Making Sense of the World : New Essays on the Philosophy of Understanding

Making Sense of the World offers original work on the nature of understanding by a range of distinguished philosophers. Although some of the essays are by scholars well known for their work on understanding, many of the essays bring entirely new figures to the discussion. The main purpose of the volume is twofold: to advance debates in epistemology and the philosophy of science, where work on understanding has recently flourished, and to jumpstart new questions and debates about understanding in other areas of philosophy, such as aesthetics, ethics, and the philosophy of religion. Read more... 1. Introduction / Stephen R. Grimm -- 2. The Unity of Understanding / John Bengson -- 3. Understanding Persons and the Problem of Power / Remy Debes -- 4. Religious Understanding, Naturalism, and Desire / Fiona Ellis -- 5. Philosophy, Knowledge, and Understanding / Gordon Graham -- 6. The Ethics of Understanding / Stephen R. Grimm -- 7. Understanding and Structure / Allan Hazlett -- 8. Aesthetic Understanding / Alison Hills -- 9. Why (Study) the Humanities?: The View from Science / Jenann Ismael -- 10. Understanding and Coming to Understand / Michael Lynch -- 11. Against Understanding (as a Condition on Explanation) / Bradford Skow -- 12. Understanding and Fluency / J. D. Trout. This collection offers original work on the nature of understanding by a range of distinguished philosophers. Although some of the essays are by scholars well known for their work on understanding, many of the essays bring entirely new figures to the debate. The main purpose of the volume is twofold: (a) to advance debates in epistemology and the philosophy of science, where work on understanding has recently flourished, and (b) to jumpstart new questions and debates about understanding in other areas of philosophy, such as aesthetics, ethics, and the philosophy of religion.