Catherine Wilson

A leading philosopher shows that if the pursuit of happiness is the question, Epicureanism is the answer Epicureanism has a reputation problem, bringing to mind gluttons with gout or an admonition to eat, drink, and be merry. In How to Be an Epicurean, philosopher Catherine Wilson shows that Epicureanism isn't an excuse for having a good time: it's a means to live a good life. Although modern conveniences and scientific progress have significantly improved our quality of life, many of the problems faced by ancient Greeks -- love, money, family, politics -- remain with us in new forms. To overcome these obstacles, the Epicureans adopted a philosophy that promoted reason, respect for the natural world, and reverence for our fellow humans. By applying this ancient wisdom to a range of modern problems, from self-care routines and romantic entanglements to issues of public policy and social justice, Wilson shows us how we can all fill our lives with purpose and pleasure.

The Ancient Art of Living Well

How to Be an Epicurean

Epicureanism at the origins of modernity

Stephen Gaukroger

This volume is a collection of original essays dealing with Cartesian themes and problems, especially as these arise in connection with Cartesian natural science and the theory of perception, agency, mentality, divinity, and the passions. It focuses in particular on Desmond Clarke's important contributions to these aspects of Descartes's writings. Stephen Gaukroger and Catherine Wilson split the volume into four distinct parts; Cartesian Science, Mind and Perception, Actions and Passions, and Cartesian Woman. The contributors are internationally known and respected scholars of 17th century philosophy writing on a number of their favourite Cartesian topics.

Essays in Honour of Desmond Clarke

Descartes and Cartesianism

Epicureanism is commonly associated with a carefree view of life and the pursuit of pleasures, particularly the pleasures of the table. However it was a complex and distinctive system of philosophy that emphasized simplicity and moderation, and considered nature to consist of atoms and the void. Epicureanism is a school of thought whose legacy continues to reverberate today. In this Very Short Introduction, Catherine Wilson explains the key ideas of the School, comparing them with those of the rival Stoics and with Kantian ethics, and tracing their influence on the development of scientific and political thought from Locke, Newton, and Galileo to Rousseau, Marx, Bentham, and Mill. She discusses the adoption and adaptation of Epicurean motifs in science, morality, and politics from the 17th Century onwards and contextualises the significance of Epicureanism in modern life. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction

Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint addresses in a novel format the major topics and themes of contemporary metaethics, the study of the analysis of moral thought and judgement. Metathetics is less concerned with what practices are right or wrong than with what we mean by ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ Looking at a wide spectrum of topics including moral language, realism and anti-realism, reasons and motives, relativism, and moral progress, this book engages students and general readers in order to enhance their understanding of morality and moral discourse as cultural practices. Catherine Wilson innovatively employs a first-person narrator to report step-by-step an individual’s reflections, beginning from a position of radical scepticism, on the possibility of objective moral knowledge. The reader is invited to follow along with this reasoning, and to challenge or agree with each major point. Incrementally, the narrator is led to certain definite conclusions about ‘oughts’ and norms in connection with self-interest, prudence, social norms, and finally morality. Scepticism is overcome, and the narrator arrives at a good understanding of how moral knowledge and moral progress are possible, though frequently long in coming. Accessibly written, Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint presupposes no prior training in philosophy and is a must-read for philosophers, students and general readers interested in gaining a better understanding of morality as a personal philosophical quest.

An Introduction to Moral Philosophy

Metaethics from a First Person Standpoint

'Moral Animals' draws on anthropology, sociology, and evolutionary theory, as well as philosophy of language and philosophy of science to show how to understand and reconcile our moral aspirations for a just world with the constraints human nature places on us.

Ideals and Constraints in Moral Theory

Moral Animals

In the Darkness of Her Dreams

Emily Carr and Raven

Erisa Kironde

Doreen Newlyn

Four Plays for Schools

This Very Short Introduction corrects the prevalent view of Epicureanism that often conjures up ideas of tasty delights and hedonism. Wilson explains the philosophical and scientific ideas of Epicurus and his followers and the legacy of Epicureanism on later European thought.

A Very Short Introduction

Epicureanism

This landmark study examines the role played by the rediscovery of the writings of the ancient atomists, Epicurus and Lucretius, in the articulation of the major philosophical systems of the seventeenth century, and, more broadly, their influence on the evolution of natural science and moral and political philosophy. The target of sustained and trenchant philosophical criticism by Cicero, and of opprobrium by the Christian Fathers of the early Church, for its unflinching commitment to the absence of divine supervision and the finitude of life, the Epicurean philosophy surfaced again in the period of the Scientific Revolution, when it displaced scholastic Aristotelianism. Both modern social contract theory and utilitarianism in ethics were grounded in its tenets. Catherine Wilson shows how the distinctive Epicurean image of the natural and social worlds took hold in philosophy, and how it is an acknowledged, and often unacknowledged presence in the writings of Descartes, Gassendi, Hobbes, Boyle, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley. With chapters devoted to Epicurean physics and cosmology, the corpuscularian or "mechanical" philosophy, the question of the mortality of the soul, the grounds of political authority, the contested nature of the experimental philosophy, sensuality, curiosity, and the role of pleasure and utility in ethics, the author makes a persuasive case for the significance of materialism in seventeenth-century philosophy without underestimating the depth and significance of the opposition to it, and for its continued importance in the contemporary world. Lucretius's great poem, On the Nature of Things, supplies the frame of reference for this deeply-researched inquiry into the origins of modern philosophy. .

Epicureanism at the Origins of Modernity

Trapped by her cruel father in the kingdom of Orien, Brave feels as though everyone she's ever loved has been ripped from her hands. Her papa and the people of Ashen are still cursed, her mother may no longer be alive, and her once-caring Aras is anything but himself. Struggling to hide her magic and protect her heart, Brave's only hope lies in the spunky little sister who has become her guiding light. When ordered by her father to honor the betrothal to Prince Ian of Theron, Brave sets out on a mission to save Ian's home, even as her father expects her to destroy it. When Aras is forced to follow along, Brave must decide how to save both a kingdom and the love of her life, while a soulless Aras would like nothing more than to see her fail. In a story full of adventure, magic, and heart-wrenching choices, Brave will try to correct her father's wrongdoings-one kingdom and soul at a time. But with the help of Vivi, Brave will soon discover the power of love... even in the darkest night.

The Darkest Night

An Introduction

Descartes's Meditations

Written during the author's time as an expat in South Korea, this collection of poetry attempts to capture the unique beauty of connecting with people through finding home away from home.

Chasing Shadows, After Sunset

Lister

Justine Hofland

Hayley Grafton

The student edition of The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures has been the definitive, market-leading textbook of clinical nursing skills for fifteen years. This internationally best-selling title sets the gold standard for nursing care, providing the procedures, rationale, and guidance required by pre-registration students to deliver clinically effective, patient-focused care with expertise and confidence. With over two-hundred detailed procedures which reflect the skills required to meet The Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses (NMC 2019), this comprehensive manual presents the evidence and underlying theory alongside full-colour illustrations and a range of learning activities designed to support student nurses in clinical practice. Loved and trusted by millions, The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures, Student Edition continues to be a truly indispensable textbook for students, and includes coverage of patient assessment and discharge planning, communication, infection prevention and control, perioperative care, wound management, nutrition, diagnostic testing, medicines management, and much more. Learning features in this revised tenth edition include: Learning outcomes – summarise the focus of the information in each chapter Learning in practice – asks you to consider issues within your practice environment Case studies – provide learning around a particular patient scenario Clinical applications – ask you to consider how you would apply your knowledge to a clinical situation Stretch activities – challenge you with more nuanced, advanced issues to reflect upon Many of the features in the book are relevant to trainee nursing associates, especially when used in conjunction with supervision from academic and clinical teachers. A companion website to this title is available at www.royalmarsdenmanual.com/student10e

The Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures Student Edition

In the 17th century the microscope opened up a new world of observation, and, according to author Catherine Wilson, profoundly revised the thinking of scientists and philosophers alike. Focusing on the earliest forays into microscopical research, from 1620 to 1720, this book provides us with both a compelling technological history and a lively assessment of the new knowledge.

Early Modern Philosophy and the Invention of the Microscope

The Invisible World

Our Revision Workbooks are designed to help students develop vital skills throughout the course in preparation for the exam.

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REVISE Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Physics Higher Revision Workbook

This study of the metaphysics of G. W. Leibniz gives a clear picture of his philosophical development within the general scheme of seventeenth-century natural philosophy. Catherine Wilson examines the shifts in Leibniz's thinking as he confronted the major philosophical problems of his era. Beginning with his interest in artificial languages and calculi for proof and discovery, the author proceeds to an examination of Leibniz’s early theories of matter and motion, to the phenomenalistic turn in his theory of substance and his subsequent de-emphasis of logical determinism, and finally to his doctrines of harmony and optimization. Specific attention is given to Leibniz’s understanding of Descartes and his successors, Malebranche and Spinoza, and the English philosophers Newton, Cudworth, and Locke. Wilson analyzes Leibniz’s complex response to the new mechanical philosophy, his discontent with the foundations on which it rested, and his return to the past to locate the resources for reconstructing it. She argues that the continuum-problem is the key to an understanding not only of Leibniz’s monadology but also of his views on the substantiality of the self and the impossibility of external causal influence. A final chapter considers the problem of Leibniz-reception in the post-Kantian era, and the difficulty of coming to terms with a metaphysics that is not only philosophically "critical" but, at the same time, “compensatory.” Originally published in 2050. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Catherine Wilson

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