Bloomsbury Philosophy News

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Bloomsbury Holiday Wish Lists - Featuring Carol J. Adams

Is there any better gift to give or receive than books? We don’t think so! So we’ve asked some of our authors to share with us their Bloomsbury Holiday Wish Lists, to help inspire your gift-giving this season!

Today’s Wish List is from Carol J. Adams, author of numerous books including The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory, which is now available in our Bloomsbury Revelations Series.

Bloomsbury Academic books I’d like in my Christmas stocking this year, include:

Jennifer Good’s Photography and September 11^th: Spectacle, Memory, Trauma and Melvyn Stokes’s American History through Hollywood Film: From the Revelation to the 1960s. In The Sexual Politics of Meat, I am concerned with the relationship between representation and oppression, so I am always on the watch for books that help me think about the function of representation in shaping the stories we tell.

Chad Montrie’s A People's History of Environmentalism in the United States recasts the familiar story, and as a feminist aware of how often the disenfranchised are often left out of the story, I know how important Montrie’s approach restoring activists lost from the dominant narrative is.

I want to read Francis O'Gorman’s Worrying: A Literary and Cultural History for the very reason that I think he wrote it: to come to understand this common phenomenon from the inside out and the outside in.

And Laura Lee Downs' Writing Gender History, a project near and dear to my heart.

Because every volume sounds fascinating, I’d like the entire set of A Cultural History of The Human Body  (from Antiquity through to the Modern Age), covering birth and death, health and Disease, sex& sexuality, “marked bodies” from Gender, Race, Class, Age, Disability and Disease  to the Bestial, the Divine and the Natural and much else!

Ditto with A Cultural History of Animals which I don’t understand how I have done without all these years.

I am going to cheat and list “Object Lessons” as a choice, when it is actually a series. I want every single one of them from the published ones Golf Ball, Remote Control, Silence, Drone, Glass, Phone Booth, Refrigerator, Waste, and Hotel to the forthcoming ones: Cigarette Lighter, Dust, Shipping Container, Hood, Bookshelf, Bread, Hair, Password, and Questionnaire.

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These books, and Carol Adams’ book The Sexual Politics of Meat are all on sale as part of our Holiday Sale until December 12!

Also by Carol J. Adams:

Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian's Survival Handbook

The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Jane Austen

The Bedside, Bathtub & Armchair Companion to Frankenstein

Help! My Child Stopped Eating Meat! An A-Z Guide to Surviving a Conflict of Diets

Neither Man Nor Beast: Feminism and the Defense of Animals

 

 

Q&A with author of Plotinus the Platonist, Dave Yount

On Plato, Buddhism and writing a book: we interviewed author Dr. David J. Yount on his latest publication Plotinus The Platonist: A Comparative Account of Plato and Plotinus’ Metaphysics.

1. What particular areas of philosophy interest you and why?

Ancient philosophy has interested me for years, actually, after I earned my B.A. in philosophy. I perceived a connection between the philosophies of Plato and Plotinus, and the initial main motivation for my earning a Ph.D. in philosophy was to be able to write a book on the similarities between Plato and Plotinus, and be taken seriously. I think Plato does an excellent job of laying out possible philosophical views in his dialogues, but then shooting down the improbable or implausible views along the way.
I appreciate how enthusiastic Plotinus is in his philosophy, to urge us toward knowing or uniting with the One.

In addition, I am very interested in Buddhism, especially reading the early texts, and trying to see how much I can compare and liken early Buddhism to Plato and Plotinus’ philosophies. I think philosophy of religion has a lot of interesting and important arguments, so I spend some time on those as well.

2. How would you describe your book in one sentence?

I argue that Plotinus does not differ with Plato on any essential claims that Plato makes in his dialogues, including the One or Good, Intellect or Nous (including God, gods, and the Forms), the All-Soul, emanation, and matter and evil.

3. When did you start researching for this book?

As I said, I had already had the idea to write this book before I went to graduate school (in 1990) when I studied Plato’s philosophy in graduate school, because I went to, but I began to write this book in February of 2002, when I was at a philosophy conference on Plato, and one of the scholars claimed that we needn’t read Plato’s statement that the Good was beyond being mystically. I decided there and then to start writing it, so I spent a lunch hour of the conference beginning to write it, and it really took off from there.

4. Which part of writing a book have you enjoyed most?

When I began writing my argument that the First Hypothesis of the Parmenides is best interpreted as the Good in Plato’s Republic, all I knew was that I wished to argue that thesis, but had not argued out every claim and looked over each of the claims made in the relevant section of the Parmenides. And I must say that I was going to be willing to admit that I could not argue that I was not going to be able to argue for my thesis. However, much to my inspiration, pleasure, and amazement, I was able (to my mind, but I will let the readers decide for themselves) to be able to argue for my thesis. It was a great experience.
One more example was when I would read something in Plotinus, but would think to myself, “Huh, I don’t know where Plato says anything like this – I might have to just admit in the book that I don’t think that what Plotinus says here can be found in or argued for in Plato. But then I found a passage I wasn’t aware of at the time that I could use to show that I could argue that Plato does make the same kind of claim.

6. Any tips for people reading the book?

Just one: You can read any section you’re interested in first, without reading the whole book in order. The chapters and sections should stand on their own.

7. Where will your research go from here?

I actually have whole chapters on Plato and Plotinus on mysticism, epistemology, and ethics, and I hope to publish those as well.

8. If you could have dinner with one philosopher, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Sorry to violate the rules of the question, but It is a toss up between Plato and Plotinus! I’d like to have dinner with Plato, because I’d like to see if I have properly interpreted his writings in general, and to ask him about whether I would have been kicked out of his Academy for telling a joke. And I would like to have dinner with Plotinus, because he seems like an excellent human being, and I’d like to get life advice from him.

Plotinus the Platonist is now available globally in hardback.

Students of philosophy - look no further for the best textbooks

 

Plato and Nietzsche - a visual journey part 2

It is my pleasure to bring you the second installment of our visual blog on Plato and Nietzsche, based on the beautiful photos and videos taken by author Mark Anderson as he explored significant places in these philosophers' lives. Yesterday we wandered round Plato's Academy just outside Athens. Today, we take you to the shores of Lake Sils in Switzeland.

NIETZSCHE's Summer Haunts

Lake Silvaplana

Nietzsche stayed in Sils-Maria during the summers of 1881 and 1883-1888. In Sils itself is Lake Sils, where the Chasté peninsula was a favorite site of Nietzsche’s - he fantasized about building a hermit’s hut. In the mountains above Sils there is Val Fex, or the Fex Valley, through which Nietzsche enjoyed hiking. In the little town next to Sils is Lake Silvaplana, on the shores of which stand the so-called “Zarathustra Stone,” the site of Nietzsche's initial insight into the Eternal Return (the stone itself is a fifty-minute walk from Sils). Read on to explore...

This was the house in Sils-Maria owned by the Durisch family, who lived here and had a little grocery on the ground floor. Nietzsche stayed in an upstairs room when he came to Sils-Maria. Today this is the Nietzsche Haus museum and research library.

This video is taken from a spot about a 3-minute walk from the Nietzsche Haus. The scene is Lake Sils, with the Chasté peninsula in the foreground.

On the road from Sils-Maria toward lake Silvaplana: a hot-air balloon floats above the lake.

Fex Valley: this video is of the valley up in the mountains behind Sils-Maria, where Nietzsche enjoyed hiking. The river and the mountain are those on the cover of Mark's book Plato and Nietzsche.

“Lake Sils” (photo): This is taken on the descent from the Fedoz Valley above Isola (the little town visible in the foreground below). What may look like a large forested island near the shore on the far side of the lake is the Chasté peninsula projecting from the meadow beside Sils-Maria.

This panorama is taken looking across Lake Silvaplana toward Sils-Maria, with wild flowers in the foreground.

This video begins with the water flowing from the waterfall into Lake Silvaplana, shows the back side of the Zarathustra Stone, then Sils-Maria, and finally pans over Lake Silvaplana back to the waterfall.

This final photo shows a close-up of the Zarathustra Stone on the shore of Lake Silvaplana.

Plato and Nietzsche - a visual journey

Not long ago I received a day-brightening email from Bloomsbury author Mark Anderson, whose book Plato and Nietzsche: Their Philosophical Art has just been published. He'd sent me a beautiful photo of Lake Sils, Switzerland, on which the Chasté peninsula was a favorite site of Nietzsche’s (he fantasized about building a hermit’s hut there):

But that was not all - through a series of photos and videos Mark has captured significant sites of his philosophical subjects' lives. In this blog we wander the site of Plato's Academy and Athens. And tomorrow I will treat you to Nietzsche's summer haunts in and around Sils-Maria. If you need a moment of calm to get you through to Friday, these will definitely do the trick.

PLATO'S ACADEMY (click on the images for full size)

From the site of Plato’s Academy in Athens

Academy Road toward Athens: the ancient road heading toward the Dipylon Gate in the city wall that led to central Athens. The Parthenon atop the Acropolis is visible in the distance.

Close-up of the Acropolis taken from Lykavittos hill.

Central Athens (including the Acropolis), also from Lykavittos.

 

See you tomorrow for Nietzsche's summer haunts (including videos)! Expect more like this:

The Bloomsbury Summer Reads - Part 2

Take a hike, with Žižek

 

 

Are you tired of the same old summer plans, repeating themselves every year? How about something radically different this summer? How about discovering three thinkers who explore the ontological fabric of life and its hegemonic systems of representation and reproduction? And how about doing this while discovering their beautiful country through 7,000 km of hiking trails?

If you answered yes to all of the above, get your hands on a copy Žižek and his Contemporaries: On the Emergence of the Slovenian Lacan by Jones Irwin and Helena Motoh, pack your backpack and make your way to Slovenia.

In recent years, the popularity of the inimitable Slavoj Žižek has perhaps cast a shadow over the collective influence exerted by Slovenian intellectuals on modern day philosophy. Žižek and his Contemporaries relocates Žižek as a thinker whose ideas are born of a specifically Slovenian context. Although only coming to international notice in the early 1990s, the Slovenian Neo-Lacanian school is the culmination of a series of intellectual, artistic and political movements inextricably connected to the quest for the succession of Slovenia from Yugoslavia. Featuring brand new interviews with three of its forerunners – Žižek, Mladen Dolar and Alenka Zupancic – this timely book details each philosopher's individual concerns, whilst shedding light on the complex genealogy and continuing development of the Slovenian school.

The perfect backdrop to reading about the Slovenian Neo-Lacanian School is the country’s alpine scenery and sweeping vistas, which you can explore through the many trails crisscrossing Slovenia. You might want to discover famous Lake Bled and its island church and hilltop castle, or simply spend the day at Triglav National Park, with its meadows covered in wildflowers. Of course you could also just enjoy a cool pint of Laško in the medieval town of Radovljica. But keep in mind that the experience won’t be complete unless you have Žižek and his Contemporaries at your side.

Žižek and his Contemporaries: On the Emergence of the Slovenian Lacan is published by Bloomsbury Academic on 19 June 2014. Buy it here.

Bloomsbury title awarded Bertrand Russell Society Book Award

We are thrilled to announce that Russell: A Guide for the Perplexed has been awarded the Bertrand Russell Society Book Award, which celebrates the best new book on the thinker. Read more on the Society and the Award here.

The book can be ordered online with 10% off on our website.

Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. Over his professional career of 45 years Russell left his mark and influence in many domains of intellectual inquiry. This includes the foundations of mathematics, the philosophy of science, metaphysics, the theory of knowledge, the philosophy of language, education, religion, history, ethics and politics.

In Russell: A Guide for the Perplexed, John Ongley and Rosalind Carey offer a clear and thorough account of the work and thought of this key thinker, providing a thematic outline of his central ideas and his enduring influence throughout the field of philosophy. The authors lay out a detailed survey of Russell's academic, technical philosophy, exploring his work on logic, mathematics, metaphysics, language, knowledge and science. This concise and accessible book engages the reader in a deeper critical analysis of Russell's prolific philosophical and literary output.

Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. Over his professional career of 45 years Russell left his mark and influence in many domains of intellectual inquiry. This includes the foundations of mathematics, the philosophy of science, metaphysics, the theory of knowledge, the philosophy of language, education, religion, history, ethics and politics.

In Russell: A Guide for the Perplexed, John Ongley and Rosalind Carey offer a clear and thorough account of the work and thought of this key thinker, providing a thematic outline of his central ideas and his enduring influence throughout the field of philosophy. The authors lay out a detailed survey of Russell's academic, technical philosophy, exploring his work on logic, mathematics, metaphysics, language, knowledge and science. This concise and accessible book engages the reader in a deeper critical analysis of Russell's prolific philosophical and literary output. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/russell-a-guide-for-the-perplexed-9780826497536/#sthash.OjggVchU.dpuf

Bertrand Russell was one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. Over his professional career of 45 years Russell left his mark and influence in many domains of intellectual inquiry. This includes the foundations of mathematics, the philosophy of science, metaphysics, the theory of knowledge, the philosophy of language, education, religion, history, ethics and politics.

In Russell: A Guide for the Perplexed, John Ongley and Rosalind Carey offer a clear and thorough account of the work and thought of this key thinker, providing a thematic outline of his central ideas and his enduring influence throughout the field of philosophy. The authors lay out a detailed survey of Russell's academic, technical philosophy, exploring his work on logic, mathematics, metaphysics, language, knowledge and science. This concise and accessible book engages the reader in a deeper critical analysis of Russell's prolific philosophical and literary output. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/russell-a-guide-for-the-perplexed-9780826497536/#sthash.OjggVchU.dpuf

The Bloomsbury Summer Reads - Part 1

While people generally see us as a serious academic publisher, you’d be surprised to find out that we’re also the ideal place to find summer reads. No matter what you’re planning to do this summer, we have the perfect book for it. Here is the first of four specially curated summer reading suggestions, courtesy of Bloomsbury Philosophy.

 

 1. Ibiza with the mates, and Husserl

 

 

 

If you go to Ibiza with a close-knit group of friends, every night and day tend to be the same. Nights are spent celebrating the summer with strobe lights, loud music and unreasonable amounts of alcohol, and days are used to nurse hangovers. But instead of just struggling through these hangovers, why not use the pain as stimulus for a philosophical inquiry? Hangovers – with their parched throats, throbbing headaches and upset stomachs – are moments of intense bodily awareness. In such a situation, there is no better book to open than Flesh and Body: On the Phenomenology of Husserl by Didier Franck.

Flesh and Body, originally released in French in 1981, is a pioneering study that provides both a close reading of Husserl’s phenomenology of relationship between flesh and body as well as Didier Franck’s own highly original account of flesh.

Husserl’s work on the body influenced many phenomenologists, including Merleau-Ponty, Ricoeur, Henry, and Levinas, to name just a few. But his work was often misunderstood. Franck thus guides the reader carefully through Husserl’s multi-layered and complex observations about the notions of on the flesh and the body. Franck shows that the flesh is never entirely one’s own, instead it is always situated in relation to a prior alterity, principally the other ego. This book is thus a vital contribution to current debates over the themes of embodiment, temporality and intersubjectivity.

Before leaving to your party destination, make sure to get a copy of Flesh and Body. With it, you’ll embrace your hangovers while reading about such topics as Husserl’s conception of eidetic reduction or the connection between flesh and ownness.

Flesh and Body: On the Phenomenology of Husserl is published by Bloomsbury Academic on 19 June 2014. Buy it here.

The Bloomsbury World Cup #Philosoccerphy Competiton

 

‘Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily. Especially not yellow cards.’

– William of Ockham

 

‘I dribble therefore I am.’

– René Descartes

 

‘If a vuvuzela is blown and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?’

– Bishop George Berkeley

 

To celebrate the World Cup in Brazil, we are launching the Bloomsbury #Philosoccerphy Competition. The intersection of football and philosophy is nothing new. Many have gone there. The most famous example is Monty Python’s 1972 ‘The Philosophers’ Football Match’ sketch. But we’re serious about it. That’s why, besides publishing the above quotes which were uncovered in the lost writings of those three great minds, we are launching the Bloomsbury #Philosoccerphy Competition.

 

Here’s all the info:

For the next three weeks, we will post one football-related photo on our Twitter per week and ask you to submit philosophical captions. The best one for each photo will win a special Bloomsbury Books Goodybag, including a Philosophy paperback of your choice.

Make sure to tweet your answers with #Philosoccerphy.

Here’s our first one: