Books in the Bloomsbury Companions series

Immanuel Kant is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential thinker of modern Europe and the late Enlightenment. This title presents a comprehensive overview of historical and philosophical context in which Kant wrote and the various features, themes and topics apparent in his thought.

Offers a guide to a key area of contemporary philosophy. This title covers all the fundamental questions asked by pragmatism. It explores issues pertaining to aesthetics, economics, education, the environment, epistemology, ethics, history, law, metaphysics, politics, race, religion, science and technology, language, and social theory.

Benedictus Spinoza (1632-77) was among the most important of the post-Cartesian philosophers of the second half of the 17th century. He made original contributions in every major area of philosophy. This book offers an accessible, encyclopedic account of Spinoza's life and ideas, his influences and commentators, and his lasting significance.

Theology in the Reformation era can be complicated and contentious. This book focuses on various aspects of theology in the reformation period. It includes an essay explaining to students how one can approach the study of sixteenth century theology.

Covers the fundamental areas of philosophical logic. This guide explores issues pertaining to classical logic and its rivals, extensional and intensional extensions of classical logic, semantics for parts of natural language, and the application of logic in the theory of rationality.

A guide to the research and future directions in existentialism. It covers the fundamental questions asked by existentialism. It features a series of research tools, including an A to Z of key terms and concepts, a chronology, a detailed list of resources and a fully annotated bibliography.

Offers practical guidance on advanced studies and research in second language acquisition. This title features an overview of key topics in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) as well the key research methods. It examines key relationships in the field, including the relationship between first and second language acquisition.

A guide to the study of film and religion. It covers important themes and categories in the field. Featuring a series of research tools, including a list of resources, chronology and diagrams summarizing content, it is suitable for those with an interest in the intersections between religion and film.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Holocaust Literature is a comprehensive reference resource including a wealth of critical material on a diverse range of topics within the literary study of Holocaust writing. At its centre is a series of specially commissioned essays by leading scholars within the field: these address genre-specific issues such as the question of biographical and historical truth in Holocaust testimony, as well as broader topics including the politics of Holocaust representation and the validity of comparative approaches to the Holocaust in literature and criticism. The volume includes a substantial section detailing new and emergent trends within the literary study of the Holocaust, a concise glossary of major critical terminology, and an annotated bibliography of relevant research material. Featuring original essays by: Victoria Aarons, Jenni Adams, Michael Bernard-Donals, Matthew Boswell, Stef Craps, Richard Crownshaw, Brett Ashley Kaplan and Fernando Herrero-Matoses, Adrienne Kertzer, Erin McGlothlin, David Miller, and Sue Vice.

The T&T Clark Companion to Augustine and Modern Theology is both a theological companion to the study of Augustine, and a resource for thinking about Augustine's importance in modern theology. Each of the essays brings Augustinian depth to a broad range of contemporary theological concerns. The volume unveils cutting-edge Augustinian scholarship for a new generation and at the same time enables readers to see the timely significance of Augustine for today. Each of the essays not only introduces readers to key themes in the Augustinian corpus but also provides readers with fresh interpretations that are fully conversant with the theological problems facing the church in our world today. Designed as both a guide for students and a reference point for scholars, it will seek both to outline the frameworks of key Augustinian debates while at all times pushing forward fresh interpretative strategies concerning his thought.

Protestant Nonconformity, the umbrella term for Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists and Unitarians, belongs specifically to the religious history of England and Wales. Initially the result of both unwillingness to submit to the State's interference in Christian life and a dissatisfaction with the progress of reform in the English Church, Nonconformity has been primarily motivated by theological concern, ecclesial polity, devotion and the nurture of godliness among the members of the church. Alongside such churchly interests, Nonconformity has also made a profound contribution to debates about the role of the State, to family life and education, culture in general, trade and industry, the development of philanthropy and charity, and the development of pacifism. In this volume, for the first time, Nonconformity and the breadth of its activity come under the expert scrutiny of a host of recognised scholars. The result is a detailed and fascinating account of a movement in church history that, while currently in decline, has made an indelible mark on social, political, economic and religious life of the two nations.

Plato, mathematician, philosopher and founder of the Academy in Athens, is, together with his teacher, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, universally considered to have laid the foundations of Western philosophy. The Bloomsbury Companion to Plato provides a comprehensive and accessible study guide to Plato's thought. Written by a team of leading experts in the field of ancient philosophy, this companion covers five major areas;- Plato's life and his historical, philosophical and literary context- synopses of all the dialogues attributed to Plato- the most important features of the dialogues- the key themes and topics apparent in the dialogues- Plato's enduring influence and the various interpretative approaches applied to his thought throughout the history of philosophyCovering every aspect of Plato's thought in over 140 entries, The Bloomsbury Companion to Plato is an engaging introduction to Plato and an essential resource for anyone working in the field of ancient philosophy.

Bridging the gap between the familiar figures of the history of philosophy and the technical approaches favoured by contemporary philosophers, The Bloomsbury Companion to Metaphysics introduces the key ideas and debates needed to understand analytic metaphysics. Presenting an effective syllabus for an introductory course in contemporary metaphysics, this companion brings together a team of leading metaphysicians. It begins with a comprehensive introduction to methodological problems and methods, before tackling the perennial metaphysical questions surrounding core topics such as:. Modality. Universals and Abstract Objects. Naturalism and Physicalism. Mind. Free Will. God

Immanuel Kant is widely considered to be the most important and influential thinker of modern Europe and the late Enlightenment. His philosophy is extraordinarily wide-ranging and his influence has been pervasive throughout eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth-century thought, in particular in the work of the German Idealists, and also in both Analytic and Continental philosophy today.Now available as a new and expanded edition in paperback, this accessible companion to Kant features more than 100 specially commissioned entries, written by a team of experts in the field, covering every aspect of his philosophy. The Bloomsbury Companion to Kant presents a comprehensive overview of the historical and philosophical context in which Kant wrote and the various features, themes and topics apparent in his thought. It also includes extensive synopses of all his major published works and a survey of the key lines of reception and influence including a new addition on Schopenhauer's reception of Kant. It concludes with a thorough bibliography of English language secondary literature, now expanded for this edition to include all cutting-edge publications in the area. This is an essential and practical research tool for those working in the field of eighteenth-century German philosophy and Kant.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies is a comprehensive survey of the field - past, present and future. Providing an overview of the key theoretical and methodological issues, as well as practical guidance on researching, it is the ideal guide for advanced students in Islamic Studies.Topics and case studies covered include:- Qur'anic Studies- Islamic Theology- Islam and the West - Islamic Art and Architecture- Sufism Research and practical tools include:- A-Z of key terms and concepts- Chronology- Detailed list of resourcesPresenting Islam as a multifaceted tradition, key essays from leading international contributors including Andrew Rippin and William Shepard, demonstrate how it is subject to different interpretations, with no single version privileged. Islam is treated as a lived experience, not only as theoretical ideal or textual tradition. Recommended by CHOICE, The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies is an indispensable resource for students.

Aristotle is one of the most crucial figures in the history of Western thought, and his name and ideas continue to be invoked in a wide range of contemporary philosophical discussions. The Bloomsbury Companion to Aristotle brings together leading scholars from across the world and from a variety of philosophical traditions to survey the recent research on Aristotle's thought and its contributions to the full spectrum of philosophical enquiry, from logic to the natural sciences and psychology, from metaphysics to ethics, politics, and aesthetics. Further essays address aspects of the transmission, preservation, and elaboration of Aristotle's thought in subsequent phases of the history of philosophy (from the Judeo-Arabic reception to debates in Europe and North America), and look forward to potential future directions for the study of his thought.In addition, The Bloomsbury Companion to Aristotle includes an extensive range of essential pedagogic tools offering assistance to researchers working in the field, including a chronology of recent research, a glossary of key Aristotelian terms with Latin concordances and textual references, and a guide to further reading.

Socrates, the largely enigmatic Greek thinker, has had a remarkably enduring influence on virtually every area of philosophical enterprise. The Bloomsbury Companion to Socrates introduces readers to the main issues in the philosophy of Socrates.With 13 different sections, this Companion presents an overview of current research in the various features, themes and topics apparent in Socrates' thought, including Socratic irony, metaphysics, epistemology, happiness, virtue, moral psychology, philosophy of love, political philosophy, and religious belief. With additional chapters on the historical Socrates and his prosecution by the democracy of Athens, this is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to Socrates' life and death, character and philosophical concerns.Written by a team of leading experts in the field of ancient philosophy and concluding with a thoroughly comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources, The Bloomsbury Companion to Socrates is an essential introduction to this founder of Western philosophy.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Ethics offers the definitive guide to this key area of contemporary philosophy. Covering all the fundamental questions asked by meta-ethics and normative ethical theory, thirteen specially commissioned chapters from an international team of experts explore the central ideas, terms and case studies in the field, and new directions in ethics as a whole. Now available in paperback, the Companion to Ethics covers issues such as moral methodology, moral realism, ethical expressivism, constructivism and the error theory, morality and practical reason, moral psychology, morality and religion, consequentialism, Kantian ethics, virtue ethics, feminist ethics, moral particularism, experimental ethics, and biology, evolution and ethics. Featuring a series of indispensable research tools, including key technical terms, a historical chronology, a detailed list of internet resources for research in ethics, and a thorough list of recommended works for further study, this is the essential resource for anyone studying, researching and writing in contemporary philosophical ethics.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Leibniz presents a comprehensive and authoritative introduction to the life, thought and work of one of the great polymaths of the modern world, G.W. Leibniz.This guide enriches the reader's understanding of Leibniz by establishing the philosophies of, and Leibniz's reactions to, his most important philosophical contemporaries from Descartes to Malebranche. While addressing current philosophical research in Leibniz studies such as his metaphysics, logic and theory of free will, a leading team of experts in the field demonstrate that Leibniz's work was wider in scope. Examining new directions in this field they cover a number of Leibniz's concerns outside of philosophy including mathematics, physics, and the life sciences. The Companion concludes by offering analysis of Leibniz's legacy; his impact on further study, particularly on his successor Immanuel Kant, and how he has subsequently been understood.Together with extended biographical sketches and an up-to-date and fully comprehensive bibliography, The Bloomsbury Companion to Leibniz is an extremely valuable study tool for students and scholars interested in Leibniz and the era in which he wrote.