A logic-based approach to the design of computing systems would, undoubtedly, offer many advantages over the imperative paradigm most commonly applied so far for programming and hardware design and, consequently, logic, again and again, has been heralded as the basis for the next generation of computer systems. While logic and formal methods are indeed gaining ground in many areas of computer science and artificial intelligence the expected revolution has not yet happened. In this book the author offers a convincing solution to the ramification problem and qualification problem associated with the frame problem and thus contributes to a satisfactory solution of the core problem and related challenges. Thielscher bases his approach on the fluent calculus, a first-order Prolog-like formalism allowing for the description of actions and change.

"One of the most creative among the younger generation of critical social theorists, Giddens stands alone in his concern for the classical tradition on sociology; but he also makes brilliant use of the latest philosophical and theoretical work of several contemporary schools and disciplines. A very important book for all of social science."—Jeffrey C. Alexander

The goal of cultural psychology is to explain the ways in which human cultural constructions -- for example, rituals, stereotypes, and meanings -- organize and direct human acting, feeling, and thinking in different social contexts. A rapidly growing, international field of scholarship, cultural psychology is ready for an interdisciplinary, primary resource. Linking psychology, anthropology, sociology, archaeology, and history, The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology is the quintessential volume that unites the variable perspectives from these disciplines. Comprised of over fifty contributed chapters, this book provides a necessary, comprehensive overview of contemporary cultural psychology. Bridging psychological, sociological, and anthropological perspectives, one will find in this handbook: - A concise history of psychology that includes valuable resources for innovation in psychology in general and cultural psychology in particular - Interdisciplinary chapters including insights into cultural anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, culture and conceptions of the self, and semiotics and cultural connections - Close, conceptual links with contemporary biological sciences, especially developmental biology, and with other social sciences - A section detailing potential methodological innovations for cultural psychology By comparing cultures and the (often differing) human psychological functions occuring within them, The Oxford Handbook of Culture and Psychology is the ideal resource for making sense of complex and varied human phenomena.

Negligent omissions, cases in which an agent unintentionally forgets to fulfill an obligation, are philosophically problematic. They are problematic because they are considered blameworthy despite the fact that the conditions for voluntariness often appear unfulfilled. In an attempt to explain how they may be voluntary, this book delves into the action theories of Aristotle, Anselm, Aquinas, Scotus, and Suárez. In doing so, not only is the philosophical (and theological) importance of negligent omissions demonstrated via new and insightful interpretations, but a complex model for explaining the voluntariness of negligent omissions is constructed. The result is an original solution to the problem of negligent omissions that demonstrates the utility of appealing to historical approaches to solve contemporary philosophical and theological problems.

Critical Issues in Social Theory is an analytical survey of persistent controversies that have shaped the field of sociology. It defines, clarifies, and proposes solutions to these &"critical issues&" through commentary on the writings of such influential social theorists as Hobbes, Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Mead, Merton, Parsons, and Schutz. Instead of being just another history, or another classification of theories, Rhoads's four-part model allows him to focus attention on issues that remain at the core of sociological theory today. First, Rhoads analyzes the controversy over positivism as the proper methodological model for the study of human society. Is there one science, of which sociology is a branch, or do the peculiarities of sociology's subject matter require a modification of the scientific method borrowed from the natural sciences? Rhoads next considers the relationship of individuals to society and its structures. Does society have a mode of existence distinct from its members, or is it merely an abstraction derived from the characteristics of individuals? Third, a discussion of social order raises the question of whether social order is the consequence of rules and their underlying moral values, or the product of continuous construction based on self-interest. Finally, the relative importance of consensus and conflict in social relationships is addressed. Is society better understood as a community united by beliefs, values, and rules, or is the social dynamic of continual conflict over beliefs, values, and rules more fundamental? In coming to grips with these issues, the author in some instances takes sides and in others arrives at a synthesis of diverse perspectives. In the final chapter he points to the limitations on the possibility of rational action that come to light in the clashes over these basic issues.

This book is a collection of essays by a select array of international scholars, on a range of issues concerning plurality, pluralism, and other closely related concepts, which constitute the framework and guiding thread for the whole volume. The themes and subjects dealt with here address issues of the greatest concern, particularly in the delicate context of present-day Europe and of modern societies with a global scale. The volume’s basis is the belief that pluralism, globality, technology, mass media, and computer networks are distinctive traits of contemporary society in all its complexity – and that, therefore, such notions provide essential conceptual tools for explaining and understanding the current age. Featured in this volume are twelve contributions by scholars from different fields of philosophy, the humanities and the social sciences. In their essays, the contributors address the complexities of the contemporary world and the challenges with which it confronts all these disciplines. In this way, they provide a philosophical analysis of phenomena, situations, and problems that are typical of this complex world. Their different approaches and disciplinary perspectives all share an open-mindedness which is characteristic of the philosophical attitude; but also take into account the results of research in different fields of the human sciences as applied to the study of contemporary society, politics and culture, as well as artistic practice and aesthetic experience. This book will be of interest for scholars in the fields of philosophy, political sciences, Spanish thought, theory of art and literature; for students in programs of cultural studies or of the different fields of the humanities; and for the general reader with an interest in philosophical reflection on the complexities of pluralism and the modern world.

Most of the papers in this collection are contributions to action theory intended to be of some relevance to one or another concern of decision theory, particularly to its application to concrete human behavior. Some of the papers touch only indirectly on problems of interest to decision theorists, but taken together they should be of use to both decision theorists and philosophers of action. Robert Audi's paper indicates how a number of questions in action theory might bear on problems in decision theory, and it suggests how some action-theoretic results may help in the construction or interpretation of theories of decision, both normative and empirical. Carl Ginet's essay lays foundations for the conception of action. His volitional framework roots actions internally and conceives them as irreducibly connected with intentionality. Hugh McCann's essay is also foundational, but stresses intention more than volition and lays some of the groundwork for assessing the rationality of intention and intentional action. In William Alston's paper, the notion of a plan as underlying (intentional) action is central, and we are given both a con ception of the structure of intentional action and a set of implicit goals and beliefs - those whose content is represented in the plan - which form an indispensable part of the basis on which the rationality of the action is to be judged.