This book offers an overview of the educational thinking of Paul Natorp, a key neo-Kantian philosopher and leading educational theorist of Neo-Kantianism, by illustrating the philosophical foundations of his pedagogical argumentation, and the main features of his theory of education. It is intended for anyone interested in the philosophy of education, and seeking to understand the importance of education in human existence. Written in an accessible style, it does not require previous studies in the philosophy of education, but it offers in-depth pedagogical reflection for advanced level students, and researchers of educational theory. The descriptive approach of the book presents a well-founded interpretation of Natorp’s educational thinking. The depiction relies primarily on Natorp's own writings, and also draws on secondary literature appropriate to the topic. Very little material is available in English about Paul Natorp as an educationalist, and his educational theory. The book provides a significant added value for the scientific community of the philosophy of education and the history of educational ideas.

Challenging commonly held biological, religious, and ethical beliefs, internationally well known historian of science Roger Smith boldly argues that human nature is not some "thing" awaiting discovery but is active in understanding itself. According to Smith, "being human" is a self-creation made possible through a reflective circle of thought and action, with a past and a future, and studying this "history" from a range of perspectives is fundamental to human self-understanding. Smith's argument brings together historical and contemporary debates concerning materialism and human nature and the relations of the different fields of knowledge. He draws on classic writings from across the human sciences, touching on sociology, anthropology, brain sciences, history, philosophical hermeneutics, and critical theory, and demonstrates that there is no position outside history for an absolutely objective or eternally valid view of human nature. The question "what is human?" does not have and could not possible have one answer. Instead, there exists a variety of answers for different purposes, and there are good reasons for the many conceptions of what it is to be human. Smith does not treat human nature as only biological, economic, or moral, but as a multidimensional subject that should be considered in its proper historical context. By understanding this context, Smith believes, we can come to a truer understanding of ourselves. Persuasively and elegantly written, Being Human takes an important new turn in the philosophical study of being human.

Argues that individuals using a new vision of human nature are attempting to transform society, and offers guidelines for the awakening process

In this excellent study of Karl Marx's thought, Cyril Smith takes a long and winding route that starts with classical world thought. When he arrives at the door to Marx's pantheon we see that, with the significant yet largely overlooked example of Spinoza, most thinkers--and especially Western ones--are opposed to essential aspects of democracy. In Marx and the Future of the Human Cyril Smith explains that Karl Marx, more than any other thinker, is misrepresented by what has come to be understood as 'Marxism.' Marxism has developed into, among other things, a method for analyzing capitalism, a way of looking at history, and a way to theorize the role of the working class in a future society. Marx, however, speaks about a conception of human life that was absent during his lifetime and remains absent today. Marx sought 'the alteration of humans on a mass scale: ' economics, politics, daily lived-life, and spiritual life. In discussing Marx and spirituality, Cyril Smith relates Marx to the thought of William Blake. Someone coming to Marx for the first time as well as the seasoned scholar can read this book. Marx and the Future of the Human is a book rife with thoughtful and creative connections written by someone who has spent most of his life close to the spirit of Karl Marx's thought.

This volume examines the dynamics of self-transcendence for both individuals and humanity as a whole. In doing so, it illuminates the definitive relationship between self-transcendence and global democracy. Drawing upon a vast literature of philosophy, psychology, and religion, ancient and modern, East and West, this book reveals the power of human futurity in actualizing our higher potential. It represents a real breakthrough in understanding our emerging new era in the evolution of humanity. It describes our transition from personal consciousness to global consciousness. The book includes chapters on the fundamental ideas that animate our self-understanding and define our common humanity. Through careful scholarship, it examines the dynamics of human dignity, freedom, love, community, intrinsic rights, and global ethics. It explores each of these concepts as a dimension of our human temporality as we envision and move into an ever-transcending future, a future that includes a World Parliament and planetary democracy. In our time of apparent hopelessness and despair, this volume reveals the grounds for a powerful hope that we can establish one world civilization of peace, justice, freedom, and sustainability. It makes a truly unique contribution, not found elsewhere in today’s literature, revealing the astonishing dignity and potential of being human. It is essential reading for all those concerned for the future of humanity and our precious planet Earth.

Art and Self-Creation: The Roots of Creativity and Innovation proposes using the metaphor of the Complex Adaptive System to think about the human, embedded into environments that trigger change in that human. The nature of that change, however, is determined by the internal organization of the human; interconnected, interdependent, adaptable nodes that include Nothingness (as described by Sartre), Other People (as the condition where awareness begins), The World, Emotional Management, The Self, and Creative Visualization. As the human faces internal or environmental triggers for change, he or she experiences ambiguity, existential anxiety and emotional turmoil. In order to reorient him or herself in the new situation two sensemaking questions must be answered: What is happening here? And Who will I be in this situation? Artistic self-expression provides the ideal practice to lift the fog of emotional turmoil and to simultaneously create and discover identity constructive answers for those questions.