In spite of, or perhaps because of the wealth of material found in this book, it makes a rather arid impression. One wishes for more structure and a clearer statement of the author's own position. Kainz professes to "have patterned his aesthetics on the philosophical personalism of William Stern"; but other influences, such as that of phenomenology and Gestalt psychology, are also prominent. The great variety of views mentioned and discussed gives this book considerable value as a bibliographical guide to (...) recent literature on aesthetics in German. Schueller's introduction is helpful in placing Kainz's position in a larger context.--K. H. (shrink)

An ambitious work. In a small volume the author attempts to sketch the outline of a metaphysical system, admitting however that the synthesis which bridges the gulf between abstraction and reality must ultimately be found by each individual. In Foss's philosophy existentialism and philosophia perennis mingle, yielding a philosophy dominated by an all pervading, unifying love.--K. H.

Written by a chemist, this is a stimulating book. Following somewhat the line taken by men like P. Jordan, Sausgruber argues that "Democritean," mechanistic principles cannot account for life. This phenomenon forces us to look for a non-material spiritual element, which, the author believes, points to a supreme spirit.--K. H.

While helping to form a general conception of the atmosphere out of which the Qumran texts and the New Testament arose, this brief study emphasizes the basic differences between the two.--K. H.

This brief study of the temptations of Jesus shows the author to be a powerful preacher. An extended sermon on man, as standing between the temptation of the devil and an obedience to God.--K. H.

A clear, thorough, and suggestive study of causality, by one who has an intimate knowledge of both science and philosophy. In the first part the author discusses different formulations of the causal principle and then proceeds to attack the empirical and the romantic views of causality. In the third part of the study the claims for the "linearity," "uni-directionality," "externality" of causality and the impossibility of novelty are critically analyzed. In the last part the author discusses the role of philosophy (...) in modern science, particularly in physics, concluding that the causal principle is...a general hypothesis subsumed under the universal principle of determinacy, and having an approximate validity in its proper domain."--K. H. (shrink)

As the title suggests, this book--the text of a lecture course given in 1935-1936--supplements the examination of Kant und das Problem der Metaphysik. The value of this clearly-written study is twofold: on one hand it offers an interesting interpretation of Kant's discussion of the transcendental principles; and on the other hand, Heidegger's discussion of Kant's position in terms of the history which it presupposes effectively clarifies the historic roots of his own philosophy.--K. H.

The brevity of the book prevents it from being more than an introduction to some epistemological problems. As such it is useful; Schneider has succeeded in sketching in a few pages an amazing number of different epistemological positions, paying some attention to modern scientific developments.--K. H.

A sympathetic but critical examination of some of the presuppositions of Husserl's phenomenological program, leading to an exposition of their contradictory nature. In the light of this critique, Eley examines Husserl's view of the crisis of our age as rooted in the antithesis of life-world and technology. The book concludes with a demand for a reconstruction of the phenomenological program and a more searching examination of the crisis of our age. Exceptionally clear, the book prepares the ground for a more (...) intelligent assessment of Husserl's phenomenology and for a better understanding of Heidegger's departure from the phenomenological program.--K. H. (shrink)

Himmerich gives a thorough statement of Plotinus' anthropology, placed in the wider context of his philosophy interpreted theistically. The work is concerned to show that the Plotinian image of man, passing from the active life of youth to the wisdom of old age, is still viable today. Clear and intelligent.--K. H.

A brilliant work which shows a thorough command of the relevant literature. His phenomenological method leads Krohn to irreducible norms which possess a certain coercive power, pointing thus to a transempirical other in which they are rooted and which justifies our belief in them. The argument is introduced by a discussion of ethical negativism, naturalism, and subjectivism and develops through a consideration of classical ethics and its deepening through Christian and phenomenological insights. --K. H.

A critical concern with Kant's treatment of appearance and reality gives rise to this fascinating study. The first part contains the author's speculations about the relationships between appearance and the totally different other. In the second and third parts Samuel discusses a number of logical and psychological theories in the light of these "meontological" investigations, thereby developing his own views.--K. H.

An attempt to justify the historical references to Darius the Mede in the Book of Daniel.--K. H.

The German version of The Origins of Totalitarianism is less concise than the original, but compensates for this by a greater wealth of examples and a beautiful, almost poetic language rarely found in works of this nature. It includes a new chapter, "Ideologie und Terror, Eine neue Staatsform," replacing the "Concluding Remarks."--K. H.

In this fascinating study van der Meulen undertakes to show that the Hegelian view of spirit and history is untenable. The critique is extended to Marx's theories. Throughout the work the Hegelian views are contrasted with the more dualistic position of Kant.--K. H.

Faced with the difficulty of reconciling the objectivity demanded of it as a science with the demands placed on it by its task of understanding the social being of man, sociology exists uneasily between the natural sciences and the humanities. Alfred Schutz tried to achieve such reconciliation by giving Weber's interpretive sociology a foundation in Husserl's phenomenology. The present attempt to take a few steps towards a more adequate sociology of art builds on this rather shaky foundation. The sociology of (...) art is to be approached as a branch of the sociology of knowledge; only the phenomenological perspective, it is claimed, provides a philosophically sound basis for the latter. Unfortunately this brief reworked dissertation is too uncritically eclectic to demonstrate the promise of the approach it advocates. (shrink)

Not only does Klemmt succeed in showing the importance of Reinhold as a key figure between Kant and Fichte, but he also establishes the originality of his work; especially interesting is his analysis of Reinhold's philosophy of consciousness, which anticipated important tenets of phenomenology. To regard this study as merely historical would be a mistake, for it is an impressive attempt to investigate some of the fundamental principles of theoretical philosophy.--K. H.

This volume contains eight essays from the years 1933-1949. The first essays deal with ontology and categorial analysis. In the fifth essay Hartmann discussed temporality and substantiality. In the last essays he turns to man, meaning, and the worth of the individual.--K. H.

This expensively produced and well-illustrated little volume contains the unpublished writings in English of the father of Merz. Besides the expected whimsical poems, among them the English version of the famous Ur-Sonata the reader will find some touching prose sketches in which the poet describes his despair during the war years.--K. H.

In his study of Lichtenberg Stern presents us with a vivid picture of the eighteenth century physicist, astronomer, psychologist. Of special interest to the philosopher are Stern's attempts to show that a certain world view finds its most apt expression in the aphorism. This is illustrated by pointing out parallels between Lichtenberg and Wittgenstein. A collection of Lichtenberg's aphorisms is given in the appendix.--K. H.

Neher uses Moses as the focal point for a well written introduction to the Jewish faith, and he makes continuous references to the twentieth century. The volume is well illustrated.--K. H.

The author seeks to shed light on the changes in man from infant to adult. He rejects Freud's notion of the pleasure principle, arguing that the infant also turns to and enjoys the excitations of the world; on the other hand "ego psychology" is charged with neglecting the developmental factor. In going beyond these views Schachtel makes his contribution to a fuller understanding of the human situation. A clear and well-written book.--K. H.

"There are no paradoxes in mathematics," says Kurt Gödel. Moreover, Gödel seems to be right on this count. That is, there are no paradoxes, in the strict sense of the word, internal to the known and available body of mathematical knowledge. But while there are no paradoxes in mathematics, there certainly is an embarrassing bag of difficulties when we come to the application of mathematical concepts to the physical world. Of these, perhaps the most unruly offenders of all are the (...) problems proposed about 2500 years ago by Zeno and which, in modern idiom, have to do with the proper mathematical treatment of phenomena involving change and motion, and the physical meaning—if any—which may be assigned to convergent infinite series. At each stage in the growth of mathematical knowledge since their formulation Zeno's paradoxes have been the subject of some alleged resolution. Now Grünbaum contributes to this tradition, and it must be said that he makes a strong case. The weapons in the intellectual arsenal which Grünbaum brings to bear upon Zeno include such sophisticated devices as measure theory, but the weak link in the argument is in the first chapter where the author presents his somewhat psychologistic theory of temporal becoming. Grünbaum has a great many interesting things to say in later chapters about infinite processes, quantum mechanics, and Hilary Putnam. This is a first-rate contribution to the philosophy of physics.—H. P. K. (shrink)

In this first volume of his work the author attempts to lay the foundations for an understanding of the sense of value by calling attention to a teleological principle governing the evolutionary process. An attempt is made to apply this principle, gained from an analysis of organic structures, to modern art. A suggestive book which would have been better if it had taken into account more of the relevant philosophic literature.--K. H.

By means of an analysis of Nicolai Hartmann's thought, the author attempts to show that his and, indeed, all ontological projects are unable to develop criteria showing why a certain ontology should be preferred over another. The reason for this is sought in the "gnoseo-ontological circle"--the fact that all attempts to state such criteria already imply a commitment to a certain ontology. It is impossible to appeal beyond this circle. Consequently, the only remaining choice is between skepticism and the path (...) which Heidegger has pointed out, a path which leads beyond all ontology. Bold though it is, the argument is developed with great clarity.--K. H. (shrink)

In this interesting book Schapp presents in a systematic way his philosophy of "stories." Man is to him a being caught inextricably in a net of stories; philosophy attempts to show the place which these stories have in a universal story. The starting point of all philosophy has to be stories in which the individual finds himself. --K. H.

Bergler argues for the all-pervasiveness of a repressed psychic masochism. The argument is supported by a great wealth of clinical material. Nevertheless it seems doubtful whether this quite justifies the sweeping thesis. The writing is somewhat loose and the tone of Bergler's attack on his critics unfortunate.--K. H.

A translation of eleven of the chapters of Die Protestantische Theologie im 19. Jahrhundert. Omits chapters on the minor Protestant theologians of the 19th century who are far more representative of Protestant thought than some of the more famous ones included. Also omitted are the chapters on theology and on Protestant theology in the 18th century. Enough, though, is left to make this a very stimulating book. Barth is usually entertaining and at times, brilliant.--K. H.

Beginning with a discussion of the necessity of faith in reason, these Carus Lectures call attention to the fact that philosophy possesses a "reflexive" and a "non-reflexive subject-matter." In this latter respect it is like science, differing from it, however, in that it possesses a generic import." The author then goes on the develop his theory of "Dialectical Pluralism," grounding his argument mainly on a critical examination of Descartes, Berkeley, Kant, Leibniz, and Hegel.--K. H.

Adcock discusses Roman political ideas and practice from the beginnings to the time of Septimius Severus. There is very little in this volume which will seem new or surprising to a reader who possesses a fair knowledge of Roman history.--K. H.