Lexington Books
Pages: 370
•
Trim: 6½ x 9⅜
978-1-4985-4011-7 • Hardback • December 2018 • $117.00 • (£90.00)
978-1-4985-4012-4 • eBook • December 2018 • $111.00 • (£85.00)
David J. Rosner is associate professor of values and ethics, School for Business, Metropolitan College of New York.
Introductory Essay: Catastrophe and the Limits of Understanding, by David J. Rosner
Part I: The Ancient World
Catastrophe and Enlightenment: The Genesis of Buddhism's First Noble Truth, by JeiDong Ryu
The Missing God: Voices of Despair and Empathy in the Book of Lamentations, by Sarah K. Corrigan
Patterns of Post-Catastrophic Thought in Ancient China: The Growth of Philosophy after the Warring States Period, by Kwon Jong Yoo
Athens in Ruins: Plato and the Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War, by John Ross
Part II: The Middle Ages/Renaissance
Augustine’s Anti-Catastrophe, by Steven Cresap
Values in the Time of Plague: Civilizational Trauma and Moral Nihilism in Boccaccio's Decameron, by David J. Rosner
The Search for Stability in Chaotic Times: Machiavelli, by Diana Prokofyeva
Part III: Modernity I: Early Modern Period
Three Catastrophes and One Philosopher: Atrocious Wars, and the Political Ideas of Thomas Hobbes, by David Wilkinson
“A New Philosophy Calls All into Doubt”: The Epistemological Crises of Early Modernity (and why they matter now), by David J. Rosner & Steven Cresap
The Metaphysics of Catastrophe: Voltaire's Candide, by Carsten Meiner
Part IV: Modernity II: High Modernity
Nietzsche and the Catastrophe of Nineteenth Century Democracy, by Phil Washburn
Wittgenstein and Pre-War Hapsburg Vienna, by John Ross
Atonality in Music and the Upheavals of High Modernity, by Robert Quist
Toynbee: From the Great War Catastrophe through the Philosophy of History to the Theory of Civilizations, by David Wilkinson
Catastrophe and Decadence in The Great Gatsby, by Peter Wakefield
Deep Silence in the Holocaust Stories of Tadeusz Borowski, by Nancy Reale
Part V: Post-Modernity
States of Exception and the Problem of Detention in Post 9/11 American Jurisprudence, David Chalfin
Swords of Damocles: An Essay on Catastrophe and Globalization, by Pedro Geiger
Part VI: Conclusion
Concluding Postscript: Coping with Catastrophe: Developing Pathways towards Resilience
Primary Life Orientations and Philosophical Response to Catastrophe, by Marek Celinski
The book presents a unique way of doing philosophy. It offers points of view from diverse scholars to deal with some of the most pressing problems faced by humanity including “existential catastrophes such as environmental degradation, global warming, overpopulation, the threat of nuclear conflagration, and widespread economic upheaval.” Through these multiple perspectives, Professor David Rosner is able to capture “the sense-making activity” of the traditional philosophy, thus resuscitating philosophy and its sustained relevance during the 21st century.
A must read for all those who want to make sense of the human crises in all domains of life posed by the super-abundance of useless and useful information that is bombarded on the mind of the 21st century person.
— Ashok Kumar Malhotra, Emeritus SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy
In this book David Rosner skillfully brings together a number of essays that deal with maybe the most significant issue of any given period of time: catastrophe that radically affects our lives and our civilization. It seems that Emil Cioran is right when he says that civilizations begin in myth and end in doubt. A catastrophe brings us to a major dilemma related to the fundamental need of making sense in life and the non-sense and doubt that it implies and generates. The book illustrates powerfully how catastrophes change philosophies and worldviews and how changed philosophies might help deal with these types of extreme situations. This is a work of high relevance to our contemporary troubled world on many fronts as it offers empowering and valuable guidelines that could help in time of need.
— Theodor Damian, Metropolitan College of New York