Eleven essays, on a variety of topics, most of them first given as lectures or published in periodicals and Festschriften. This is "late" Heidegger --alternately brilliant and mystifying, provocative and exasperating, at least to the uninitiated. Perhaps the best pieces in the book are the three which discuss passages in pre-Socratic philosophers--here, familiar texts are given fresh, if unorthodox, interpretations, and are made to suggest philosophical conclusions of remarkable subtlety and scope. --V. C. C.

There are four other contributors to this collection in addition to the editors who have each contributed an essay and who jointly authored the last essay sketching their proposal for a new direction for an abortion policy. Judith Blake presents an excellent summary and interpretation of opinion surveys indicating that the American public is more restrictive in its views of key factors relating to abortion than the Supreme Court. She wants to alert pro-abortionists to the nature of their task in (...) trying to turn aside the anti-abortionists’ attempts to sidetrack the Court’s decision. Donald Kommers proceeds from a discussion of the rationale and the sociopolitical background of the 1975 decision of the West German Federal Constitutional Court to a comparison and contrast of this decision with that of the American Court, finding the former to be more tightly reasoned and pointing out that the American decision proceeds from an individualistic orientation whereas the German decision comes out of a communitarian perspective. (shrink)

Reprints a useful, non-technical statement of Reichenbach's mature thought, combining an unconvincing survey of speculative philosophy and its "failure," with a concise account of the results of a philosophy carried out "scientifically." The original appeared in 1951.--V. C. C.

A hard-cover reprint of Morris' comprehensive and useful work on the theory of signs, first published in 1946.--V. C. C.

The texts of the papers on the philosophy of science read at the Zürich Congress of 1954. The papers vary widely, in scope, quality, approach, doctrinal basis, and subject matter, but the collection as a whole, if a bit bewildering, provides a good survey of the ways in which the philosophy of science is now being practiced and conceived.--V. C. C.

A reprint edition of Russell's early work, based on his Cambridge dissertation, on the philosophical problems of geometry, first published in 1897. A helpful foreword by Morris Kline is new to this edition.--V. C. C.

The first two volumes of a four-volume study, destined surely to become the standard work in its field. Literary criticism in the broadest sense is the book's subject, but the author tries to avoid purely philosophical aesthetics at one extreme--Kant is given 3 pages to Schiller's 24--as well as unsubstantiated judgments of taste at the other. Since he tries to see the past as bearing upon and productive of the literary theory of the present, the book might be said to (...) be more an account of the sources and growth of contemporary thinking about literature and criticism than a "history" in the usual sense. Professor Wellek has a rich store of scholarly knowledge at his disposal, and his interpretive generalizations are well supported by references and texts; yet the argument moves easily and clearly. A fine piece of creative scholarship.--V. C. C. (shrink)

Hume's Inquiry, newly presented in compact and attractive form. The edition includes Hume's autobiography, theof the Treatise and a bibliography; the variations from the text of 1777 are printed as footnotes. The editor's introduction provides an illuminating outline of the argument of the Inquiry, using the Treatise Abstract as a guide, and gives helpful background information.--V. C. C.

De Wulf's work has been largely supplanted since its first appearance in 1903, but it is still of some use as an introduction and survey. This edition reprints the English translation of 1907. --V. C. C.

In a relaxed and yet persuasive manner, the author relates a number of American writers to sets of Christian beliefs, noting that those whom he regards as orthodox are generally thought today to be greater literary artists than the "heretics"--i.e., those who "ignore Original Sin."--V. C. C.

A comprehensive, carefully argued and clearly written statement and defense of philosophical theism. The author is concerned with religion itself as an object of philosophical inquiry, but is more interested in the insights into the natures of man, God, and the world, which a religious, or theistic, viewpoint is able to provide. He offers an interesting reformulation and defense of the cosmological argument for the existence of God.--V. C. C.

Some bold speculations about the sources of cancer, relying heavily upon such notions as "Primordial energy," "destiny," and "autonomous growth."--V. C. C.

An exact reprint of the fourth edition of Butcher's famous commentary on the Poetics, together with his Greek text and English translation. Includes a helpful introductory essay, written especially for this edition, on "Aristotelian Literary Criticism".--V. C. C.

The author attempts "a critical rethinking of the metaphysics of the Aristotelian and Thomistic tradition." There is no single argument or theme, but rather a series of fairly distinct though interrelated treatments of the main topics of Thomistic metaphysics--being, the thinking of being, analogy, substance, causation, etc. Father Hawkins tries always, on the basis of certain traditional presuppositions, to think through a problem in his own way, often in the light of contemporary developments in metaphysical theory, and to express his (...) results in clear and simple language, refreshingly free from jargon.--V. C. C. (shrink)

Includes "Belief and Will," the Inaugural Address by H. H. Price, in addition to six Symposia: e.g., "Can an Effect Precede its Cause?" "When is a Principle a Moral Principle?" and "Sensing and Observing." Participants include Gilbert Ryle, Margaret MacDonald, A. J. Ayer and W. B. Gallie. The papers are much concerned with what one can and cannot say, in accordance with the current British, or Oxford, fashion.--V. C. C.

Maritain's first book, published in France in 1913, and now translated into English for the first time. It marks, historically, one of the earliest expressions of that revived Thomism which has played such a large part in the intellectual life of contemporary France; and it represents, systematically, one of the most detailed and persistent "intellectualist" answers to the Bergsonian critique of "intellectualist" philosophies. The translators have done about as good a job as is possible in rendering what Maritain himself calls (...) the book's "turgidity, the uncompromising bombast of its style."--V. C. C. (shrink)

Another volume in the fine "New Critical Edition" of Hegel's works, containing documents dating from Hegel's Berlin period. The documents include speeches, pieces from journals, reviews, and intra-University "memos," offering a wealth of information relating to Hegel's life and thought during these fruitful last years. --V. C. C.

Santayana's delightful classic, concentrating mainly on William James and Royce and their American milieu, in an attractive reprint. The work first appeared in 1920.--V. C. C.

A warm and sympathetic reconstruction, by an obvious admirer, of the life, times and work of K'ung Ch'iu, based upon the Confucian Classics and a variety of historical sources, including the works of recent scholars. A helpful bibliography is included.--V. C. C.

A hard-cover reprint of the first collection of Peirce's works, so tragically neglected during their author's lifetime. Cohen's selections comprise the Popular Science Monthly papers of 1877-78 and five of the Monist papers of 1891-93. The volume also includes an essay by Dewey on Peirce's pragmatism, still well worth reading.--V. C. C.

A guide, intended for students, to the usage of some 1600 Scholastic philosophical terms, clearly presented and nicely arranged. There is no attempt at translating into "ordinary language," but the use of Latin is sparing. Textual references and diagrams and charts increase the book's usefulness.--V. C. C.

A new edition of the Introduction to the Philosophie der Weltgeschichte, one of a number now being published in the Neue kritische Ausgabe of Hegel's works. The editor has made a comprehensive review of the scattered sources from which Hegel's text has been reconstructed, and of the previous editions. The result is the most complete and best arranged text yet to appear, marking a considerable improvement upon the 1930 edition of Lasson.--V. C. C.

A reprint edition of a careful argument for the primacy of experiment even in theoretical physics, replete with accounts of actual discoveries, in many of which Born himself participated. The essay, originally a lecture, was first published in 1943. --V. C. C.

This well designed anthology is a paperback, but not a reprint. Often sizable chunks from the works of nine writers and philosophers are included, and Mr. Kaufmann ties them all together in a series of pithy prefaces. Some of the selections are well known; others--e.g., Jaspers' "On My Philosophy" --appear here for the first time in English, in translations by the editor and others. Mr. Kaufmann's lively introduction attempts to characterize existentialism as a whole, and to place its various representatives (...) in relation to each other; it does both nicely. The volume as a whole, in fact, is a first-rate introduction to existentialism.--V. C. C. (shrink)

A new collection of philosophical journal articles in the contemporary Oxford manner, at least the sixth such collection to appear in the last few years. The twelve papers in the present volume deal with subjects comprised by the Oxford "logic" examinations--e.g., meaning, explanation, validity, probability, and time. All are clear, calm, and careful, and all are illuminating, even if only over a small area. The collection's title is particularly apt; "conceptual analysis" surely better describes what the Oxford philosophers have actually (...) been doing than the imprecise and often misleading "analysis of language."--V. C. C. (shrink)

An attempt to deal with "the fundamental philosophical problem of the Absolute" in an original way. Absolute Being is interpreted as "the act of total existence," and is taken to include all that is or can be, as well as what "exists" negatively or is not.--V. C. C.

The purpose of this book is purely expository, but within its limits it is perhaps the best account of existentialism yet to appear in English. Its virtues are clarity, balance, accuracy, and an objectivity of tone which is maintained even in the treatment of emotionally charged subject-matter. Mr. Grimsley summarizes the views of Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre, Jaspers, and Marcel in separate chapters of fairly extensive scope, mainly through direct exposition of their major works. In a short introduction, and again in (...) a shorter postscript, he attempts to characterize existentialism and the existential attitude as a whole; his success makes one wish he had done more in this direction.--V. C. C. (shrink)

An exceptionally lucid account, intended for students and the "general" reader, of the "new ways of theology." Mr. Hutchinson declares himself in sympathy with the work of the Protestant "existential" or "dialectical" theologians, including Barth, Brunner, Tillich, and Niebuhr, but he also sets contemporary problems in traditional contexts and defends his own views in the light of their significant alternatives, both ancient and modern. Religion, he maintains, is primarily a matter of faith, but the rational or philosophical articulation of faith, (...) far from being irrelevant to religion, is actually required, since faith by itself is not autonomous. In this Mr. Hutchinson sets himself against the "radicals" like Brunner and Barth, as well as against sceptics, rationalists, and Thomists. The book as a whole is sound, comprehensive, balanced, and informed.--V. C. C. (shrink)

The second part of the work described above, covering, in 3 volumes, the period from the first Patristic thinkers to the fourteenth century. The texts in these volumes, as in those on classical thought, are organized by topics, and are designed to express fundamental assumptions, principles and definitions of their various authors. --V. C. C.

An historical survey of the inquiry into the foundations of mathematics, presented in a series of original texts connected by the author's introductions and analyses. The source material, ranging from Egyptian surveyors' papyri to Lorenzen's "Konstructive Begründung der Mathematik," is well chosen, and the author's commentaries are clear and illuminating. The selections are often shorter than might be desired, but the book is extremely useful as a summary and introductory survey. A short bibliography is included.--V. C. C.

The distinctive feature of this new edition is its inclusion of the handwritten marginal notes in Hegel's own copy of the Rechtsphilosophie. These were published separately by Lasson in 1914 and again in 1930, but have been re-edited for the present volume, with a number of mistakes corrected. A second volume, now in preparation, is to contain a re-edited set of the Zusätze to Hegel's lectures on Rechtsphilosophie, gathered from the notes of his students. The two volumes together will certainly (...) stand as the definitive source of Hegel's teaching in this area for a long time to come.--V. C. C. (shrink)

A reprint of the English version of Croce's illuminating essays on history and historiography. The Italian edition was published in 1938.--V. C. C.

Mr. Berlin offers, with characteristic brilliance and insight, a compelling indictment of the modern tendency to deny the relevance of moral considerations to history: to minimize the influence of human individuals upon--and their responsibility for--historical events, as well as to eliminate evaluation and moral judgment from the writing of history. History, it is maintained, neither can be nor should try to be "objective," i.e., free from evaluations, in the way that physics is "objective." Mr. Berlin's points are not always clearly (...) organized, but they are sensible and telling; his running critique of the prevalent naive "scientism" of contemporary social scientists is especially effective.--V. C. C. (shrink)

An elementary textbook in Thomistic Metaphysics designed for use in Catholic colleges and seminaries. Strictly traditional in content and terminology, the book attempts nevertheless to argue its points in ways convincing to beginning students.--V. C. C.

The life and thought of the sixteenth-century Flemish humanist Justus Lipsius provide the author of this valuable monograph with a convenient point of departure for studying the development of Stoicism in the later Renaissance. Lipsius was the first scholar thoroughly to examine the original Greek as well as the later Roman sources of the Stoic ethical doctrines which owing to the influence of the Latin humanists, were so widespread in Renaissance thought. As a result of his researches, Lipsius recognized the (...) importance of, and revived interest in, the distinctive physical and metaphysical doctrines underlying Stoic ethical theory. It is upon Lipsius' formulation of these doctrines, and his struggle to reconcile them with their Christian counterparts, that Mr. Saunders concentrates his attention. The result is a lively and informative contribution to the understanding of Renaissance thought.--V. C. C. (shrink)

Contains five papers, four of them dealing with knowledge--Practical Knowledge, Knowledge of Nature, Poetic Knowledge, and Knowledge of Knowledge; the fifth is on the Summa Contra Gentiles. Also included are round table discussions, panels on Catholic education, reports and other transactions from the 1955 A. C. P. A. meeting in Philadelphia.--V. C. C.

A new edition, with additions and revisions, of a carefully argued, sometimes persuasive defense of reason, in the traditional, transcendent sense, primarily against the reductionist program of evolutionary naturalism. The book first appeared in 1930.--V. C. C.

A Sartre sampler, showing the range of its author's interests as well as the subtlety and inventiveness of his thinking. Most of the "literary" essays--seven short pieces on individual authors and books--have a decidedly philosophical turn despite their disjointedness; a discussion of The Sound and the Fury, e.g., becomes an examination of Faulkner's "metaphysics of time." The three philosophical pieces, including the anti-Marxist "Materialism and Revolution," are longer and more systematic. There are also three essays on America, arising out of (...) Sartre's 1945 visit, which are perceptive, fresh, and sometimes profound.--V. C. C. (shrink)

An interesting restatement of the classical logic of concepts, judgments, and arguments, employing a number of helpful new symbolic devices, together with a brief sketch of contemporary logistic and its relations to logic. The author argues that logistic, like mathematics, has to do with uninterpreted formal calculi, which may or may not be interpreted logically, whereas logic concerns the identity of concepts; logistic calculi, far from replacing logic, are said instead to presuppose it. Such conclusions are certainly controversial, but they (...) are diligently established and deserve careful study.--V. C. C. (shrink)

A new translation of Parmenides' poem, preceded by a long introduction. M. Beaufret's attitude towards, and interpretation of, the Parmenidean fragments have been influenced heavily by Heidegger, as has, in some cases, his choice of readings. The Greek is included, however, on pages facing the translation, and departures from the standard text of Kranz are noted.--V. C. C.

An attempt to discover the most fundamental "logical" categories or principles of unity which lie at the basis and determine the structure of all reality. The three central principles or categories are "Wissen," "Wollen," and "Ichheit," from which it is clear that reality has a personal basis and that its fundamental structure is that of a self or person. The presentation is highly compressed and often obscure, but there is much in it that is suggestive.--V. C. C.