Addiction: A Philosophical Perspective

Product Description


Addiction argues that addiction should be understood not as a disease but as a phenomenon that must be understood on many levels at once. Employing a complex dynamic systems approach and philosophical methodology, Shelby explains addiction as an irreducible neurobiological, psychological, developmental, environmental, and sociological phenomenon.


Review


“Candice Shelby’s Addiction: A Philosophical Perspective is smart, energetic, and impressively synthetic.  Addiction is puzzling philosophically because it doesn’t look like it could be the result of a rational lifestyle choice, yet it doesn’t look like a disease either, not even a psychiatric one.  Shelby’s sensitive book offers a humane, non-reductive, scientifically informed picture of the most puzzling existential phenomena of persons who continue to use alcohol or drugs when they see that it harms them, their relations, and their communities.  So much for philosophical ideals of rational and virtuous agents. With Addiction: A Philosophical Perspective, Shelby joins a small, impressive group of philosophers who are working with social scientists and medical professionals to understand the complex causes of substance abuse, to understand what it is like to be a substance abuser, and to mitigate the harms substance does to the lives of the addict and those they are in relation with. There is loving personal thread that makes this philosophy touch the heart.” (Owen Flanagan, James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Neurobiology and Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, US)
“Shelby's book is impressive.  It should banish the skepticism with which philosophical treatments are generally met, and convert some of our colleagues from other fields to the importance and usefulness of philosophy in addiction studies.  This work exhibits fluency and a sophisticated nuanced understanding of recent research in science and medicine.” (Peg O’Connor, Professor of Philosophy and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College, US)
“Addiction: A Philosophical Perspective is a masterful interdisciplinary examination of the topic.  Many theories have been offered to explain addiction.  Shelby convincingly demonstrates that no contemporary theory adequately addresses the breadth and complexity of the subject.  In light of the best recent science, Shelby establishes that the only reasonable approach to addiction is an eclectic one.  Not only has Shelby done her homework, she has a gift for explaining intricate problems in an accessible and exciting fashion. Addiction: A Philosophical Perspective is as compelling as it is informative.” (Mitchell Aboulafia, Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, Manhattan College, US)


About the Author


Candice Shelby is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado at Denver, USA. She has published in the history of philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and addiction, and has spoken at international venues on a variety of topics related to addiction. She is a popular lecturer in the national addictions recovery community.