Böcker av Michael H. Mitias

This book is an elucidation and defense of four main propositions: (1) human nature is essentially rational; (2) rational nature is a conversation; (3) as the essential fabric of human nature, the reason exists as a potentiality in the formal organization of the human body; and (4) at the individual and collective levels, humanity grows and develops in the medium of conversation. Moreover, human nature is the unity of the capacities of intellect, which aims at the value of truth, goodness, which aims at the value of human love or happiness, and will, which aims at the value of freedom. Accordingly, in any type of human dialogue, or conversation, the dialogist should act as a human being and treats the other dialogist as a human being. This assumption underlies the analysis of the basic types of individual and inter-institutional dialogue.

This book examines the conceptual, existential, and logical conditions under which the philosophical novel can be treated as a literary genre on a par with generally recognized literary genres, such as mystery, romantic, adventure, religious, or historical novel. Michael H. Mitias argues that the philosophical novel meets these conditions. He advances a detailed analysis of the concept of literary genre, and discusses the reasons which justify the claim that philosophical novel is a distinct literary genre. This is based on the assumption that philosophical ideas can be communicated metaphorically. An analysis of this assumption necessarily leads to a detailed discussion of the concept of metaphor and the extent to which it can be the vehicle of communicating philosophical truth.