Is knowledge discovered, or just invented? Can we ever get outside ourselves to know how reality is in itself, independent of us? Philosophical realism raises the question whether in our knowing we connect with an independent reality--or only connect with our own mental constructs. Far from being a silly parlor game, the question impacts our lives concretely and deeply. Modern Western culture has been infected with antirealism and the doubt, skepticism, subjectivism, relativism, and atheism that attends it--not to mention distrust and arbitrary (mis)use of reality. Premier scientist-turned-philosopher Michael Polanyi stepped aside from research to offer an innovative account of knowing that takes its cue from how discovery actually happens. Polanyi defied the antirealism of the twentieth century, sounding a ringing note of hope in his repeated claim that in discovery, we know we have made contact with reality because "we have a sense of the possibility of indeterminate future manifestations." And that sense marks contact with reality, because it is the way reality is: abundant, generous, and fraught with as-yet-unnameable possibilities. This book examines that distinctive claim, contrasting it to the wider philosophical discussions regarding realism and antirealism in the recent decades. It shows why Polanyi's outlook is superior, and why that matters, not just to scientific discoverers, but to us all.

On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis” explores these two key papers on the topics of psychosis and neurosis and their relationship to the unconscious and to reality. The contributors to this book approach these texts from both a historical and a contemporary point of view, highlighting their fundamental contributions and comparing Freud’s thoughts with modern psychoanalytic theory. The chapters demonstrate the ongoing richness of Freud’s work and his legacy by highlighting new ideas and developments and include both clinical vignettes and theoretical insight. The contributors also raise questions that deserve further study, about the understanding and treatment of psychosis in children, distinctions and similarities between autism and psychosis, and the way in which aspects of our rapidly changing world – social media, climate change, AI - influence the evolution of psychotic states. On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis” will be essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented clinicians in practice and in training. It will also be of interest to academics and scholars of psychoanalytic studies and to readers interested in how modern clinicians interpret Freud’s work.

Samuel Adams engages the classic problem of the relation between faith and history from the perspective of apocalyptic theology in critical dialogue with the work of N. T. Wright. He argues that historical and theological scholars must take into consideration, at a methodological level, the reality of God that has invaded history in Jesus Christ.

This book enriches our views on representation and deepens our understanding of its different aspects. It arises out of several years of dialog between the editors and the authors, an interdisciplinary team of highly experienced researchers, and it reflects the best contemporary view of representation and reality in humans, other living beings, and intelligent machines. Structured into parts on the cognitive, computational, natural sciences, philosophical, logical, and machine perspectives, a theme of the field and the book is building and presenting networks, and the editors hope that the contributed chapters will spur understanding and collaboration between researchers in domains such as computer science, philosophy, logic, systems theory, engineering, psychology, sociology, anthropology, neuroscience, linguistics, and synthetic biology.

Vols. for 1866-70 include Proceedings of the American Normal School Association; 1866-69 include Proceedings of the National Association of School Superintendents; 1870 includes Addresses and journal of proceedings of the Central College Association.