This chapter explores the opportunities and limitations of the ideal of transparency in responsible innovation, by consulting the virtual case of "The Circle", a company which appears in Dave Eggers' novel The Circle. The Circle is a high-tech company with the main purpose of being responsive to societal needs. They want to eradicate unethical behaviour in society, enhance public health and make a positive impact on the environment. The ultimate goal of The Circle is to reach 100% full transparency in (...) the world, which is impossible without any societal desirability. In first instance, it is free choice of people to accept and embrace the products and services of The Circle, who invest resources in keeping customers happy and in raising awareness about the dangers of privacy. The chapter concludes that The Circle meets the requirements regarding the outcomes of responsible innovation, at least to a certain extent, while at the same time, one feels unease about certain activities they undertake. (shrink)

This is an intelligently designed collection of essays dealing with a variety of key issues that are in the foreground of reflection on the social and behavioral sciences. The format followed is an ideal one: a key paper, a comment by a critic, and a reply. Thus, for example, Charles Taylor explains and defends teleological explanation of behavior and engages in an exchange with Robert Borger; and Noam Chomsky reviews the problems of explanation in linguistics and is challenged by Max (...) Black. The quality of this volume is quite high and the contributors are leaders in their fields of inquiry. Not only are there explorations by philosophers but also by practicing behavioral scientists. This is therefore an excellent way of gaining an overview of some of the key issues concerning explanation in the behavioral sciences. But the volume is disappointing in breaking new ground. Many of the points and counterpoints made here can be found in other places, and frequently they are explored in greater detail in other places. The collection also reflects an Anglo-Saxon bias for there is little attempt to include any confrontations with the continental concern with the nature of explanation in the social sciences. A detailed bibliography might have helped to direct the reader to further discussion of the issues involved. But despite these limitations, this is an impressive series of confrontations.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Although this book consists of a number of essays, some of which have been published, there is a remarkable unity of perspective and metaphysical orientation. Mrs. De Laguna writes with clarity and vigor and tackles some of the toughest philosophical problems and positions. Beginning with a discussion of science and teleology, she argues that recent science requires the recognition of "teleonomy" in nature. In her analysis of existence and potentiality, the thesis that whatever exists contains potentialities is defended. This enables (...) her to turn to an analysis of "the individual," which is a basic metaphysical category applicable to all of nature. Moving up the evolutionary "scale," we have forceful and provocative discussions of the person and culture. In the course of her positive exposition there are acute critical discussions of Heidegger, Sartre and Kant. What emerges is a comprehensive orientation for understanding man in society and the universe. Considering the revival of interest in natural teleology and intentionality, the book is timely. Informed with a knowledge and appreciation of developments in science and philosophy, this adventure in metaphysics is urbane, lucid, and illuminating.—R. J. B. (shrink)

The "Kant Book" in this excellent series of Modern Studies in Philosophy presents special problems. Unlike some of the other philosophers examined in this series, there have been a number of excellent books written on Kant, yet the editor has not included any selections from them. He also restricts himself to articles published in English. Although the articles selected are primarily concerned with the First and Second Critiques, with two articles on Kant's Aesthetics, they are all of high quality. Two (...) of the most interesting essays, by Todes and Stadler, have not been published before.—R. J. B. (shrink)

Sixty three papers divided into eleven sections ranging through the philosophy of logic, mathematics, physics, social sciences, history and linguistics. The conference seems to have been used primarily for summing up recent achievements or continuing well-established lines of research, rather than for developing new perspectives --R. J. B.

A fine collection of articles on J. S. Mill. One outstanding virtue of this collection is that it doesn't restrict itself to the "standard" topics that are normally associated with Mill. In addition to articles dealing with Mill's logic and utilitarianism, there are articles dealing with Mill's theory of poetry, democracy, and authority. Also included are several selections that vividly portray the flavor and versatility of Mill. In his introduction, Schneewind makes a brief but forceful case for the need to (...) understand Mill in his many facets as a most eminent philosopher and Victorian man of letters.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Beginning with a brief study of the Polish philosophy which flourished after the First World War, the scene is set for following the conflicts between philosophy and ideology. At first the spokesmen for ideology--supported by the State--vehemently attacked the claims of philosophy. But gradually, after the passing of the Stalinist era, the ideologists changed their initial position, reducing their claims. They had discovered the value of objectivity, logical consistency and free inquiry which had been characteristic of the Polish philosophic tradition. (...) The careful attention given to a wide variety of thinkers and the extensive bibliography help to make this an invaluable study for anyone interested in contemporary intellectual life in Poland.--R. J. B. (shrink)

In the spirit of recent analytic investigations, Bennett seeks to analyze the concept of rationality. He approaches this topic by first considering the behavior of honey-bees, which he claims is non-rational. Using this as a model he examines variations that more closely approximate the linguistic manifestation of rationality. Bennett's most interesting thesis is that while language is necessary for rationality, the possession of language is not sufficient for rationality. A good deal of familiar ground is covered here and while Bennett (...) has many novel insights, there seems to be little genuine advance over the work of the later Wittgenstein and his followers.—R. J. B. (shrink)

John J. McDermott, who has already distinguished himself by publishing the best available selection of William James' writings, has now performed the same task for Josiah Royce. Although Josiah Royce is normally classified as one of the American "classical" philosophers, he is probably the least read of these philosophers. These skillfully edited volumes may go a long way to making Royce's comprehensive and complex thought available. There is a brief introduction in which McDermott nicely conveys a "feel" for the man (...) and his thought, especially as it manifests the spirit of American philosophy. The selections are grouped under a number of headings, each preceded with a short commentary. McDermott has deliberately aimed at comprehensiveness, and I suspect even those familiar with some of Royce's work may be surprised by the variety of his investigations. There is a sixty-page annoted bibliography prepared by Ignas K. Skrupsklelis which is the most complete bibliography of Royce's writings available. Although there are no selections from The Problem of Christianity, the University of Chicago Press has recently published this book with a new introduction by John E. Smith. The Letters of Josiah Royce is also being published by Chicago. Painstaking, intelligent editing of philosophic texts is all too rare in our time. McDermott is to be congratulated on a superb job, and the University of Chicago Press is to be praised for undertaking this extensive publication of Royce's work.--R. J. B. (shrink)

The "Death of God" is upon us, and since the phrase has caught the popular imagination there has been an outpouring of literature on the topic—defending, attacking, probing the death of God. Murchland has collected together a number of articles representing the current fascination with "atheistic theology." Although the prose is rich and the polemic fierce, it is difficult to gain much illumination on just what are the basic issues and options concerning this "new" theme. One is impressed by the (...) earnestness of the contributors in their dissatisfaction with traditional theology and religion and the search for new directions, but too often flowery rhetoric is provided where one would like to find careful analysis and argument.—R. J. B. (shrink)

For the past few years, philosophers have heard about the exciting new work in linguistics centering about the contributions of Noam Chomsky and those sympathetic with his approach. The editors of the anthology share the conviction that this work points to a new and more adequate approach to the traditional problems of the philosophy of language which supersedes both positivist and ordinary-language approaches. They have done an excellent job in collecting some of the best papers of recent work in linguistics (...) including papers of Quine, Harris, Chomsky, Klima, Halle, Ziff, Katz, Carnap, Church, Fodor, Lenneberg, and Stevens. The anthology provides an excellent opportunity for philosophers to assess the contribution and significance of recent developments in empirical linguistics.—R. J. B. (shrink)

James is being rediscovered. And we have needed a volume that presents the multifaceted thought of one of America's most original and vital thinkers. McDermott has done an exceedingly skillful and sensitive job in presenting sections that reveal the man, the educator, the psychologist, the cultural critic, and the philosopher. The entire edition of the Essays in Radical Empiricism and A Pluralistic Universe is included as well as the 1907 edition of Pragmatism. There are also selected letters and chapters and (...) essays from the Principles of Psychology, The Will to Believe, and The Varieties of Religious Experience. The editor's introduction vividly conveys a feeling for James, his cultural setting, and the major themes of his philosophy. A corrected version of Perry's Annotated Bibliography of the Writings of William James is included. For those who are ignorant of the richness and variety of James's thought, or for those who want to take another look at James, I can think of no better way than by reading this intelligently edited and reasonably priced volume.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany: Comparisons and Contrasts, Edited by R. Bessel, (Cambridge University Press, 1996) 242 pp. £35 cloth, £12.95 paper. The Sacralization of Politics in Fascist Italy. By E. Gentile (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1996). 208 pp. $49.95 cloth.

The primary purpose of this study "is to make clear that America does have a philosophy of its own." This is interpreted as meaning that each of the sages contributed to a single, consistent, developing philosophy. Van Wesep is more successful explaining the views of these sages in "untechnical" language than in establishing and justifying his general thesis.--R. J. B.

A new selection from the Federalist Papers with a helpful introduction that explains the origins of these papers and their reception since their publication. Careful annotative and bibliographical indices offer excellent aids for an intelligent appreciation of these famous papers.--R. J. B.

During the past few years there has appeared an enormous amount of secondary literature dealing with various aspects of the Tractatus. In the main, the purpose animating this scholarship has been a search for a coherent interpretation or key to the Tractatus. Those who have looked forward to the appearance of Black's book for a definitive interpretation of the Tractatus will be disappointed. For Black is not primarily concerned with arguing for a definitive, coherent interpretation. Instead, this book is a (...) companion "intended to make it easier for a serious student of Wittgenstein's early work to reach his own interpretation of the Tractatus." Black has divided the text into "installments" which are introduced by preliminary statements. These are followed by detailed notes commenting on difficult expressions, relevant quotations from Wittgenstein's other works and unpublished manuscripts, explanations of the views to which Wittgenstein refers, cross references to related passages, and occasional free paraphrases of puzzling passages. Given Black's modest but difficult aim, the book will prove invaluable to all students of Wittgenstein, although it will certainly not satisfy those who continue to search for "the key" to what is surely the most mystifying and intriguing philosophic book of our times.—R. J. B. (shrink)

This volume consists of fourteen papers most of which have been published before during a twenty year period. A number of these papers played significant roles in the development of the dialogue of twentieth century analytic philosophy, e.g., "Fallacies in Moral Philosophy", and "Ryle's The Concept of Mind". While Hampshire has been trained as an analytic philosopher, there is something about his distinctive vision that sets him apart from many of his Oxford colleagues. When these essays are read together as (...) a book they indicate how much of Hampshire's thought has been shaped by his reading and appreciation of the subtle and robust naturalism of Aristotle and Spinoza. At the same time, one comes away with the feeling that Hampshire's forte is precisely the literary and philosophic essay, rather than a sustained critical, book or monograph. Each essay raises as many issues as it attempts to resolve. While a complex philosophy of mind and ethics is sketched in broad outline, there is a lack of detailed explication and justification.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Ten years ago Father Ong published a scholarly book, Ramus, Method, and the Decay of Dialogue which led him to raise fundamental questions about the history of the spoken word. Since that time, he has returned to this complex topic from a variety of perspectives, extending his vision over the entire development of Western Civilization. Now in this book he traces the development of the "shifting sensorium," from its oral-aural sources to the subtle take over of the visual world to (...) the new possibilities created by electronic communication. But throughout this history the "mystery" of the spoken word prevails. The spoken word is neither a sign nor a symbol, but a living presence which is at the very center of human life. The mystery of sound "is the most productive of understanding and unity, the most personally human, and in this sense closest to the divine." While Ong ranges over the entire history of man and culture, evoking and exhibiting his claims rather than arguing for them in detail, he opens up for us a fresh and exciting perspective for understanding a wide range of human phenomena.—R. J. B. (shrink)

This book consists of the papers by Northrop Frye, Stuart Hampshire, and Conor Cruise O'Brien read at the inauguration of the Society for the Humanities. The topic was eminently suitable for the inauguration because it provided the occasion for three respected humanistic scholars to reflect on the fragile status of scholarship in our troubled times. While each defends the virtues of objectivity and detachment in scholarship, each is aware how easily these virtues can and do degenerate into vices. Frye sketches (...) the balance that must exist between the scholarly virtue of detachment and the moral virtue of concern. The latter includes the sense of importance of preserving the integrity of the total human community. While Hampshire basically accepts the tension that Frye delineates, he explores in greater depth the ways in which committed scholarship in the humanities is an imaginative working out of personal problems felt to be urgent. Lest his colleagues commit the sin of smugness, O'Brien's more astringent paper focuses on the subtle, pervasive pressures of modern politics that perniciously distort scholarship. The papers, together with Black's urbane introduction, are gentle but elegant reminders of the ideals of humanistic scholarship and the ways in which they are threatened in the contemporary marketplace.—R. J. B. (shrink)

These ten papers written between 1950 and 1960 offer an excellent introduction to the revival of the philosophy of mind among analytic philosophers. Chappell introduces the papers in a novel way by presenting an elaborate argument for solipsism and then showing how the several papers included can be coherently understood by their differing critical responses to the essential premisses of the argument. The perspicuous introduction and the selected bibliography make this a fine text--R. J. B.

A provocative collection of technical and popular essays dealing with a variety of scientific and political topics which Popper has treated in his major works. For the most part Popper develops, sharpens, and extends to new areas, themes which he has already explored. The major theme running through the essays is that knowledge grows by unjustified and unjustifiable anticipations, guesses and conjectures. These are controlled by criticisms and refutations. Theories can never be positively justified; they can only prove to be (...) resistant to rational criticism. The boldness of Popper's conjectures demands attempted refutations on the part of the reader.--R. J. B. (shrink)

The precise relationships between ideology and cultural policies is a topic of interest to any philosopher concerned with culture. In this fascinating study, the author explores the background of Nazi ideology and policies concerning architecture. Lane persuasively shows how Nazi policies were influenced and inherited from the ideological disputes that surrounded "modern" tendencies in architecture during the Weimar period, especially those disputes concerning the Bauhaus. She also traces the devious paths whereby the social significance of architecture became an issue of (...) national concern in Germany. In the course of the analysis, we not only have a detailed study of architecture and ideology during this crucial period in German history, but a paradigm for intellectual history at its best.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Published in a series, Views and Controversies about Classical Antiquity, this collection consists of fifteen articles or selections dealing with the recent controversy concerning the political doctrines of Plato. Most of the articles were published in direct response to Popper's controversial views expressed in The Open Society and Its Enemies. While some of the more interesting comments on Popper's views are included, a good bibliography and guide to the literature would have greatly increased the value of the book. By photographically (...) reproducing the original articles one might have hoped for an inexpensive edition; instead there is a confusing variety of types.--R. J. B. (shrink)

During the past decade some of the most provocative and controversial disputes concerning the philosophy and history of science have centered about the work of Thomas Kuhn and Sir Karl Popper. One, therefore, looks with anticipation to this volume which is based on a symposium held in July, 1965 where Kuhn, Popper and several of Popper's former students met for an intellectual confrontation. But the result is depressing. The volume is an editorial mess. Two of the main scheduled speakers never (...) appeared at the symposium, although papers by them are published here. Some of the remarks published here seem to be those spoken on the day the symposium was held while others, like Kuhn's answer to his critics, were written four years after the symposium. The result is a confusing and distracting editorial unevenness. While Kuhn's fair-minded opening paper raises some of the most important issues to be confronted, one quickly senses that the Popperians are not really very much interested in discussing Kuhn's work but rather in pushing their own pet theses. Kuhn puts this rather generously when he labels it an example of "talking-through-each-other." Most of the Popperians seem to be obsessed with Kuhn's understanding of normal science and neglect the much more interesting questions concerning his views on scientific revolutions, the sense in which science does and does not make progress, the criteria involved in adjudicating among competing theories. It is almost with relief that one reads Margaret Masterman's remark that it is a "crashingly obvious fact" that there is normal science. Ironically, Masterman's article which is basically sympathetic to Kuhn's work is the most illuminating and the most critical. More successfully than any of other contributors she shows the ambiguities involved in Kuhn's idea of a paradigm. One's wishes that the Popperians would take a good hard look at themselves and what they are doing as it is so disastrously illustrated here. Although ostensibly dedicated to serious critical rationalism, they seem more eager to score points than to understand what they are criticizing. Although they supposedly abhor clubiness, they are rapidly forming themselves into a scholastic circle where the object seems to be to show how brilliant or how stupid some other student of Popper is. Although they scorn the quest for origins, they are almost compulsive in attempting to show that anything worthwhile was previously said by Sir Karl. This book illustrates the faults of the Popperians at their worst and few of their virtues. There is much heat and wit, but little light.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Throughout his life, Dewey emphasized the importance of developmental categories. The question naturally arises, what were Dewey's philosophic beginnings? Traditionally, this has been answered by saying that Dewey started as a Hegelian. But the truth is that Dewey did not start his philosophic career as a Hegelian. This fine edition of Dewey's earliest papers and his book on Leibniz provides the reader with an excellent opportunity to study Dewey's first attempts in philosophy. We find Dewey beginning his philosophic career with (...) discussions of materialism, Spinoza, Kant, and Leibniz. We see Dewey's early interest in education, the social sciences, and especially the "new psychology." There are reflections on religion and ethics, and the concern to make philosophy relevant to the practical affairs of men. Indeed one can see here the origins of many of Dewey's later leading ideas such as the importance of the category of the organic for philosophic analysis. Although this is Volume I in the projected first phase of the collected works of Dewey, it is actually the second volume to appear in the series. The same high level of textual analysis is employed here. There is a clear statement of the textual principles used, a helpful introduction to these papers by Lewis E. Hahn, an illuminating note on the texts by Jo Ann Boydston which helps provide the setting for each paper, and the full critical apparatus demanded by textual criticism. This is clearly a definitive critical text. All scholars and students of American philosophy must be grateful for the high standards already achieved by "Dewey Project" of Southern Illinois University.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Aune acknowledges in his preface that his greatest intellectual debt is to Wilfrid Sellars to whom the book is dedicated. And the influence of Sellars is manifest throughout the book. Many of Sellars' characteristic themes and approaches as well as his general synoptic vision of man in the world are echoed in these pages. But Aune develops these in fresh and novel ways. A detailed critique of the "foundation" picture of empirical knowledge is the leitmotif of this study, and many (...) of the philosophic ramifications of a rejection of "myth of the given" in its many varieties are sketched for us. Knowledge neither has nor requires such a foundation. Aune explores the consequences of this "new" orientation for such traditional problems as the nature of "privacy," "mind-body," the nature of thought and sensations, and the relation of scientific theory to common sense. Throughout there is an attempt to give just due to the claims of ordinary language and those of theoretical science. Although this study is not really "an introduction to Theory of Knowledge and the Philosophy of Mind," it is a good introduction to a comprehensive theory that has been emerging on the American philosophic scene during the past few decades.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Nine essays by leading American analytic philosophers. Frankena's article describes the recent changes of orientation in ethical inquiry and delineates the various positions advocated. Though there is little that is radically new in these essays, they are all of high quality. The essays are not representative of the variety of positions sketched by Frankena and the volume lacks any real unity. The price is outrageous and defeats the purpose of making these articles readily available.--R. J. B.

This book consists of five essays written at three different times, 1946, 1955, and 1964. Aron characterizes these essays as "a dialogue between existentialists and the Marxists as interpreted by a third speaker, namely the author of the book." Aron is primarily concerned with the existentialism of Sartre and Merleau-Ponty, especially their attempts to reconcile existentialism and Marxism. While Aron tries to present a fair statement of their philosophic positions and Marxism, he is deeply skeptical of a successful synthesis of (...) existentialism and Marxism. He is also critical of the French intellectuals' flirtation with communism as it is practiced in the Soviet Union. Aron writes as a friendly critic, for he has been shaped by the same intellectual trends that shaped Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. For those unacquainted with the debates about the nature and status of Marxism by French intellectuals, these essays will be helpful in setting the scene. One wishes, however, that Aron might have explored key tensions with greater depth and rigor.--R. J. B. (shrink)

The story of Soviet Marxism that Joravsky tells is both fascinating and frightening. Briefly examining the background in Marx and Engel, he shows how their views toward the philosophy of natural science are ambiguous, containing a mixture of metaphysical and positivistic elements. Lenin's legacy was also ambiguous. Though he elaborated the concept of partiinost--the ideological control of philosophy by the Party's Central Committee--he himself used it broadly, tolerating and encouraging the separation of philosophic disputes from practical political affairs. Tracing the (...) emergence of various factions after Lenin's death, we see how, under Stalin, dialectical materialism eventually became "a ritualistic incantation of the one true Weltanschauung that inspired the one true Party."--R. J. B. (shrink)

This paperback consists of a reprint of Feigl's now famous paper published originally in Volume II of the Minnesota Studies in the Philosophy of Science and a short postscript written ten years after. When Feigl first published his article, his main concern was to show that linguistic philosophy had not succeeded in showing that the problems involved in understanding mind and body were linguistic pseudo-problems. And he developed in great detail the outlines of a proposed solution to the problems. The (...) vast literature of the last ten years certainly has vindicated Feigl's claim about the liveness and importance of the issues. While Feigl ended his original article with a budget of problems still to be confronted, he did think that his double-knowledge or double-designation view was essentially correct. As a result of ten years of criticisms, Feigl is far more tentative about many of his specific claims and recognizes that there are many unresolved difficulties in the three main issues of the cluster of mind-body problems: sentience, sapience, and selfhood.--R. J. B. (shrink)

The key word in the title of this book is "essay," for Strawson has not written an introduction to Kant, nor a commentary on the Critique. It would be closer to truth to say that Strawson has attempted to extract and to translate into a contemporary idiom what he takes to be philosophically important in the Critique. Kant's major positive achievement, according to Strawson, is the partial carrying out of a certain program, viz., "that of determining the fundamental general structure (...) of any conception of experience such as we can make intelligible to ourselves." But this program can be dissociated from the Kantian motif that the structure of experience is "imposed by our capacities." Thus Strawson speaks of the "doctrinal fantasies of transcendental idealism." Given Strawson's concern with what he takes to be Kant's positive achievement, he doesn't hesitate to expose the weakness of some of Kant's arguments, to restate many of them in a more convincing way, or even to supply new arguments. But Strawson also exhibits a remarkable sensitivity to many recondite aspects of the Critique, e.g., the role of "pure intuition" in Kant's theory of geometry, and the status of "self-consciousness." The result of Strawson's essay is a philosophically exciting encounter where one can learn as much about Kant as he can about Strawson's own central concerns, and indeed about some of the most central issues of philosophy, both past and present.—R. J. B. (shrink)

Includes the best and most complete English translation of Marx's controversial Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 by T. B. Bottomore. Fromm in his introductory essay argues that Marx's philosophy of man is to be found in these manuscripts; it is a "spiritual existentialism in secular language." Fromm skirts some difficult problems of Marxist interpretation, and the concept of man that is attributed to Marx resembles the sentimental socialism which Marx so bitterly attacked.--R. J. B.

The editors have continued the procedure of placing the English translation opposite the corresponding German text. In addition to the Notebooks, there are some additional English notes given to Moore and Russell as well as some letters to Russell. All of this material is extremely helpful for understanding the context of the Tractatus. The philosophic style of these remarks also reveals a greater continuity between the so-called earlier and later Wittgenstein than is frequently acknowledged.--R. J. B.

A sampler of Russell's writings from 1963 to 1959 which provides representative selections from his multifarious writings. The book is designed more for the general reader than for the scholar interested in piecing together the complex mosaic of the man and his work. There is a preface by Bertrand Russell. Handsomely printed, the total effect shows once again how unique and many-sided is this twentieth-century intellectual explorer.--R. J. B.

Intended as a comprehensive overview aimed more at the layman than the professional philosopher, the author thinks of functionalism as being in the pragmatic tradition. Nevertheless "functionalism is not pragmatism, because it attempts to eliminate crass relativism, establish a working teleology, and develop a metaphysics." Little attempt is made to explicate and justify the views expressed here.—R. J. B.

This edition is a reprint of the 1927 edition. The Nature of Existence is a classic more frequently honored than read. Except for a few hearty enthusiasts, McTaggart is not taken seriously by many philosophers influenced by the "linguistic turn." Yet in the rediscovery of metaphysics by analytic philosophers, they may be surprised to discover that many of the issues now hotly discussed are explored by McTaggart, including time, substance, quality, and existence. And it may be a further surprise that (...) McTaggart displays a keen and subtle analytical mind. But McTaggart needs no defense in terms of his "relevance." On the contrary, the power and appeal of McTaggart is a sign of the return of contemporary philosophy to a direct confrontation with the perennial metaphysical issues.--R. J. B. (shrink)

This is clearly the best serious study of Marx's social and political philosophy to appear in English. Avineri brings to bear on his study of Marx a thorough and sensitive understanding of Marx's published and unpublished writings; a subtle appreciation of the philosophical climate within which Marx functioned, especially in his interpretation of Hegel and Feuerbach; and an ability to avoid the standard clichés of interpretation and provide fresh insight into a number of difficult issues. Especially noteworthy is his illuminating (...) interpretation of Marx's Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right where Avineri shows how Marx arrived at many of the distinctive motifs of his political philosophy through a detailed critique of Hegel. Avineri also escapes the sentimentality that surrounds many discussions of Marx's concept of alienation. His discussion of the unity of theory of praxis is particularly sensitive to the tensions and stresses glossed over by Marx. The author also makes many revealing points concerning Marx's condemnation of terror and his attitude toward violence. Throughout, Avineri displays the knack of bringing just the right text to bear on controversial issues. The title is to be taken seriously for Avineri's interest is Marx's political philosophy and there is little discussion of the details of Marx's economic theory.--R. J. B. (shrink)

A collection of essays by a group of international scholars from Israel, England, the United States, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and Argentina testify to the humane influence of Baumgardt. There is little that unites the subject matter of these essays and only one deals explicitly with the thought of Baumgardt. A bibliography of Baumgardt's writings is included.—R. J. B.

The first three volumes of the Minnesota Studies have become recent classics. They contain some of the most important and philosophically suggestive papers published during the fifties and early sixties. Some of the discussions which are the basis of volume IV took place in 1966 and a number of the papers here seem "dated"--at least to the extent that discussion of the relevant issues has been superseded by publication in other places. There is still another tour de force by Paul (...) K. Feyerabend, who is becoming more strident and more anarchistic in his politics, epistemology, and philosophy of science. There is a brief paper by the late N. R. Hanson and a typically solid and balanced defense of the "standard conception" of scientific theories by Carl G. Hempel. Three papers by Paul E. Meehl are included which, as usual, excel in the care and clarity of argument--even though there seems to be little that is new here. And there is also an informed discussion of correspondence rules by a number of participants in a special conference dedicated to this subject. While the quality of the papers is high, this volume nevertheless lacks some of the excitement and novelty of the earlier volumes.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Writing from a liberal Marxist point of view, Schaff admits that Marxists have failed, thus far, to face the challenges of contemporary scientific semantics. He explores a wide spectrum of problems concerning the philosophy of language and exhibits a sophisticated knowledge of the works of Husserl, Peirce, Russell, Wittgenstein, Dewey and others. His approach is dialectical in so far as he attempts to reach his own position through the criticism of others. Nevertheless, his criticism is too frequently extremely superficial. Though (...) much of what Schaff says concerning the social context of human communication is only programmatic, the striking feature of this study is not the differences but the similarities of his Marxist approach and the results of recent non-Marxist investigations of semantics.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Contrary to the usual interpretation of Locke, Cox argues that Locke's political philosophy has a strong Hobbesian flavor. The state of nature is really a state of war, and the law of nature turns out to be a "con- struct of the mind." To justify this interpretation, Cox carefully analyzes Locke's two Treatises. He suggests that Locke accommodated his philosophic argument to the prevailing political, philosophical, and religious atmosphere of the day, but that this is only a device for presenting (...) a much more radical position. The reader may not be completely persuaded by Cox's forceful arguments, but he will discover insights and difficulties which must be taken into account for an adequate understanding of Locke's political philosophy.--R. J. B. (shrink)

This book well deserves the 1965 Century Psychology Series Award. The author displays a remarkable grasp of the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of science, probability theory, and behavioral psychology. The first part consists of a review of the empiricist tradition including informative and judicious accounts of rationalists, empiricists, Kant, logical atomism, positivism, and recent trends in logical empiricism. The second part deals directly with psychology and the philosophy of science. It culminates in a detailed and sophisticated discussion of the (...) problems concerning reductionism. The third part treats recent contributions to probability theory and induction. Although Turner covers a great deal of material, he does so with skill and imagination. One will find here one of the best philosophic defenses available of the viability of behaviorism in psychology which directly meets many of the challenges recently raised by skeptical philosophers.—R. J. B. (shrink)

As the author points out, a philosophy of labor can be extremely helpful in illuminating the more general problems of social and political philosophy. For those who are unacquainted with the philosophic treatment of labor, especially in Marx, this discussion may be an aid. However, there is a strong tendency to oversimplify throughout the book and the reader frequently feels that the author is by-passing the really difficult issues. The positive thesis is that humanization of the labor world is an (...) urgent task.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Hardly a month goes by without another book or article concerning some aspect of the philosophy of action. The cluster of issues involved are in the very center of philosophic discussion. Much of the recent concern has been inspired by the liberation from various reductivistic approaches effected by Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations. And philosophers are coming to realize that the theory of action is not the study of a well delineated specific issue, but rather a focal point where many philosophical issues (...) meet. The present anthology collects together some of the better and most influential papers concerning action. It is divided into three sections: the general theory of action: the explanation of action; and the concept of action in history, ethics, and law. Unfortunately, many of the best discussions of these issues are to be found in books which the editors have not excerpted here. But there is a helpful introduction which sets out to clarify the context of recent discussions and the different problems that have arisen. There is a brief bibliography which might have been more helpful if it were annotated.--R. J. B. (shrink)

A series of lectures reconstructed by G. J. Warnock from manuscript notes, in which Austin criticizes and exposes some of the standard arguments in the discussion of "sense-data." The cumulative effect of this small classic is to show the confusions which have infected the appeal to "sense-data," and to question the significance of such a concept.--R. J. B.

It is difficult to see what is the purpose of this collection of articles. Numerous full-length works have appeared dealing with various aspects of Wittgenstein's philosophy as well as several anthologies of articles about Wittgenstein. While the articles here are of a high quality and were written especially for this volume, there seems to be no principle of unity or selection here. Winch's introduction stresses the unity of Wittgenstein's philosophy, but it is too brief to resolve the many questions which (...) have been raised about this unity. Schwayder's article dealing with Wittgenstein on mathematics presents a helpful overview of the central themes in Wittgenstein's reflections. One of the most interesting papers is Frank Cioffi's "Wittgenstein's Freud." There are also papers by Hide Ishiguro, Rush Rhees, John W. Cook, L. R. Reinhardt, and Anthony Manser.--R. J. B. (shrink)