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7WilliamsIn Christopher Belshaw & Gary Kemp (eds.), 12 Modern Philosophers, Wiley-blackwell. 2009.This paper discusses the contributions of Bernard Williams to Moral and Political Philosophy.
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3Possibility, Plenitude, and the Optimal World: Rescher on Leibniz’s CosmologyIn Robert Almeder (ed.), Rescher Studies: A Collection of Essays on the Philosophical Work of Nicholas Rescher, De Gruyter. pp. 477-492. 2008.
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7The Theory of Drive: The Dual Legacy of Leibniz’s Theory of AppetitionIn Manja Kisner & Jörg Noller (eds.), The Concept of Drive in Classical German Philosophy: Between Biology, Anthropology, and Metaphysics, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 11-37. 2021.Leibniz’s metaphysics has been cited as a source of the dynamic and organic worldview of romantic Naturphilosophie. This chapter evaluates that claim by examining two distinct lineages of Leibniz’s metaphysical conception of dynamic appetition. On one hand, by demonstrating the existence of a “vis viva” in inanimate objects and by ascribing two distinct powers—perception and appetition—to all plants and animals as well as to his incorporeal “monads,” Leibniz seemed to restore force to physics an…Read more
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7Leibniz et Ficino: vie, activité, matière. Leibniz und Ficino: Leben, Aktivität, MaterieStudia Leibnitiana 49 (2): 243. 2017.Although Leibniz characterised himself in the “New Essays” as a “Platonic” as opposed to a “Democritean” philosopher, his intellectual relationship with the most famous of the Renaissance Neoplatonists, Marsilio Ficino, has received little attention. Here we review what can be thus far established regarding Leibniz’s acquaintance with portions of Ficino’s Opera omnia of 1576. We compare Ficino’s disenchantment with the atomistic materialism of Lucretius, which he had favoured in his youth, and h…Read more
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657Lucretius and the history of scienceIn Stuart Gillespie & Philip R. Hardie (eds.), The Cambridge Companion to Lucretius, Cambridge University Press. 2007.An overview of the influence of Lucretius poem On the Nature of Things (De Rerum Natura) on the renaissance and scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, and an examination of its continuing influence over physical atomism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
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Essential religiosity in Descartes and LockeIn Philippe Hamou & Martine Pécharman (eds.), Locke and Cartesian Philosophy, Oxford University Press. 2018.
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7How to be an epicurean: the ancient art of living wellBasic Books. 2019.A leading philosopher shows that if the pursuit of happiness is the question, Epicureanism is the answer Epicureanism has a reputation problem, bringing to mind gluttons with gout or an admonition to eat, drink, and be merry. In How to Be an Epicurean, philosopher Catherine Wilson shows that Epicureanism isn't an excuse for having a good time: it's a means to live a good life. Although modern conveniences and scientific progress have significantly improved our quality of life, many of the proble…Read more
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8Kant and the naturalistic turn of 18th Century philosophyOxford University Press. 2022.Struck by the absence of love affairs, adventures, travels, and political engagement in Immanuel Kant's life, a noted commentator describes him as unformed, to a degree surpassing all other philosophers, by challenging life events. Declaring that Kant 'can be understood only through his work in which he immerses himself with unwavering discipline,' the writer evokes the image of a body of writing demanding to be understood through text-internal analytical methods alone. The theme of the enclosed…Read more
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9Descartes and Cartesianism: Essays in Honour of Desmond Clarke (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2017.This collection of original essays deals with Cartesian themes and problems, especially as these arise in connection with Cartesian natural science and the theory of perception, agency, mentality, divinity, and the passions. It focuses in particular on Desmond Clarke's important contributions to these aspects of Descartes's writings.
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31Epicureanism in the early modern periodIn James Warren (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Epicureanism, Cambridge University Press. pp. 266. 2009.
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14Epicureanism: A Very Short IntroductionOxford University Press UK. 2015.Epicureanism is commonly associated with a carefree view of life and the pursuit of pleasures, particularly the pleasures of the table. However it was a complex and distinctive system of philosophy that emphasized simplicity and moderation, and considered nature to consist of atoms and the void. Epicureanism is a school of thought whose legacy continues to reverberate today.In this Very Short Introduction, Catherine Wilson explains the key ideas of the School, comparing them with those of the ri…Read more
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122Epicureanism at the origins of modernityOxford University Press. 2008.This landmark study examines the role played by the rediscovery of the writings of the ancient atomists, Epicurus and Lucretius, in the articulation of the major philosophical systems of the seventeenth century, and, more broadly, their influence on the evolution of natural science and moral and political philosophy. The target of sustained and trenchant philosophical criticism by Cicero, and of opprobrium by the Christian Fathers of the early Church, for its unflinching commitment to the absenc…Read more
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42Another Darwinian AestheticsJournal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 74 (3): 237-252. 2016.I offer a Darwinian perspective on the existence of aesthetic interests, tastes, preferences, and productions. It is distinguished from the approaches of Denis Dutton and Geoffrey Miller, drawing instead on Richard O. Prum's notion of biotic artworlds. The relevance of neuroaesthetics to the philosophy of art is defended.
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17Disgrace : Bernard Williams and J.M. CoetzeeIn Garry Hagberg (ed.), Art and Ethical Criticism, Blackwell. pp. 144--162. 2008.This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction: Williams's Critique of Moral Theory Disgrace and Greek tragedy The Problem of Power The Evaluation of Social and Political Institutions.
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91The Oxford handbook of philosophy in early modern Europe (edited book)Oxford University Press. 2011.In this Handbook twenty-six leading scholars survey the development of philosophy between the middle of the sixteenth century and the early eighteenth century.
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The Graduate Center, CUNYDistinguished Professor (Part-time)
New York City, New York, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
History of Western Philosophy |
Value Theory |
Areas of Interest
History of Western Philosophy |
Value Theory |