Philosophical Perspectives: Essays on Reality, Knowledge, and Morality is a collection of previously published essays by a professional philosopher whose research spans a rich array of foundational questions that shape our lives as rational creatures and moral agents. Promising a fresh alternative to the academic specialization and consequent fragmentation dominating current scholarship, the curated selection of essays in this collection offers philosophical breadth without sacrificing analytical depth. The result is a scholarly initiative demonstrating the richness of philosophy with the clarity of an analyst, the depth of a specialist, and the range of a generalist.
The purpose of the collection is threefold: first, to carve out a flexible yet structured pathway through interconnected domains of philosophical exploration, thereby providing a valuable resource for researchers, instructors, and students; second, to expose the intellectual coherence of a philosophical trajectory spanning years of inquiry, with each essay contributing enduring insights of its own while isolating a defining moment in the authors evolving thought; third, to consolidate a body of work that has until now been scattered across specialized journals and edited volumes, thus making them accessible even beyond well-resourced academic institutions.
This book will appeal to scholars and students alike interested in philosophy and the history of philosophy.
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction:
The Love of Wisdom
Process
Proof
Definition
Praxis
Pedagogy
Conclusion
1 Who Mourns for Adonais?
Or, Where Have All the Gods Gone?
1.1 Encounter with Adonais
1.2 Methodological Orientation
1.3 Creator Gods
1.4 Ruler Gods
1.5 Progressive Synthesis
1.6 Nostalgic Reminders
1.7 Requiem for Adonais
1.8 Relevance of Precedents: Syncretism or Parallelomania?
Appendix: Tables
2 No More This than That:
Skeptical Impression or Pyrrhonian Dogma?
2.1 Epistemic Journey
2.2 Evidentiary Context
2.3 Conceptual Perspective
2.4 Practical Perspective
2.5 Deep Disagreement
2.6 Conclusion
3 Fool Me Once, Shame on You, Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me:
The Alleged Prisoners Dilemma in Hobbess Social Contract
3.1 Overview
3.2 Problem
3.3 Analysis
3.4 Solution
3.5 Conclusion
4 Kants Neglected Alternative:
Neither Neglected nor an Alternative
4.1 Overview
4.2 Problem
4.3 Analysis
4.4 Solution
4.5 Evaluation
4.6 Conclusion
5 Whats So Good About the Good Will?
An Ontological Critique of Kants Axiomatic Moral Construct
5.1 Overview
5.2 The Good Will as a Qualified Concept
5.3 The Good Will and the Highest Good
5.4 The Problem with Axiomatic Qualification
6 Rawlss Justification Model for Ethics:
What Exactly Does It Justify?
6.1 Overview
6.2 Critical Context
6.3 Application Bias
6.4 System Sterility
6.5 Broader Context
6.6 Conclusion
7 Rawlss Justification Model for Ethics:
What Exactly Justifies the Model?
7.1 Overview
7.2 Critical Context
7.3 Defensive Strategy
7.4 Possible Objections
7.5 Conclusion
8 Angelique:
An Angel in Distress, Morality in Crisis
8.1 Overview
8.2 Literary Interpretation
8.3 Philosophical Appraisal
8.4 Critical Reception
8.5 Conclusion
Works Cited
Index
Necip Fikri Alican is an independent scholar with research interests in metaphysics and value theory. He holds various academic degrees, specifically a B.B.A. (1985) and B.A. (1986) from Millsaps College with a triple major in business administration, economics, and philosophy (magna cum laude); an M.B.A. (1988) from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in finance; and an M.A. (1990) and Ph.D. (1994) in philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis with a specialization in ethical theory and social and political philosophy. He is the author of several books, including Rethinking Plato: A Cartesian Quest for the Real Plato (2012), One over Many: The Unitary Pluralism of Platos World (2021), Quine on Ethics: The Gavagai of Moral Discourse (2021), Mill's Principle of Utility: Origins, Proof, and Implications (2022), and The Devils Advocate versus Gods Honest Truth: A Dialectical Inquiry into the Rationality of Religion (2025).
