Answers for Aristotle: How Science and Philosophy Can Lead Us to A More Meaningful Life - Couverture rigide

Pigliucci, Massimo

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0465021387 ISBN 13 : 9780465021383

Editeur : Basic Books, 2012

Synopsis

A biologist - turned - philosopher shows how scientific discoveries can help resolve some of philosophy''s longest - debated issues. Consider the following scenario: you''re walking on a bridge and notice a trolley on the tracks below. To your horror, the trolley is hurtling directly toward five innocent bystanders. You also see a lever nearby: if you pull it, you can divert the trolley to a different track. The catch is that diverting it will guarantee the death of a sixth person nearby. Would you pull the lever? Most people unhesitatingly answer yes-happy to sacrifice one life to save five-but balk if, instead of simply pulling a lever they were required to push a person off the bridge to stop the trolley-even if the result stays the same. A philosopher would claim that the two problems are identical from a moral perspective, but a neuroscientist would argue otherwise: in the first instance, the major decision-making role is played by a brain area usually involved in rational cognition, while in the second, an area related to the experience of emotions takes over. Science reveals that the two problems, apparently similar in form and content, are processed very differently by the brain - we are human beings, after all, not robotic moral calculators. The trolley dilemma provides a good example of how we can combine science and philosophy to fruitfully inform our decision making - the ambitious goal of philosopher and biologist Massimo Pigliucci''s "Answers for Aristotle". He shows how we can combine these modes of thinking to begin to understand how we make certain decisions (science), but also why those decisions may not be for the best (philosophy). Pigliucci argues that we need to reclaim both science and philosophy as guides to understand and navigate the world, to help us construct our own individual pursuits of happiness.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

Booklist Online
Bravely renewing the entire Aristotelian project, Pigliucci surveys the latest scientific research in primatology, psychology, and neurobiology, always integrating the researchers' empirical findings into a meaningful philosophical perspective. This scientific-philosophical (or sci-phi”) perspective opens onto particularly provocative interpretations of human morality.... Remarkably versatile.... A book sure to spark debate.”

Kirkus Reviews
A useful introduction to sources on both sides of the science-philosophy divide.”

Dario Maestripieri, Professor of Comparative Human Development, The University of Chicago, and author of Games Primates Play
Massimo Pigliucci's beautiful mind and encyclopedic knowledge are on full display in Answers for Aristotle. He is as comfortable discussing quantum physics and cognitive psychology as he is explaining the complexities of evolutionary biology and moral philosophy. Answers for Aristotle is a stimulating, entertaining book that demonstrates that we need both science and philosophy to make sense of who we are and how we live our lives.”

Philosophy Now
Answers for Aristotle is a lively, impressively-argued foray into topics ranging from Kepler's improvement of Copernicus's heliocentric theory, to the discovery of Neptune, to Stanley Milgram's obedience experiment, to Kantian duty ethics.... Answers for Aristotle is a veritable Cook's Tour of science, philosophy, and the curious meeting ground of the two. The best approach, as the author intended, is to sit back in a quiet hour or two and take it all in, then look back afterward to behold the vast terrain you have covered.”

The Philosopher's Magazine
Wide-ranging and very readable.... [Pigliucci provides] fascinating and well-thought-out examples...he shows us that philosophy and science can together become greater than the sum of their parts.”

Choice
Pigliucci is proof positive that the reports of philosophy's death have been greatly exaggerated.... This book is a refreshing, sympathetic look at how philosophy can enlist the help of science to answer enduring questions.... [A] highly enjoyable book.”

San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review
[A] very important book.... It is a fascinating book and great reading.... [Pigliucci's] knowledge is astounding.”

Brain Pickings
Answers for Aristotle explores diverse yet uniformly fascinating and essential subjects we've previously explored and will continue to explore for the foreseeable lifetime love, morality, what it means to be human, the meaning of life, the limits of science, and much more.”

Skeptical Inquirer
[Pigliucci] is that rare academic who is both an evolutionary biologist and philosopher (he has doctorates in both fields), and so he knows, better than most, that both science and philosophy are essential to understanding ourselves and our world.... [A] lively discussion.”

New Scientist
[Answers for Aristotle] will make you reflect on both the meaning of science...and of your own life.”

Publishers Weekly
[A] careful examination of the surprising connections between science and philosophy.... [Answers for Aristotle] is a witty and insightful look at the relevance of philosophy today.”

Présentation de l'éditeur :

How should we live? According to philosopher and biologist Massimo Pigliucci, the greatest guidance to this essential question lies in combining the wisdom of 24 centuries of philosophy with the latest research from 21st century science. In Answers for Aristotle, Pigliucci argues that the combination of science and philosophy first pioneered by Aristotle offers us the best possible tool for understanding the world and ourselves. As Aristotle knew, each mode of thought has the power to clarify the other: science provides facts, and philosophy helps us reflect on the values with which to assess them. But over the centuries, the two have become uncoupled, leaving us with questions—about morality, love, friendship, justice, and politics—that neither field could fully answer on its own. Pigliucci argues that only by rejoining each other can modern science and philosophy reach their full potential, while we harness them to help us reach ours. Pigliucci discusses such essential issues as how to tell right from wrong, the nature of love and friendship, and whether we can really ever know ourselves—all in service of helping us find our path to the best possible life. Combining the two most powerful intellectual traditions in history, Answers for Aristotle is a remarkable guide to discovering what really matters and why.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Basic Books
• Date d'édition: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0465021387
• ISBN 13: 9780465021383
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 320