ROBERT NOZICK Invariances : The Structure of the Objective World 9780674012455

Description: ROBERT NOZICK Invariances : The Structure of the Objective World 9780674012455 Very good to like new condition, with minimal shelf wear to the cover. NO markings. Recent scientific advances have placed many traditional philosophical concepts under great stress. In this pathbreaking book, the eminent philosopher Robert Nozick rethinks and transforms the concepts of truth, objectivity, necessity, contingency, consciousness, and ethics. Using an original method, he presents bold new philosophical theories that take account of scientific advances in physics, evolutionary biology, economics, and cognitive neuroscience, and casts current cultural controversies (such as whether all truth is relative and whether ethics is objective) in a wholly new light. Throughout, the book is open to, and engages in, the bold exploration of new philosophical possibilities.Philosophy will never look the same. Truth is embedded in space-time and is relative to it. However, truth is not socially relative among human beings (extraterrestrials are another matter). Objective facts are invariant under specified transformations; objective beliefs are arrived at by a process in which biasing factors do not play a significant role. Necessity's domain is contracted (there are no important metaphysical necessities; water is not necessarily H2O) while the important and useful notion of degrees of contingency is elaborated. Gradations of consciousness (based upon "common registering") yield increasing capacity to fit actions to the world. The originating function of ethics is cooperation to mutual benefit, and evolution has instilled within humans a "normative module": the capacities to learn, internalize, follow norms, and make evaluations. Ethics has normative force because of the connection between ethics and conscious self-awareness. Nozick brings together the book's novel theories to show the extent to which there are objective ethical truths. Please see photos above which can be enlarged by clicking on the image for a close-up view. ALSO, see my other listings for more rare and collectible books. Shipping by media mail and will include emailed tracking information. I ship within 24 hours of receiving payment. Please see my feedback if you have a moment - Thanks! Listing and template services provided by inkFrog

Price: 15.97 USD

Location: Pacifica, California

End Time: 2024-11-10T23:26:16.000Z

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