Social Philosophy Books - Page 11

The World of the Gift

Jacques T. Godbout, Alain Caille, Donald Winkler

Amazon Price: $75.00 List Price: $75.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: McGill-Queen's University Press Amazon Marketplace: 10 new & used starting at $42.77

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Ethics & Morality
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Anthropology -> Cultural

Editorial Review:

In an age dominated by consumerism and government agencies many people believe that generosity and altruism either no longer exist or are fuelled by self-interest. Gifts are seen as, at best, irrelevant frills. In "The World of the Gift" Jacques Godbout and Alain Caille show that in reality the gift is all-pervasive in our society. The anthropologist Marcel Mauss, in his famous exploration of the gift in 'primitive' and archaic societies, showed that the essential aspect of the exchange of presents involved the establishment of a social tie that bound the parties together above and beyond any material value of the objects exchanged.He argued that these intangible mutual 'debts' constituted the social fabric. Godbout and Caille show that, contrary to the modern assumption that societies function on the basis of market exchange and the pursuit of self-interest, the gift still constitutes the foundation of our social fabric. The authors describe the gift not as an object but as a social connection, perhaps the most important social connection because it creates a sense of obligation to respond in kind.They examine the gift in a broad range of cases such as blood and organ donation; volunteer work; the bonds between friends, couples, and family; Santa Claus; the interaction between performers and their audience; and the relation of the artist to society. Written in an engaging manner, "The World of the Gift" will appeal to anyone who is interested in how the world really operates. Jacques T. Godbout is a research professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Universite du Quebec. Alain Caille is a professor at the Universite Paris X and director of the Revue du MAUSS.

Bad Faith and Antiblack Racism

Lewis R. Gordon

List Price: $45.00 By: Prometheus Books Amazon Marketplace: 2 new & used starting at $68.44

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Discrimination & Racism
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Political Science -> General

Editorial Review:

Lewis Gordon presents the first detailed existential phenomenological investigation of anti-black racism as a form of Sartrean bad faith. Bad faith, the attitude in which human beings attempt to evade freedom and responsibility, is treated as a constant possibility of human existence. Anti-black racism, the attitude and practice that involve the construction of black people as fundamentally inferior and subhuman, is examined as an effort to evade the responsibilities of a human and humane world. Gordon argues that the concept of bad faith militates against any human science that is built upon a theory of human nature and as such offers an analysis of anti-black racism that stands as a challenge to our ordinary assumptions of what it means to be human.

The Philosopher on Dover Beach: Essays

Roger Scruton

List Price: $24.95 By: Palgrave Macmillan Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $44.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Modern
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General

Theoretical Research Programs: Studies in the Growth of Theory

Amazon Price: $85.00 List Price: $85.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Stanford University Press Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $32.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Anthropology -> Cultural
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Anthropology -> Sociobiology

Editorial Review:

Analyzing the structure and growth of major theoretical research programs in the sociological study of group processes, this book considers such topics as exchange processes and network structures, bargaining and conflict, status characteristics and status organizing processes, social interaction, and legitimation processes.

Moral Relativism: A Dialogue (New Dialogues in Philosophy)

J. Kellenberger

Amazon Price: $29.95 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $9.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Ethics & Morality
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> General

Editorial Review:

One in the series New Dialogues in Philosophy, edited by Dale Jacquette, J. Kellenberger brings together a group of hypothetical individuals from different backgrounds with real philosophical views to discuss their ideas on morality and moral relativism. The dialogues examine arguments for and against adopting a relativistic stance on morality.

Fool's Gold: The Fate of Values in a World of Goods

Andrew Bard Schmookler

List Price: $20.00 By: Harpercollins Amazon Marketplace: 58 new & used starting at $0.67

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Theory
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Politics -> General

Reel Arguments: Film, Philosophy, And Social Criticism

Andrew Light

List Price: $70.00 By: Westview Press Amazon Marketplace: 8 new & used starting at $6.55

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Movies -> History & Criticism
Subjects -> Entertainment -> Movies -> Theory
Subjects -> Entertainment -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

In Reel Arguments, Andrew Light, known for his work in environmental ethics and the philosophy of technology, addresses the role of film in society. By looking at films and the creators of such films as Alice in the Cities, Enemy of the State, The Conversation, Falling Down, City of Hope, and Matewan, Light persuasively argues that film can be highly philosophical and influential. Though not the first to make such a claim, Light brings new insights into the readings of these films as visual arguments covering a range of issues: identity politics, urban landscapes, the politics of space, and the unexpected dimensions of technology. This volume will be of special interest to readers of film and philosophy.

Jurgen Habermas: Critic in the Public Sphere (Critics of the Twentieth Century)

Robert Holub

List Price: $85.00 By: Routledge Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $30.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> Germany -> General
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> Germany -> General AAS
Subjects -> Literature & Fiction -> General -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

One of the most important intellectuals in the Federal Republic of Germany for the past three decades, Habermas has been a contributor to fields ranging from sociology and political science to philosophy and cultural studies. Although he has stood at the centre of concern in his native land, he has been less readily accepted outside Germany, particularly in the humanities. His theoretical work postulates the centrality of communication and understanding, and as such his strategy of debate is marked by a politically informed unity of theory and practice. This work is an account of the major debates in which Habermas has engaged since the early 1960s. It stems from the conviction that his critics have not understood the political strategy behind his various interventions, or the consistency that informs his intellectual activities. Habermas is viewed in dialogue with important philosophical, sociological and political currents in Germany. Holub demonstrates how Habermas pursues a course that incorporates various aspects of his opponents' positions, while simultaneously defending perceived threats to democracy and open discussion. This book should be of interest to students and teachers of literary theory and social and political theory.

Habermas and Pragmatism

Amazon Price: $115.00 List Price: $115.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Routledge Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $71.50

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Modern
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Movements -> Pragmatism
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Definitely worth buying! 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

If your interests revolve around deliberative democracy, philosophy of language, Habermas' work, or American philosophical pragmatism, then this book is definitely worth buying. The editor, Mitchell Aboulafia, is a well-known thinker in his own right; the range and quality of the contributions could hardly be any better. In a word, this book should capture the attention of both Habermas' followers and his critics, for his interpretation of pragmatism is not without problems as some of the contributions here show.

Editorial Review:

Jurgen Habermas is one of the most important thinkers of this century. His work has been highly influential not only in philosophy, but particularly in the fields of politics, sociology and law. This is the first collection that explores the connections between his body of work and North America's biggest philosophical movement, pragmatism.

Habermas and Pragmatism investigates the influences of pragmatism on Habermas' thought in a collection of stellar essays with contributions by Habermas himself, leading representatives of pragmatism, as well as critical and legal theorists. The essays cover a range of subjects including philosophy of language, democracy, nature of rationality and social theory as well as the relation of major figures such as Hegel, Pierce, Mead and Dewey to Habermas and pragmatism.

The Science of Conflict

James A. Schellenberg

Amazon Price: $34.95 List Price: $34.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $0.01

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Psychology & Counseling -> Social Psychology & Interactions
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Philosophy -> Social Philosophy
Subjects -> Nonfiction -> Social Sciences -> Anthropology -> Cultural

Editorial Review:

Providing a concise introduction to an increasingly urgent area of study, this book reviews recent developments in the social sciences that contribute directly to our understanding of social conflict. Drawing on classical sources--such as the writings of Charles Darwin and Karl Marx--the author traces the influence of their thinking on contemporary issues and covers the leading ideas, key research findings, and central questions to come out of sociobiology, game theory, labor-management negotiations, the sociology of revolution, and other crucial subjects.