The Ambivalences of Rationality

Ancient and Modern Cross-Cultural Explorations

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ancient, History
Cover of the book The Ambivalences of Rationality by G. E. R. Lloyd, Cambridge University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: G. E. R. Lloyd ISBN: 9781108349642
Publisher: Cambridge University Press Publication: December 21, 2017
Imprint: Cambridge University Press Language: English
Author: G. E. R. Lloyd
ISBN: 9781108349642
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication: December 21, 2017
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Language: English

Is rationality a well-defined human universal such that ideas and behaviour can everywhere be judged by a single set of criteria? Or are the rational and the irrational simply cultural constructs? This study provides an alternative to both options. The universalist thesis underestimates the variety found in sound human reasonings exemplified across time and space and often displays a marked Eurocentric bias. The extreme relativist faces the danger of concluding that we are all locked into mutually unintelligible universes. These problems are worse when certain concepts, often inherited from ancient Greek thought, especially binaries such as nature and culture, or the literal and the metaphorical, are not examined critically. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, from philosophy to cognitive science, this book explores what both ancient societies (Greece and China especially) and modern ones (as revealed by ethnography) can teach us concerning the heterogeneity of what can be called rational.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Is rationality a well-defined human universal such that ideas and behaviour can everywhere be judged by a single set of criteria? Or are the rational and the irrational simply cultural constructs? This study provides an alternative to both options. The universalist thesis underestimates the variety found in sound human reasonings exemplified across time and space and often displays a marked Eurocentric bias. The extreme relativist faces the danger of concluding that we are all locked into mutually unintelligible universes. These problems are worse when certain concepts, often inherited from ancient Greek thought, especially binaries such as nature and culture, or the literal and the metaphorical, are not examined critically. Drawing on a variety of disciplines, from philosophy to cognitive science, this book explores what both ancient societies (Greece and China especially) and modern ones (as revealed by ethnography) can teach us concerning the heterogeneity of what can be called rational.

More books from Cambridge University Press

Cover of the book The Making of a New Rural Order in South China: Volume 1 by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Native Languages of South America by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Skeptical Environmentalist by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Poverty and Morality by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Earthquakes in the Mediterranean and Middle East by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Cambridge Double Star Atlas by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Computation and Modelling in Insurance and Finance by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Free Expression and Democracy by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Bankers, Bureaucrats, and Central Bank Politics by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book John Cage and David Tudor by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Patronal Politics by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Human Rights Futures by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Psycho-nationalism by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book An Introduction to Ethics by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Flora of Great Britain and Ireland: Volume 4, Campanulaceae - Asteraceae by G. E. R. Lloyd
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy