Background
Higgins, Kathleen Marie was born on October 15, 1954 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Daughter of Eugene Anthony and Kathryn Ann Higgins.
(What does philosophy know of love? From Plato on, philoso...)
What does philosophy know of love? From Plato on, philosophers have struggled to pin love to the dissecting table and view it in the cold light of logic. Yet, as Arthur Danto writes in the foreword to this volume, "how incorrigibly stiff philosophy is when it undertakes to lay its icy fingers on the frilled and beating wings of the butterfly of love." Love, elusive and philosophically intractable as it is, has long fascinated philosophers. In this collection of classic and modern writings on the topic of erotic love, Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins have chosen excerpts from the great philosophical texts and combined them with the most exciting new work of philosophers writing today. The result is a broadly conceived, comprehensive, and important work, nearly as stimulating and provocative as love itself. It examines the mysteries of erotic love from a variety of philosophical perspectives and provides an impressive display of the wisdom that the world's best thinkers have brought, and continue to bring, to the study of love. "Stunning! This brilliant interdisciplinary collection is as provocative, enchanting, and richly rewarding as its topic. Unrivaled in scope and richness, blending classic and contemporary readings on love, here is a wellspring of insights for scholars, students, and general readers alike." Mike W. Martin, author of Self-Deception and Morality.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0700604804/?tag=2022091-20
(This brief and inexpensive paperback provides an introduc...)
This brief and inexpensive paperback provides an introduction to some of the world's great philosophical traditions through original sources. It can be used as a supplement to a traditional western-oriented textbook, or it can stand-alone. Organized by culture (Africa, China, Japan, Native American, Latin America, Arabia, Persia, India, the West), each self-contained chapter is edited by an expert in the area. The editors' extensive introductions to the selections are designed for readers with no previous study of philosophy. Each chapter also contains a pronunciation key, glossary, area map, and suggestions for further readings. An alternate table of contents is provided for world civilization courses.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070596743/?tag=2022091-20
(In this accessible and comprehensive work, Robert Solomon...)
In this accessible and comprehensive work, Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins cover the entire history of philosophy--ancient, medieval, and modern, from cultures both East and West--in its broader historical and cultural contexts. Major philosophers and movements are discussed along with less well-known but interesting figures. The authors examine the early Greek, Indic, and Chinese philosophers and the mythological traditions that preceded them, as well as the great religious philosophies, including Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, and Taoism. Easily understandable to students without specialized knowledge of philosophy, A Short History of Philosophy demonstrates the relevance of philosophy to our times, illuminating the impact of the revolutions wrought by science, industry, colonialism, and sectarian warfare; the two world wars and the Holocaust; and the responses of philosophy in the schools of existentialism, postmodernism, feminism, and multiculturalism. In addition, the authors provide their own twists and interpretations of events, resulting in a broad view of the nature of philosophy as an intellectual discipline and its sometimes odd and dramatic consequences.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195101960/?tag=2022091-20
(Although many of the world's musical traditions recognize...)
Although many of the world's musical traditions recognize the positive value of music for ethical life, the Western philosophical tradition has largely forgotten this idea. The dominance of formalism in musical aesthetics has encouraged this abandonment of the idea that music has an ethical dimension. Greater attention to musical experience and to the way that context affects the meaning that music has to performers and listeners helps to bring music's ethical potential into focus. In The Music of Our Lives, Kathleen Higgins argues that the arguments that Plato used to defend the ethical value of music are still applicable today. Music encourages ethically valuable attitudes and behavior, provides practice in skills that are valuable in ethical life, and symbolizes ethical ideals and the possibility of interpersonal harmony. In these ways it develops our ability to live well and to think clearly about our ethical situation. Music provides a model for the good human life.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0739120859/?tag=2022091-20
(In response to rising student interest in multi-culturali...)
In response to rising student interest in multi-culturalism and to reflect the current issues of today, THIRTEEN QUESTIONS IN ETHICS AND SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY, Second Edition features articles and discussions on a variety of topics, from sexual harassment to medical ethics. Articles by authors from many different backgrounds are included, such as Sophocles, Bertrand Russell, Ellen Willis, and Catherine MacKinnon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/015503684X/?tag=2022091-20
(Readers eager to acquire a basic familiarity with the his...)
Readers eager to acquire a basic familiarity with the history of philosophy but intimidated by the task will find in A Passion for Wisdom a lively, accessible, and highly enjoyable tour of the world's great ideas. Here, Robert Solomon and Kathleen Higgins tell the story of philosophy's development with great clarity and refreshing wit. The authors begin with the most ancient religious beliefs of the east and west and bring us right up to the feminist and multicultural philosophies of the present. Along the way, they highlight major philosophers, from Plato and the Buddha to William James and Simone de Beauvoir, and explore major categories, from metaphysics and ethics to politics and logic. The book is enlivened as well by telling anecdotes and sparkling quotations. Among many memorable observations, we're treated to Thomas Hobbes' assessment that life is "nasty, brutish, and short" and Hegel's description of Napoleon as "world history on horseback." Engaging, comprehensive, and delightfully written, A Passion for Wisdom is a splendid introduction to an intellectual tradition that reaches back over three thousand years.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195112091/?tag=2022091-20
(This book offers a lively and unorthodox analysis of Niet...)
This book offers a lively and unorthodox analysis of Nietzsche by examining a neglected aspect of his scholarly personality--his sense of humor. While often thought of as ponderous and melancholy, the Nietzsche of Higgins's study is a surprisingly subtle and light-hearted writer. She presents a close reading of The Gay Science to show how the numerous literary risks that Nietzsche takes reveal humor to be central to his project. Higgins argues that his use of humor is intended to dislodge readers from their usual, somber detachment and to incite imaginative thinking.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195126912/?tag=2022091-20
Higgins, Kathleen Marie was born on October 15, 1954 in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Daughter of Eugene Anthony and Kathryn Ann Higgins.
Bachelor in Music, University Missouri, 1977. Master of Arts in Philosophy, Yale University, 1978. Master of Philosophy, Yale University, 1979.
Doctor of Philosophy, Yale University, 1982.
Instructor, University Texas, Austin, 1982-1983; assistant professor, University Texas, Austin, 1983-1989; associate professor, University Texas, Austin, since 1989. Visiting assistant professor University of California, Riverside, 1986-1987. Visiting professor U. Auckland, New Zealand, 1989-1994, visiting senior lecturer, 1989-1992.
(In response to rising student interest in multi-culturali...)
(In this accessible and comprehensive work, Robert Solomon...)
(Readers eager to acquire a basic familiarity with the his...)
(Although many of the world's musical traditions recognize...)
(What does philosophy know of love? From Plato on, philoso...)
(This book offers a lively and unorthodox analysis of Niet...)
(This brief and inexpensive paperback provides an introduc...)
Member American Society Aesthetics (trustee 1991-1993, program committee chair 1994), North America Nietzche Society (program committee chair since 1987).
Married Robert Charles Solomon, February 17, 1990.