The topic of the essays in this rather miscellaneous collection range from the nature of post-Christian man to the possibility of banning cars from Manhattan. Most of these essays are not "philosophical" in a technical sense, but there emerges from them a definite philosophical viewpoint, one which shows the influence of pragmatic, existential, and psychoanalytic ideas. Goodman's particular concern is with the relation of the individual to society, and particularly with the problems of meaningful individual action within the context of (...) the community. This concern results in a distinctive fusion of an individualistic and humanistic philosophy with highly concrete social proposals. Despite its rather fragmentary nature, this book is a good illustration of the freshness and immediacy which make Goodman one of the most original and exciting of current social thinkers.—P. F. L. (shrink)

The report entitled An Analysis of the Canadian Research and Development System for Agriculture/Food which was presented to the Science Council of Canada in July, 1991 contains many far-reaching recommendations for revisions of the research and educational components of the Agriculture/Food System in Canada. The report calls for research of holistic and interdisciplinary nature. It calls for determination of research priorities by broadly constituted committees which would include reporesentaitves heretofore not included in the process of decisionmaking regarding scientific research. In (...) addition, it calls for restructuring of the agricultural education system. The Co-editors of this Journal, believe that these recommendations should be wildely discussed and, therefore, requested publication of the Executive Summary of this Report. (shrink)

Five essays on various aspects of Peirce's philosophy, first delivered as a series of lectures at Yale University, plus a brief biography of Peirce by Paul Weiss. The essays are: "Charles S. Peirce as an American," by Rulon Wells, "Notes Toward a Logic of Discovery," by N. R. Hanson, "Action, Conduct, and Self-Control," by R. J. Bernstein, "Community and Reality," by J. E. Smith, and "Charles S. Peirce, Philosopher," by Paul Weiss. Several of these essays contain concise, perceptive summaries and (...) evaluations of Peirce's thought in various areas; the book is an excellent introduction to Peirce's philosophy.—P. F. L. (shrink)

Selections representing a wide range of 20th century thought, in a book intended primarily for introductory courses in contemporary philosophy. Individual selections are generally well chosen. The short editorial commentaries on the various thinkers and positions are both fair and perceptive.--P. F. L.

The heart of this book is an extended account of Whitehead's philosophical development, in which Lowe argues persuasively that many of the ideas which appear in Whitehead's metaphysical writings are prefigured in the work of Whitehead the mathematician and philosopher of science. The discussion of the way in which a peculiarly mathematical insight into the structure of the universe can be traced even in the late metaphysical works is especially illuminating. Also included is a brief summary of Whitehead's developed philosophy (...) and a critical discussion of "empirical method" in Whitehead.--P. F. L. (shrink)

This book contains twenty-seven essays prepared for a 1961 conference at Notre Dame, and also includes comments on several of the papers by participants of the conference. The essays trace the concept of matter from its origin in Greek and Medieval philosophy through its function in seventeenth-century science to its current scientific and philosophical status. The essays can stand by themselves, in some cases as useful historical surveys, in other cases as presentations of new ideas or defenses of current viewpoints. (...) However, they are also part of a larger whole; from the confrontation of a variety of philosophic approaches and specialties there emerges a surprisingly unified picture of the evolution of a concept. At the same time, the book is also a study in the different ways in which any explanatory concept can function. Inevitably, the confrontation is not wholly successful; some of the essays are so specialized that it is difficult to relate them to the rest of the book. However, the inclusion of comments and transcribed informal discussion from the conference helps to maintain a sense of dialogue, and the editor contributes a perceptive introduction in which he brings together some themes which run throughout the book.—P. F. L. (shrink)

The first part of this book contains essays on Dostoevski's Christian insights, Marxism compared to Christianity as a religion, and the Christian significance of Sartre's "ontological" interpretation of sexuality. A second group of essays develops the author's concern with Christian social ethics and modern interpretations of the concept of natural law, in the writings of Brunner, Cahn, Maritain, Tillich, H. R. Niebuhr, and Reinhold Niebuhr. Ramsey's treatment of these writers is generally sympathetic and sensitive.--P. F. L.

Throughout his life, John Tyler Bonner contributed to major transformations in the fields of developmental and evolutionary biology. He pondered the evolution of complexity and the significance of randomness in evolution, and was instrumental in the formation of evolutionary developmental biology. His contributions were vast, ranging from highly technical scientific articles to numerous books written for a broad audience. This historical vignette gathers reflections by several prominent researchers on the greatness of John Bonner and the implications of his work.

Background: Nursing students on clinical placements as part of their professional training are routinely faced with situations involving ethical conflicts. The initial act of perceiving a situation as causing an ethical dilemma is the result of both the students’ personal values, drawn from their culture and families, and of the professional knowledge and values that they have acquired through training and experience. Objectives: Nursing students’ experiences on clinical placements in primary care settings were investigated in order to identify situations that (...) they perceived as involving ethical conflict and describe the elements they took into consideration during their decision-making processes in these situations. Methods: The research design was qualitative descriptive case study. Around 50 students from three different intakes to a nursing degree answered a questionnaire and discussed it in focus groups. Ethical considerations: The study was designed in accordance with the principles guiding research with human beings and was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee. Results: Synthesised into two principal axes: (a) ethical conflicts in primary care, linked with the domains of working processes, professional nursing ethics and human and social rights and (b) students’ decision-making processes – realisation, reflection and intervention. Conclusion: The student nurses saw themselves both as actors and spectators in situations involving ethical problems and demanding moral deliberation, demonstrating the ability to base their arguments soundly. They tended to emphasise the possibilities offered by dialogue and that different ethical values must be respected to find fair solutions to ethical problems. (shrink)

This is the twenty-sixth volume in the Library of Living Philosophers, a series founded by Paul A. Schilpp in 1939 and edited by him until 1981, when the editorship was taken over by Lewis E. Hahn. This volume follows the design of previous volumes. As Schilpp conceived this series, every volume would have the following elements: an intellectual autobiography of the philosopher, a series of expository and critical articles written by exponents and opponents of the philosopher's thought, replies to these (...) critics and commentators by the philosopher, and as nearly complete a bibliography of the published work of the philosopher as possible. (shrink)