Philosophy

After travelling through the cities of Hangzhou, China, Boston, U.S.A., Bangalore, India, and Lyon, France; after 107 conversations within these cities, and after studying the thoughts of Gilles Deleuze, Rick Dolphijn explores the realms of food.

Is morality a phenomenon that stands on its own? Is it separated from Christian faith by definition? The distinguished American moral philosopher William K. Frankena (1908-1994) answered both questions in the affirmative. Frankena's moral-point-of-view theory gets an extensive reconstruction, explaining how and why morality should be conceived autonomously.

The general inclination towards simplicity and economy is not limited to modernity. Already in Aristotle's days simplicity is quoted as a standing principle. One of the aims of this essay is to display the historical continuity in the directive influence of the criteria of simplicity and elegance.

Does the discovery process- and not just testing - lend epistemic support to scientific theories? Is idealization central to any scientific approach? What are the positively determinate features of quantum-physical indeterminism? Can the Anthropic Principle really provide cosmological explanations? Do neural network models and evolutionary views of cognition provide adequate accounts of knowledge acquisition and morality? Can the 'scientific paradigm' of self-organization lead to a new theory of nature?

The ancient Stoics introduced an intriguing set of proofs for the existence of the Greek gods. These proofs were not only important for the Stoics themselves but also influenced later theological or philosophical proofs, even Descartes'. However, the Stoic proofs have not been studied extensively for three decades. In this book they are thoroughly investigated and subjected to an entirely new approach.

Development is a key concept for thinking about the global relations between nations, in particular between North and South. But what exactly does it entail and in which forms do development practices manifest themselves? Are we dealing with aid or with co-operation, or perhaps with encounter? And which motives, philosophies of life and ideas about the course of nations and other human communities are lurking behind the programs of actual development?

Illness often hides inside a body. Physicians can make it visible by using medical imaging technologies. Some of those technologies also allow patients to have a live view into their own interior. Does such real-time imaging present the ultimate example of a transparent body? Or on the contrary, do technological images of a body that is normally invisible create a sense of alienation? Maud Radstake went looking for answers in the radiology and endoscopy departments of a Dutch hospital.