Secular Philosophy and the Religious Temperament: Essays 2002-2008

by Thomas Nagel

Overview

This volume collects recent essays and reviews by Thomas Nagel in three subject areas. The first section, including the title essay, is concerned with religious belief and some of the philosophical questions connected with it, such as the relation between religion and evolutionary theory, the question of why there is something rather than nothing, and the significance for human life of our place in the cosmos. It includes a defense of the relevance of religion to science education. The second section concerns the interpretation of liberal political theory, especially in an international context. A substantial essay argues that the principles of distributive justice that apply within individual nation-states do not apply to the world as a whole. The third section discusses the distinctive contributions of four philosophers to our understanding of what it is to be human--the form of human consciousness and the source of human values.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199889464
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/18/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Thomas Nagel is University Professor, Professor of Philosophy, and Professor of Law at New York University. Among his books are The View from Nowhere, Equality and Partiality, and The Last Word.

Table of Contents

Part I. Religion1. Secular Philosophy and the Religious Temperament2. Dawkins and Atheism3. Why Is There Anything? 4. Nietzsche's Self-Creation5. Public Education and Intelligent DesignPart II. Politics6. The Problem of Global Justice7. The Limits of International Law8. Appiah's Rooted Cosmopolitanism9. Sandel and the Paradox of Liberalism10. MacKinnon on Sexual DominationPart III. Humanity11. Williams: The Value of Truth12. Williams: Humanity and Philosophy13. Wiggins on Human Solidarity14. O'Shaughnessy on the Stream of Consciousness15. Sartre: The Look and the Problem of Other MindsIndex

Editorial Reviews

"These essays are all written in Nagel's clear and familiar style; they combine substantial arguments and insights with the charms of a friendly conversation partner. Highly recommended to those interested in theism versus atheism and the current science-religion debate." —Religous Studies Review

From the Publisher