Surrogates

Surrogates introduces an important new philosophic topic: the pervasive ways that things stand for one another in nature and human experience. Going beyond semiotic theory, Paul Weiss interprets surrogacy in terms of metaphysical, epistemological, ethical, and religious dimensions of life, integrating the concept into a systematic way of regarding reality. Just as philosophy brings a systematic set of questions to the issue of surrogate reality, Weiss's investigation of the topic raises new questions for philosophy itself, manifesting his great concern for philosophy's freedom and creativity. The author concludes each chapter with a provocative set of questions and answers that engage imagined critics in a dialogue. Together with his previous book, Emphatics, Surrogates constitutes a richly textured phenomenology of human experience with important ramifications for contemporary pragmatism. The wit and intelligence of this volume are a delight for any reader.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [175]) and indexes.

Paul Weiss, who turned 100 in 2001, is widely regarded as the most important American speculative metaphysician of his time. His many books include Emphatics, Being and Other Realities, Creative Ventures, and influential works on the philosophy of the arts, religion, sports, logic, and politics.

Preliminary Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Unshackled Pragmatism

3. Personalized Surrogates

4. Humanized Organisms and Their Surrogates

5. Individuals and Their Surrogates

6. Ultimate Conditions, Being, and Their Surrogates

7. Aids, Agents, and Substitutes

8. A Summation

9. An Envisagement of Adjuncts