The work of American pragmatist George Herbert Mead (1863-1931) had a strong influence in fields ranging from metaphysics and ethics to sociology and social psychology. In this book, the author interweaves Mead's political and intellectual biography with the development of his theories.[...]

Rising concerns among scholars about the intellectual and cultural foundations of democracy have led to a revival of interest in the American philosophical tradition of pragmatism. In this book, Hans Joas shows how pragmatism can link divergent intellectual efforts to understand the social contexts [...]

The first classics in human history--the early works of literature, philosophy, and theology to which we have returned throughout the ages--appeared in the middle centuries of the first millennium bce. The canonical texts of the Hebrew scriptures, the philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle, t[...]

This work outlines the fundamentals of a new theory of action, drawing on philosophical pragmatism. It is based upon the author's study of G.H. Mead, but also establishes direct ties between Mead's work and approaches drawn from German traditions of philosophical anthropology.[...]

Written by one of Europea s leading social theorists, this book takes up the claims of modernity and confronts them with a stark reality: the ongoing proliferation of war. How can contemporary social and political thought come to terms with this apparent failure of modernity? Throughout the 20th cen[...]

What are the origins of the idea of human rights and universal human dignity? How can we most fully understand -- and realize -- these rights going into the future? In The Sacredness of the Person, internationally renowned sociologist and social theorist Hans Joas tells a story that differs from co[...]

Was erfährt, wer glaubt? Die Erfahrung der Selbstüberschreitung braucht Deutung. Eine überraschende Sicht auf eine alte Menschheitsfrage.[...]