Michael Funk Deckard & Péter Losonczi 
Philosophy Begins in Wonder 
An Introduction to Early Modern Philosophy, Theology, and Science

Philosophy begins with wonder, according to Plato and Aristotle. Yet Plato and Aristotle did not expand a great deal on what precisely wonder is. Does this fact alone not raise curiosity in us as to why this passion or concept is important? What is wonder’s role in science, philosophy, or theology except to end thinking or theorizing as soon as one begins? The primary purpose of this book is to show how seventeenth- and eighteenth-century developments in natural theology, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, aesthetics, and the philosophy of science resulted in a complex history of the passion of wonder-a history in which the elements of continuation, criticism, and reformulation are equally present. Philosophy Begins in Wonder provides the first historical overview of wonder and changes the way we see early modern Europe. It is intended for readers who are curious-who wonder-about how modern philosophy and science were born. The book is for scholars and educated readers alike.

A propos de l’auteur

Peter Losonczi is an associate professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of West Hungary. His publications include essays and books, among others the co-edited volumes Reflecting Diversity (LIT, Wien-Berlin-London, 2007), Religio Academici (Akademiai/Wolters Kluwer, Budapest, 2009) and From Political Theory to Political Theology (Continuum, London-New York, forthcoming 2010).