Philosophy and the Idea of Freedom (Philosophy and the Eclipse of Reason: Towards a Metacritique of the Philosophical Tradition Series), Vol. I)

Bhaskar, Roy

ISBN 10: 0631159118 / ISBN 13: 9780631159117

Published by Basil Blackwell Pub, Oxford/Cambridge, 1991

About this Item

First volume in this trilogy of works that analyzes the trajectory of the Western philosophical tradition & assesses the current state of the discipline. Focus is on a scholarly critique of the work of Richard Rorty. In 202 pages with General & Name Indices in rear. A First Edition, first printing from 1991, this hardcover book & original DJ are in Fine condition: has been on our personal bookshelf since purchased Brand New! Completely clean, binding strong & straight, pages white & unmarked. The unclipped DJ is equally Flawless! Essentially a Brand New book!Our photos depict the exact book you will receive, never "stock" images of books we don't actually have! Same day shipping on all orders received Weekdays by 2 pm (Pacific time); later orders, weekends & holidays ship very next business day.

Seller Inventory # 017887

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Philosophy and the Idea of Freedom (Philosophy and the Eclipse of Reason: Towards a Metacritique of the Philosophical Tradition Series), Vol. I)
• Publisher: Basil Blackwell Pub, Oxford/Cambridge
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0631159118
• ISBN 13: 9780631159117
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition First Printing
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Seller catalogs:
  • Philosophy/Epistemology/Metaphysics

About this title

Synopsis

In the first volume of a three-volume study on the trajectory of the western philosophical tradition and the state of contemporary philosophy, Roy Bhaskar sets out to develop a critique of the work of Richard Rorty, whose "Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature" and "Contingency, Irony and Solidarity" are regarded as two of the most influential books of recent decades. The author shows how Rorty falls victim to the epistemological problematic he himself describes. Roy Bhaskar argues that Rorty's account of science and knowledge is based on a half-truth. He sees the historicity of knowledge, but cannot sustain its rationality or the reality of the objects it describes. The author further argues that Rorty's problem-field replicates the Kantian resolution of the third antinomy: we are determined as material bodies, but free as discursive (speaking and writing) subjects. Rorty's actualism (like Kant's) makes human agency impossible. Developing his own original transcendental and critical realist philosophy, Roy Bhaskar shows just where Richard Rorty's system comes unstuck, and how the philosophical problems to which it gives rise can be rationally resolved. In this process Roy Bhaskar utilizes his critique of Rorty to begin to elaborate his own alternative interpretation and critique of the philosophical conversation of the west.

Review

"Philosophy and the Idea of Freedom is full of fascinating, important ideas and insights, and is immensely timely. It will have a deeply beneficial effect, and will surely be very widely read and discussed." Professor Terry Eagleton, University of Oxford"

"Philosophy and the Idea of Freedom is full of fascinating, important ideas and insights, and is immensely timely. It will have a deeply beneficial effect, and will surely be very widely read and discussed." Professor Terry Eagleton, University of Oxford

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