George Santayana

The Life of Reason or The Phases of Human Progress, critical edition, Volume 7

Reason in Science, Volume VII, Book Five
Herausgeber: Wokeck, Marianne S.; Coleman, Martin A.

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The final book in Santayana's masterwork of philosophical naturalism argues that science crowns the life of reason. Santayana's Life of Reason, published in five books from 1905 to 1906, ranks as one of the greatest works in modern philosophical naturalism. Acknowledging the natural material bases of human life, Santayana traces the development of the human capacity for appreciating and cultivating ideals. It is a capacity he exhibits as he articulates a continuity running through animal impulse, practical intelligence, and ideal harmony in reason, society, art, religion, and science. The work is an exquisitely rendered vision of human life lived sanely. In this fifth book, Santayana concludes his monumental work with a defense of science and a critique of major rivals to the cognitive ascendancy of science. Indeed, Santayana writes that science crowns the "whole life of Reason." He finds two kinds of science, physics and dialectic; considers the role of history; examines the mechanisms of nature; defends scientific psychology; discusses pre-rational morality, rational ethics, and post-rational morality; and argues that science contains all trustworthy knowledge. This Critical Edition, volume VII of The Works of George Santayana, includes notes, textual commentary, lists of variants and emendations, an index, and other tools useful to Santayana scholars. The other four books of the volume are Reason in Common Sense, Reason in Society, Reason in Religion, and Reason in Art.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: MIT Press
• Seitenzahl: 484
• Erscheinungstermin: 12. März 2024
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 229mm x 152mm x 28mm
• Gewicht: 779g
• ISBN-13: 9780262551441
• ISBN-10: 0262551446
• Artikelnr.: 70170746

Autorenporträt

George Santayana, born Jorge Agust n Nicol s Ruiz de Santayana y Borr s on December 16, 1863, was a Spanish-American philosopher, essayist, poet, and novelist. Raised in the United States from the age of eight, Santayana identified as American but always maintained his Spanish citizenship. He left his position as a professor at Harvard University at the age of 48 and spent the rest of his life in Europe. Santayana is best known for his philosophical aphorisms, such as "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" and "Only the dead have seen the end of war." He defined beauty as "Pleasure objectified," highlighting his interest in aesthetic experience. Although an atheist, Santayana retained a deep respect for the Catholic culture and values of his Spanish upbringing. His work covered a wide range of intellectual topics, blending philosophy with literary expression. Santayana passed away on September 26, 1952, in Rome, where he was buried in the Spanish Pantheon in the Campo di Verano.