Continuum Philosophy News

April: THE month to be born or die in the world of philosophy

With all this talk about today being Shakespeare's birth and death day, I thought I'd see when the big names in philosophy were born and died. I found this handy little resource and, to my surprise, it seems that April is the month to be born or die in the world of philosophy.

 

So here's my pick of the big names who came into the world, who shuffled off this mortal coil, and the select few that - like Shakespeare - managed to do both in the month of April... in the form of shameless links to previews of our books by or about them!

 

Births

Starting with the cheery, a rousing happy birthday (belated and premature) to all of the following...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas Hobbes - b. 5th April 1588

Immanuel Kant - b. 22nd April 1724

Marcus Aurelias - b. 26th April 121

Georg Lukács - b. 13th April 1885

David Hume - b. 26th April 1711

 

Deaths

We lost some great thinkers in Aprils gone by, so spare a moment to consider the impact of these big names...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simone de Beauvoir - d. 14th April 1986

Jean-Paul Sartre - d. 15th April 1980

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - d. 9th April 1945

 

 

 

 

Special Mentions

Finally, a very special mention to these following two philosophers, who were born and then later died in the same month...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edmund Husserl - b. 8th April 1859 and d. 26th April 1938

Ludwig Wittgenstein - b. 26th April 1889 and d. 29th April 1951

 

So, in conclusion, a note to all budding philosophers out there: If you were born in April, you're probably on to a winner.

 

Charlotte Hoare

Marketing Executive

UK and Rest of World

Call for proposals: Continuum Studies in Political Philosophy

We recently launched a new series, Continuum Studies in Political Philosophy, edited by Helen Frowe (University of Kent). The Editorial Board are issuing a call for proposals, so do please get in touch with Helen (H.Frowe@kent.ac.uk) if you have a project you think would be suitable.

The aim of the series is to publish rigorous, cutting-edge, analytic research monographs that will be of interest to those working in law, politics and philosophy. We will also consider edited collections, provided that the papers fit a clearly defined theme, and that each paper is an original piece of work warranting publication in its own right. The Board will consider proposals for both theoretical and more applied treatments of topics in political philosophy, such as:

• Rights • Poverty • Climate justice • Political violence (including war, genocide, revolution and terrorism) • Citizenship • Immigration and migration • Privacy • Issues in international law • Civil disobedience • Political authority • Crimes against humanity • Rights of secession • Humanitarian intervention

This list is not exhaustive: the Board are happy to consider interesting proposals on other relevant topics.

Submission guidelines for proposals can be found here: Download Continuum Studies in Political Philosophy_proposal form

Bloomsbury acquires Continuum

It was announced on Monday 11th July that Bloomsbury Publishing Plc had successfully acquired the Continuum International Publishing Group. A statement from Bloomsbury said that:

'The Board of Bloomsbury has been looking for a transformational acquisition to act as the cornerstone of its Academic & Professional division. We have successfully acquired and consolidated six acquisitions in our Academic & Professional division over the last five years. Continuum now provides the cornerstone of an enlarged division with critical mass and a solid base for organic growth going forward ... The Continuum lists are highly complementary to Bloomsbury's existing academic lists, offering us both the ability to improve revenue momentum within our Academic & Professional division, especially in the key US market, as well as opportunities for material cost synergies. Earlier this year, Continuum was awarded Independent Publishers' Group Publisher of the Year 2011 and Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year.'

Oliver Gadsby, Chief Executive of Continuum commented:

'Continuum has a leading position in academic publishing, with a thriving backlist, a huge number of authors who are leading authorities in their field, a vibrant digital story, and – above all – an excellent team in London and New York. I am delighted that Continuum is finding a new home with Bloomsbury, a company we all admire. I am confident that the lists and teams of the two companies will make a powerful combination, capable of playing a major role in the academic publishing landscape in the years ahead.'

 

Announcing the launch of Continuum eBooks - our very own eBook store!

Yes, we are very definitely part of the digital revolution. I am delighted to announce the launch of our very own eBook store, Continuum eBooks.

The eBook store features a wide selection of titles from across our Humanities, Education, and Religion lists, available for download in Adobe PDF and ePub formats. Going forward, the majority of new titles will be released as eBooks on the store, simultaneously with the publication of print editions, and an extensive conversion project will see a vast number of backlist titles made available for instant download as well.

Browse the store for titles across all our subject areas. Preview a selection of pages from any eBook title. Build your very own wish-list. If you're an author, embed the eBook widget on your own blog or website, enabling links back to your book's page on the store for purchase. Enjoy!

Continuum shortlisted for UK IPG Award

We're feeling quite pleased with ourselves at Continuum! We've been shortlisted for the Ingram Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year award at the UK 2011 IPG Independent Publishing Awards, run in association with The Bookseller and The London Book Fair. Making the shortlist is very gratifying and comes in the wake of an exceptionally productive few years at Continuum in which the company has grown significantly. Of course, none of it would be possible without our much-valued network of authors - so thank you!

The prizes will be announced at a special Gala Dinner on Thursday 10 March, during the IPG’s Annual Conference at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire. Lots of fingers crossed here.

Sarah

Hello from Marketing!

Just a quick post to say hello to everyone from me, the new marketing executive for the Philosophy list in the UK. I've already begun tweeting so if you follow the twitter (and, if not, why not? Fix that please! @continuumphilos) then you'll be well aware of me by now. I'm very excited to be working on the list and look forward to more blogging in the future.

In the mean time, anyone who hasn't seen it yet should definitely check out the author of hit books How to Be an Existentialist and How to Be a Philosopher Gary Cox's new website: http://www.garycoxphilosophy.com. It has all the latest news on what he's up to and information on all of his books.

Drop him a line and tell him how good it looks, be sure to say we sent you!

Charlotte

Marketing Executive for Philosophy (UK)

Student competition - win £250 cash and £100 worth of Continuum books!

Hi Everyone

I'm very excited to announce that we are sponsoring a country-wide competition (UK only - apologies to our other readers), run by The Higher Education Academy's Subject Centre for Philosophical & Religious Studies.  They are inviting responses of up to 2,000 words, in response to the question: What is the good of your discipline?  An especially crucial question in the light of the severe cuts universities are experiencing, with the humanities looking as though they will be hit particularly hard.

This poster has further information: Download Student Competition Poster

The winner will receive a £250 cash prize and £100 worth of books from our list, an invitation to the Higher Education Annual Conference and the winning entry will be considered for publication in the journal Discourse: Learning and Teaching in Philosophical and Religious Studies. 

Closing date is 12 noon, Monday April 12th 2010.  You must must be registered as a student on a philosophy, theology, religious studies, history of science or philosophy of science course (undergraduate single, joint or combined honours) in a UK higher education institution.

For full rules and guidance on how to enter, please visit the Higher Education Academy's website.

Good luck!

Carly

Marketing Executive

We're all of a Twitter!

Yes, that new category at the top right of the blog can only mean one thing... we're now on Twitter.  You'll see our latest tweets on this blog but do have a look at our page for more - and follow us if you feel so inclined! 

Looking forward to hearing from you all soon!

Carly

Theory of the Subject - Out Now!

I am also very pleased to announce the much-anticipated publication of the first full English translation of Alain Badiou's Theory of the Subject (translated by Bruno Bosteels). 

First published in France in 1982, Theory of the Subject is without doubt one of Badiou's most important works, laying many of the foundations for his magnum opus, Being and Event. Here Badiou seeks to provide a theory of the subject for Marxism through a study of Lacanian psychoanalysis, offering a major contribution to Marxism, as well as to the larger debate regarding the relationship between psychoanalysis and philosophy. The book also provides a history and theory of structuralism and poststructuralism, a unique evaluation of the achievements of French Maoism during the 1970s and the significance of the events of May 1968, and breathtaking analyses of art and literature. As a theoretical synthesis, the book is extraordinary in terms of its originality, breadth and clarity.

This is arguably Badiou's most creative and passionate book, encompassing the entire battlefield of contemporary theory, philosophy and psychoanalysis. Available for the first time in English, this is a must-read for anyone interested in this lively and highly original thinker.  

Praise for Theory of the Subject:

'A rare achievement, a true philosophical classic, comparable to only two or three books in the twentieth century, such as Heidegger's Being and Time. The difference is that, if Being and Time left its mark on twentieth-century thought, Theory of the Subject announces the thought of the twenty-first century. It opens up the path that Badiou followed in his two later classics, Being and Event and Logics of Worlds, but it enforces this opening with a violent freshness which far surpasses its later developments. So beware, reader: when you open this book, you hold in your hands proof that philosophers of the status of Plato, Hegel and Heidegger are still walking around today!' -– Slavoj Žižek

'Theory of the Subject is the first of Badiou's three great philosophical works, along with Being and Event and Logics of Worlds. It is his most passionate, most uncompromising and most revolutionary book. Bruno Bosteels has long been its most ardent and eloquent reader, and he is the ideal person to present and translate this challenging text.' -– Peter Hallward, Centre for Research in Modern European Philosophy, Middlesex University, UK  

 

New Series: Philosophy, Aesthetics and Cultural Theory

I am delighted to announce the launch of a new series, Philosophy, Aesthetics and Cultural Theory, edited by Hugh J. Silverman (Stony Brook University, New York, USA). The series examines the encounter between contemporary Continental philosophy and aesthetic and cultural theory. Each book in the series explores an exciting new direction in philosophical aesthetics or cultural theory, identifying the most important and pressing issues in Continental philosophy today. 

The first two books in the series, Derrida, Literature and War by Sean Gaston (Brunel University, UK) and Foucault's Philosophy of Art by Joseph J. Tanke (California College of Arts, USA), are available now. 

Praise for Derrida, Literature and War:  

'This is a truly illuminating work. Taking as his touchstone Derrida’s insistence that we don’t foreclose the chances of the chance encounter, Gaston develops a powerful argument that recasts conventional understandings of the tangled relations between war and anonymity, war and peace, the concept of war and the chances of literature. It hardly needs to be said how important such matters are and in the present moment how urgent.' –- Peter Otto, University of Melbourne, Australia 

Praise for Foucault's Philosophy of Art:

'A path-breaking study of Foucault and art ... [Tanke's] book should be appealing to many because Foucault continues to draw appreciative crowds.' -- James Bernauer, Professor of Philosophy, Boston College, USA

New Title: Daniel Dennett

I am delighted to announce the publication of Daniel Dennett by David L. Thompson (Memorial University, Newfoundland) in our Contemporary American Thinkers series. Dennett is one of America’s most important and influential contemporary philosophers. He has made considerable contributions to the philosophy of mind and to evolutionary thought. This book offers an introduction to Dennett’s ideas, his key writings and his contributions to the various fields of philosophy. Thematically organised, the book presents a consistent and accessible philosophy. Thompson examines philosophical problems in consciousness, self, religion, ethics, evolution, freedom and ontology and provides a clear account of how Dennett resolves these issues. The book explores the twentieth-century stand-off between the scientific worldview, on the one hand, and ethics, freedom and human dignity on the other. Ultimately Thompson presents Dennett’s work as reconciling these two approaches.

The book covers Dennett’s key texts and presents a number of Dennett’s often brilliant thought experiments. This is the ideal companion to the study of this hugely influential thinker.   

New Title: David Hume and the Problem of Other Minds

The latest title in our Continuum Studies in British Philosophy series is David Hume and the Problem of Other Minds by Anik Waldow (University of Sydney). The problem of other minds has widely been considered as a special problem within the debate about scepticism. If one cannot be sure that there is a world existing independently of one's mind, how can we be sure that there are minds – minds which we cannot even experience the way we experience material objects? This book shows, through a detailed examination of David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature, that these concerns are unfounded. By focussing on Hume’s discussion of sympathy - the ability to connect with the mental contents of other persons - Waldow demonstrates that belief in other minds can be justified by the same means as belief in material objects. The book thus not only provides the first large-scale treatment of the function of the belief in other minds within the Treatise, thereby adding a new dimension to Hume’s realism, but also serves as an invaluable guide to the complexity of the problem of other minds and its various responses in contemporary debate.   

Praise for David Hume and the Problem of Other Minds:

'In David Hume and the Problem of Other Minds, Anik Waldow has used the problem of the existence of other minds as a lens through which to view Hume’s attitude to sceptical arguments and what they show. Since Hume’s treatment of other minds is located in his account of the passions and sentiments, rather than in his account of scepticism as such, we are able to build up a more comprehensive picture of just what role sceptical arguments play in our understanding of the world in Hume’s philosophy. Our grasp of Hume’s project is thereby enhanced considerably.' -– Professor Stephen Gaukroger, University of Sydney, Australia  

'Anik Waldow makes illuminating connections between Hume’s views on why we should trust our causal inferences and why we should trust our interpretations of what other persons are thinking and feeling. She spells out Hume’s answer to a philosophical problem that only later thinkers formulated and addressed.' -– Annette Baier, Retired Professor of Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, USA and Philosophy Associate, University of Otago, New Zealand 

New Title: Philosophy of Mind

I am pleased to announce the publication of a major new textbook on the Continuum list, The Philosophy of Mind: The Metaphysics of Consciousness by Dale Jacquette (University of Bern, Switzerland). The book provides students and professionals with a concise and accessible overview of this fascinating subject. Jacquette covers all the key topics and debates in the philosophy of mind and introduces the full range of choices available in approaching the mind-body problem. Exploring classical and contemporary texts, the book surveys the subject’s historical background and current applications. Crucially, the book offers a defence of property dualism as an alternative solution to the mind-body problem, instead of the mainstream eliminativist and reductivist strategies.

Clearly structured and featuring useful diagrams, a glossary of key terms, and advice on further reading, the book is ideal for classroom use. Fully revised, updated and expanded to meet the needs of a new generation of philosophy students, this second edition is the ideal companion to the study of the philosophy of mind.

This book also features a companion website with a range of useful resources.

Praise for The Philosophy of Mind:

'In clear and accessible prose Dale Jacquette’s Philosophy of Mind surveys the entire range of currently deliberated issues in this active field of investigation. Integrating a vast body of material from a unified and coherent perspective, Jacquette throws instructive light upon a varied panorama of key philosophical issues. A work of wide scope and deep insight, his book is a true landmark.' -– Nicholas Rescher, University of Pittsburgh, USA

'Dale Jacquette provides, in this much-expanded, much-reworked second edition of his 1994 Philosophy of Mind, an unusually helpful, clear, user-friendly compendium of the present state of play of the literature and treatment of the metaphysics of consciousness within the bounds of analytic philosophy. His book may well prove to be the most serviceable general introduction to the principal problems, arguments, theoretical options, and notable contributors to the field that one could possibly ask for. He puts an absolutely sprawling mountain of conceptual analysis into the simplest legible order. The discussion is remarkably straightforward, brief, to the point, very reliably informed, and generous in its coverage.' -– Joseph Margolis, Temple University, USA   

Badiou and Grayling in TPM

Two Continuum authors have been interviewed in the latest edition of The Philosophers' Magazine.

Nina Power interviewed Alain Badiou during his recent trip to London for the communism conference hosted by Birkbeck - the full interview, which also coincides with the publication of the English translations of Logics of Worlds and Theory of the Subject, can be read here.

And AC Grayling participates in a Q&A on his latest writing on pages 114-115 of the magazine. Scepticism and the Possibility of Knowledge is out now in hardback and forthcoming in paperback later this year. 

New Title: Does God Hate Women?

I am delighted to announce the (much-anticipated) publication of Does God Hate Women? by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom, authors of the acclaimed Why Truth Matters. This fascinating book explores the role that religion and culture play in the oppression of women. The authors ask probing questions about the way that religion shields the oppression of women from criticism and why many Western liberals, leftists and feminists have remained largely silent on the subject. The book explores instances of the oppression of women in the name of religious and cultural norms, across a range of religions and cultures, and how these issues play out both in the community and in the political arena. Drawing on philosophical concerns such as truth, relativism, knowledge and ethics, Benson and Stangroom assess the current situation and provide a rallying call for a progressive politics that is committed to universal values.

'More surgically than any other thinkers, Benson and Stangroom have dissected the complicity of post-modern liberals in the oppression of women ... Their writing is at once a joy to read and a call to arms.' -- Nick Cohen

The book has already generated a lot of media interest. The Observer published an article by Ophelia Benson on the topic just prior to the book's release - click here to read the article in full.

Ophelia will also participate in a live debate with Madeleine Bunting (Associate Editor of The Guardian) and Humera Khan (an important Muslim voice in Britain and co-founder of the An-Nisa society) on Night Waves, BBC Radio 3's flagship arts and ideas programme, tonight (Thursday 11 June) at 9:15pm (UK time).

New title - Gilles Deleuze: Image and Text

I am delighted to announce the publication of a new collection of original essays examining the intersections between Deleuzian philosophy and the arts: Gilles Deleuze: Image and Text, edited by Eugene W. Holland (Ohio State), Daniel W. Smith (Purdue) and Charles J. Stivale (Wayne State). 

Deleuze combined exceptionally rigorous insight into important Western philosophers with an extraordinary sensitivity to literature, music, painting and film. He was intensely interested in the medium of thought, which is by no means limited to philosophy alone: it also takes place in science, mathematics, literature, painting and cinema, to name just some of the genres of thought to which Deleuze most often refers. His own thinking emerged almost as often in conversation with artists and literary writers as in engagement with other philosophers, and his philosophy cannot be fully grasped without an understanding of his engagement with the arts.

This significant and timely collection of essays from an international team of leading Deleuze scholars brings together interpretations and commentaries from Deleuzian perspectives on subjects such as literature, painting, music and film. The book represents diverse modes of engagement with Deleuze’s philosophical concepts and problems and demonstrates the central role the arts play in any understanding of his philosophical ideas. 

Contributors include: Eric Alliez, Ronald Bogue, Nadine Boljkovac, Jean-Claude Bonne, Constantin V. Boundas, Felicity Coleman, Hélène Frichot, Colin Gardner, Elizabeth Grosz, Karen Houle, Jondi Keane, Julie Kuhlken, Sarah Posman, Stephen Zepke.

New Title: Art, Myth and Society in Hegel's Aesthetics

I am pleased to announce the publication of Art, Myth and Society in Hegel's Aesthetics by David James (University of Johannesburg) in our Continuum Studies in Philosophy series. The book returns to the student transcripts of Hegel’s lectures on aesthetics, which have yet to be translated into English and in some cases remain unpublished. James develops the idea that these transcripts show that Hegel was primarily interested in understanding art as an historical phenomenon and, more specifically, in terms of its role in the ethical life of various peoples. This involves relating Hegel’s aesthetics to his philosophies of right and history, rather than to his logic or metaphysics. The book thus offers a thorough re-evaluation of Hegel’s aesthetics and its relation to his theory of objective spirit, exposing the ways in which Hegel’s views on this subject are anchored in his reflections on history and on different forms of ethical life.  

Praise for Art, Myth and Society in Hegel's Aesthetics:

'James’s work [offers] an almost unique discussion of Hegel’s aesthetics as compared to other ones in the English-speaking world, and it is also suited to sparking an interest in Hegel’s lectures on aesthetics which has been largely absent before.' -– Prof. Dr. Annemarie Gethmann-Siefert, FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany 

New Title: Parmenides and To Eon

I am delighted to announce the publication of Parmenides and To Eon by Lisa Atwood Wilkinson (Nebraska Wesleyan University) in our Continuum Studies in Ancient Philosophy series. The book offers a new historical and philosophical reading of Parmenides of Elea by exploring the significance and dynamics of the oral tradition of ancient Greece.

Wilkinson disentangles our theories of language from what evidence suggests is an archaic Greek experience of speech. With this in mind, she reconsiders Parmenides’ poem, arguing that the way we divide up his text is inconsistent with the oral tradition Parmenides inherits. Wilkinson proposes that, although Parmenides may have composed his poem in writing, it is probable that the poem was orally performed rather than silently read. The book explores the aural and oral components of the poem and its performance in terms of their significance to Parmenides’ philosophy. Wilkinson’s approach yields an interpretative strategy that permits us to engage with the ancient Greeks in terms closer to their own without, however, forgetting the historical distance that separates us or sacrificing our own philosophical concerns.

  

New Continuum website!

Continuum has launched a new website at www.continuumbooks.com. Clear, accessible and easy to navigate, the new site offers a more integrated and user-friendly service for customers, authors, academics, booksellers and librarians. Each of our subject areas has its own homepage. The Authors section includes information on the publishing process, proposal guidelines, style guides, help with permissions and other useful information. Elsewhere on the site you can sign up for eNewsletters, download customised catalogues, order print catalogues, get information on our ebook progamme, and request inspection copies.

The new website is one of several major new advances in our ongoing electronic development, which also includes an e-publishing programme and companion websites for key textbook and reference titles. Watch this space for more details!

New Title: Hegel's Theory of Recognition

I am delighted to announce the publication of Hegel's Theory of Recognition by Sybol S.C. Anderson (St Mary's College of Maryland) in our Continuum Studies in Philosophy series.

Since the 1960s 'New Left' emancipatory movements have claimed that women, ethnic minorities, gays and lesbians, and other groups are oppressed. Some liberal theorists have treated their demands for equality as matters of toleration, of securing by law the equal treatment of cultures and conceptions of the good.  However, much more is involved.  Also at stake are conceptions of identity differences that inform social practices and perpetuate inequalities that are beyond the reach of legislation.

This book outlines an alternative approach to a liberal politics of difference. Sybol Anderson begins by constructing a definition of oppression that illuminates, from a liberal perspective, its salient features. Exposing the limits of toleration as a response, Anderson reaches beyond it for a viable concept of recognition.  Hegel’s theory of recognition proves an indispensable resource in this endeavor. Anderson concludes, contrary to recent critics of Hegelian recognition, that Hegel’s theory can successfully guide modern liberal states toward the achievement of social equality.