Mysticism and Logic by Bertrand Russell

$6.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: good

Valences of the Dialectic by Fredric Jameson

$30.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good

Acastos - Two Platonic Dialogues by Iris Murdoch

$15.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy

"Witty and profound" musings on questions of art and religion from a celebrated novelist known for her philosophical explorations (Library Journal). For centuries, the works of Plato, featuring his mentor and teacher Socrates, have illuminated philosophical discussions. In Acastos: Two Platonic Dialogue s, acclaimed philosopher, poet, and writer Iris Murdoch turns her keen eye to the value of art, knowledge, and faith, with two dramatic conversations featuring Plato and Socrates. "Art and Eros" After witnessing a theatrical performance, Socrates and his pupils--Callistos, Acastos, Mantias, Deximenes, and Plato--undertake a quest to uncover the meaning and worth of artistic endeavors. "Above the Gods" The celebration of a religious festival leads to a lively discussion of the gods and their place in society, as Socrates, along with several of his followers, talk about the morality of religion, wisdom, and righteousness. Told through vivid characterizations and lively discourse, Acastos is at once a "profound and satisfying" exploration of the Socratic method and an enjoyable example of theatrical writing from a Man Booker Prize-winning novelist known for her studies with Ludwig Wittgenstein and her philosophy lectures at Oxford University, as well as for such works of fiction as The Sea, The Sea and The Black Prince (Kirkus Reviews). ...Show more

A Dictionary of Common Philosophical Terms by Gregory Pence

$8.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good

The Mystery of Things by A. C. Grayling

$12.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good

A.C. Grayling answers life's most important questions. In this new collection, A.C. Grayling extends the range of his previous two books to show how much understanding people can gain about themselves and their world by reflecting on the lessons offered by science, the arts (including literature) and history. The book's essays are divided into these three sections - The Arts, Science and History - and Grayling illustrates in his celebrated accessible prose what each area offers to thought. In doing so he covers subjects as wide-ranging as Jane Austen's Emma, The Rosetta Stone, Shakespeare and the Holocaust and the Brain. By extending the range of topics discussed, The Mystery of Things shows how far-reaching Grayling's masterly, and timely, commentary of the humanities is to the general reader. First published 2004. ...Show more

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

$8.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Series: Penguin Civic Classics | Reading Level: near fine

In time for the upcoming election season, Penguin presents a series of six portable, accessible, and--above all--essential reads from American political history, selected by leading scholars. Series editor Richard Beeman, author of "The Penguin Guide to the U.S. Constitution," draws together the great t exts of American civic life, including the founding documents, pivotal historical speeches, and important Supreme Court decisions, to create a timely and informative mini-library of perennially vital issues. "Common Sense" is the book that created the modern United States, as Paine's incendiary call for Americans to revolt against British rule converted millions to the cause of independence and set out a vision of a just society. Published anonymously in 1776, six months before the Declaration of Independence, "Common Sense" was a radical and impassioned call for America to free itself and set up an independent republican government. Savagely attacking hereditary kingship and aristocratic institutions, Paine urged a new beginning for his adopted country in which personal freedom and social equality would be upheld and economic and cultural progress encouraged. His pamphlet was the first to speak directly to a mass audience--it went through fifty-six editions within a year of publication--and its assertive and often caustic style embodied the democratic spirit he advocated. ...Show more

On Equilibrium by John Ralston Saul

$12.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good

In 'On Equlibrium', John Ralston Saul explains how our different qualities give us the intelligence, self-confidence and practical ability to think and act as responsible individuals. In this book he treats a number of fundamental questions about the human condition, such as 'What are ethics?' and 'What is intuition?'. ...Show more

Derrida Downunder by Laurence Simmons and Heather Worth (eds)

$15.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good

This book developed from a visit to New Zealand in 1999 by Jacques Derrida, the foremost 'postmodern' philosopher of the late 20th century. It contains a collection of essays and discussions of his work, as well as an article by Derrida himself.

Kant's Critique of Pure Reason by T. D. Weldon

$25.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good

An Introduction to Western Philosophy - Ideas and Argument from Plato to Sartre by Antony Flew

$14.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: good

Body/Text in Julia Kristeva - Religion, Women, and Psychoanalysis by David Crownfield (Editor)

$14.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: good

Julia Kristeva works at a crucial intersection of contemporary disciplines: psychoanalysis, linguistics, semiotics, literary criticism, feminism, postmodern philosophy, and religious studies. This volume examines this rich body of work and the ways in which its interdisciplinary style gives insight into problems in understanding religion. Special attention is given to two related themes: the understanding of woman in relation to religion and the role of mother (especially of mother's body) in the formation of self and of a religious discourse. Issues recurrent in the essays include the problem of ethics; the relation between discourse and the life of the body; the formation and sublimation of narcissism; the pre-Oedipal function of the father; the functions of fantasy, imagination, and art; the relation of religion to the negation of woman; and the possibility of positive and playful religion. The themes of the relation between the symbolic structures of language and a pre-symbolic semiotics of the infant body, of the split and decentered subject, and of the opposition between desire and Jouissance (ecstatic enjoyment) participate in organizing the discussion. Abjection and sacrifice in religion, the dynamics of Christian love and faith, the relation between the doctrine of the Virgin Mary and the experience of motherhood, and the question of feminism and its sometimes quasi-religious forms are also thematic. ...Show more

Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Frances A. Yates

$14.00 NZD

Category: Philosophy | Reading Level: very good