New in Philosophy

HACKETT SIGNATURE EDITION: Thomas Williams's acclaimed translation of Augustine's Confessions is now available in a new premium hardcover edition as part of Hackett Publishing's Signature Editions collection. The new hardcover includes the original translation, introduction, footnotes, and appendices. The Signature Edition features Smyth sewn bindings, a black satin ribbon marker, acid-free 50# cream-colored paper, and more. 

HACKETT SIGNATURE EDITION: The second edition of C. D. C. Reeve's Nicomachean Ethics translation is now available in hardcover for the first time as part of Hackett Publishing's Signature Editions collection. The new premium hardcover retains all of the content of the paperback, including the Introduction by C. D. C. Reeve, Bekker numbers in the margins, sequentially numbered and cross-referenced endnotes, and a detailed Index that guides the reader to places where focused discussion of key notions occurs. The Signature Edition features Smyth sewn bindings, a black satin ribbon marker, acid-free 50# cream-colored paper, and more.

HACKETT SIGNATURE EDITION: Philosopher and Nietzsche scholar, Maudemarie Clark, and Germanist Alan J. Swensen's acclaimed translation of Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morality is now available in a new premium hardcover edition as part of Hackett Publishing's Signature Editions collection. The new hardcover includes the original translation, preface, endnotes, and Introduction by Maudemarie Clark. The Signature Edition features Smyth sewn bindings, a black satin ribbon marker, acid-free 50# cream-colored paper, and more.

"With Harriet Taylor's name at last joined to that of her beloved husband John Stuart Mill as the co-author of this timeless book, we get to see On Liberty even more clearly as the complex and nuanced text it has always been. The greatest plea for individual intellectual freedom ever penned, with its insistence that no idea should be left unexamined nor any protest left unheard, it is also implicitly a document of progressive reform: the political emancipation of women is as much a natural consequence of Mill and Taylor's view of liberty as is the need for unimpeded discussion of all political questions. The right to open debate leads inevitably to the possibility of undreamt-of reform. Set free from too narrow a 'libertarian' or ‘utilitarian’ understanding, we can once again embrace On Liberty as one of the greatest heralds of the open society we possess, and as a foundational two-headed document of the matchless moral adventure of liberal democracy."
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker critic-at-large and author of A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism (Basic Books, 2019)

This volume gathers, for the first time, Mill’s most important writings from across his long career on one of the principal subjects of his life: the nature and reform of representative government. By doing so, it sheds new light on Mill’s views about democracy, constitutional structure, parliamentary government, class conflict, the relation between elites and the people, and many other key themes of his political thought. It includes an extensive original Introduction situating Mill’s work in the context of the politics of nineteenth-century Britain, and connects his thought to questions that still confront liberal states today.

“Thanks to Gregory Conti, we finally have a nearly complete collection of J. S. Mill’s writings on representative government. This volume shows us the development of the theory of electoral representation and the ideal dialogue Mill entertained with the European protagonists of representative institutions—a text of  documents and theoretical reflections central to understanding the history of our present.”
—Nadia Urbinati, Kyriakos Tsakopoulos Professor of Political Theory, Columbia University

The Art of Assemblage: Studies on Plato and Aristotle is a collection of twelve essays—six on Plato and six on Aristotle—written by an international group of eminent scholars. In recognition of the work of author, translator, and distinguished professor of philosophy C. D. C. Reeve, the essays address a wide range of topics—ethics and politics, poetics and rhetoric, and metaphysics—reflecting the breadth of Reeve's own scholarship. They exemplify how the "art of assemblage"—that is, the art of interpreting ancient Greek texts—can address some of the most intriguing questions posed by Plato and Aristotle. Together, they reveal continuities between Platonic and Aristotelian thought.

“Readings in Korean Confucian Philosophy is a masterfully edited and meticulously annotated volume that illuminates the works of eight major Korean Confucian thinkers, rendering complex texts into precise and elegant English. Ivanhoe and Wang’s superb, years-long scholarly dedication makes this book an invaluable resource for anyone engaged with Korean thought, East Asian philosophy, and intellectual history.”
—Jungwon Kim, King Sejong Associate Professor of Korean Studies, Columbia University

“With remarkable clarity and insight, Sven Nyholm guides readers through the central moral issues and questions raised by artificial intelligence—from alignment and accountability to moral status and human flourishing. Refusing both hype and moral panic, the book offers a steady and humane account of how traditions in moral philosophy can inform and guide technological innovation even as AI compels us to reexamine what it means to think and act ethically. An exceptionally accessible work that speaks equally to students, scholars, and general readers alike.” 
—David J. Gunkel, Northern Illinois University; author of The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots and Ethics and Person, Thing, Robot: A Moral and Legal Ontology for the 21st Century and Beyond

Introducing Ethics takes us through the history of Western ethics, beginning with Socrates’s attempt to apply reason to questions about what it is to be a good person and what we ought to do. We then examine three leading moral theories—John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism, Immanuel Kant’s deontology, and Aristotle’s character ethics—as if they were a large-scale Socratic dialogue, where each raises objections to and builds on the others. We end with two twentieth-century challenges to Socrates’s enterprise in Carol Gilligan’s feminism and JeanPaul Sartre’s existentialism.

“Lee Braver’s Introducing Ethics is a fantastic introduction to the field. Braver examines some of the most influential pictures of morality that we have inherited from the history of philosophy. In doing so, he highlights the strengths and weaknesses of those moral pictures, leaving the reader to decide for themselves what they think constitutes a good life. Introducing Ethics will be an invaluable resource to students, first-time teachers of ethics, and anyone interested in learning about the nature of morality and human flourishing.”
—Benjamin Berger, University of Hartford

Plato’s Seventh Letter is one of the most important and controversial documents of ancient philosophy, particularly in terms of its epistemology and social and political context. James Redfield’s study of the letter includes a beautiful new translation of the text, an incisive Introduction, and a full commentary along with relevant chapters of Plutarch’s Life of Dion.

“For a long time, the Seventh Letter has cried out for an interpreter to fully appraise its importance and richness of meaning. It has found that commentator in James M. Redfield. This elegant, insight-filled volume—augmented by crucial chapters of Plutarch’s Life of Dion, in which the scale of Plato’s Syracusan debacle becomes inescapably clear—will help readers see Plato’s life, and read his dialogues, in a completely new light.”
—James Romm, James H. Ottaway Jr. Professor of Classics, Bard College

Written at the height of Kant’s philosophical maturity, the six essays included in this volume reflect his concern with issues of critical interest to his contemporaries—and to us. Their major themes include the nature and course of human history, the role of war in the history of people and nations and the principles on which lasting peace among them might be built, and the role of human reason and freedom in shaping the world in which we find ourselves.

These essays on politics, history, and moral practice build on and illustrate the consequences of Kant’s philosophy in his three Critical masterpieces and provide an important key for understanding that watershed in historical theory between the Enlightenment and nineteenth-century idealistic theories. With entirely new typesetting, this updated edition of Ted Humphrey’s 1983 translation restores inadvertent textual elisions, modifies translations of some significant terms, makes idiomatic adjustments in the English throughout, updates the Bibliography, and clarifies the conceptual and argumentative relationships among the essays.

Aristotle: Complete Works is a monumental achievement, the first new English-language translations of the Aristotelian corpus since 1954. Edited by C. D. C. Reeve and Pavlos Kontos, this beautifully produced two-volume cloth-bound set with smyth-sewn bindings aims for consistent translation of key terms across the works and includes a general Introduction by Christof Rapp, Catalogs of Aristotle’s Writings, an Annotated Index of People and Places, and an extensive Annotated Glossary of Terms. 

“Written in 1940, and available here for the first time ever in English, Samuel Ramos’ Toward a New Humanism is a prescient discussion of humanism, technology, mortality, and the tensions between the national and the universal. In addition to Sanchez’s thoughtful introduction, his superb translation of Ramos’s text, and the informative editorial notes running throughout, this volume is further enriched by the inclusion of translations of other, earlier, essays—written by Ramos and other influential philosophers from the period--on related topics as well as translations of assessments of Ramos’s ‘new humanism' by other leading philosophers in mid-century Mexico.  More than eighty-five years after its original publication--and in this era of renewed global conflicts—Ramos’s call for a profound rethinking and reshaping of modern culture and society is as timely as when it was written, and Sanchez is to be commended for making this important text available for a new generation of readers.”

—Manuel Vargas and Clinton Tolley, Mexican Philosophy Lab, UC San Diego

This volume provides a selection of the most philosophically relevant passages from Pascal's Pensées in Roger Ariew's updated translations. Also included are a chronology of Pascal's life and times, a fascinating history of the text of the Pensées, and a selected bibliography.

"Doug Campbell lays out a comprehensive and fair-minded account of both the benefits and the drawbacks of social media for our era. He attaches these evaluations to both the individual and to society as a whole. The case studies are compelling and exhibit a keen awareness of the current moment. How should we live, now that many or even most of us are at least partially online? Campbell addresses this question from the point of view of privacy, attention, politics, misinformation, online ostracism, online friendship, and the potential benefits of simply quitting social media or at least some of its more pernicious platforms. Along the way, Campbell ties his discussions back to philosophical concerns raised by Plato, Aristotle, and Xunzi, among others. He also connects his discussion with recent work in feminist philosophy. And each chapter concludes with a succinct definition of key terms and suggested case studies and discussion topics that will engage students at all levels. An impressive accomplishment, and one that deserves a place in the classroom." 
—Mark Alfano, Macquarie University

Human knowledge is fundamentally social. Most of the processes by which we acquire and evaluate information in everyday life—giving and receiving testimony, identifying experts, and relying on them—involve whole communities of people. The successful use of knowledge to solve problems is thus most often a collective achievement. Likewise, the failure to leverage knowledge is seldom the fault of a single individual. 

Beginning each chapter with a real-life example, Applied Epistemology demonstrates how various concepts of knowledge relate to problems arising in practical contexts. From trusting testimony and recognizing experts, to acknowledging bias and resisting propaganda, Applied Epistemology teaches us how to use theories of knowledge to navigate our complex world.

The Hackett Introduction to Medical Ethics addresses key debates and analyzes prominent ethical perspectives on clinical medicine, healthcare policy, and human experimentation. Using numerous examples and case studies, Altman and Coe apply value theory to contemporary medical practice and trace the repercussions for such philosophical issues as autonomy, death, and justice. The book invites a range of readers to investigate urgent moral questions at the intersection of the body and social institutions. Free online resources include PowerPoint lecture slides, a sample syllabus, links to case studies (to help facilitate small group discussion and apply theoretical concepts), and more.

"With remarkable breadth and depth, Altman and Coe provide up-to-date discussions of both classic bioethical issues (such as informed consent and reproductive technologies) and more recent developments in the field (such as relational autonomy and the impact of racial disparities on healthcare). The Hackett Introduction to Medical Ethics balances contemporary theory with clinical examples and cases in ways that will benefit both students and professionals in philosophy, bioethics, and healthcare."
—Jamie Watson, Cleveland Clinic Center for Bioethics and Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

An Introduction to Utilitarianism: From Theory to Practice is a state-of-the-art text, simultaneously accessible to introductory students and informative for more advanced readers. Two key features set it apart. First, its comprehensive coverage of the arguments for and against utilitarianism is unparalleled. Second, it takes seriously the practical implications of utilitarianism for how we should live, with a particular emphasis on utilitarianism's impartial beneficence and its focus on effectiveness. Guided by the conviction that practical ethics is more about how best to use our limited time and resources than which victims to hit with trolleys in thought experiments, its practical upshots should prove amenable to utilitarians and non-utilitarians alike.

"Faithful to the original Danish text and eminently readable, Jech's translation of Fear and Trembling admirably communicates the literary qualities of Kierkegaard's text, as well as his occasional fits of inspiration. Jech displays an unusual sensitivity not only to the literary/linguistic qualities of Kierkegaard’s prose, but also to his (often realized) aspirations to philosophical precision. As presented by Jech, Kierkegaard is not simply a gifted writer and speculative theologian dabbling in philosophy, but a philosopher concerned to limn the optimal role of philosophical reflection, and to do so experimentally, especially with respect to matters of morality and faith. The translation is furthermore supplemented by very helpful explanatory notes that convey Kierkegaard’s own erudition and the multiple influences upon his thinking. The Historical Glossary will become a valuable reference tool for students and scholars of Kierkegaard’s writings. It is likely to play a welcome role in encouraging an improved understanding of what Kierkegaard means when he employs his idiosyncratic categories, allusions, and vocabulary." —Daniel Conway, Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Texas A&M University

Humanity faces numerous critical challenges in the twenty-first century, from climate change and globalization to pandemics and the impact of technological advances. Can the ideas of past political thinkers help us refine the problem-solving skills needed to redress the practical predicaments of today? In Classics of Political Thought for Today, Colin Farrelly explores a wide range of historical political thinkers, demonstrating how the successes and limitations of these past figures can yield sage insights for how we identify and address the social and political problems of today. The book canvasses, and critically assesses, the ancient Greeks, social contract theory, conservatism, feminism, Black political thought, utilitarianism, and Marxism. Farrelly highlights the lessons we can learn from past political thinkers, engaging with their ideas in a way that facilitates the intellectual curiosity, insight, and optimism necessary for addressing the societal predicaments of today and tomorrow.

Seeking what he describes as "the utmost limit of the knowledge our natural reason can achieve . . . concerning the True Existence [that is God]," John Duns Scotus (1265–1308) offers in this treatise one of philosophy’s most rigorous and ambitious attempts to deduce God’s existence from purely metaphysical theorems. As elucidated by its concise philosophical commentary, Thomas M. Ward's new translation of the Treatise on the First Principle puts a masterpiece of natural theology within reach of a new generation of English-reading students of philosophy.

"A very useful volume. The translation is clear, faithful, and eminently readable. The commentary hits exactly the right level. The writing is very clear; the difficulties are not shirked but instead carefully faced, and as an aid to study and comprehension of the text (which is a difficult one) it should be extremely valuable."
—Thomas Williams, Isabelle A. and Henry D. Martin Professor of Medieval Philosophy, Georgetown University

Aristotle's Dialectic fits seamlessly with the other volumes in the New Hackett Aristotle Series, enabling Anglophone readers to study these works in a way previously not possible. The Introduction describes the book that lies ahead, explaining what it is about, what it is trying to do, and how it goes about doing it. Sequentially numbered, cross-referenced endnotes provide the information most needed at each juncture, while a detailed Index indicates the places where focused discussion of key notions occurs.

"The Topics and the Sophistical Refutations are the workshop in which the argumentative armory of Aristotle's philosophy is forged. They are not an easy read, but for this very reason Reeve's masterly translation, which achieves fluidity without sacrificing rigor and lexical consistency, is a most essential tool."
—Paolo Fait, Tutorial Fellow in Classical Philosophy, New College, University of Oxford

Meaning Is Everywhere sketches a theory of meaning from the ground up—with potentially profound consequences. In a sweeping narrative that arcs from the origins of meaning through the emergence of present-day science and technology, Prashant Parikh offers a fresh perspective on some of the most significant challenges and opportunities of the contemporary world, including the promise of AI, relief from scarcity and polarization, and the possibility of at least partial utopias.

"Prashant Parikh is a leading researcher in the interdisciplinary study of meaning, with important contributions in philosophy, linguistics, game theory, and AI. In this remarkably original and wide-ranging book, he suggests potentially revolutionary applications of meaning and game theory to broadly human concerns. For intelligent and curious readers who want to understand the deep and surprisingly ubiquitous phenomenon of meaning, this book will be a wonderful introduction." —John Perry, Henry Waldgrave Stuart Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Stanford University.

The second edition of C. D. C. Reeve's translation of Nicomachean Ethics features Bekker numbers in the margins as well as a significantly revised translation that combines accuracy, consistency, and readability and fits seamlessly with the other volumes in the series. Anglophone readers can now read Aristotle's works in a way previously not possible. Sequentially numbered, cross-referenced endnotes provide the information most needed at each juncture, while a detailed Index guides the reader to places where focused discussion of key notions occurs.

Though Descartes never wrote a book specifically devoted to moral philosophy, his thought on ethical matters can be found throughout his correspondence and in parts of his work Passions of the Soul. In 1685, an anonymous editor in London gathered these writings in a textbook devoted to Descartes’s ethical thought.

Roger Ariew has translated, from Descartes’s original French texts, those selections included in the 1685 volume, adding to those writings an Appendix of relevant materials, including Part III of the Discourse on Method on the provisional morals, a portion of the Preface to the French edition of the Principles of Philosophy on the “tree” of philosophy, and portions of additional letters that help to illuminate the background for the correspondence included in the 1685 volume.

In late 1633, as Descartes was preparing The World and Man for publication, he learned that Galileo had been condemned by the Catholic Church for defending the motion of the earth. His reaction to the news was swift and powerful: as his own treatises also espoused the proposition deemed heretical, he canceled their publication. More than thirty years after Descartes had begun his project, these works were finally published, posthumously, both to acclaim and to controversy. Together, they profoundly influenced the course of modern philosophy.

The third edition of Ivanhoe and Van Norden's acclaimed anthology builds on the strengths of previous editions with the addition of new selections for each chapter; selections from Shen Dao; a new translation of the writings of Han Feizi; selections from two texts, highly influential in later Chinese philosophy, the Great Learning and Mean; and a complete translation of the recently discovered text Nature Comes from the Mandate.

Each section of this volume begins with a brief Introduction and concludes with a lightly annotated Selective Bibliography. Also included are four appendices: Important Figures, Important Periods, Important Texts, and Important Terms.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

Title Support Page: Click here for additional online resources, including study questions, maps, readings, and more.

Sample Syllabus: Click here to download a sample syllabus from author Bryan Van Norden.

This new translation of On Coming to Be and Passing Away and Meteorology 1 and 4 fits seamlessly with the other volumes in the New Hackett Aristotle Series, enabling Anglophone readers to study these works in a way previously not possible. The Introduction describes the book that lies ahead, explaining what it is about, what it is trying to do, how it goes about doing it, and what sort of audience it presupposes. Sequentially numbered, cross-referenced endnotes provide the information most needed at each juncture, while a detailed Index indicates the places where focused discussion of key notions occurs.

"Reading Aristotle isn’t easy, and Reeve doesn’t pretend to make it so. But his uncluttered translation, extensive annotation, and supplementary materials go a long way toward lightening the burden; this is another gem to add to his very useful collection."
—Russell Dancy, Professor Emeritus, Florida State University

Bernard Bolzano’s (1781–1848) writings in aesthetics are clear, concise, and explicit about method. Provocative and revisionary, they champion broad views of beauty, the arts, and their social function. Dominic McIver Lopes’s introductory materials place Bolzano’s essays in context, give them a new interpretation, and map out how to teach them, in full or in part, in a variety of courses.

"In two eminently teachable essays—clear, controversial, methodologically acute—Bolzano recasts a broadly Kantian aesthetics, connecting beauty to intellectual achievement, education, and art practice. Immensely helpful guidance, for scholars and students, is provided by the editorial materials: translation notes, an elegant theoretical and contextual Introduction of Bolzano and the text, and a forcefully argued Appendix detailing Bolzano’s criticisms of Kant’s aesthetics."
—Rachel Zuckert, Northwestern University

Through a collection of works from key thinkers in natural philosophy, the second edition of The Scientific Background to Modern Philosophy illuminates the central role scientific writing played in developing modern philosophical thought. This revised and expanded edition includes many new translations and incorporates works by foundational eighteenth- and nineteenth-century thinkers not in the first edition, including selections from works by Jean-Baptiste, le Rond d’Alembert, Denis Diderot, Émilie Du Châtelet, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Joseph Priestley, Immanuel Kant, Carl Linnaeus, William Paley, and Charles Robert Darwin. These new additions provide students with a more comprehensive understanding of the scientific context in which the major philosophical works of the modern era were written and complement the selections from works by Nicolaus Copernicus, Francis Bacon, Galileo Galilei, René Descartes, Robert Boyle, Christiaan Huygens, and Isaac Newton that are retained from the first edition.

A shorter and less technical treatment of its subject than the author’s acclaimed Buddhism As Philosophy (second edition, Hackett, 2021), Mark Siderits's The Buddha’s Teachings As Philosophy explores three different systems of thought that arose from core claims of the Buddha. By detailing and critically examining key arguments made by the Buddha and developed by later Buddhist philosophers, Siderits investigates the Buddha's teachings as philosophy: a set of claims—in this case, claims about the nature of the world and our place in it—supported by rational argumentation and, here, developed with a variety of systematic results. The Buddha’s Teachings As Philosophy will be especially useful to students of philosophy, religious studies, and comparative religion—to anyone, in fact, encountering Buddhist philosophy for the first time.

"Even those already familiar with Aristotle may be surprised to learn that discussions of theological topics can be found in so many of his works. Reeve's idea of packaging these texts sequentially along with commentary and notes is brilliant. This book will be essential reading for anyone interested in Aristotle's theology."
—S. Marc Cohen, Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, University of Washington

“Based on comprehensive knowledge of the Aristotelian corpus, Reeve’s book is a transformative addition to the literature.”
—David Sedley, Emeritus Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy, University of Cambridge

An expanded version of the translator’s Anselm: The Basic Writings, The Complete Treatises incorporates new translations of works omitted from that volume (most notably, De grammatico) in addition to selected letters and prayers of philosophical interest. The only such collection translated by a single hand and rendered with attention to terminological consistency across the treatises, it’s the ideal choice for use by students of philosophy and theology.