Raymond Geuss Book order

The world is never going to make complete sense to us, yet we find that conclusion almost impossible to accept. Can we live, and feel at home, in a world composed at best of incompatible fragments of meaning? This is the theme that runs through this collection of essays by Raymond Geuss. Drawing on a characteristically wide range of insights from moral and political philosophy, history, and aesthetics, he addresses topics such as knowledge (of self, the world, and others), language, the visual and the auditory, authority, hope, and the success and failure of life projects. He argues that, to get by in our bewildering world, we must embrace the virtue of ‘double vision’: that is, immersing ourselves in and learning the ways of the culture surrounding us, even as we feel alienated from it. Together the essays explore some of the consequences of abandoning the idea of a unitary view of the world, while at the same time trying to avoid quietism. Seeing Double is a compelling collection of work by one of the world’s most versatile and creative philosophers.

Raymond Geuss is a critic of liberalism, a politics so pervasive in the West that it goes unnoticed. His attention sharpened by his own unorthodox intellectual journey, Geuss locates what we fail to see in the status quo: its shallowness and futility. Rejecting both authoritarian horror and liberal complacency, Geuss looks to genuinely new ideas.

Is work as we know it disappearing? And if so why should we care? These questions are explored by Raymond Geuss in this compact but sweeping survey which integrates conceptual analysis, historical reflection, autobiography and social commentary. Geuss explores our concept of work and its origins in industrial production, the incentives and compulsions which societies use to get us to work, and the powerful hold which the work ethic has over so many of us. He also looks at dissatisfaction with work - which is as old as work itself - and at various radical proposals for doing away with it, and at the seemingly irreversible growth of unemployment as a result of mechanisation. His book will interest anyone who wishes to understand the place of work in our world. This new series offers short and personal perspectives by expert thinkers on topics that we all encounter in our everyday lives.

Philosophers-professionals and the armchair variety-are given to defending comprehensive world views. Raymond Geuss, one of the most celebrated thinkers of our time, dispenses with this ambition for intellectual unity. Ranging across the history of art and ideas, Geuss argues for flexibility, doubt, and the accommodation of unresolved complexity.

For Raymond Geuss, philosophers' attempts to bypass normal ways of thinking-to point out that the question being asked is itself misguided-represents philosophy at its best. By provoking people to think differently, philosophers make clear that we are not fated to live within the stifling systems of thought we inherit. We can change the subject.

Many influential ethical views depend on the optimistic assumption that the human and natural world could be made to make sense to humanity. Geuss's essays challenge this assumption, exploring the genesis and historical development of this optimistic configuration in ethical thought and describing the ways in which it has shown itself to be unfounded and misguided. Discussions of Greco-Roman antiquity and of the philosophies of Socrates, Plato, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche, and Adorno play a central role in many of these essays. Geuss also ranges over such topics as: the concepts of intelligibility, authority, democracy, and criticism; the role of lying in politics; architecture; the place of theology in ethics; tragedy and comedy; and the struggle between realism and our search for meaning. A World without Why raises fundamental questions about the viability not just of specific ethical concepts and theses, but of our most basic assumptions about what ethics could and must be. -- Adapted from dust jacket flaps

Raymond Geuss offers a critical examination of key themes in Western political thought, delving into the ideas and philosophies that have shaped political discourse. His analysis challenges conventional perspectives, inviting readers to reconsider foundational concepts and their implications for contemporary politics. Through a nuanced exploration of various thinkers and ideologies, the work encourages a deeper understanding of the complexities and dynamics within political philosophy.

Raymond Geuss's essays showcase his deep engagement with philosophy as a tool to explore contemporary political issues, blending insights from European languages, history, literature, art, and music. His work addresses the complexities of human experience alongside pressing global challenges such as war, environmental crises, and political apathy. The collection highlights Geuss's thoughtful and original approach, affirming his reputation as a significant philosopher in today's discourse.

Many contemporary political thinkers are gripped by the belief that their task is to develop an ideal theory of rights or justice for guiding and judging political actions. This book argues that philosophers should first try to understand why real political actors behave as they actually do.

Challenging conventional moral and political philosophy, this collection of essays by Raymond Geuss critiques the dominant Western focus on individual preferences, knowledge, and action restrictions. Geuss argues for a broader understanding of what matters in human life, incorporating elements like poetry, art, religion, and social criticism that defy traditional ethical categories. By exploring these overlooked areas, the work invites readers to reconsider the boundaries of ethics and the complexities of human experience beyond mainstream thought.