Worlds of Truth: A Philosophy of Knowledge explicates andbuilds upon a half century of philosophical work by the notedphilosopher Israel Scheffler. Propounds a new doctrine of plurealism which maintainsthe existence of multiple real worlds Offers a defense of absolute truth, which denies certainty andeschews absolutism, and defends systematic relativity, objectivity,and fallibilism Emphasizes a wide range of pragmatic interests: epistemologyand scientific development, cognition and emotion, science andethics, ritual and culture, and art and science

About the Contributor(s): Israel Scheffler is Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education and Philosophy Emeritus at Harvard University. He taught philosophy at Harvard from 1952 to 1992 and, from 1983 to 2003, was codirector, then director of the Philosophy of Education Research Center there. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a founding member of the National Academy of Education, and a past president of both the Philosophy of Science Association and the Charles S. Peirce Society. Among his previous books are ""The Anatomy of Inquiry""( 1963), ""Four Pragmatists""(1974), ""Of Human Potential""(1985), ""In Praise of the Cognitive Emotions""(1991), and ""Worlds of Truth""(2009). His main interests lie in the philosophical interpretation of language, symbolism, science, and education.

Exhibits to the highest degree that commitment to rationality that scheffler is so at pains to argue on bhalf of. No viewpoint is misrepresented: there is meticulous concern to state the issues. -- Philosophical Books

Symbolism is a primary characteristic of the mind, deployed and displayed in every aspect of our thought and culture. In this important and broad-ranging book, Israel Scheffler explores the various ways in which the mind functions symbolically. This involves considering not only the world of science and the arts, but also such activities as religious ritual and child's play. The book offers an integrated treatment of ambiguity and metaphor, analyses of play and ritual, and an extended discussion of the relations between scientific symbol systems and reality. What emerges is a picture of the basic symbol-forming character of the mind. In addition to philosophers of art and science, likely readers of this book will include students of linguistics, semiotics, anthropology, religion, and psychology.

Israel Scheffler is the pre-eminent philosopher of education in the English-speaking world today. This volume collects seventeen original, invited papers on Scheffler's philosophy of education by scholars from around the world. The papers address the wide range of topics that Scheffler's work in philosophy of education has addressed, including the aims of education, cognition and emotion, teaching, the language of education, science education, moral education, religious education, and human potential. Each paper is followed by a response from Scheffler himself. The collection is essential reading for anyone concerned with contemporary scholarship in philosophy of education, or with the place of this singularly important author in it.

This volume offers a vivid personal account of eminent philosophers and educators with whom the author has interacted over the half century of his academic career at Harvard. It recalls the personalities and ideas of landmark thinkers of the recent past, thus counteracting the prevalent amnesia of research universities. It reflects on the educational impact of the scholars' styles of teaching as well as the varied approaches embodied in their academic practice. In addition, it affords insights into the human workings of universities and the varieties of scholarship in the continuing quest of shared understanding.The book includes fourteen photographs of scholars portrayed in the book."The book offers a rare glimpse from the inside of the most significant intellectual milieu of the Western world, and the insights of one of Harvard philosophy's most distinguished members. As such it will be of great interest to readers both from within and outside the academy."Harvey Siegel, Department of Philosophy, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA"Professor Scheffler writes wonderfully about an impressive array of famous scholars. His portraits are vivid, detailed, exact, often quite amusing, and 'just right' in terms of length and range."David Hansen, Teachers College, Columbia University, NY, USA"This is the work of a gifted writer, an important contribution to the fields of philosophy and philosophy of education on both sides of the Atlantic. [...] The strongest aspects of the work are the weaving together of personalities and ideas in a quasi-historical narrative, together with a look back at what the life of the mind meant in one professional's work."Steve Tozer, UIC College of Education, Chicago, IL, USAnbsp;

This collection of essays defends the ideal of rationality, but insists that rationality is not to be identified with a mental faculty or a mechanism of inference, but taken rather as the capacity to grasp principles and purposes and to evaluate them in the light of relevant reasons.

First published in 1963, this title considers the philosophical problems encountered when attempting to provide a clear and general explanation of scientific principles, and the basic confrontation between such principles and experience. Beginning with a detailed introduction that considers various approaches to the philosophy and theory of science, Israel Scheffler then divides his study into three key sections – Explanation, Significance and Confirmation – that explore how these complex issues involved have been dealt with in contemporary research. This title, by one of America’s leading philosophers, will provide a valuable analysis of the theory and problems surrounding the Philosophy of Science.

The concept of potential plays a prominent role in the thinking of parents, educators and planners the world over. Although this concept accurately reflects central features of human nature, its current use perpetuates traditional myths of fixity, harmony and value, calculated to cause untold mischief in social and educational practice. First published in 1985, Israel Scheffler's book aims to demythologise the concept of potential. He shows its roots in genuine aspects of human nature, but at the same time frees it from outworn philosophical myths by means of analytical reconstruction - thereby improving both its theoretical and its practical applicability. The book concludes with an interpretation of policy-making in education, and reflections on the ideal education of a policy-maker. It emphasises human symbolism, choice, temporal continuity, and self-determination as indispensible elements of any adequate philosophy of education. Of Human Potential will be of interest to a broad range of philosophers, educators and social scientists.