The Positive Mind: Its Development and Impact on Modernity and Postmodernity

Evaldas Nekrašas

Published by Central European University Press 2016

The Positive Mind

Its Development and Impact on Modernity and Postmodernity

Evaldas Nekrašas

https://doi.org/10.1515/9789633860823

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book is a radical reappraisal of positivism as a major movement in philosophy, science and culture. In examining positivist movement and its contemporary impact, I had the following goals. First, to provide a more precise and systematic definition of the notion of positivism. Second, to describe positivism as a trend of thought concerned not only with the theory of knowledge and philosophy of science, but also with problems of ethics, social, and political philosophy, and show that its representatives usually thought that the problems of the latter cannot be solved without solving the former first. Third, to examine the development of positivism as a movement which preserves a certain tradition and hence possesses some coherence, although the forms of this movement changed in different historical circumstances: it was born in the eighteenth century during the Enlightenment, took the form of social positivism in the nineteenth century, was transformed at the turn of the twentieth century with the emergence of empirio-criticism, and became logical positivism (or logical empiricism) in the twentieth century. Fourth, to reveal the external and internal factors of this evolution. Fifth, to disclose the relation of positivism to other trends of philosophy. Sixth, to determine the influence the positive mind had not only upon philosophy, but upon other cultural phenomena, such as the natural and social sciences, law, politics, arts, religion, and everyday life.

Author / Editor information

Nekrašas Evaldas :

Evaldas Nekrašas is Professor Emeritus and Head of the Department of International Relations and Professor of Philosophy at Vilnius University. He is a fellow of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and author of several books on philosophy.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
Introduction: The Notion of Positivism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Part One: Development
1. Early Positivism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
2. Classical or Social Positivism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
3. From Classical to Modern Positivism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
4. Modern or Logical Positivism Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	129
Part Two: Impact
5. Positivism, Its Critics and Rivals Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	209
6. The Impact of the Positive Mind Outside Philosophy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	287
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	347
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	361

Language: English
Publisher: Central European University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 384
Keywords: 18th century; 19th century; 20th century; History of science; Philosophy

eBook

Published: January 1, 2016
ISBN: 9789633860823