Science and Poetry

Science and Poetry PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134559542
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Crude materialism, reduction of mind to body, extreme individualism. All products of a 17th century scientific inheritance which looks at the parts of our existence at the expense of the whole. Cutting through myths of scientific omnipotence, Mary Midgley explores how this inheritance has so powerfully shaped the way we are, and the problems it has brought with it. She argues that poetry and the arts can help reconcile these problems, and counteract generations of 'one-eyed specialists', unable and unwilling to look beyond their own scientific or literary sphere. Dawkins, Atkins, Bacon and Descartes all come under fire as Midgely sears through contemporary debate, from Gaia to memes, and organic food to greenhouse gases. After years of unquestioned imperialism, science is finally forced to take a step back and acknowledge the arts.

Science and Poetry

Science and Poetry PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134559542
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Crude materialism, reduction of mind to body, extreme individualism. All products of a 17th century scientific inheritance which looks at the parts of our existence at the expense of the whole. Cutting through myths of scientific omnipotence, Mary Midgley explores how this inheritance has so powerfully shaped the way we are, and the problems it has brought with it. She argues that poetry and the arts can help reconcile these problems, and counteract generations of 'one-eyed specialists', unable and unwilling to look beyond their own scientific or literary sphere. Dawkins, Atkins, Bacon and Descartes all come under fire as Midgely sears through contemporary debate, from Gaia to memes, and organic food to greenhouse gases. After years of unquestioned imperialism, science is finally forced to take a step back and acknowledge the arts.

The Essential Mary Midgley

The Essential Mary Midgley PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415346412
Category : Philosophy, British
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
This anthology includes carefully chosen selections from her best-selling books, including Wickedness, Beast and Man, Science and Poetry and The Myths We Live By. An unrivalled introduction to a great philosopher, and includes a.

Animals and why They Matter

Animals and why They Matter PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
ISBN: 0820320412
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Animals and Why They Matter examines the barriers that our philosophical traditions have erected between human beings and animals and reveals that the too-often ridiculed subject of animal rights is an issue crucially related to such problems within the human community as racism, sexism, and age discrimination. Mary Midgley's profound and clearly written narrative is a thought-provoking study of the way in which the opposition between reason and emotion has shaped our moral and political ideas and the problems it has raised. Whether considering vegetarianism, women's rights, or the "humanity" of pets, this book goes to the heart of the question of why all animals matter.

The Solitary Self

The Solitary Self PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
Argues that simple, on-sided accounts of human motives, such as the "selfish gene" in neo-Darwinian thought, are always unrealistic and do not derive from Darwin's writings.

Science as Salvation

Science as Salvation PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134841167
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
What is the role of scientists in society? What should we think when they talk about more than just science? Mary Midgley discusses the high spiritual ambitions which tend to gather around the notion of science.

Owl of Minerva

Owl of Minerva PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134208634
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
One of the UK's foremost moral philosophers, Mary Midgley recounts her remarkable story in this elegiac and moving account of friendships found and lost, bitter philosophical battles and of a profound love of teaching. In spite of her many books and public profile, little is known about Mary's life. Part of a famous generation of women philosophers that includes Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Mary Warnock and Iris Murdoch, Midgley tells us in vivid and humorous fashion how they cut a swathe through the arid landscape of 1950s British Philosophy, writing and arguing about the grand themes of character, beauty and the meaning of rudeness. As the mother of three children, her journey during the 1950s and 1960s was one of a woman fighting to combine a professional career with raising a family. In startling contrast to many of the academic stars of her generation, we learn that Midgley nearly became a novelist and started writing philosophy only when in her fifties, suggesting that Minerva’s owl really does fly at dusk. Charting the highs and lows of philosophy and academia in Britain, this publication sheds light on Mary’s close friends, her moral philosophy and her meetings with major philosophers, including Wittgenstein and Isaiah Berlin.

The Myths We Live By

The Myths We Live By PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1136807535
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 297

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Book Description
With a new Introduction by the author 'An elegant and sane little book. – The New Statesman Myths, as Mary Midgley argues in this powerful book, are everywhere. In political thought they sit at the heart of theories of human nature and the social contract; in economics in the pursuit of self interest; and in science the idea of human beings as machines, which originates in the seventeenth century, is a today a potent force. Far from being the opposite of science, however, Midgley argues that myth is a central part of it. Myths are neither lies nor mere stories but a network of powerful symbols for interpreting the world. Tackling a dazzling array of subjects such as philosophy, evolutionary psychology, animals, consciousness and the environment in her customary razor-sharp prose, The Myths We Live By reminds us of the powerful role of symbolism and the need to take our imaginative life seriously. Mary Midgley is a moral philosopher and the author of many books including Wickedness, Evolution as a Religion, Beast and Man and Science and Poetry. All are published in Routledge Classics.

Beast and Man

Beast and Man PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134438451
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Philosophers have traditionally concentrated on the qualities that make human beings different from other species. In Beast and Man Mary Midgley, one of our foremost intellectuals, stresses continuities. What makes people tick? Largely, she asserts, the same things as animals. She tells us humans are rather more like other animals than we previously allowed ourselves to believe, and reminds us just how primitive we are in comparison to the sophistication of many animals. A veritable classic for our age, Beast and Man has helped change the way we think about ourselves and the world in which we live.

Utopias, Dolphins and Computers

Utopias, Dolphins and Computers PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113478466X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
Why do the big philosophical questions so often strike us as far-fetched and little to with everyday life? Mary Midgley shows that it need not be that way; she shows that there is a need for philosophy in the real world. Her popularity as one of our foremost philosophers is based on a no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach to fundamental human problems, philosphical or otherwise. In Utopias, Dolphins and Computers she makes her case for philosophy as a difficult but necessary tool for solving some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary society. How should we treat animals? Why are we so confused about the value of education? What is at stake in feminism? Why should we sustain our environment? Why do we think intelligent computers will save us? Mary Midgley argues that philosophy not only can, but should be used in thinking about these questions. Utopias, Dolphins and Computers will make fascinating reading for philosophers, educationalists, feminists, environmentalists and indeed anyone interested in the questions of philosophy, ethics and life.

Wisdom, Information, and Wonder

Wisdom, Information, and Wonder PDF Author: Mary Midgley
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 0415028302
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
In this book one of Britain's leading popular philosophers tackles a question that is at the root of our civilization: What is knowledge for?