Kirjahaku

Postmodernism has convinced people that there is no way to determine what is true. However, this is false and has led to the progressive erosion of civility in society, in part because what we assume determines what questions we ask and what we see as data. Postmodernism is inherently self-contradicting and detrimental to social cohesion and civil behaviour.Habermas' critical theory, coupled with the theory of action Gerry Ewert presents here, establishes a practical way to determine what is and is not true-providing one is actually interested in what is true, independent of what one wishes to be true. A Practical Philosopher's Approach to Critical Theory walks through some of the conceptual fundamentals undergirding assumptions people make about reality as an introduction to the major issue of the question, "What is truth?" Habermas' critical theory is used as a framework through which to determine which method of determining truth is appropriate in different situations. While others have addressed what people need to think about in their personal lives, A Practical Philosopher's Approach to Critical Theory addresses what people need to attend to in their public lives. The challenge of democracy is that the very systems put in place to provide public goods have inherent tendencies to serve their own interests and not the public interest. Ewert's goal is to aid readers in gaining a perspective and a way of engaging with the world that enables them to be freed from ideological distortion and to become fully aware, emancipated persons....

Postmodernism has convinced people that there is no way to determine what is true. However, this is false and has led to the progressive erosion of civility in society, in part because what we assume determines what questions we ask and what we see as data. Postmodernism is inherently self-contradicting and detrimental to social cohesion and civil behaviour.Habermas' critical theory, coupled with the theory of action Gerry Ewert presents here, establishes a practical way to determine what is and is not true-providing one is actually interested in what is true, independent of what one wishes to be true. A Practical Philosopher's Approach to Critical Theory walks through some of the conceptual fundamentals undergirding assumptions people make about reality as an introduction to the major issue of the question, "What is truth?" Habermas' critical theory is used as a framework through which to determine which method of determining truth is appropriate in different situations. While others have addressed what people need to think about in their personal lives, A Practical Philosopher's Approach to Critical Theory addresses what people need to attend to in their public lives. The challenge of democracy is that the very systems put in place to provide public goods have inherent tendencies to serve their own interests and not the public interest. Ewert's goal is to aid readers in gaining a perspective and a way of engaging with the world that enables them to be freed from ideological distortion and to become fully aware, emancipated persons....

Do you have an uneasy sense that you are being manipulated every day and being misled? You are, and you aren't alone. Every day, we're bombarded by statements, questionable reasoning, emotional pleas, and (very) selective data. These are employed by the media, politicians, public figures, and marketers in an effort to draw you to their side of the argument.At times, you may want to wave the white flag of surrender in the war for truth. Maybe there is no truth? Maybe there are many-sometimes contradictory-truths. It doesn't feel like that could be possible, but how else do you reconcile these very articulate but diametrically opposing viewpoints and data?By developing critical analytical skills and learning what it means to be rational, you'll be able to weigh the merits of the opposing viewpoints and more easily see gaps in others' arguments. Being rational requires honesty and a sincere effort to determine what is true and what is not as a basis for making decisions.What are you going to do about being manipulated and misled? Learn what being rational means, how to think rationally, and develop skills to determine valid data and to have a truly rational discussion. Seeing Through the Bumpf will help you become an informed and thoughtful analyst of the daily bombardment that comes your way....

Do you have an uneasy sense that you are being manipulated every day and being misled? You are, and you aren't alone. Every day, we're bombarded by statements, questionable reasoning, emotional pleas, and (very) selective data. These are employed by the media, politicians, public figures, and marketers in an effort to draw you to their side of the argument.At times, you may want to wave the white flag of surrender in the war for truth. Maybe there is no truth? Maybe there are many-sometimes contradictory-truths. It doesn't feel like that could be possible, but how else do you reconcile these very articulate but diametrically opposing viewpoints and data?By developing critical analytical skills and learning what it means to be rational, you'll be able to weigh the merits of the opposing viewpoints and more easily see gaps in others' arguments. Being rational requires honesty and a sincere effort to determine what is true and what is not as a basis for making decisions.What are you going to do about being manipulated and misled? Learn what being rational means, how to think rationally, and develop skills to determine valid data and to have a truly rational discussion. Seeing Through the Bumpf will help you become an informed and thoughtful analyst of the daily bombardment that comes your way....