Books worth reading and things worth saying.
There was a request in the comments of a previous post for some info about current books and authors in philosophy and history. I can't say that I know of any contemporary works of history, but I'll list a few philosophy books that have caught my interest lately.
Ways of Worldmaking - Nelson Goodman
I'm not sure if Goodman is always classified as a post-modernist, but in this book he certainly reflects the sentiments of the movement. He describes how the worlds we perceive consist of parts that we recognize as relevant or irrelevant - what we choose to acknowledge as relevant is one aspect of worldmaking. Scientists for example are searching for facts and truths, but not just any old fact will do; the scientific world is built from certain facts and only select groups of people are even aware of the scientific world. Goodman uses the term "worldmaking" because what he's trying to describe is something more than perspectivism or relativism, he is analyzing the substance behind our worlds because there is more to perception than reality* alone.
* The world-as-it-really-is or Truth with a capital "T"
Philosophy and Social Hope - Richard Rorty
This is a collection of essays, journal articles, and other of Rorty's writings that bring forth a very accessable introduction to his philosophy. He brings together continental philosophy and true leftist American thought (has anyone else noticed that 'the left' today is what 'moderate' was not that long ago?... if politics is your game check out his book Achieving our Country). Rorty would classify himself as a neo-pragmatist although few people call him anything other than a post-modernist. He has a flare for story-telling at times which lightens the heavy intellectual-elitist feel that can creep up among the plethora of references he makes to other writers/works/ideas in philosophy and every other field. His top three influences are John Dewey [Democracy and Education], Charles Darwin [The Origin of Species, as if you didn't know], and Thomas Kuhn [The Structure of Scientific Revolutions]. Rorty is my current favorite, and if it wasn't clear from the title of his book, he is a hardcore optimist just like me.
That's it for the brief book reviews. I thought it would be worth mentioning here that anyone who got Jon's invitation to this site has the ability to post here on the main page... c'mon now, I'm still waiting for that warm fuzzy community feeling!
Ways of Worldmaking - Nelson Goodman
I'm not sure if Goodman is always classified as a post-modernist, but in this book he certainly reflects the sentiments of the movement. He describes how the worlds we perceive consist of parts that we recognize as relevant or irrelevant - what we choose to acknowledge as relevant is one aspect of worldmaking. Scientists for example are searching for facts and truths, but not just any old fact will do; the scientific world is built from certain facts and only select groups of people are even aware of the scientific world. Goodman uses the term "worldmaking" because what he's trying to describe is something more than perspectivism or relativism, he is analyzing the substance behind our worlds because there is more to perception than reality* alone.
* The world-as-it-really-is or Truth with a capital "T"
Philosophy and Social Hope - Richard Rorty
This is a collection of essays, journal articles, and other of Rorty's writings that bring forth a very accessable introduction to his philosophy. He brings together continental philosophy and true leftist American thought (has anyone else noticed that 'the left' today is what 'moderate' was not that long ago?... if politics is your game check out his book Achieving our Country). Rorty would classify himself as a neo-pragmatist although few people call him anything other than a post-modernist. He has a flare for story-telling at times which lightens the heavy intellectual-elitist feel that can creep up among the plethora of references he makes to other writers/works/ideas in philosophy and every other field. His top three influences are John Dewey [Democracy and Education], Charles Darwin [The Origin of Species, as if you didn't know], and Thomas Kuhn [The Structure of Scientific Revolutions]. Rorty is my current favorite, and if it wasn't clear from the title of his book, he is a hardcore optimist just like me.
That's it for the brief book reviews. I thought it would be worth mentioning here that anyone who got Jon's invitation to this site has the ability to post here on the main page... c'mon now, I'm still waiting for that warm fuzzy community feeling!
posted by Andrew @ 3:10 PM
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