Dr Mei was formerly Assistant Professor at the University of Dundee and Associate Professor and Head of Philosophy at the University of Kent. He is now in the role of public philosopher and consultant for Philosophy2u.com where he specializes in bringing his expertise in the philosophy of work, virtue ethics, and hermeneutics to public and professional audiences.
Introduction to what Philosophy2u offers in the way of blogging, consultation, and storytelling.
... more Introduction to what Philosophy2u offers in the way of blogging, consultation, and storytelling.
The first in a series of 3 videos that explores why Plato banned the poets in the Republic. The s... more The first in a series of 3 videos that explores why Plato banned the poets in the Republic. The series covers key passages and standard interpretations. The final episode argues that Plato did not ban the poets at all.
The series is aim at undergraduate and postgraduate students who are familiar with Plato's texts.
For the entire series, please visit the Philosophy2u.com YouTube channel:
What if the well-being of the economy depended not so much on mathematical formulae and highly ab... more What if the well-being of the economy depended not so much on mathematical formulae and highly abstract models but on perceiving the philosophical significance of a basic feature of our existence? And what if this feature had been, for the most part, overlooked by economists and philosophers interested in economics?
If the disjointed state of economic affairs is due to a misalignment with the understanding of the basis of our existence, there is much that philosophical analysis can contribute to economic theory. Whilst philosophy and economic thought have had significant interrelations since Aristotle, Karl Marx was the last major philosopher to prioritize the nature of existence over the economic when he designated material necessity and our labouring capacity as foundational concepts.
Today, however, the kinds of models used by economists tend to see matters relating to philosophical conceptions of existence as external to their discipline. Similarly, much philosophical engagement with economics tends to narrow its investigation to relations and concepts internal to a given model in order to assess its coherency. At the same time, philosophers critical of economics tend to offer little more than either a condemnation of capitalism or an endorsement of Marxism. There is a need, then, for philosophy to revive the pursuit of understanding the nature of existence and its bearing on the human economy.
In this book, I show how the landed basis of our existence converges meaningfully with economics. When understood philosophically, our landed existence suggests a form of economic practice first mentioned but inchoately developed by classical economics. I argue landed existence implies seeing the surplus value generated by land as a source of public revenue. I employ phenomenology when discussing the significance of our landed existence and hermeneutics when assessing the forgotten role of land in classical and neoclassical economic theory. Whilst some books have discussed the role of land in economic history and theory, none have treated it seriously as a philosophical concept.
This book engages with the thinking of the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913–2005) in order t... more This book engages with the thinking of the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913–2005) in order to propose innovative responses to 21st century problems contributing to global conflict. Ricoeur’s ability to draw from a diverse field of philosophers and theologians and provide mediation to seemingly irreconcilable views often has both explicit and implicit practical application to socio-political questions. The contributors of this book develop critical yet productive responses through the development of Ricoeur’s thought with respect to such topics as race, environmental ethics, technology, political utopia, and reinterpreting religion.
Contributors
Olivier Abel
Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the Faculté Protestante de Théologie of Paris (France).
Pamela Sue Anderson
Reader in Philosophy of Religion, University of Oxford (UK).
Scott Davidson
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Oklahoma City University (US)
Colby Dickinson
Doctoral Researcher of the K.U. Leuven Research Fund within the Faculty of Theology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).
David Fisher
Professor of Philosophy at North Central College, Illinois (US).
Vicky Iakovou
Adjunct Lecturer in Social and Political Theory at the School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University (Greece).
Christopher Lauer
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (US).
David Lewin
Lecturer in Religious Studies and Education at Liverpool Hope University (UK).
Todd Mei
Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Kent (UK).
L. Sebastian Purcell
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at SUNY Courtland (US).
George H. Taylor
Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh (US).
Fiona Tomkinson
Assistant Professor at Yeditepe University (Turkey).
Brian Treanor
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Environmental Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles (US).
This book provides a novel interpretation of the Aristotelian understanding of work in light of t... more This book provides a novel interpretation of the Aristotelian understanding of work in light of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. In a world of changing work patterns and the global displacement of working lifestyles, the nature of human identity and work is put under great strain. Modern conceptions of work have been restricted to issues of utility and necessity, where aims and purposes of work are reducible to the satisfaction of immediate technical and economic needs. Left unaddressed is the larger narrative context in which humans naturally seek to understand a human contribution to and responsibility for themselves, others and being as a whole. What role does human work play in the development of the world itself? Is it merely a functional activity or does it have a metaphysical and ontological calling? "Heidegger, Work, and Being" elucidates Heidegger's philosophy of work, providing a novel interpretation of the Aristotelian understanding of work in relation to Heidegger's ontology and notion of thanking. Todd S. Mei employs Heidegger's hermeneutical approach to a critique and reconstruction of an understanding of work to show that work, at its core, is an activity centred on thanking and mutual recognition. "Continuum Studies in Continental Philosophy" presents cutting-edge scholarship in the field of modern European thought. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from across the discipline.
Terror comes in many forms! None are more formidable than pigs who have evolved a human type of c... more Terror comes in many forms! None are more formidable than pigs who have evolved a human type of consciousness. This sci-fi novella follows the lives of four pigs seeking to find themselves amidst the challenges of cohabiting with their human counterparts. Philosophical banter, action, sailing, rugby . . . Pig Terrorism has it all.
We live within time, but apart from it passing or lingering too long, how much do we understand t... more We live within time, but apart from it passing or lingering too long, how much do we understand the extent to which it pervades our lives? And what should we make of the claim based on physics that time does not pass, and therefore, that our experience of it doing so is really an illusion? Graeme A. Forbes (University of Kent) is a metaphysician of time (and much more!) who helps us gain some clarity on the human experience of time
It is often assumed that science provides the most accurate knowledge about nature. This view not... more It is often assumed that science provides the most accurate knowledge about nature. This view not only collapses distinctions between different forms of knowing but also results in a paradox whereby understanding what it means to exist in the world is dictated by practitioners of science. In this essay I argue for the relevance of an existential conception of nature via the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, and how his notions of thrownness and phusis enable us to recognize a certain ethical bond to nature. I conclude with a critical analysis of liability insurance and actuarial science to demonstrate my points. There is an inherent tension, if not paradox, in how we conceive nature as something accessible by virtue of its being 'natural,' and thus in conformity with our given senses, while believing at the same time that ever improving methods of analysis in the sciences provide more accurate knowledge of nature not accessible by means of the unaided human senses. Alasdair Ma...
Western philosophical accounts of work tend to focus on necessity as its chief defining attribute... more Western philosophical accounts of work tend to focus on necessity as its chief defining attribute. The relation of work to the question of the meaning of being is therefore circumscribed by the ways in which work can be said to fulfill necessary ends. There are two consequences of this view which delineate the philosophy of work. Work is either merely necessary for existence in order for us to be able to engage in higher activities—a view attributed to Aristotle. Or, work is the principal activity defining human existence as such—the thesis advocated by Karl Marx. This chapter examines the arguments of each view. The chapter concludes with an alternative account attempting to forge a more substantial role for work in relation to the meaning of being: work is essentially metaphorical in nature as opposed to being only necessary.
Given the events of 2008 and thereafter, perhaps no topic is timelier for philosophical scrutiny ... more Given the events of 2008 and thereafter, perhaps no topic is timelier for philosophical scrutiny than the economy. Yet, for the well-read non-specialist, the feat of gaining a basic understanding of economics, let alone a critical one, seems near impossible given the complexity of economic calculus and models. Add to this the fact that economics concerns everyday, practical activities and one cannot help but feel this predicament is not only frustrating, but uncanny in the most disconcerting sense. Should an activity basic to everyday life be so problematic when it comes to acquiring a critical grasp of it?
A general tension in contemporary aesthetics can be described as existing between objective truth... more A general tension in contemporary aesthetics can be described as existing between objective truth claims and historical relativity. The former is generally represented by the Enlightenment approaches and its descendants that ground aesthetic judgment in rationality. The latter characterizes the postmodern appeal to historicity and the exposure of historical prejudice. Following mostly the hermeneutical philosophy of Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur, and Dupre, this paper argues how aesthetic theory, defined by either pole, inadequately accounts for historicity. In response to this critique, this paper attempts to navigate between these two poles in returning to an analysis of the nature of history and its phenomenological and ontological significance. It is in the very depth of the historical experience that aesthetics gains its greatest fecundity by means of its commitment to meaning and communication within history.
Aristotle’s economic thinking in the Nicomachean Ethics 5.5 and Politics 1 provides one of the ea... more Aristotle’s economic thinking in the Nicomachean Ethics 5.5 and Politics 1 provides one of the earliest analyses of the economic nature exchange. Establishing the significance of Aristotle in this area has often led modern commentators to equate Aristotle’s descriptive analysis of use and exchange to the definitions of use-value and exchange-value as it is found in Karl Marx. In this article, I show that Aristotle’s understanding of use and exchange is qualitatively different from this interpretation, focusing in particular on the ethical nature of use and how, for Aristotle, exchange is an extension of practical deliberation.
One of the key debates about applying virtue ethics to business is whether or not the aims and va... more One of the key debates about applying virtue ethics to business is whether or not the aims and values of a business actually prevent the exercise of virtues. Some of the more interesting disagreement in this debate has arisen amongst proponents of virtue ethics. This article analyzes the central issues of this debate in order to advance an alternative way of thinking about how a business can be a form of virtuous practice. Instead of relying on the paired concepts of internal and external goods that define what counts as virtuous, I offer a version of speech act theory taken from Paul Ricoeur to show how a business can satisfy several aims without compromising the exercise of the virtues. I refer to this as a polyvalent approach where a single task within a business can have instrumental, conventional, and imaginative effects. These effects correspond to the locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary dimensions of meaning. I argue that perlocution provides a way in which the mor...
Introduction to what Philosophy2u offers in the way of blogging, consultation, and storytelling.
... more Introduction to what Philosophy2u offers in the way of blogging, consultation, and storytelling.
The first in a series of 3 videos that explores why Plato banned the poets in the Republic. The s... more The first in a series of 3 videos that explores why Plato banned the poets in the Republic. The series covers key passages and standard interpretations. The final episode argues that Plato did not ban the poets at all.
The series is aim at undergraduate and postgraduate students who are familiar with Plato's texts.
For the entire series, please visit the Philosophy2u.com YouTube channel:
What if the well-being of the economy depended not so much on mathematical formulae and highly ab... more What if the well-being of the economy depended not so much on mathematical formulae and highly abstract models but on perceiving the philosophical significance of a basic feature of our existence? And what if this feature had been, for the most part, overlooked by economists and philosophers interested in economics?
If the disjointed state of economic affairs is due to a misalignment with the understanding of the basis of our existence, there is much that philosophical analysis can contribute to economic theory. Whilst philosophy and economic thought have had significant interrelations since Aristotle, Karl Marx was the last major philosopher to prioritize the nature of existence over the economic when he designated material necessity and our labouring capacity as foundational concepts.
Today, however, the kinds of models used by economists tend to see matters relating to philosophical conceptions of existence as external to their discipline. Similarly, much philosophical engagement with economics tends to narrow its investigation to relations and concepts internal to a given model in order to assess its coherency. At the same time, philosophers critical of economics tend to offer little more than either a condemnation of capitalism or an endorsement of Marxism. There is a need, then, for philosophy to revive the pursuit of understanding the nature of existence and its bearing on the human economy.
In this book, I show how the landed basis of our existence converges meaningfully with economics. When understood philosophically, our landed existence suggests a form of economic practice first mentioned but inchoately developed by classical economics. I argue landed existence implies seeing the surplus value generated by land as a source of public revenue. I employ phenomenology when discussing the significance of our landed existence and hermeneutics when assessing the forgotten role of land in classical and neoclassical economic theory. Whilst some books have discussed the role of land in economic history and theory, none have treated it seriously as a philosophical concept.
This book engages with the thinking of the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913–2005) in order t... more This book engages with the thinking of the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913–2005) in order to propose innovative responses to 21st century problems contributing to global conflict. Ricoeur’s ability to draw from a diverse field of philosophers and theologians and provide mediation to seemingly irreconcilable views often has both explicit and implicit practical application to socio-political questions. The contributors of this book develop critical yet productive responses through the development of Ricoeur’s thought with respect to such topics as race, environmental ethics, technology, political utopia, and reinterpreting religion.
Contributors
Olivier Abel
Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the Faculté Protestante de Théologie of Paris (France).
Pamela Sue Anderson
Reader in Philosophy of Religion, University of Oxford (UK).
Scott Davidson
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Oklahoma City University (US)
Colby Dickinson
Doctoral Researcher of the K.U. Leuven Research Fund within the Faculty of Theology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).
David Fisher
Professor of Philosophy at North Central College, Illinois (US).
Vicky Iakovou
Adjunct Lecturer in Social and Political Theory at the School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University (Greece).
Christopher Lauer
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (US).
David Lewin
Lecturer in Religious Studies and Education at Liverpool Hope University (UK).
Todd Mei
Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Kent (UK).
L. Sebastian Purcell
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at SUNY Courtland (US).
George H. Taylor
Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh (US).
Fiona Tomkinson
Assistant Professor at Yeditepe University (Turkey).
Brian Treanor
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Environmental Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles (US).
This book provides a novel interpretation of the Aristotelian understanding of work in light of t... more This book provides a novel interpretation of the Aristotelian understanding of work in light of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger. In a world of changing work patterns and the global displacement of working lifestyles, the nature of human identity and work is put under great strain. Modern conceptions of work have been restricted to issues of utility and necessity, where aims and purposes of work are reducible to the satisfaction of immediate technical and economic needs. Left unaddressed is the larger narrative context in which humans naturally seek to understand a human contribution to and responsibility for themselves, others and being as a whole. What role does human work play in the development of the world itself? Is it merely a functional activity or does it have a metaphysical and ontological calling? "Heidegger, Work, and Being" elucidates Heidegger's philosophy of work, providing a novel interpretation of the Aristotelian understanding of work in relation to Heidegger's ontology and notion of thanking. Todd S. Mei employs Heidegger's hermeneutical approach to a critique and reconstruction of an understanding of work to show that work, at its core, is an activity centred on thanking and mutual recognition. "Continuum Studies in Continental Philosophy" presents cutting-edge scholarship in the field of modern European thought. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from across the discipline.
Terror comes in many forms! None are more formidable than pigs who have evolved a human type of c... more Terror comes in many forms! None are more formidable than pigs who have evolved a human type of consciousness. This sci-fi novella follows the lives of four pigs seeking to find themselves amidst the challenges of cohabiting with their human counterparts. Philosophical banter, action, sailing, rugby . . . Pig Terrorism has it all.
We live within time, but apart from it passing or lingering too long, how much do we understand t... more We live within time, but apart from it passing or lingering too long, how much do we understand the extent to which it pervades our lives? And what should we make of the claim based on physics that time does not pass, and therefore, that our experience of it doing so is really an illusion? Graeme A. Forbes (University of Kent) is a metaphysician of time (and much more!) who helps us gain some clarity on the human experience of time
It is often assumed that science provides the most accurate knowledge about nature. This view not... more It is often assumed that science provides the most accurate knowledge about nature. This view not only collapses distinctions between different forms of knowing but also results in a paradox whereby understanding what it means to exist in the world is dictated by practitioners of science. In this essay I argue for the relevance of an existential conception of nature via the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, and how his notions of thrownness and phusis enable us to recognize a certain ethical bond to nature. I conclude with a critical analysis of liability insurance and actuarial science to demonstrate my points. There is an inherent tension, if not paradox, in how we conceive nature as something accessible by virtue of its being 'natural,' and thus in conformity with our given senses, while believing at the same time that ever improving methods of analysis in the sciences provide more accurate knowledge of nature not accessible by means of the unaided human senses. Alasdair Ma...
Western philosophical accounts of work tend to focus on necessity as its chief defining attribute... more Western philosophical accounts of work tend to focus on necessity as its chief defining attribute. The relation of work to the question of the meaning of being is therefore circumscribed by the ways in which work can be said to fulfill necessary ends. There are two consequences of this view which delineate the philosophy of work. Work is either merely necessary for existence in order for us to be able to engage in higher activities—a view attributed to Aristotle. Or, work is the principal activity defining human existence as such—the thesis advocated by Karl Marx. This chapter examines the arguments of each view. The chapter concludes with an alternative account attempting to forge a more substantial role for work in relation to the meaning of being: work is essentially metaphorical in nature as opposed to being only necessary.
Given the events of 2008 and thereafter, perhaps no topic is timelier for philosophical scrutiny ... more Given the events of 2008 and thereafter, perhaps no topic is timelier for philosophical scrutiny than the economy. Yet, for the well-read non-specialist, the feat of gaining a basic understanding of economics, let alone a critical one, seems near impossible given the complexity of economic calculus and models. Add to this the fact that economics concerns everyday, practical activities and one cannot help but feel this predicament is not only frustrating, but uncanny in the most disconcerting sense. Should an activity basic to everyday life be so problematic when it comes to acquiring a critical grasp of it?
A general tension in contemporary aesthetics can be described as existing between objective truth... more A general tension in contemporary aesthetics can be described as existing between objective truth claims and historical relativity. The former is generally represented by the Enlightenment approaches and its descendants that ground aesthetic judgment in rationality. The latter characterizes the postmodern appeal to historicity and the exposure of historical prejudice. Following mostly the hermeneutical philosophy of Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur, and Dupre, this paper argues how aesthetic theory, defined by either pole, inadequately accounts for historicity. In response to this critique, this paper attempts to navigate between these two poles in returning to an analysis of the nature of history and its phenomenological and ontological significance. It is in the very depth of the historical experience that aesthetics gains its greatest fecundity by means of its commitment to meaning and communication within history.
Aristotle’s economic thinking in the Nicomachean Ethics 5.5 and Politics 1 provides one of the ea... more Aristotle’s economic thinking in the Nicomachean Ethics 5.5 and Politics 1 provides one of the earliest analyses of the economic nature exchange. Establishing the significance of Aristotle in this area has often led modern commentators to equate Aristotle’s descriptive analysis of use and exchange to the definitions of use-value and exchange-value as it is found in Karl Marx. In this article, I show that Aristotle’s understanding of use and exchange is qualitatively different from this interpretation, focusing in particular on the ethical nature of use and how, for Aristotle, exchange is an extension of practical deliberation.
One of the key debates about applying virtue ethics to business is whether or not the aims and va... more One of the key debates about applying virtue ethics to business is whether or not the aims and values of a business actually prevent the exercise of virtues. Some of the more interesting disagreement in this debate has arisen amongst proponents of virtue ethics. This article analyzes the central issues of this debate in order to advance an alternative way of thinking about how a business can be a form of virtuous practice. Instead of relying on the paired concepts of internal and external goods that define what counts as virtuous, I offer a version of speech act theory taken from Paul Ricoeur to show how a business can satisfy several aims without compromising the exercise of the virtues. I refer to this as a polyvalent approach where a single task within a business can have instrumental, conventional, and imaginative effects. These effects correspond to the locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary dimensions of meaning. I argue that perlocution provides a way in which the mor...
In a recent lecture given to the Humanities faculty at the University of Kent, the ever-provocati... more In a recent lecture given to the Humanities faculty at the University of Kent, the ever-provocative British philosopher, Roger Scruton, argued that most Continental philosophy is nothing more than extreme nonsense, or what he adamantly referred to as meta-merde. Continental ...
Typically, there have been three ways of responding to problems of fairness in matters of distrib... more Typically, there have been three ways of responding to problems of fairness in matters of distributive justice: the reconstruction of the process of public scrutiny and debate so that it is sensitive to difference; the safeguarding of difference; and the task of rethinking the face-to-face dynamics of debate. The first two projects tend to have significant shortcomings with respect to assumptions about identity and language, which I discuss elsewhere. The third project, which is generally hermeneutical with its emphasis on dialogue and interpretation, appears promising since it attempts to respect diverse languages as well as how this diversity radically changes what we might think it means to understand what another person or group is attempting to say. The complexity of public debate, nonetheless, goes much deeper than merely a difference between identities and language games since conflicts at this level arise from what I refer to as an existential commitment—i.e., an avowal conc...
This chapter examines Paul Ricoeur's contribution to understanding the relation between relig... more This chapter examines Paul Ricoeur's contribution to understanding the relation between religion and atheism. In particular, it provides an analysis of how Ricoeur sees atheism articulating essential criticisms of religion via Nietzsche, Marx, and Freud that give rise to a new conception of religion and faith.
What if the well-being of the economy depended not so much on mathematical formulae and highly ab... more What if the well-being of the economy depended not so much on mathematical formulae and highly abstract models but on perceiving the philosophical significance of a basic feature of our existence? And what if this feature had been, for the most part, overlooked by economists and philosophers interested in economics? If the disjointed state of economic affairs is due to a misalignment with the understanding of the basis of our existence, there is much that philosophical analysis can contribute to economic theory. Whilst philosophy and economic thought have had significant interrelations since Aristotle, Karl Marx was the last major philosopher to prioritize the nature of existence over the economic when he designated material necessity and our labouring capacity as foundational concepts. Today, however, the kinds of models used by economists tend to see matters relating to philosophical conceptions of existence as external to their discipline. Similarly, much philosophical engagement...
Poststructural criticisms of classical and neoclassical economic conceptions of human motivation ... more Poststructural criticisms of classical and neoclassical economic conceptions of human motivation and agency often include rejections of how market exchange is conceived to involve only the desires and rationality of a solitary human agent. While many of these criticisms are illuminating, they also tend not to offer a positive, constructive alternative. In this chapter, I discuss the contributions of Paul Ricoeur's understanding of mutual recognition and how it can be used--albeit perhaps despite Ricoeur's own intention and critical assessment of economics--to retrieve a theory of exchange in which mutuality is possible. My analysis consists of five sections. First, I recapitulate Ricoeur’s criticism of exchange. Second, I examine how the economist Richard Ebeling attempts to read mutuality in exchange through the hermeneutics of Ricoeur and why this attempt fails. Third, I revive Ricoeur’s broader conception of value in relation to care for the other. This allows me, in the ...
One of the problems affecting the current state of theology as an academic discipline concerns ho... more One of the problems affecting the current state of theology as an academic discipline concerns how secular discourse has directed the way theologians respond to provocations from their critics. An 'either/or' dilemma emerges: Do theologians attempt to maintain the integrity of theology by refusing to compromise on terminology, concepts, and practices? Or, do they make an attempt at some type of revision through which theology can accommodate and respond directly to these criticisms? The former maintains integrity with the risk of remaining parochial and irrelevant to secular concerns. The latter allows for the application of theology but with the danger of reducing theology to something it is not.
One of the problems affecting the current state of theology as an academic discipline concerns ho... more One of the problems affecting the current state of theology as an academic discipline concerns how secular discourse has directed the way theologians respond to provocations from their critics. An 'either/or' dilemma emerges: Do theologians attempt to maintain the integrity of theology by refusing to compromise on terminology, concepts, and practices? Or, do they make an attempt at some type of revision through which theology can accommodate and respond directly to these criticisms? The former maintains integrity with the risk of remaining parochial and irrelevant to secular concerns. The latter allows for the application of theology but with the danger of reducing theology to something it is not.
In a recent lecture given to the Humanities faculty at the University of Kent, the ever-provocati... more In a recent lecture given to the Humanities faculty at the University of Kent, the ever-provocative British philosopher, Roger Scruton, argued that most Continental philosophy is nothing more than extreme nonsense, or what he adamantly referred to as meta-merde. Continental ...
Uploads
Videos by Todd Mei
Please visit the site for more information:
https://www.philosophy2u.com
YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5rauMImG_7TyBd6vFrbcPg/videos
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Philosophy2u-102908538449059
The series is aim at undergraduate and postgraduate students who are familiar with Plato's texts.
For the entire series, please visit the Philosophy2u.com YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5rauMImG_7TyBd6vFrbcPg/videos
Books by Todd Mei
If the disjointed state of economic affairs is due to a misalignment with the understanding of the basis of our existence, there is much that philosophical analysis can contribute to economic theory. Whilst philosophy and economic thought have had significant interrelations since Aristotle, Karl Marx was the last major philosopher to prioritize the nature of existence over the economic when he designated material necessity and our labouring capacity as foundational concepts.
Today, however, the kinds of models used by economists tend to see matters relating to philosophical conceptions of existence as external to their discipline. Similarly, much philosophical engagement with economics tends to narrow its investigation to relations and concepts internal to a given model in order to assess its coherency. At the same time, philosophers critical of economics tend to offer little more than either a condemnation of capitalism or an endorsement of Marxism. There is a need, then, for philosophy to revive the pursuit of understanding the nature of existence and its bearing on the human economy.
In this book, I show how the landed basis of our existence converges meaningfully with economics. When understood philosophically, our landed existence suggests a form of economic practice first mentioned but inchoately developed by classical economics. I argue landed existence implies seeing the surplus value generated by land as a source of public revenue. I employ phenomenology when discussing the significance of our landed existence and hermeneutics when assessing the forgotten role of land in classical and neoclassical economic theory. Whilst some books have discussed the role of land in economic history and theory, none have treated it seriously as a philosophical concept.
Contributors
Olivier Abel
Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the Faculté Protestante de Théologie of Paris (France).
Pamela Sue Anderson
Reader in Philosophy of Religion, University of Oxford (UK).
Scott Davidson
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Oklahoma City University (US)
Colby Dickinson
Doctoral Researcher of the K.U. Leuven Research Fund within the Faculty of Theology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).
David Fisher
Professor of Philosophy at North Central College, Illinois (US).
Vicky Iakovou
Adjunct Lecturer in Social and Political Theory at the School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University (Greece).
Christopher Lauer
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (US).
David Lewin
Lecturer in Religious Studies and Education at Liverpool Hope University (UK).
Todd Mei
Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Kent (UK).
L. Sebastian Purcell
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at SUNY Courtland (US).
George H. Taylor
Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh (US).
Fiona Tomkinson
Assistant Professor at Yeditepe University (Turkey).
Brian Treanor
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Environmental Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles (US).
Reviews
by Robert Farrow (The Open University, UK)
http://www.marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviewofbooks/reviews/2010/157
Papers by Todd Mei
Please visit the site for more information:
https://www.philosophy2u.com
YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5rauMImG_7TyBd6vFrbcPg/videos
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Philosophy2u-102908538449059
The series is aim at undergraduate and postgraduate students who are familiar with Plato's texts.
For the entire series, please visit the Philosophy2u.com YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5rauMImG_7TyBd6vFrbcPg/videos
If the disjointed state of economic affairs is due to a misalignment with the understanding of the basis of our existence, there is much that philosophical analysis can contribute to economic theory. Whilst philosophy and economic thought have had significant interrelations since Aristotle, Karl Marx was the last major philosopher to prioritize the nature of existence over the economic when he designated material necessity and our labouring capacity as foundational concepts.
Today, however, the kinds of models used by economists tend to see matters relating to philosophical conceptions of existence as external to their discipline. Similarly, much philosophical engagement with economics tends to narrow its investigation to relations and concepts internal to a given model in order to assess its coherency. At the same time, philosophers critical of economics tend to offer little more than either a condemnation of capitalism or an endorsement of Marxism. There is a need, then, for philosophy to revive the pursuit of understanding the nature of existence and its bearing on the human economy.
In this book, I show how the landed basis of our existence converges meaningfully with economics. When understood philosophically, our landed existence suggests a form of economic practice first mentioned but inchoately developed by classical economics. I argue landed existence implies seeing the surplus value generated by land as a source of public revenue. I employ phenomenology when discussing the significance of our landed existence and hermeneutics when assessing the forgotten role of land in classical and neoclassical economic theory. Whilst some books have discussed the role of land in economic history and theory, none have treated it seriously as a philosophical concept.
Contributors
Olivier Abel
Professor of Philosophy and Ethics at the Faculté Protestante de Théologie of Paris (France).
Pamela Sue Anderson
Reader in Philosophy of Religion, University of Oxford (UK).
Scott Davidson
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Oklahoma City University (US)
Colby Dickinson
Doctoral Researcher of the K.U. Leuven Research Fund within the Faculty of Theology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium).
David Fisher
Professor of Philosophy at North Central College, Illinois (US).
Vicky Iakovou
Adjunct Lecturer in Social and Political Theory at the School of Humanities, Hellenic Open University (Greece).
Christopher Lauer
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hawaii at Hilo (US).
David Lewin
Lecturer in Religious Studies and Education at Liverpool Hope University (UK).
Todd Mei
Lecturer in Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Kent (UK).
L. Sebastian Purcell
Assistant Professor in Philosophy at SUNY Courtland (US).
George H. Taylor
Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh (US).
Fiona Tomkinson
Assistant Professor at Yeditepe University (Turkey).
Brian Treanor
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Environmental Studies at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles (US).
Reviews
by Robert Farrow (The Open University, UK)
http://www.marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviewofbooks/reviews/2010/157