appendix on sets and functions.

The theory of the 2S 1/2-2P 1/2 Lamb shift of hydrogen is reviewed and compared to experiment. Recent corrections from radiative recoil of order α(Zα)5 m 2 /M and pure recoil of order (Zα) 6 m 2 /M are discussed. Contributions of order α 2 (Zα) 5 m have been calculated from certain classes of diagrams. These are described while other as yet uncalculated terms are mentioned. The largest error in the theory is due to the uncertain measured value of (...) the proton electromagnetic radius. (shrink)