Ideas and Idealism in Philosophy

This book intends to broaden the study of idealism beyond its simplistic characterizations in contemporary philosophy.

After idealist stances have practically disappeared from the mental landscape in the last hundred years, and the term "idealism" has itself become a sort of philosophical anathema, continental philosophy was, first, plunged into one of its deepest crises of truth , culminating in postmodernism, and then, the 21 st century ushered in a new era of realism. Against this background, the volume gathers a number of renowned philosophers, among them Slavoj iek, Robert B. Pippin, Mladen Dolar, Sebastian Rödl, Paul Redding, Isabelle Thomas-Fogiel, James I. Porter, and others, in order to address the issue as to what exactly has been lost with the retreat of idealism, and what kind of idealism could still be rehabilitated in the present day. The contributions will both provide historical studies on idealism, pointing out the little known, overlooked, and surprising instances of idealist impulses, and set out to develop new perspectives and possibilities for a contemporary idealism. The appeal of the book lies in the fact that it defends a philosophical concept that has been increasingly under attack and thus contributes to an ongoing debate in ontology.

Auteur

Gregor Kroupa and Jure Simoniti, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Texte du rabat

Against recent criticisms of idealism coming from the camp of so-called New Realists, this volume shows that there is (and always has been) more to idealism than mind-centered ontology. The chapters by a group of both leading and up-and-coming scholars show that idealism can be approached from a plethora of angles, both contemporary and historically inspired, and that this broader view is precisely what may save its reputation in the 21st century.