Author: Brian Morris
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781551647425
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Is the world just a cultural construct where people create their own realities? In this illuminating and wide-ranging philosophical treatise, Brian Morris critiques broad swathes of recent theory as he seeks to reclaim anthropology as a historical social science. He achieves this by grounding it within a metaphysic of "dialectical naturalism" or "evolutionary realism"--a tradition long ignored by academic philosophy. After reviewing the anthropological background of this worldview--the Greeks and the Enlightenment--Morris explores two essential themes. First, he critically assesses the main forms of dialectical naturalism, including Darwin's evolutionary theory, Marx's historical materialism, and the hylo-realism of the philosopher-scientist Mario Bunge. Second, he offers a strong plea to retain the dual heritage of anthropology as a historical science that combines both humanism and naturalism. A powerful philosophical manifesto, the book cogently upholds dialectical naturalism as the most grounding philosophy for anthropology and the social sciences.
Anthropology and Dialectical Naturalism
Author: Brian Morris
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781551647425
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Is the world just a cultural construct where people create their own realities? In this illuminating and wide-ranging philosophical treatise, Brian Morris critiques broad swathes of recent theory as he seeks to reclaim anthropology as a historical social science. He achieves this by grounding it within a metaphysic of "dialectical naturalism" or "evolutionary realism"--a tradition long ignored by academic philosophy. After reviewing the anthropological background of this worldview--the Greeks and the Enlightenment--Morris explores two essential themes. First, he critically assesses the main forms of dialectical naturalism, including Darwin's evolutionary theory, Marx's historical materialism, and the hylo-realism of the philosopher-scientist Mario Bunge. Second, he offers a strong plea to retain the dual heritage of anthropology as a historical science that combines both humanism and naturalism. A powerful philosophical manifesto, the book cogently upholds dialectical naturalism as the most grounding philosophy for anthropology and the social sciences.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781551647425
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
Is the world just a cultural construct where people create their own realities? In this illuminating and wide-ranging philosophical treatise, Brian Morris critiques broad swathes of recent theory as he seeks to reclaim anthropology as a historical social science. He achieves this by grounding it within a metaphysic of "dialectical naturalism" or "evolutionary realism"--a tradition long ignored by academic philosophy. After reviewing the anthropological background of this worldview--the Greeks and the Enlightenment--Morris explores two essential themes. First, he critically assesses the main forms of dialectical naturalism, including Darwin's evolutionary theory, Marx's historical materialism, and the hylo-realism of the philosopher-scientist Mario Bunge. Second, he offers a strong plea to retain the dual heritage of anthropology as a historical science that combines both humanism and naturalism. A powerful philosophical manifesto, the book cogently upholds dialectical naturalism as the most grounding philosophy for anthropology and the social sciences.
The Distortion of Nature's Image
Author: Damian Gerber
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 1438473559
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Illustrates how the notion of an ecological society remains a decisively political question. The global ecological crisis is upon us. From global warming to the long-term implications of ocean acidification, air and water pollution, deforestation, and the omnipresent dangers of nuclear technology the future of our planetary home is threatened. Yet in the midst of the unfolding crisis, the conventional ideologies of the twentieth century and their representations of nature remain unchallenged by both the defenders of capitalism and capitalism’s most radical critics. The Distortion of Nature’s Image illustrates how the anti-naturalism of late capitalist society, in which nature is reified into the emptiness of mere matter, simply a thing to be dominated, is subtly complemented by the failure of the Left to go both beyond the historic limitations of Marx’s nineteenth-century viewpoint and beyond anarchism’s blind faith in “natural law.” However, an alternative for comprehending nature and the ecological crisis as historical and socialphenomena remains open in the dialectical naturalism of Western Marxism and Murray Bookchin’s social ecology. By examining in closer detail how Bookchin’s social ecology politicizes the concept of nature, as well as how precursory models in Western Marxist thought provide a foundation for this, Damian Gerber illustrates how the notion of an ecological society remains a decisively political question. “There are very few studies that bring anarchism into conversation with an ecological focus. Gerber’s book does this in extraordinary form, offering a critical but balanced overview.” — Simon Springer, author of The Anarchist Roots of Geography: Toward Spatial Emancipation
Publisher: SUNY Press
ISBN: 1438473559
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 246
Book Description
Illustrates how the notion of an ecological society remains a decisively political question. The global ecological crisis is upon us. From global warming to the long-term implications of ocean acidification, air and water pollution, deforestation, and the omnipresent dangers of nuclear technology the future of our planetary home is threatened. Yet in the midst of the unfolding crisis, the conventional ideologies of the twentieth century and their representations of nature remain unchallenged by both the defenders of capitalism and capitalism’s most radical critics. The Distortion of Nature’s Image illustrates how the anti-naturalism of late capitalist society, in which nature is reified into the emptiness of mere matter, simply a thing to be dominated, is subtly complemented by the failure of the Left to go both beyond the historic limitations of Marx’s nineteenth-century viewpoint and beyond anarchism’s blind faith in “natural law.” However, an alternative for comprehending nature and the ecological crisis as historical and socialphenomena remains open in the dialectical naturalism of Western Marxism and Murray Bookchin’s social ecology. By examining in closer detail how Bookchin’s social ecology politicizes the concept of nature, as well as how precursory models in Western Marxist thought provide a foundation for this, Damian Gerber illustrates how the notion of an ecological society remains a decisively political question. “There are very few studies that bring anarchism into conversation with an ecological focus. Gerber’s book does this in extraordinary form, offering a critical but balanced overview.” — Simon Springer, author of The Anarchist Roots of Geography: Toward Spatial Emancipation
Levels of Organic Life and the Human
Author: Helmuth Plessner
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
ISBN: 082328400X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
The groundbreaking classic of twentieth-century German philosophy now available in English—with an introduction by J.M. Bernstein. Helmuth Plessner’s Levels of Organic Life and the Human, draws on phenomenological, biological, and social scientific sources to offer a systematic account of nature, life, and human existence. The book considers non-living nature, plants, non-human animals, and human beings a sequence of increasingly complex modes of boundary dynamics—simply put, interactions between a thing’s insides and the surrounding world. Living things are classed and analyzed by their “positionality,” or orientation to and within an environment. According to Plessner’s radical view, the human form of life is excentric—that is, the relation between body and environment is something to which humans themselves are positioned and can take a position. This “excentric positionality” enables human beings to take a stand outside the boundaries of their own body, a possibility with significant implications for knowledge, culture, religion, and technology. A powerful and sophisticated account of embodiment, the Levels shows, with reference both to science and to philosophy, how life can be seen on its own terms to establish its own boundaries, and how, from the standpoint of life, the human establishes itself in relation to the nonhuman. As such, the book is not merely a historical monument but a source for invigorating a range of vital current conversations around the animal, posthumanism, the material turn, and the biology and sociology of cognition.
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
ISBN: 082328400X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
The groundbreaking classic of twentieth-century German philosophy now available in English—with an introduction by J.M. Bernstein. Helmuth Plessner’s Levels of Organic Life and the Human, draws on phenomenological, biological, and social scientific sources to offer a systematic account of nature, life, and human existence. The book considers non-living nature, plants, non-human animals, and human beings a sequence of increasingly complex modes of boundary dynamics—simply put, interactions between a thing’s insides and the surrounding world. Living things are classed and analyzed by their “positionality,” or orientation to and within an environment. According to Plessner’s radical view, the human form of life is excentric—that is, the relation between body and environment is something to which humans themselves are positioned and can take a position. This “excentric positionality” enables human beings to take a stand outside the boundaries of their own body, a possibility with significant implications for knowledge, culture, religion, and technology. A powerful and sophisticated account of embodiment, the Levels shows, with reference both to science and to philosophy, how life can be seen on its own terms to establish its own boundaries, and how, from the standpoint of life, the human establishes itself in relation to the nonhuman. As such, the book is not merely a historical monument but a source for invigorating a range of vital current conversations around the animal, posthumanism, the material turn, and the biology and sociology of cognition.
Trail of an Intellectual Nomad
Author: Brian Morris
Publisher: African Books Collective
ISBN: 9996080315
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 732
Book Description
Leaving school at fifteen, Brian Morris has had a and varied career in Malawi, before becoming a university teacher. Now Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, he is the author of numerous articles and books on anthropology, religion and symbolism, hunter gatherer societies, concepts of the individual and radical politics. His most recent books are Homage to Peasant Smallholders (Luviri Press 2022) and Anthropology and Dialectical Naturalism (Black Rose 2022). After writing much about Anthropology, Brian Morris finally shares about his life. While in his youth the academic future seemed very dim, an all consuming interest in nature was already there. The author does not only share the formative experiences in Malawi and India, but he also shares his intellectual development to become a Dialectical Anthropologist. His travel and research experiences are fascinating, and it is amazing how much fits into one life.
Publisher: African Books Collective
ISBN: 9996080315
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 732
Book Description
Leaving school at fifteen, Brian Morris has had a and varied career in Malawi, before becoming a university teacher. Now Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, he is the author of numerous articles and books on anthropology, religion and symbolism, hunter gatherer societies, concepts of the individual and radical politics. His most recent books are Homage to Peasant Smallholders (Luviri Press 2022) and Anthropology and Dialectical Naturalism (Black Rose 2022). After writing much about Anthropology, Brian Morris finally shares about his life. While in his youth the academic future seemed very dim, an all consuming interest in nature was already there. The author does not only share the formative experiences in Malawi and India, but he also shares his intellectual development to become a Dialectical Anthropologist. His travel and research experiences are fascinating, and it is amazing how much fits into one life.
Anthropology, Ecology, and Anarchism
Author: Brian Morris
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 1604869860
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 425
Book Description
Over the course of a long career, Brian Morris has created an impressive body of engaging and insightful writings—from social anthropology and ethnography to politics, history, and philosophy—that have made these subjects accessible to the layperson without sacrificing analytical rigor. But until now, the essays collected here, originally published in obscure journals and political magazines, have been largely unavailable to the broad readership to which they are so naturally suited. The opposite of arcane, specialized writing, Morris’s work takes an interdisciplinary approach that moves seamlessly among topics, offering up coherent and practical connections between his various scholarly interests and his deeply held commitment to anarchist politics and thought. Approached in this way, anthropology and ecology are largely untapped veins whose relevance for anarchism and other traditions of social thought have only recently begun to be explored and debated. But there is a long history of anarchist writers drawing upon works in those related fields. Morris’s essays both explore past connections and suggest ways that broad currents of anarchist thought will have new and ever-emerging relevance for anthropology and many other ways of understanding social relationships. His writings avoid the constraints of dogma and reach across an impressive array of topics to give readers a lucid orientation within these traditions and point to new ways to confront common challenges.
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 1604869860
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 425
Book Description
Over the course of a long career, Brian Morris has created an impressive body of engaging and insightful writings—from social anthropology and ethnography to politics, history, and philosophy—that have made these subjects accessible to the layperson without sacrificing analytical rigor. But until now, the essays collected here, originally published in obscure journals and political magazines, have been largely unavailable to the broad readership to which they are so naturally suited. The opposite of arcane, specialized writing, Morris’s work takes an interdisciplinary approach that moves seamlessly among topics, offering up coherent and practical connections between his various scholarly interests and his deeply held commitment to anarchist politics and thought. Approached in this way, anthropology and ecology are largely untapped veins whose relevance for anarchism and other traditions of social thought have only recently begun to be explored and debated. But there is a long history of anarchist writers drawing upon works in those related fields. Morris’s essays both explore past connections and suggest ways that broad currents of anarchist thought will have new and ever-emerging relevance for anthropology and many other ways of understanding social relationships. His writings avoid the constraints of dogma and reach across an impressive array of topics to give readers a lucid orientation within these traditions and point to new ways to confront common challenges.
The Future of Hegel
Author: Catherine Malabou
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415287203
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
Published in English for the first time, this is one of the most important recent books on Hegel. Seeking to restore Hegel's concepts of time and temporality, it is essential reading for those interested in contemporary continental philosophy.
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415287203
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
Published in English for the first time, this is one of the most important recent books on Hegel. Seeking to restore Hegel's concepts of time and temporality, it is essential reading for those interested in contemporary continental philosophy.
Nature and Society
Author: European Association of Social Anthropologists. Conference
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9780415132169
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9780415132169
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
First Published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
The Evolution of Dialectical Materialism
Author: Zbigniew A. Jordan
Publisher: London ; Melbourne [etc.] : Macmillan ; New York : St. Martin's P
ISBN:
Category : Dialectical materialism
Languages : en
Pages : 520
Book Description
Publisher: London ; Melbourne [etc.] : Macmillan ; New York : St. Martin's P
ISBN:
Category : Dialectical materialism
Languages : en
Pages : 520
Book Description
Homage to Peasant Smallholders
Author: Brian Morris
Publisher: African Books Collective
ISBN: 9996066096
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 450
Book Description
This book offers the reader a portrait - a representation no less - of the social life and culture of the peasant-smallholders of the Shire Highlands, situated in Southern Malawi. It explores the relationship between the people of the Shire Highlands and the natural landscape - in all its diversity and dynamic complexity. It is an ethnographic study focussing specifically on the peasant-smallholders of the Highlands, who constitute around 80 per cent of the current population and their complex, multi-faceted relationship to the land and its diverse biota.
Publisher: African Books Collective
ISBN: 9996066096
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 450
Book Description
This book offers the reader a portrait - a representation no less - of the social life and culture of the peasant-smallholders of the Shire Highlands, situated in Southern Malawi. It explores the relationship between the people of the Shire Highlands and the natural landscape - in all its diversity and dynamic complexity. It is an ethnographic study focussing specifically on the peasant-smallholders of the Highlands, who constitute around 80 per cent of the current population and their complex, multi-faceted relationship to the land and its diverse biota.
Mutualist Archaeology
Author: Charles E. Orser Jr.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040295835
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
Mutualist Archaeology proposes that the theory of mutualism can transform archaeology from what someconsider to be a discipline in crisis. This book argues that the methodological and practical applications of mutualism can transform both the practice of archaeology and the way that interpretations of the past are created. Nineteenth-century theories of capitalism and Darwinism led many to assume that competition, both in the present and the past, was the most natural process in the world. Despite the tenacity of the competitive argument, this book highlights another way of seeing the natural and human world, beneficial association, or mutualism. Chapters set out how mutualist theory can offer differing perspectives on the many historical contexts archaeologists investigate, such as exchange and social complexity, as well as how archaeologists work together. Until now, no archaeologist has explicitly explored the richness that exists within mutualism, and in addition to providing a useful research perspective, mutualist theory also has profound implications for the practice of contemporary archaeology, including the drive to decolonize archaeological practice. Introducing mutualist theory and its significance for archaeological research, this book is for researchers and students of archaeological theory and archaeologists looking for new ways to view the discipline.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040295835
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
Mutualist Archaeology proposes that the theory of mutualism can transform archaeology from what someconsider to be a discipline in crisis. This book argues that the methodological and practical applications of mutualism can transform both the practice of archaeology and the way that interpretations of the past are created. Nineteenth-century theories of capitalism and Darwinism led many to assume that competition, both in the present and the past, was the most natural process in the world. Despite the tenacity of the competitive argument, this book highlights another way of seeing the natural and human world, beneficial association, or mutualism. Chapters set out how mutualist theory can offer differing perspectives on the many historical contexts archaeologists investigate, such as exchange and social complexity, as well as how archaeologists work together. Until now, no archaeologist has explicitly explored the richness that exists within mutualism, and in addition to providing a useful research perspective, mutualist theory also has profound implications for the practice of contemporary archaeology, including the drive to decolonize archaeological practice. Introducing mutualist theory and its significance for archaeological research, this book is for researchers and students of archaeological theory and archaeologists looking for new ways to view the discipline.