New Publications from the Philosophy Department
Along with sharpening students’ critical thinking skills, Philosophy Department faculty members have been busy publishing new books; Professors Carlos Alberto Sánchez and Bill Shaw both have notable publications this year.
In Contingency and Commitment: Mexican Existentialism and the Place of Philosophy (SUNY 2016), Professor Sánchez offers a history, interpretation, and analysis of Mexican philosophy in the 20th century. “In this book,” Sánchez says, “I try to figure out what Mexican philosophy is, what makes it different than Western/European philosophy, and why it’s important to know about it and understand it.”
Contingency and Commitment focuses on the pivotal moments and key figures of the Hyperion group, a collection of Mexican philosophers who sought to examine European existentialism through the lens of Mexican identities, exploring questions of interpretation, marginality, identity, and the role of philosophy in Mexican life. Offering the first comprehensive survey of Mexican existentialism in English, Sánchez argues that there are lessons here “not only for Latino/a life in the United States but also for the lives of those on the fringes of contemporary, postmodern or postcolonial, economic, political, and cultural power.”
Sánchez has also just completed an anthology for Oxford University Press on Mexican philosophy in the 20th century. The anthology, titled Mexican Philosophy in the 20th Century: Essential Readings, is the first of its kind in English, as it brings together definitive texts in Mexican philosophy of the last century, translated here for the first time. The work is co-edited with Sánchez’s colleague from Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles (Robert E. Sanchez—no relation) and includes a first of its kind introduction to the tradition, its nature, and its future.
Professor Bill Shaw also has a new book, Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War (Routledge 2016), as well as new editions of two previous textbooks, Moral Issues in Business and Business Ethics. Utilitarianism and the Ethics of War looks at two basic ethical questions about war: when is war morally justified and, if justified, how should war be fought? Shaw approaches the topic from a utilitarian perspective, stating, “It is morally right for a state to wage war if and only if no other course of action available to it has greater expected well-being, otherwise, waging war is wrong.”
Professor Shaw has also just finished revising the thirteenth edition of Moral Issues in Business (Cengage 2016), which he has been the main author of since its fourth edition. Professor Shaw took over the book from its original author, Vincent Barry, who was retiring, and the publisher wanted to expand the audience for the text. “The book had sold well in community colleges,” Professor Shaw says, “but the editor wanted me to make it more competitive at the four-year college level by making it more philosophically rigorous. That’s what I undertook to do, never dreaming that the book would go on for so many editions.” Business Ethics, the ninth edition of which has just appeared (Cengage 2017), is a slimmed-down version of Moral Issues and geared towards instructors who need a more compact text.
“I try to keep both books timely,” Professor Shaw says, “which isn’t so difficult to do because every day seems to offer up new examples and topics that are pertinent to business ethics. This helps to engage students and persuade them that, far from being irrelevant to their lives, business ethics is perhaps the most important course they will ever take.”
The Philosophy Department at SJSU is internationally recognized for its treatment of philosophy in a global context; faculty are experts in the philosophy of Asia, Africana, Latin America, and India, in addition to American philosophy. Unsurprisingly, SJSU’s proximity and ties to Silicon Valley also means faculty are experts in philosophy of technology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of law. The department is home to two peer reviewed, international publications, APA Newsletter for Hispanic/Latino Issues in Philosophy, edited by Professor Sánchez and Journal of Comparative Philosophy, edited by Professor Bo Mou. We are proud of our Philosophy faculty’s commitment to being strong teacher-scholars. Their dedication to students and the broader discipline drives their desire to do top-notch research. Many readers—but particularly our students—benefit from their amazing commitment.
