Sense, Nonsense, and Subjectivity

Markus Gabriel

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Hardback

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English

Harvard University Press
26 August 2024

Analytical philosophy & Logical Positivism; Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology; Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge; Popular philosophy

A leading German philosopher offers his most ambitious work yet on the nature of knowledge, arguing that being wrong about things defines the human condition.

For millennia, philosophers have dedicated themselves to advancing understanding of the nature of truth and reality. In the process they have amassed a great deal of epistemological theory-knowledge about knowledge. But negative epistemological phenomena, such as ignorance, falsity, illusion, and delusion, are persistently overlooked. This is surprising given that we all know how fallible humans are.

Sense, Nonsense, and Subjectivity replies with a theory of false thought, demonstrating that being wrong about things is part and parcel of subjectivity itself. For this reason, knowledge can never be secured without our making claims that can always, in principle, be wrong. Even in successful cases, where we get something right and thereby gain knowledge, the possibility of failure lingers with us. Markus Gabriel grounds this argument in a novel account of the relationship between sense, nonsense, and subjectivity-phenomena that hang together in the temporal unfolding of our cognitive lives.

While most philosophers continue to theorize subjectivity in terms of conscious self-representation and the supposedly infallible grip we have on ourselves as thinkers, Sense, Nonsense, and Subjectivity addresses the age-old Platonic challenge to understand situations in which we do not get reality right. Adding a stimulating perspective on epistemic failures to the work of New Realism, Gabriel addresses long-standing ontological questions in an age where the line between the real and the fake is increasingly blurred.

By: Markus Gabriel
Imprint: Harvard University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 723g
ISBN: 9780674260283
ISBN 10: 0674260287
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 26 August 2024
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Markus Gabriel holds the Chair in Epistemology and Modern and Contemporary Philosophy and directs the International Center for Philosophy at the University of Bonn. His books, which include Why the World Does Not Exist, Fields of Sense, and I Am Not a Brain, have been translated into more than fifteen languages.

Reviews for Sense, Nonsense, and Subjectivity

It is hard to imagine a philosopher more alert to all aspects of contemporary intellectual life than Markus Gabriel. It is also hard to imagine one more tenacious in defending his views. In this book, he offers a brilliant theory of error and confusion, aspects of human cognition no less important than knowledge. Like all of Gabriel’s books, it brings the reader face-to-face with the state of the art. -- Graham Harman, author of <i>Object-Oriented Ontology: A New Theory of Everything</i> Again displaying his gift for finding something new in timeworn philosophical areas, here Markus Gabriel focuses on what it is to be wrong. But the book covers much more, tackling in original ways the nature of consciousness and reality, subjectivity and objectivity, and their various possible relationships. Erudite, well-argued, deep, and yet still highly readable, this book is sure to become a classic. -- Dean Rickles, author of <i>Life Is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making It More Meaningful</i>