William Pickering - Böcker

Leading International scholars are bought together in Debating Durkheim to discuss controversial issues in the work of this increasingly important founding father of sociology. The subjects covered relate to Durkheim's Jewish background and its influence on his life and thought; to a positive reinterpretation of Durkheim's study of primitive thought in terms of social classification; an attempt to shed new light on his book on methodology, The Rules, which has been much criticised; a philosophical and sympathetic analysis of the notion of the social; a discussion of Durkheim's sociology of morals based on a study of social facts; a careful consideration of the problems of Durkheim's references to state, nation and patriotism; and finally, an application of The Rules to data relating to first names and raising the issue of social imitation. As these essays will show, Durkheim raises basic issues which must be examined if contemporary society is to understood. William Pickering has devoted much of his academic life to the study of Durkheim.

Leading International scholars are bought together in Debating Durkheim to discuss controversial issues in the work of this increasingly important founding father of sociology. The subjects covered relate to Durkheim's Jewish background and its influence on his life and thought; to a positive reinterpretation of Durkheim's study of primitive thought in terms of social classification; an attempt to shed new light on his book on methodology, The Rules, which has been much criticised; a philosophical and sympathetic analysis of the notion of the social; a discussion of Durkheim's sociology of morals based on a study of social facts; a careful consideration of the problems of Durkheim's references to state, nation and patriotism; and finally, an application of The Rules to data relating to first names and raising the issue of social imitation. As these essays will show, Durkheim raises basic issues which must be examined if contemporary society is to understood. William Pickering has devoted much of his academic life to the study of Durkheim.

W. V. Quine was one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century American analytic philosophy. Although he wrote predominantly in English, in Brazil in 1942 he gave a series of lectures on logic and its philosophy in Portuguese, subsequently published as the book O Sentido da Nova Lógica. The book has never before been fully translated into English, and this volume is the first to make its content accessible to Anglophone philosophers. Quine would go on to develop revolutionary ideas about semantic holism and ontology, and this book provides a snapshot of his views on logic and language at a pivotal stage of his intellectual development. The volume also includes an essay on logic which Quine also published in Portuguese, together with an extensive historical-philosophical essay by Frederique Janssen-Lauret. The valuable and previously neglected works first translated in this volume will be essential for scholars of twentieth-century philosophy.

Complex system studies are a growing area of central importance to a wide range of disciplines, ranging from physics to politics and beyond. Adopting this interdisciplinary approach, Systems, Self-Organisation and Information presents and discusses a range of ground-breaking research in complex systems theory. Building upon foundational concepts, the volume introduces a theory of Self-Organization, providing definitions of concepts including system, structure, organization, functionality, and boundary. Biophysical and cognitive approaches to Self-Organization are also covered, discussing the complex dynamics of living beings and the brain, and self-organized adaptation and learning in computational systems. The convergence of Peircean philosophy with the study of Self-Organization also provides an original pathway of research, which contributes to a dialogue between pragmatism, semeiotics, complexity theory, and self-organizing systems.As one of the few interdisciplinary works on systems theory, relating Self-Organization and Information Theory, Systems, Self-Organisation and Information is an invaluable resource for researchers and postgraduate students interested in complex systems theory from related disciplines including philosophy, physics, and engineering.

Complex system studies are a growing area of central importance to a wide range of disciplines, ranging from physics to politics and beyond. Adopting this interdisciplinary approach, Systems, Self-Organisation and Information presents and discusses a range of ground-breaking research in complex systems theory. Building upon foundational concepts, the volume introduces a theory of Self-Organization, providing definitions of concepts including system, structure, organization, functionality, and boundary. Biophysical and cognitive approaches to Self-Organization are also covered, discussing the complex dynamics of living beings and the brain, and self-organized adaptation and learning in computational systems. The convergence of Peircean philosophy with the study of Self-Organization also provides an original pathway of research, which contributes to a dialogue between pragmatism, semeiotics, complexity theory, and self-organizing systems.As one of the few interdisciplinary works on systems theory, relating Self-Organization and Information Theory, Systems, Self-Organisation and Information is an invaluable resource for researchers and postgraduate students interested in complex systems theory from related disciplines including philosophy, physics, and engineering.