In this now classic textbook, Richard Kearney surveys the work of nineteen of this century’s most influential European thinkers. The second edition has a new chapter devoted to Julia Kristeva, whose work in the fields of semiotics and psychoanalytic theory has made a significant contribution to recent continental thought.

Central Works of Philosophy is a major multi-volume collection of essays on the core texts of the Western philosophical tradition. From Plato's Republic to the present day, the five volumes range over 2,500 years of philosophical writing covering the best, most representative, and most influential work of some of our greatest philosophers. Each essay has been specially commissioned and provides an overview of the work, clear and authoritative exposition of its central ideas, and an assessment of the work's importance. Together these books provide an unrivaled companion for studying and reading philosophy, one that introduces the reader to the masterpieces of the western philosophical canon. This volume covers the central texts in the history of analytic philosophy from Quine's Word and Object (1960) to the present day. The texts range over political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics and the philosophies of language, mind and logic and represent some of the most important philosophical work of the last forty years. Students and non-specialists who may find the technicality of some of the texts forbidding will welcome the clarity of exposition and exegesis that the essays provide. Taken together the essays provide both a map and compass for the current philosophical landscape and will prove a valuable resource not only for undergraduate and postgraduate philosophy students but for teachers and researchers in allied disciplines who need an understanding of the preoccupations of contemporary philosophy.

Volume 1 gives readers a deep understanding of the contribution that the ancient Greek and medieval philosophers have made to contemporary philosophical debate. From Plato to William of Ockham, the philosophical texts covered offer a remarkable insight into a world out of which our present way of thinking emerged.

Oxford University Press presents a major new edition of the definitive philosophical reference work for readers at all levels. For ten years the original volume has served as a stimulating introduction for general readers and as an indispensable guide for students; its breadth and depth of coverage have ensured that it is also read with pleasure and interest by those working at a higher level in philosophy and related disciplines. A distinguished international assembly of 249 philosophers contributed almost 2,000 entries, and many of these have now been considerably revised and updated; to these are added over 300 brand-new pieces on a fascinating range of current topics. This new edition offers enlightening and enjoyable discussions of all aspects of philosophy, and of the lives and work of the great philosophers from antiquity to the present day.

Focusing on the history of ideas, this book explores important questions concerning knowledge in relation to philosophy, science, ethics and Christian faith. Kirk contributes to the current debate about the intellectual basis and integrity of Western culture, exploring controversial issues concerning the notions of modernity and post-modernity. Repositioning the Christian faith as a valid dialogue partner with contemporary secular movements in philosophy and ethics, Kirk seeks to show that in 'post-Christian' Europe the Christian faith still possesses intellectual resources worthy to be reckoned with. This book's principal argument is that contemporary Western society faces a cultural crisis. It explores what appears to be an historical enigma, namely the question of why Western intellectual endeavours in philosophy and science seem to have abandoned the search for a source of knowledge able to draw together disparate pieces of information provided by different disciplines. Kirk draws conclusions, particularly in the area of ethical decision-making, from this apparent failure and invites readers to consider Christian theism afresh as a means for the renewal of culture and society.