Browsing by Author "Fried, Gregory"

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    Absurdity in the Early 21 Century
    (2010) Jurgens, Francois; Galgut, Elisa; Fried, Gregory
    This essay argues against contemporary theorists who claim that the concept of Absurdity that flourished in Western Europe in the 1940s is now of purely historical interest. It is argued instead that while it is important to locate the concept of Absurdity in an appropriate historical context, people living in the early twenty-first century are, in fact, living within an historical period that makes the experience, and thus the concept, of Absurdity relevant again. While Absurdity in the 1940s involved a loss of certainty due to the role the Second World War played in undermining secular and religious beliefs, Absurdity in the twenty-first century involves a loss of certainty due to intense exposure to alternative points of view. This loss of certainty means that when one's typical point of view is brought into relief by an atypical perspective, one struggles to reaffirm one's typical perspective. This robust clash of perspectives strikes at the heart of the way in which we understand the world and ourselves, forming part of the experience that has come to be known as Absurdity. If the analysis of Absurdity that is offered in this essay is correct, then Absurdity is best understood as a personal epistemological condition, rather than a universal metaphysical condition that affects all people simply in virtue of their being human.
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    A critial exploration of Philip Pettit's theory of group agency
    (2013) Townsend, L; Fried, Gregory
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    EXCEPT FOR BREATH: Reflections on Image and Memory
    (2019) Bestall, Lucienne; Fried, Gregory
    No abstract.
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    Five great philosophical questions
    (2014-06-19) Fried, Gregory
    One striking feature of philosophy is that it deals with some of our deepest questions. Famous examples include ‘Does God exist?’ ‘How are the mind and body related?’ ‘Can we have free will?’ ‘What is it to be moral?’ and ‘When, if ever, should speech be censored?’ This course will introduce philosophy by raising these five questions and discussing important responses to them. The questions have been selected from various areas of philosophy and we will consider responses by scholars from medieval times to the present. As philosophers, we are interested not only in what our fellow philosophers argue, but also in whether we accept their arguments. Participants will therefore be encouraged to think about these ideas themselves. LECTURE TITLES 1. Does God exist? St Anselm’s ontological argument 2. How are the mind and body related? Descartes’ dualism 3. Can we have free will? Debates on the nature and existence of free will 4. What is it to be moral? Utilitarianism and its critics 5. When, if ever, should speech be censored? Mill on liberty Recommended reading Nagel, T. 1987. What Does it all Mean? A Very Short Introduction to Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press. Law, S. 2011. The Complete Philosophy Files. London: Orion. Blackburn, S. 1999. Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Blackburn, S. 2001. Being Good: A Short Introduction to Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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    The sharp edges of everything
    (2015) Berti, Daniel Jonathan; Fried, Gregory
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    The theory of forms and Plato's ethics
    (2012) Sinclaire, Jennifer; Fried, Gregory
    The aims of this dissertation are to uncover and analyse potential links between ethics and metaphysics - specifically, the theory of Forms - in the dialogues of Plato. Drawing on material from a wide range of Plato 's works, I investigate possible ways in which his theory of Forms might, at a very general level, converge with his moral theory.