Books by Rupert Glasgow
Madness Masks and Laughter: An Essay on Comedy, 1995
Madness, Masks and Laughter: An Essay on Comedy was written in 1989-90 and published in 1995. Thi... more Madness, Masks and Laughter: An Essay on Comedy was written in 1989-90 and published in 1995. This is an exploration of narrative and dramatic comedy as a laughter-inducing phenomenon, focusing on the theatrical metaphors of masks, appearance and illusion as applicable both to the fictional characters and the laughing spectators. For a few years now, I have been hoping to write an abridged, improved version, but that won’t happen for a while. I now have the rights to the book, and several people have asked me if I could make the original available on line. So here it comes, with all its flaws.
In Minimal Selfhood and the Origins of Consciousness, R.D.V. Glasgow seeks to ground the logical ... more In Minimal Selfhood and the Origins of Consciousness, R.D.V. Glasgow seeks to ground the logical roots of consciousness in what he has previously called the ‘minimal self’. The idea is that elementary forms of consciousness are logically dependent not, as is commonly assumed, on ownership of an anatomical brain or nervous system, but on the intrinsic reflexivity that defines minimal selfhood. The aim of the book is to trace the logical pathway by which minimal selfhood gives rise to the possible appearance of consciousness. It is argued that in specific circumstances it thus makes sense to ascribe elementary consciousness to certain predatory single-celled organisms such as amoebae and dinoflagellates as well as to some of the simpler animals. Such an argument involves establishing exactly what those specific circumstances are and determining how elementary consciousness differs in nature and scope from its more complex manifestations.
The Minimal Self
The Minimal Self is an exploration of the underlying nature of selfhood. The approach is based up... more The Minimal Self is an exploration of the underlying nature of selfhood. The approach is based upon the concept of ‘intrinsic reflexivity’, which manifests itself in three fundamental forms: self-maintenance, self-reproduction and self-containment. On the basis of this conceptual analysis of selfhood, the book seeks to ascertain what distinguishes full forms of minimal selfhood from entities such as genes and viruses that are merely selfish or self-like. The aim is to establish the logical prerequisites for the transition from a world bereft of selfhood to one populated by selves like us. Minimal selfhood thus provides a bridge linking philosophy, biology and other disciplines that have previously failed to coincide in their understanding of what a self is. The book can also be digitally downloaded directly from the link to the publisher.
This is an exploration of narrative and dramatic comedy as a laughter-inducing phenomenon, focusi... more This is an exploration of narrative and dramatic comedy as a laughter-inducing phenomenon, focusing on the theatrical metaphors of masks, appearance and illusion as applicable both to the fictional characters and the laughing spectators.
This is a study of the interrelationship of comedy and selfhood understood in terms of self/non-s... more This is a study of the interrelationship of comedy and selfhood understood in terms of self/non-self differentiation; seven aspects of selfhood are highlighted – the self as a bodily entity, an individual, a structure, a living being, a subject, a rational unity and a persona – insofar as they shed light on the phenomenon of comedy.
This is a meta-philosophical essay on the relationship between philosophy and laughter; taking th... more This is a meta-philosophical essay on the relationship between philosophy and laughter; taking themes from the world of comedy such as wonder, folly and madness, appearance and reality, paradox and nonsense, reversal and the world-upside-down, nothingness and utopia, roguery, leaping and the fall, the essay examines the limits of human thought and reason as understood by philosophers through the ages. The sample chapter focuses on the comedy of nothing and the potential risibility of utopian nowheres.
This is an attempt to bring together the various aspects of our deeply ambiguous relationship wit... more This is an attempt to bring together the various aspects of our deeply ambiguous relationship with water, providing a systematic account of its symbolic and philosophical significance; this involves looking at how water has been conceived and the role it has played in everyday thought, mythology, literature, religion, philosophy, politics and science, both across cultures and through history.
Selected translations by Rupert Glasgow
Papers by Rupert Glasgow
Journal of Neurogenetics, 2019
Abstract This Perspective article outlines a concept of minimal selfhood. A central claim is that... more Abstract This Perspective article outlines a concept of minimal selfhood. A central claim is that minimal selfhood is not dependent on possession of a brain, a nervous system or neurons. It will be argued instead that minimal selfhood requires intrinsically reflexive activity, specifically taking the form of self-maintenance, self-reproduction and self-containment. The implications of this in thinking about animal behavior and consciousness will be briefly discussed.
Routledge eBooks, Nov 14, 2023
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Books by Rupert Glasgow
Selected translations by Rupert Glasgow
Papers by Rupert Glasgow