Customer Reviews:
A Constellation of Logical Gems--and More.......2006-06-07
People interested in the history and philosophy of logic will want to own this tour-de-force of selecting and editing. It contains large parts of Peirce's two most important contributions to mathematical logic: the 1880 "On the Algebra of Logic" and the 1885 "On the Algebra of Logic: A Contribution to the Philosophy of Notation" --both published in the American Journal of Mathematics, the same journal that brought out Russell's 1908 paper on the theory of types. Besides these two technical papers, which were influential in the development of mathematical logic, it also contains several more papers essential to understanding Peirce's philosophy of logic.
Foundation material for how we think.......2001-08-22
I came to this book because I was inspired by "the Metaphysical Club" to learn more about the roots of pragmatism. The book is challenging. The Metaphysical Club points out that William James did not understand Peirce at first, so it is a bit much for mere mortals. It is especially daunting because the first essay is written with respect to Kant's categories, not something I know off of the top-of-my head.
However, as the books progresses many of the things that are assumed in the first essay are explained. For instance Peirce explains in detail what he means by a sign.
He discusses cognition, or consciousness and shows that logically our internal experience is based on external stimulation. It soon becomes impossible to ignore the fact that you are reading the works of a logician and that that is where he is coming from. But even though you might have to reread parts several times, once you master the arguements, it is satisfying indeed.
According to the introduction of the book and references, Peirce was influential. William James, Oliver Wendel Holmes and John Dewey were all influenced by him. Modern cognitive psychology owes much to William James. Psychology took a different direction through psychoanalysis and then behaviorism but cognitive psychology is now the dominate paradigm. Because of this Peirce has renewed importance.
My advice is to read it through once and not feel you have to get everything and the reread it because he explains things later that he assmes you know earlier.
Book Description
In this book, T. L. Short corrects widespread misconceptions of Peirce’s theory of signs and demonstrates its relevance to contemporary analytic philosophy of language, mind, and science. Peirce’s theory of mind, naturalistic but nonreductive, bears on debates of Fodor and Millikan, among others. His theory of inquiry avoids foundationalism and subjectivism, while his account of reference anticipated views of Kripke and Putnam. Peirce’s realism falls between ‘internal’ and ‘metaphysical’ realism and is more satisfactory than either. His pragmatism is not verificationism; rather, it identifies meaning with potential growth of knowledge. Short distinguishes Peirce’s mature theory of signs from his better-known but paradoxical early theory. He develops the mature theory systematically on the basis of Peirce's phenomenological categories and concept of final causation. The latter is distinguished from recent and similar views, such as Brandon’s, and is shown to be grounded in forms of explanation adopted in modern science.
Customer Reviews:
My 2nd most important gardening book.......2006-03-06
I love this book. I have never read it all the way through, but rather I look up things that I am interested in.
The seed company (and variety) recommendations are likely out of date.
I really appreciate Peirce's reports about her experiences with different plants.
A Wonderful Book --Particularly for those in the SF Bay Area.......2001-09-28
This is a good book both for the avid gardener as well as the beginner. I've given this book as gifts to many people throughout the SF Bay area and everyone has loved this book!It is particularly a good gift if they grow vegetables and have had limited success in some aspects of gardening such as trying to grow tomotoes the coastal areas of the Bay Area. This book has growing charts of when to plant and harvest, best varieties for the bay area, and covers points to explain the many microclimates even within the same city.
A great book with lots of pointers. Note that this is not a book to compete with Sunset's Western Garden Book but rather to supplement it. This book doesn't have the details with regard to horticultural specifics.
The idiots' OR experts' guide to Bay Area gardening........1997-09-28
So this past spring I decided, once and for all, that I wanted to start a garden. I had no experience in this subject, and I searched for a good book at the library. I found this book. I ended up renewing it five times, and finally ordering it from Amazon.com. It has truly been a life saver. What I like best is the way the book is laid out, with sections on vegetables, fruits, and flowers, as well as special sections on pests and other problems. The book is well organized and the index points the reader in the right directions, making it easy to find what I'm looking for down to the tiniest detail. The charts make it clear which San Francisco Bay Area microclimates are suitable for which plants, and the book explains down to the tiniest detail how to start plants, transplant them, grow them, and harvest them. At the same time that this book is informative beyond all my original expections, is also excels in not being condescending (one of my pet peeves). I believe it is the perfect book for the seasoned gardener just moving into the area, the seasoned gardener in need of more detailed information, and someone like me, with no gardening experience whatsoever.
helpful regional grow guide for S.F. area food gardeners.......1997-06-16
Don't let the cumbersome title scare you away from this handy book for Bay Area and coastal California gardeners. Pam Pierce understands the unique Mediterranean microclimate(s) of our great gardening region, and offers sound advice on what to grow, when and how to grow it best. Very helpful and well-organized.
Havi Hoffman
Vegetable Gardens
Growing food in Berkeley, CA
Book Description
Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) is rapidly becoming recognized as the greatest American philosopher. At the center of his philosophy was a revolutionary model of the way human beings think. Peirce, a logician, challenged traditional models by describing thoughts not as "ideas" but as "signs," external to the self and without meaning unless interpreted by a subsequent thought. His general theory of signs—or semiotic—is especially pertinent to methodologies currently being debated in many disciplines.
This anthology, the first one-volume work devoted to Peirce's writings on semiotic, provides a much-needed, basic introduction to a complex aspect of his work. James Hoopes has selected the most authoritative texts and supplemented them with informative headnotes. His introduction explains the place of Peirce's semiotic in the history of philosophy and compares Peirce's theory of signs to theories developed in literature and linguistics.
Book Description
The unprecedented political power of the Ottoman imperial harem in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries is widely viewed as illegitimate and corrupting. This book examines the sources of royal women's power and assesses the reactions of contemporaries, which ranged from loyal devotion to armed opposition. By examining political action in the context of household networks, Leslie Peirce demonstrates that female power was a logical, indeed an intended, consequence of political structures. Royal women were custodians of sovereign power, training their sons in its use and exercising it directly as regents when necessary. Furthermore, they played central roles in the public culture of sovereignty--royal ceremonial, monumental building, and patronage of artistic production. The Imperial Harem argues that the exercise of political power was tied to definitions of sexuality. Within the dynasty, the hierarchy of female power, like the hierarchy of male power, reflected the broader society's control for social control of the sexually active.
Customer Reviews:
A new vision of the Harem.......2007-05-13
This is an excellent book. It is about the Harem, but not about fantasies or orientalist vision, its about power. It is an excellent investigation that worries about the structure and the vision of power in the Ottoman dinasty. Th sexual reproduction and the administration of the royal household was not only a matter of the palace but a matter of the imperial structure itself. Working from inside the harem, sultanas, concubines and princes determinated the reproduction of power in the Ottoman imperial family, and also in the Empire as a whole.
Bravo Aleik!
Women and Power within the Ottoman Empire........2003-03-13
First off the book explains WHY female harems existed in the first place. The simple answer is this. If the sovereign gets married to a Princess of another power that power could lay claim to the throne. BUT if he has offspring with a bunch of slaves, women who are not of the Muslim faith and are not linked to powerful families, than outsiders could not lay claim to the throne by right of blood.
Yet don't think these concubines were powerless. In fact, through their sons and daughters, through networks based on retainers, son-in-laws and slaves, they gained great influence and wealth. Mothers of princes, wives and royal mothers to the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, they were a big part of the inner workings and political events within the palace.
They were eyes and ears of the Sultan when he was away, they were symbols of benevolence and powerful diplomats for the Empire, they were tutors and guardians for their sons.
The book has a helpful glossary, a two page genealogical chart, two maps and is VERY detailed. I would suggest this book ONLY to people interested in the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East or women in history. It is also VERY dry.
A serious look at the lives of women in Ottoman Turkey.......2000-09-16
This book might be a disappointment to someone looking for gossip about life in the harem as envisioned by writers of fiction. But for anyone really interested in understanding the role of women and the domestic household in the royal court of a great Muslim Empire, this is the real thing, brilliantly researched and thoughtfully presented.
A disappointment...much to my suprise.......2000-08-21
I found this book to be boring. Plain and simple. This book read like a college text book and not a colorful interpretation of Ottoman life.
I have read other interpretations of historical periods and found that the ones that read like a novel and not like a book for geared towards individuals studying for their doctorial thesis are more interesting and allow the average reader the opportunity to truly develop a sense of history.
Superb scholarship, eloquently written book........1998-10-27
Even a non-expert like myself can appreciate the superb scholarship and eloquent style of a book about the Ottoman Imperial harem. A topic, about which too little is written and what little there is, tends to be fiction. I hope to see more books about Ottoman history and culture.
Book Description
Pam Peirce pinpoints 50 often overlooked main plant species that effortlessly add dazzle to gardens throughout Northern California. These tough yet beautiful plants bloom yearlong and persevere in gardens despite neglect, drought, or frost. This book profiles these “regional survivors," spotlighting such plants as calla lilies, nasturtiums, cineraria, and more. A resource for all gardeners, it includes chapters on the history, climate, and care of plants, as well as weeds, annuals, perennials, bulbs, succulents/cactus, and shrubs. It also contains lists of other well-adapted plants beyond those in the 50 species profiled.
Customer Reviews:
Vastly irresponsible writing.......2007-03-27
The book is more full of what not to plant then what to plant. If the recommendations for planting are followed the gardener will end up with aggressive weeds that are "wildly successful."
How to Grow Non-native WEEDS.......2006-05-17
The title of the book is so great! Who wouldn't want to grow Wildly Successful Plants? However most of the plants listed in the book are non-native and the author does caution against planting the ones that are invasive. Sometimes a plant that is so successful that it grows everywhere and takes over is really a weed. This is a fine book as long as one takes precautions against letting the invasive plants take over.
I Love this book.......2006-04-18
I keep this book close at hand. Being an amateur gardener, I found much of the information in this book to be particularly useful and relevant for living in Northern California. The author covers everything from the 6 different "hardiness zones" in Northern California to proper garden maintenance, and provides a huge colorful array of plants and flowers which will thrive in your garden.
Divided into 7 sections, such as "perennials", each plant has impressive descriptions-- water needs, light needs, hardiness, bloom time, height and spread, etc. The photography of each plant is wonderful, and really allows you to see each plant, and how you might be able to incorporate it into your garden or landscaping.
"Toxic Plants *in* Northern California: What Not to Plant!".......2006-04-07
I am thoroughly disappointed in this book. I was seduced by the word "successful" in the title. A better word which more accurately tells what's in this book is "TOXIC." A better title would be "Toxic Plants *in* Northern California: What Not to Plant!" Note that I didn't say "Toxic Plants *of* Northern California" -- many plants here are not "OF California" and are regrettably already "IN California" as unwanted pests.
A bunch of these plants mentioned you should NOT plant because they invade wild habitats, or are hard to remove, or are weeds or borderline weeds, or natives of other continents, or are a nuisance, or are otherwise plants of ill-repute when located in California -- plants which do NOT belong in ANY California garden due to their high levels of risk and danger to native ecosystems. As the author says, many are close to being put on a California Exotic Pest Plant Council's "don't use" plant list, if they are not on already.
The author goes to a lot of trouble highlighting certain plants, then turns around and gives good reasons why they should NOT be planted in California gardens -- in my opinion, many are clearly UNWISE and/or IRRESPONSIBLE to purposely plant in one's garden. So why write such a book? If you want a book to tell what NOT TO PLANT in Northern California, this is the book for you -- I didn't expect this sort of emphasis and wasted $16.
Three better books:
1) East Bay Municipal District's "Plants and Landscapes for Summer-dry Climates"
ISBN 0-9753231-1-3
2) Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O'Brien's "California Native Plants for the Garden"
ISBN 0-9628505-8-6
3) Sunset's "California Top 10 Garden Guide"
ISBN 0-376-03529-3
Book Description
Science, material, idealism, pragmaticism, history of scientific thought. With Buchler's book, best way to approach notoriously cryptic philosopher. Features 24 selections including "The Place of Our Age in the History of Civilization," "Questions Concerning Certain Faculties Claimed for Man," "Some Consequences of Four Incapacities," and "The Fixation of Belief."
Customer Reviews:
A well written basic overview of Peirce's writing........1998-12-20
This book covers the early work of Charles Sanders Peirce, the father of Pragmatism. Starting with his seminal work on signs and triadic relations, this book covers a smattering of topics from the importance of conveying what we mean to the concept of Pragmaticism. As the recognized founder of american philosophy, this book shows a diverse picture of the work created by this remarkable man.
Book Description
Christopher Hookway presents a series of studies of themes from the work of the great American philosopher Charles S. Peirce (1839-1913), often described as the founder of pragmatism. These themes concern how we are able to investigate the world rationally; and, as Hookway shows, the ideas introduced by Peirce can still make fruitful contributions to research in philosophy, logic and semiotics. After an extended examination of Peirce's account of truth, and of its relations to his ideas about logic, reference, and representation, Hookway discusses his claims that rationality requires a system of 'scientific metaphysics'. The second half of the book studies the role of common sense, sentiments, and emotions in rationality. It concludes with discussions of Peirce's approach to religious belief and the role of pragmatism in his thought. These compelling essays present the fruits of fifteen years of research on Peirce, but do so in a way that makes his ideas accessible and relevant for philosophers who are not specialists in the history of American thought. The introduction offers a general sketch of Peirce's philosophy as a way into the book for such readers, and draws together the themes of the essays.
Books:
- The Federalist
- The Ghost Map
- The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering: A Story for Anyone Who Thinks She Can't Save the World
- The House of Rothschild: Volume 1: Money's Prophets: 1798-1848
- The Importance of What We Care About: Philosophical Essays
- The Marriage Game: A Novel
- The Origins of Totalitarianism
- The Parallax View (Short Circuits)
- The Philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer (Library of Living Philosophers, Vol 24)
- The Primacy of Perception: And Other Essays on Phenomenological Psychology, the Philosophy of Art, History and Politics (SPEP)
Books Index
Books Home
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The Essential Peirce: Selected Philosophical Writings (1867-1893)
The Cambridge Companion to Peirce (Cambridge Companions to Philosophy)
Peirce on Signs: Writings on Semiotic By Charles Sanders Peirce
Philosophical Writings of Peirce
Charles Sanders Peirce: A Life
