Galen Strawson Knihy

Focusing on David Hume's theories, this revised edition delves into the complexities of causation, arguing that Hume acknowledges causal influence while asserting its unknowable nature. Galen Strawson critiques the regularity theory of causation, deeming it indefensible and clarifying that Hume did not endorse it. This exploration offers a fresh perspective on Hume's philosophical contributions, challenging established interpretations and inviting readers to reconsider the foundations of causation in philosophy.

Challenging the conventional understanding of free will and moral responsibility, the author presents a compelling argument that these concepts may not exist as we perceive them. He delves into the cognitive phenomenology of freedom, exploring why the belief in free will remains deeply ingrained despite its questionable validity. The book examines the implications of this belief and discusses the necessity of self-perception as a free agent, raising thought-provoking questions about the nature of human agency and accountability.

The book examines John Locke's theory of personal identity, arguing against common criticisms that claim it is flawed. Galen Strawson defends Locke, asserting that the objections raised actually support Locke's original ideas about the nature of persons and selves. By challenging the prevailing views, the author aims to reaffirm the validity of Locke's perspective in contemporary discussions on identity.

This new edition of this seminal book (originally published in 2006) contains several new postscripts on the topic of panpsychism.

An original collection of lauded philosopher Galen Strawson's writings on the self and consciousness, naturalism and pan-psychism. Galen Strawson might be described as the Montaigne of modern philosophers, endlessly curious, enormously erudite, unafraid of strange, difficult, and provocative propositions, and able to describe them clearly—in other words, he is a true essayist. Strawson also shares with Montaigne a particular fascination with the elastic and elusive nature of the self and of consciousness. Of the essays collected here, “A Fallacy of Our Age” (an inspiration for Vendela Vida’s novel Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name) takes issue with the commencement-address cliché that life is a story. Strawson questions whether it is desirable or even meaningful to think about life that way. “The Sense of the Self” offers an alternative account, in part personal, of how a distinct sense of self is not at all incompatible with a sense of the self as discontinuous, leading Strawson to a position that he sees as in some ways Buddhist. “Real Naturalism” argues that a fully naturalist account of consciousness supports a belief in the immanence of consciousness in nature as a whole (also known as panpsychism), while in the final essay Strawson offers a vivid account of coming of age in the 1960s. Drawing on literature and life as much as on philosophy, this is a book that prompts both argument and wonder.

What is the self? Does it exist? If it does exist, what is it like? It's not clear that we even know what we're asking about when we ask these large, metaphysical questions. The idea of the self comes very naturally to us, and it seems rather important, but it's also extremely puzzling. As for the word 'self'--it's been taken in so many different ways that it seems that you can mean more or less what you like by it and come up with almost any answer. Galen Strawson proposes to approach the (seeming) problem of the self by starting from the thing that makes it seem there is a problem in the first our experience of the self, our experience of having or being a self, a hidden, inner mental presence or locus of consciousness. He argues that we should consider the phenomenology (experience) of the self before we attempt its metaphysics (its existence and nature). And when we have considered what it's like for human beings (assuming we can generalize about ourselves), we need toconsider what it might be like for other possible what's the very least that might count as experience of oneself as a self? This, he proposes, will give us a good idea of what we ought to be looking for when we go on to ask whether there is such a thing-an idea worth following wherever it leads. It leads Strawson to conclude that selves, inner subjects of experience, do indeed exist. But they bear little resemblance to traditional conceptions of the self.

The updated edition explores the concept of panpsychism, a philosophical view suggesting that consciousness is a fundamental feature of all matter. Originally published in 2006, this version includes several new postscripts that delve deeper into contemporary discussions and developments surrounding the topic, enhancing its relevance and insight for readers interested in the intersections of philosophy, consciousness, and the nature of reality.

Zu den hier versammelten Essays gehört »Ein Trugschluss unserer Zeit« (er inspirierte Vendela Vida zu ihrem Roman Weil ich zu spät kam), der sich mit der Klischeevorstellung beschäftigt, das Leben einer Person sei eine Geschichte. Strawson hinterfragt hier, ob es wünschenswert oder überhaupt sinnvoll ist, das Leben so zu betrachten. »Ein Sinn für das Selbst« beschreibt alternativ dazu, und teilweise sehr persönlich, dass eine starke Ich-Wahrnehmung und das Gefühl, das Ich sei etwas Unzusammenhängendes, durchaus vereinbar sind – was Strawson eine Position einnehmen lässt, die für ihn in gewisser Weise buddhistisch ist. »Realer Naturalismus« legt dar, dass eine komplett naturalistische Beschreibung des Bewusstseins auf der Vorstellung basiert, die Immanenz des Bewusstseins würde innerhalb der Natur ein Ganzes bilden (was auch Panpsychismus genannt wird), während Strawson in seinem abschließenden Essay lebhaft schildert, wie es war, in den 1960er-Jahren aufzuwachsen. Neben der Philosophie bezieht Galen Strawson auch die Literatur und das Leben in ihren vielschichtigen Schattierungen und Erlebnisformen ein. Dies ist ein Buch, das einen zum Nachdenken und zum Staunen bringt.