One of the most important books of the twentieth century, Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies is an uncompromising defense of liberal democracy and a powerful attack on the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. Popper was born in 1902 to a Viennese family of Jewish origin. He taught in Austria until 1937, when he emigrated to New Zealand in anticipation of the Nazi annexation of Austria the following year, and he settled in England in 1949. Before the annexation, Popper had written mainly about the philosophy of science, but from 1938 until the end of the Second World War he focused his energies on political philosophy, seeking to diagnose the intellectual origins of German and Soviet totalitarianism. The Open Society and Its Enemies was the result. An immediate sensation when it was first published in two volumes in 1945, Popper's monumental achievement has attained legendary status on both the Left and Right and is credited with inspiring anticommunist dissidents during the Cold War. Arguing that the spirit of free, critical inquiry that governs scientific investigation should also apply to politics, Popper traces the roots of an opposite, authoritarian tendency to a tradition represented by Plato, Marx, and Hegel. In a substantial new introduction written for this edition, acclaimed political philosopher Alan Ryan puts Popper's landmark work in biographical, intellectual, and historical context. Also included is a personal essay by eminent art historian E. H. Gombrich, in which he recounts the story of the book's eventual publication despite numerous rejections and wartime deprivations.

The 'nations' of the title are the 'seventy nations': in the Talmudic idiom, the whole of humanity surrounding Israel. In this major collection of essays, Levinas considers Judaism's uncertain relationship to European culture since the Enlightenment, problems of distance and integration. It also includes five Talmudic readings from between 1981 and 1986, essays on Franz Rosenzweig and Moses Mendelssohn, and a discussion with Francoise Armengaud which raises questions of central importance to Jewish philosophy in the context of general philosophy. This work brings to the fore the vital encounter between philosophy and Judaism, a hallmark of Levinas's thought.

This book is intended for those who wish to assume the responsibility of becoming the new intellectuals. It contains the main philosophical passages from my novels and presents the outline of a new philosophical system.The full system is implicit in these excerpts (particularly in Galt’s speech), but its fundamentals are indicated only in the widest terms and require a detailed, systematic presentation in a philosophical treatise. I am working on such a treatise at present; it will deal predominantly with the issue which is barely touched upon in Galt’s speech: epistemology, and will present a new theory of the nature, source and validation of concepts. This work will require several years; until then, I offer the present book as a lead or a summary for those who wish to acquire an integrated view of existence. They may regard it as a basic outline; it will give them the guidance they need, but only if they think through and understand the exact meaning and the full implications of these excerpts.-- from Preface

Published shortly after the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the dissolution of the Soviet regime, Specters of Marx is one of Derrida's most interesting and prophetic books. Whilst many in the West heralded the triumph of liberal democracy and "the end of history", Derrida takes several steps back to argue that whilst Communism may have disappeared in much of the world, the questions posed by Marx continue to haunt us. In his customary provocative style, he asks some uncomfortable questions: after the fall of Communism, can we preserve Marx's legacy of radicalism? How do we continue his philosophy of responsibility? Uncannily anticipating many of the challenges facing us today, Derrida argues that the capitalist system is plagued by a multitude of ills, including aggression, trade wars, debt, the exploitation of migrant labour and ethnic conflict. This Routledge Classics edition is a translation of the revised French edition and includes a debate between Derrida and Étienne Balibar on Marx and Marxism, published here in English for the first time. It also includes new corrections and additions to the text and footnotes made by Derrida after the book's initial publication in French. Translated by Peggy Kamuf and with a new Foreword by Peter Salmon, this Routledge Classics edition retains the original Editors' Introduction by Bernd Magnus and Stephen Cullenberg.

Hannah Arendt's last philosophical work was an intended three-part project entitled The Life of the Mind. Unfortunately, Arendt lived to complete only the first two parts, Thinking and Willing. Of the third, Judging, only the title page, with epigraphs from Cato and Goethe, was found after her death. As the titles suggest, Arendt conceived of her work as roughly parallel to the three Critiques of Immanuel Kant. In fact, while she began work on The Life of the Mind, Arendt lectured on "Kant's Political Philosophy," using the Critique of Judgment as her main text. The present volume brings Arendt's notes for these lectures together with other of her texts on the topic of judging and provides important clues to the likely direction of Arendt's thinking in this area.--Publisher's description

Gertrude Stein began the creative work that was to earn her the reputation as one of the most original writers of this century with the three pieces in this volume. Fernhurst, a fictional episode based on a Bryn Mawr scandal of the early 1900s, explores the labyrinth of love between man and woman and between woman and woman; Q.E.D. fictionalizes an early Stein romance (doomed finally by a rival); and the third selection is an early draft of The Making of Americans, which records Stein's struggle toward maturity as woman and artist. Essential works of a significant twentieth-century literary voice.

Isaiah Berlin was one of the leading thinkers of the century, and one of the finest writers. The Proper Study Of Mankind selects some of the best of his essays. The full (and enormous) range of his work is represented here, from the exposition of his most distinctive doctrine - pluralism - to studies of Machiavelli, Tolstoy, Churchill and Roosevelt. In these pages he encapsulates the principal movements that characterise the modern romanticism, historicism, Fascism, relativism, irrationalism and nationalism. His ideas are always tied to the people who conceived them, so that abstractions are brought alive. His insights both illuminate the past and offer a key to the burning issues of the today.

Maimonides was the greatest Jewish philosopher and legal scholar of the medieval period, a towering figure who has had a profound and lasting influence on Jewish law, philosophy, and religious consciousness. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to his life and work, revealing how his philosophical sensibility and outlook informed his interpretation of Jewish tradition. Moshe Halbertal vividly describes Maimonides's childhood in Muslim Spain, his family's flight to North Africa to escape persecution, and their eventual resettling in Egypt. He draws on Maimonides's letters and the testimonies of his contemporaries, both Muslims and Jews, to offer new insights into his personality and the circumstances that shaped his thinking. Halbertal then turns to Maimonides's legal and philosophical work, analyzing his three great books - Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. He discusses Maimonides's battle against all attempts to personify God, his conviction that God's presence in the world is mediated through the natural order rather than through miracles, and his locating of philosophy and science at the summit of the religious life of Torah. Halbertal examines Maimonides's philosophical positions on fundamental questions such as the nature and limits of religious language, creation and nature, prophecy, providence, the problem of evil, and the meaning of the commandments. A stunning achievement, Maimonides offers an unparalleled look at the life and thought of this important Jewish philosopher, scholar, and theologian.

"In 1656, a young Amsterdam merchant was excommunicated by his Portuguese-Jewish community in the harshest terms it had ever used. Baruch Spinoza was accused of unspecified "horrifying heresies," but the precise reasons for his expulsion remain a mystery. When he published his Theological-Political Treatise in 1670, which was condemned as "the most atheistic book ever written," he began to reveal to the world what his heresies may have been. Yet ever since the eighteenth century, most readers and scholars have assumed that Spinoza was a pantheist--even a "God-intoxicated man," as the poet Novalis put it. After all, how could a person whose books are suffused with talk of God be an atheist? In Spinoza, Atheist, Steven Nadler, one of the world's leading authorities on the philosopher, aims to settle the question and show that that's exactly what he was. Nadler makes a powerful case that there is no real divinity for Spinoza. God is Nature, and isn't an object of worshipful awe or religious reverence but can only be understood through philosophy and science. There is nothing supernatural--no mystery, ineffability, or sublimity. Spinoza does speak of "blessedness" and "salvation," but these, too, are to be understood in natural and rational terms, as the peace of mind and happiness that come from understanding ourselves and the world. Whether Spinoza believed in God is a fascinating and enduring controversy. Spinoza, Atheist promises to transform our understanding of his views and to make clear just how radical a thinker he was and remains."--

"This is the complete philosophical correspondence between two of the leading analytic philosophers of the late twentieth century, David Armstrong and David Lewis. Ranging from 1968 until Lewis' untimely death in 2001, this volume is an extraordinary philosophical repository of the highest order. It contains the backstory to some of the most important recent works of analytic metaphysics as well as documenting the formation of a deep philosophical friendship"--

"Between 1978 and 1979, Jacques Derrida delivered a seminar on the themes of "the gift" and "time" titled "Donner-le temps." The first part of that seminar was published in 1991. Given Time II is an archival discovery of the second installment that was promised but never came to fruition during Derrida's lifetime. The eight seminar sessions collected here represent Derrida's most advanced work on the problematic of the gift in Heidegger's thought, with deep dives into some of the richest and most difficult texts in the Heideggerian corpus, such as the essays "The Origin of the Work of Art," "The Thing," and "On Time and Being." Beyond Heidegger, Derrida skillfully engages Claude Lévi-Strauss, Marcel Mauss, Maurice Blanchot, Jacques Lacan, and others on the topic of the gift. The themes discussed include the act of giving and receiving gifts, the necessary link between time and the gift, being as some "thing" given that exceeds things and beings as such, the sacrificial gift, and others. Through these analyses, Derrida begins to identify the paradox of gift giving: For the gift to be received as a gift, it must not appear as such, since its mere appearance as gift puts it in the cycle of repayment and debt. Given Time II is a remarkable and uniquely Derridean treatment of an important subject in the work of Heidegger and beyond"-- Provided by publisher.

The Principle of Hope is one of the great works of the human spirit. It is Ernst Bloch's comprehensive account of human strivings for utopia throughout history, coupled with the philosopher's own vision of the possibilities for a real utopia.

Fiamma Nirenstein, a Jerusalem-based journalist for the Italian daily newspaper La Stampa, describes, as a frontline observer, the latest developments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, up to and including the end of the United States' Operation Iraqi Freedom. Betrayal gives readers an inside look at the daily existence of Israelis, who live a nightmare of continuous terrorism and war. Israel's battle to defend its way of life and its right to exist as a nation is the same battle for liberty and civilization that the post-September 11 world is fighting.

Henri Bergson’s Laughter, An Essay on the Meaning of the Comicis an essential read for scholars, academics, and students of philosophy. Through an examination of the psychological and physiological effects of laughter, Bergson argues that the comic arises from the perception of incongruity and mechanical inelasticity in the human world. Drawing on a range of sources, including philosophy, science, and literature, Bergson’s work offers a comprehensive and compelling exploration of the nature of comedy. Laughter, An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic is an invaluable resource for those interested in the philosophical, psychological, and sociological implications of humor. This edition is based on the 1911 translations by Cloudesley Brereton (1863-1937) and Fred Rothwell (1869-1934). Henri Bergson (18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopher who was one of the most influential thinkers of the early 20th century. His work focused on the nature of time and memory and how they influence the human experience. He developed a unique philosophical approach, combining elements of philosophical idealism, realism, and pragmatism. Although his ideas were initially met with skepticism, they gained wide acceptance throughout the philosophical community. Bergson is best known for his two major works, Matter and Memory (1896) and Creative Evolution (1907). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927 for his contributions to philosophy. Bergson was born in Paris, France, to an affluent Jewish family. He was educated at the Lycee Condorcet and the Ecole Normale Superieure. After graduating, he began teaching philosophy at the University of Paris, where he quickly developed a reputation as an innovative and influential thinker. He argued that time and memory could not be understood through the traditional methods of scientific analysis and proposed a new approach to understanding the human experience. Bergson's philosophy was based on the concept of durée, or "duration," which argued that time and memory are inseparable, and that time is experienced differently by each individual. He also argued that memory is a creative force, allowing individuals to make choices based on their past experiences. His theories have had a lasting impact on the fields of psychology and philosophy, particularly in the areas of phenomenology and existentialism. Bergson's work has been the subject of numerous books and essays, and his influence has been felt across a variety of disciplines, including literature, film, and anthropology.

Max Picard’s philosophy of silence, presence, and resistance to conformity finds resonance with contemporary discussion on mindfulness, minimalism, and the pursuit of meaning. His insights remind us of the importance of slowing down, seeking solitude, and engaging with the world in a thoughtful and intentional manner. As a philosopher and writer whose contributions to the fields of aesthetics, philosophy of religion, and existentialism have left an indelible mark on intellectual discourse. Initially published in 1948, his book (‘Die Weit des Schweigens’) - ‘The World of Silence’ explored the intricate relationship between silence and speech. In this book, Picard crafts a masterpiece that remains relevant even in our hyper-connected world.

Philosophical Profiles brings together ten important essays by Richard Berstein. Each focuses on the work of a thinker or group of thinkers at the center of contemporary developments in philosophy, including Hannah Arendt, John Dewey, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Jurgen Habermas, G.W.F. Hegel, Alasdair MacIntyre, Herbert Marcuse, and Richard Rorty.

"Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929) is one of the most significant German Jewish philosophers of the twentieth century. Published in German in 1920 and now finally available in English for the first time, Hegel and the State is a major contribution to the understanding of Hegel's political and social thought and a profound analysis of the intellectual currents that shaped the German state in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Through careful readings of Hegel's early handwritten manuscripts, Rosenzweig shows that Hegel was wrestling with the problem of how to reconcile the subjectivity and freedom of the individual within a community and ultimately the political state. According to Rosenzweig, the route out of this conundrum chosen by Hegel shaped his mature political philosophy, where he saw the relationship between the individual and the state as reciprocal. At a deeper level, the significance of Hegel and the State lies in the way that Rosenzweig explains the failure of Hegel's quasi-communitarian view of the state to emerge, due to the authoritarian direction of the newly-unified German state under Bismarck. Anticipating the political and moral disaster that was to follow, Rosenzweig concludes by questioning the very viability of any theory of the state that relies on the pillars of bureaucratic militarism and a government-supported capitalist business culture. With the inclusion of a Foreword by Myriam Bienenstock and a substantial Afterword by Axel Honneth, Hegel and the State is a ground-breaking work of early twentieth-century philosophical and political thought. It is essential reading for students of Hegel, German Idealism, Jewish philosophy, and the origins of critical theory. It will also be of interest to those in related subjects such as the history of sociology, and German and intellectual history"--

'An inspiring story of a life well lived.' MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies The Stoic ideal of a well lived life has been around since 300BC, but what can we learn from it 2,300 years later? In The Stoic Capitalist, Robert Rosenkranz shows how its teachings can lead to a life of accomplishment, fulfillment, and impact. Stoic principles are applied not just to help you cope but to achieve your most ambitious goals. He offers an astute combination of philosophical, psychological, and business observations, along with practical advice spanning topics as diverse as finance, investments, negotiation, hiring, time management, art collecting, philanthropy, and longevity. He explains how ancient philosophy and its psychological insights can be used to create extraordinary outcomes in your personal and professional life. Each of the short chapters offers ideas you can use to thrive. Along the way, you meet a lively global cast of RAND nuclear strategists, pioneering artists, scientist-entrepreneurs racing to extend the human lifespan, and iconic figures in the Wall Street boom years. The book offers an insider's perspective on the creation of such major developments as private equity, hedge funds, and junk bonds. Rosenkranz writes as he speaks, with the engaging voice of a Renaissance man who is insatiably curious, eager to learn, open to all viewpoints, but embracing none without critical thought. Reading this book may help you realize your childhood dreams.

This texts seeks to question the conventional was historians have treated the relationship between Kant and Hegel and Nietzsche. It suggests a new way to understand these relationships by showing that the relationship of is one of renovation--both keep parts of Kant while rejecting other parts.

Raya Dunayevskaya is hailed as the founder of Marxist-Humanism in the United States. In this new collection of her essays co-editors Peter Hudis and Kevin B. Anderson have crafted a work in which the true power and originality of Dunayevskaya's ideas are displayed. This extensive collection of writings on Hegel, Marx, and dialectics captures Dunayevskaya's central dictum that, contrary to the established views of Hegelians and Marxists, Hegel was of signal importance to the theory and practice of Marxism. The Power of Negativity sheds light not only on Marxist-Humanism and the rooting of Dunayevskaya's Marxist-Humanist theories in Hegel, but also on the life of one of America's most penetrating and provocative critical thinkers.