Synopses & Reviews
One of the most influential of contemporary philosophers, Harry Frankfurt has made major contributions to the philosophy of action, moral psychology, and the study of Descartes. This collection of essays complements an earlier, successful collection published by Cambridge, The Importance of What We Care About. These essays deal in general with foundational metaphysical and epistemological issues concerning Descartes, moral philosophy, philosophical anthropology, political philosophy, and religion. A hallmark of Frankfurt's work is his crisp and incisive style, which means that these essays should appeal to a wide range of philosophers and to readers in neighboring disciplines with philosophical interests.
Review
"Readers will be struck anew by the depth and integrity of Frankfurt's thought, as well as the sheer delight of his prose. While many will disagree sharply with Frankfurt's insistence that autonomy arises from volitional necessities that define the essential natures of persons, they will find that, like me, they cannot help but care about his work." Ethics
Synopsis
One of the most influential of contemporary philosophers, Harry Frankfurt has made major contributions to the philosophy of action, moral psychology, and the study of Descartes. This collection of essays complements an earlier collection published by Cambridge, The Importance of What We Care About. The essays deal with foundational metaphysical and epistemological issues concerning Descartes, moral philosophy, philosophical anthropology, political philosophy and religion.
Synopsis
One of the most influential of contemporary philosophers, Harry Frankfurt has made major contributions to the philosophy of action, moral psychology, and the study of Descartes. This collection of essays complements an earlier collection published by Cambridge, The Importance of What We Care About. The essays deal with foundational metaphysical and epistemological issues concerning Descartes, moral philosophy, philosophical anthropology, political philosophy and religion.
Table of Contents
Preface; Sources; 1. The logic of omnipotence; 2. Descartes' discussion of his existence in the second meditation; 3. Descartes on the creation of the eternal truths; 4. Two motivations for rationalism: Descartes and Spinoza; 5. Continuous creation, ontological inertia, and the discontinuity of time; 6. Concerning the freedom and limits of the will; 7. On the usefulness of final ends; 8. The faintest passion; 9. On the necessity of ideals; 10. On God's creation; 11. Autonomy, necessity, and love; 12. An alleged asymmetry between actions and omissions; 13. Equality and respect; 14. On caring.