İ‘câzü’l-Kur’ân literatürüne bakıldığında ilim adamlarının i‘câzın ne anlama geldiği, tehaddînin mâhiyeti ve bu olgunun ne şekilde tahakkuk ettiği konusunda birtakım çözüm yolları bulmaya çalıştıkları; bu konuyu nazm, fesâhat ve belâgatla ilişkilendirerek çok sayıda teori ortaya koydukları görülmektedir. Bu bağlamda Kur’ân metninin ne kadarının mu‘ciz olduğu, muârızlarına müteveccih tehaddînin asgari miktarı meselesinde serdedilen görüşlerden biri, Kur’ân’ın iç düzenin en küçük birimi olan âyetle tehaddîdir. İslâm düşünce tarihinin klasik ve modern dönemlerinde savunucusu bulunan bu yaklaşıma göre Kur’ân’ın en küçük birimi olan âyet (...) veya âyet eczâsı, mu‘ciz olmakta ve muarızlara bunlarla meydan okunmaktadır. Konuya ilişkin daha önce bir çalışmanın yapılmamış olmasından hareketle i‘câzü’l-Kur’ân literatürüne katkı sunmayı amaçlayan bu çalışmada, tehaddînin âyetle tahakkuk ettiğini belirten ilim adamlarının istidlâl yöntemleri önce deskriptif bir üslupla aktarılmakta, akabinde bunlar analitik bir bakış açısıyla irdelenmektedir. Son olarak da âyetle tehaddî teorisinin Kur’ân’ın bütünlüğüne riayet ilkesine uyup uymadığı test edilmekte ve bu bağlamda i‘câz olgusunun mâhiyeti incelenmektedir. Sonuç olarak mezkûr ilke esas alındığında fesâhat ve belâgat yönlerinin her âyette eşit düzeyde tahakkuk ettiğini söylemek mümkün gözükmemektedir. Zira Kur’ân’da iki harften ya da tek kelimeden oluşan âyetlerin tehaddîye veya mu‘cizeye konu olduğunu aklen ileri sürmek mümkün değildir. Bu durumda tehaddînin kısa veya uzun olmasına bakılmaksızın âyet veya âyet parçacıklarında değil de her bir sûrenin bütünlüğünde gerçekleştiğini savunmanın daha isabetli bir yaklaşım olduğu kanaatine ulaşılmaktadır. (shrink)

Spinoza felsefe tarihinde ve felsefi düşüncede daha çok monist ontolojisi ve panteist teolojisi ile dikkatleri çeken bir filozoftur. Ancak o aynı zamanda önemli bir ahlak ve siyaset teorisyenidir. Özellikle siyasal felsefesinde düşünce ve ifade özgürlüğüne ve din-devlet ilişkisine dair, çağının sınırlarını aşan özel ve özgün görüşlere sahip olduğu ve yaşadığı çağda önemli bir demokrasi ve düşünce özgürlüğü savunucusu olduğu söylenebilir. Ne var ki felsefesinde ontolojiye ve teolojiye dair görüşlerinin ön plana çıkarılması nedeniyle olsa gerek, onun ahlaka ve siyasete ilişkin görüşleri (...) biraz geri planda kalmış ve görmezlikten gelinmiş gibidir. İşte bu çalışmada Spinoza’nın hem düşünce ve ifade özgürlüğüne hem de din-devlet ilişkisine dair görüşleri, genel felsefesi bağlamında tartışılmaya çalışılmaktadır. (shrink)

Kur’an’ın kendine has birbiriyle irtibatlı kelimeler dünyası bulunmakta-dır. Doğru bir Allah tasavvuru, Allah-âlem, Allah-kul, âlem-kul ilişkisinin nasıl olması gerektiği bu kelime dünyası tarafından anlatılmaktadır. Bu nok-tada Kur’an’da herhangi bir konu anlatılırken aralarında sıkı irtibat olan kelime grupları kullanılmıştır. Örneğin Allah Kur’ân’da kendisini, Rakîb, Alîm, Basîr, Habîr, Latîf vb. lafızlarla insanın idrakine yansıtmakta ve böylece doğru bir Allah Tasavvuru oluşmasını amaçlamaktadır. Bu çalışmada, öncelikle ra-ka-be /رقب kökünün etimolojisi üzerinde durulacaktır. Zira bir kelimenin dildeki asli anlamı ve türevleriyle beraber sonradan kazandığı anlamların (...) tespiti, ilgili kelimenin anlam sahasını keşfetme ile mümkündür. Akabinde bu kökün türevlerinden “Rakîb” kelimesi ile anlam ilişkisi olan ve Yüce Allah’ın Kur’ân’da kendisine nispet ettiği sıfatlarından, Alîm, Basîr, Habîr, Şehîd kelimeler tahlil edilecektir. Bu bağlamda doğrudan olmasa da dolaylı olarak Allah’ın görmesini ve gözetlemesini ifade eden kelimelere ve ilgili âyetlere yer verilecektir. Böylece ra-ka-be kökünün Kur’an siyakındaki anlam sahası ortaya konulmuş olacaktır. (shrink)

İSNAD, sosyal ve beşeri bilimler alanında hazırlanan çalışmalarda kullanılmak üzere Türkiye merkezli olarak geliştirilen akademik yazım ve kaynak gösterme sistemidir. “Kaynak gösterme”, bilginin bilimselliğinin bir gereği olduğu kadar fikrî mülkiyet ve telif haklarına saygının da bir gereğidir. İstifade edilen bir kaynağın araştırmada belirtilmemesi yayın etiği suçudur (intihal / plagiarism). Bu sebeple ortaya konulan bilimsel bir çalışmanın kaynakları, başka araştırmacılar tarafından tekrar ulaşılabilir ve kontrol edilebilir olacak şekilde bibliyografik bileşenleri ile doğru ve eksiksiz olarak yazılmak durumundadır. İSNAD atıf sistemi ise Türkiye (...) merkezli olarak Antropoloji, Arkeoloji ve Sanat Tarihi, Coğrafya, Dil ve Edebiyat, Eğitim, Felsefe, Halkbilimi, Hukuk, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler, İlahiyat, Psikoloji, Sanat, Sosyal Hizmetler, Sosyoloji ve Tarih gibi sosyal ve beşeri bilimler alanında görülen atıf ve kaynak gösterme gereksinimlerinin giderilmesi amacıyla geliştirilmiştir.İSNAD atıf sistemi; akademik bir yazının başlığının nasıl belirleneceği, özetinin hangi bilgileri içermesi gerektiği, anahtar kavramların nasıl seçileceği, başlıklandırma formatının nasıl olması gerektiği, içerdiği tablo ve şekillerin nasıl oluşturulacağı, çalışmada kullanılan Arapça, Farsça, İngilizce ve diğer eser adlarının ve müellif isimlerinin nasıl yazılacağı, tarih ve yüzyılların hangi şekilde gösterileceği, yayın etiği kapsamında nelere dikkat edilmesi gerektiği, istifade edilen kaynak eserden dolaylı veya doğrudan nasıl alıntı yapılacağı, atıf yapılan kaynakların metin içinde veya dipnotta nasıl yazılacağı ve kaynakçanın nasıl oluşturulacağı gibi akademik yazımla ilgili bilinmesi ve uygulanması gerekli tüm kuralları içermektedir.Sözlükte “dayanmak, yaslanmak, itimat etmek” manasındaki “sened” kökünden türeyen isnad, “temellendirmek, dayamak; sözü söyleyenine kadar ulaştırmak, bir sözün, bir rivayetin geliş yolunu haber vermek, ilk kaynağa kadar götürmek” anlamlarına gelmektedir. “Sözünün senedi nedir?” örneğinde olduğu gibi sözün kaynağını sorgulamak ve belirtmek için kullanılmaktadır. Bu anlamda isnad, akademik yazımda atıf veya alıntı yapılan kaynağı belirtmek için geliştirilen atıf sistemine, Türkiye merkezli yayın yapan ilahiyat alan dergilerinde görev üstlenen editörlerin çoğunluğunun (%70,4) kararı ile ad olarak seçilmiştir.İSNAD atıf sistemi, 2017-2018 yıllarında “İlahiyat Atıf Sistemi” olarak geliştirildi ve ilk versiyonu 12/03/2018 tarihinde matbu ve online olarak yayınlanarak ücretsiz olarak kullanıma sunuldu. Sistemin Türkiye’de ve Türk Cumhuriyetlerinde ilahiyat alan dergileri arasında ilgi görmesi ve ilahiyat alanı dışında da kullanımına dair talepler gelmesi üzerine İSNAD’ın ikinci versiyonu, tüm sosyal bilimler alanında kullanılabilecek şekilde geliştirildi ve Eylül 2018 itibari ile hizmete sunuldu. İSNAD artık sosyal ve beşeri bilimlerin tüm alanlarında kullanılabilmektedir.İSNAD atıf sistemi, Dr. Abdullah Demir tarafından Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Rektörlüğü’nce desteklenen RGD-015 numaralı “Ulusal İlahiyat Atıf Dizini Projesi” kapsamında, Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Dini İlimler Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (DİMER) bünyesinde, akademik yayıncılık alanında uzman öğretim üyelerinin ve hakemli dergi editörlerinin görüş, öneri ve değerlendirmeleri alınarak geliştirildi. Yaygın atıf biçimlerinden APA, Amerika Psikoloji Derneği (American Psychology Association) ve Chicago ise Modern Diller Derneği (Modern Languages Association) tarafından geliştirilerek satışa sunulmuştur.İSNAD; Türkiye merkezli olarak geliştirilen, kullanıma sunulduğu 12/03/2018 tarihinden kısa bir süre sonra hakemli akademik dergi ve kitap yayıncıları ile Fakülte Dekanlıkları (mezuniyet tezlerinin yazımında) ve Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Müdürlüklerince (Yüksek Lisans ve doktora tezlerinin yazımında) kullanımı benimsenen, Web of Science / Clarivate Analytics, TÜBİTAK TR Dizin ve TÜBİTAK DergiPark gibi akademik yayıncılıkla ilgili indeks ve dergi platformlarınca kaynak gösterme biçimlerinden biri olarak sistem entegrasyonu yapılan, Zotero, Mendeley ve EndNote gibi dünya çapında kullanılan kütüphane ve referans düzenleme yazılımlarına uygun şablonları hazırlanan ve ücretsiz olarak kullanıma sunulan ilk ve tek yerli-milli kaynak gösterme sistemidir ve bu açıdan oldukça önem arz etmektedir. Türkçe’nin bir bilim dili haline gelmesi hedefleniyorsa, bu hedefe ulaşmada, Türkçe olarak hazırlanan bir bilimsel yazım ve kaynak gösterme sisteminin bulunması da bir zorunluluktur. Ortaöğretim ve üniversite öğrencilerinin Türkçe olarak hazırlanan ve ücretsiz olarak kullanıma sunulan İSNAD atıf sistemini öğrenmeleri ve kullanmaları, aslı İngilizce olan ve satın alma imkanı da elde edemeyecekleri sistemleri öğrenmelerine kıyasla daha elverişlidir ve kolaydır. Türkçe konuşan ülkelerin bilim insanlarının bildiri, makale, kitap, proje ve benzeri bilimsel çalışmalarını İSNAD atıf sistemini kullanarak hazırlamaları, Türkçenin ortak bir bilim dili olarak güçlenmesine katkı sağlayacaktır. İSNAD atıf sistemi ile Türkiye’de ve Türki Cumhuriyetlerde; Antropoloji, Arkeoloji, Coğrafya, Dil ve Edebiyat, Felsefe, Halkbilimi, Hukuk, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler, İlahiyat, Müzik, Psikoloji, Sanat Tarihi, Sosyal Hizmetler, Sosyoloji ve Tarih gibi sosyal ve beşeri bilimler alanında hazırlanan yayınlarda ortak bir atıf sisteminin kullanımını sağlamak hedeflenmektedir. İSNAD atıf sisteminin kullanımı, Türkçe konuşan ülkelerde sosyal ve beşeri bilimler alanında kaynak göstermede standartlaşmayı sağlayarak atıf ve etki değeri tespitine olanak sağlayacak ve Türk dünyası arasında bilimsel iletişimi kolaylaştıracaktır.İSNAD atıf sistemi, sosyal ve beşeri bilimler alanında araştırma yapan ve yazı kaleme alan öğrenciler, akademisyenler ve yazarlar ile bu alanda yayın yapan kurum ve kuruluşların hizmetine sunulmuştur. Sosyal bilimler alanında yayın yapan birçok dergi İSNAD atıf sistemini kullanmaya başlamıştır. Lisans mezuniyet tezi, yüksek lisans tezi ve doktora tezlerinin yazımında İSNAD atıf sisteminin kullanılmasını öngören ve bunu tez yazım kılavuzlarına dahil eden üniversitelerin sayısı artmaktadır. Ayrıca ulusal ve uluslararası sempozyum ve kongre düzenleyen birçok kurum ve kuruluş, katılımcıların bildirilerini İSNAD atıf sistemine uygun olarak hazırlamalarını talep etmeye başlamıştır. Ücretsiz olarak kullanıma sunulan bu sistem, kullanıcı dostu arayüzü ve kaynak gösterme yazılım eklentileri ile hızla kabul görmekte ve benimsenmektedir. Öğrenciler, yazarlar, araştırmacılar ve akademisyenler; İSNAD’ın EndNote, Zotero ve Mendeley gibi kaynak gösterme yazılım eklentileri sayesinde daha kolay, daha hızlı ve hatasız olarak “atıf ve kaynak gösterme” işlemlerini yapabilmektedirler. Bu sisteminin Türkiye ve Türk Cumhuriyetlerinde kullanımı yaygınlaşmaya devam etmektedir. www.isnadsistemi.org. (shrink)

A. P. Martinich's The Two Gods of Leviathan appeared in 1992, and J. R. Collins's The Allegiance of Thomas Hobbes in 2005. Martinich offered a revisionist interpretation of Thomas Hobbes's religious commitments. He rebuked the conventional view that Hobbes was an atheist and placed him within particular traditions of reformed Christian theology. Collins's book strongly differed from these conclusions, and reasserted Hobbes's hostility to traditional Christianity as part of a general contextualization of his writings within the period of the English (...) Revolution. The following exchange between Martinich and Collins was first aired in 2007 as a debate at the Southwestern Political Science Association's Annual Conference. (shrink)

Writing a book on 'Understanding the Vedas' and doing it justice is without a doubt a challenging task due to the complex nature of the Vedas. While conscious of the challenges, I enjoyed writing this book for a few important reasons. The first and foremost reason to write the book was my deeper understanding over the years of the spirituality and wisdom in the Vedas due to my own Veda practice of 50+ years and additionally my research, study and teaching (...) of Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas and Bhagavad Gita. Along with my community involvement in our shared efforts to build and consecrate the Malibu Temple and along with Veda Circle members our organizing many sacred yajnas during the 40+ years in the Los Angeles area additionally strengthened my perspectives on the Vedas. Sharing these experiences of deeper understanding of the spirituality and wisdom in the Vedas and the karma aspects of temple worship and organizing and participating in various yajnas with Sanatana Dharma practitioners is the first and main reason to write this book. The second reason to write the book is closely tied to, but separate and distinct from, the first is that the conventional viewpoint of the Vedas as ritualistic and devoid of wisdom needs to be re-examined. The book explains in detail the spirituality and wisdom in the Vedas and positions the Vedas as texts of 'Karma with spirituality and wisdom'. The third reason to write the book is to provide a historical timeline of the progress of the Vedas from its origin in the days of antiquity of 6,000 BCE or earlier to the present days of 2,020 CE and a detailed discussion of the development of the other scriptural texts like Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras etc. that evolved from the original Veda Samhitas. And the fourth reason was to provide a discussion of the Yajna practices of the present which would provide practical aspects of the Vedas to many dharmic followers. This book on 'Understanding the Vedas' addresses all of the aforementioned aspects. This book is written in 2 parts. Part 1 of the book provides an overview of the Vedas including the definitions of the various terms used in the Vedas and discusses in six chapters the current understanding of the Vedas. Part 2 in 5 chapters explains the spirituality and wisdom in the Vedas propounded by Sri Aurobindo in the early 20th century and popularized by Professor R. L. Kashyap by translating all the Veda Mantras by the early 21st century. It is the author's hope and expectation that all Sanatana Dharma followers and all those who want to understand the Vedas will benefit by reading this book. (shrink)

For most of the church's history, people have seen Christian ethics as normative and universally applicable. Recently, however, this view has been lost, thanks to naturalism and relativism. R. Scott Smith argues that Christians need to overcome Kant's fact-value dichotomy and recover the possibility of genuine moral and theological knowledge.

Der Kadi und seine Zeugen: Studie der mamlukischen Ḥaram-Dokumente aus Jerusalem. By Christian Müller. Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes, vol. 85. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2013. Pp x + 647. €79.

A defence of the idea that there are sui generis duties of love: duties, that is, that we owe to people in virtue of standing in loving relationships with them. I contrast this non‐reductionist position with the widespread reductionist view that our duties to those we love all derive from more generic moral principles. The paper mounts a cumulative argument in favour of the non‐reductionist position, adducing a variety of considerations that together speak strongly in favour of adopting it. The (...) concluding section connects this debate with larger issues in moral theory concerning the general idea of obligation. (shrink)

An argument for the historical continuity of Neo-Platonism and the Early Academy, resting principally on the positions held by 1) Posidonius on the relation between the soul and mathematics, 2) Speusippus on the relation between the One and the material principle, and 3) Boethius on the relation between degrees of being and degrees of knowledge. There is also an analysis of the elements of Neo-Platonism in Aristotle's metaphysics. A scholarly and readable book, certain to be controversial.--A. R.

An interesting study of Croce's political philosophy, its relation to his ethics and metaphysics, as well as its place in the political milieu of pre-war Europe. The author argues that Croce's political philosophy, unlike Hegel's, is both humanistic and liberal. --A. R.

A laudable attempt to inform the student of general trends in British and American thought. There are chapters on idealism, realism, pragmatism, logical positivism and evolutionism. Though intended to promote better philosophic communication between the Continent and the "Anglo-saxons," this book will naturally be of more interest to Continentals.--A. R.

As an extremely technical study of Heidegger's revision of the history of ontology this work has the value of tying together, through paraphrase and quotation, the core of Heideggerian opinion on the subject, from Sein und Zeit up to his latest works. Nuño sees two grand stages in Heidegger's thought, a first and systematic stage and a second or historical stage, which represents the works coming after Kant und das Problem der Metaphysik. The author sees Heidegger's initial destruction of the (...) history of ontology arising out of its own ashes into a reconstruction of the foundations of ontology.--A. R., Jr. (shrink)

This book covers ground which authors like Mircea Eliade have treated more adequately, if not as inclusively. The "cosmic cycles" of Mesopotamia and Indian thought are related to the historical cyclic theories of the moderns, Vico, Spengler. Toynbee, and Sorokin. Because of her mystical vision, Cairns fails to see clearly that modern cyclical ideas of history are based on an analogy of the present with the past and are animated by empirical observation. The information used is accumulated rather than analysed, (...) the ideas are opinions, the conclusion science-fiction.--A. R. (shrink)

An analysis of the treatment of time in literature and its relationship to science and philosophy. Since the consciousness of time seems to the author to have greatly increased in contemporary culture, he refers primarily to such twentieth-century authors as Proust, Joyce and Mann.--A. R.

This is a clearly written account of Martin's views of analytic truth, containing, in addition to the philosophical considerations, some novel formal results. The formal theory offered is shown to satisfy plausible adequacy conditions, and is notable for economy of assumptions--a reflection of Martin's conviction that semantical metalanguages should, so far as possible, be neutral to issues in ontology. But one need not share the author's extensionalist outlook in order to find much of interest here.--A. R. A.

Miller has undertaken the difficult task of providing a new translation of Hegel's Wissenschaft der Logik sometimes referred to as Hegel's "Greater Logic." Part of the reason for the neglect of Hegel has been the unavailability of good translations. The "first generation" of Hegel translators heroically sought to create an English idiom for Hegel's terminology, but their results left much to be desired in accuracy, readability and intelligibility. Although this is a conservative translation which follows the conventions established by English (...) Hegelians nevertheless the translation is a big improvement over the earlier one by Johnston and Struthers. Since the passing of the English Hegelians, Hegel's Logic has been largely ignored by Anglo-Saxon philosophers. And for those who think that logic really is or ought to be what is found in contemporary symbolic or mathematical logic, Hegel's book will seem old-fashioned and outdated. Yet this book has exerted an enormous influence on both those who have seriously attacked it and those who have devotedly followed it--a group that includes Kierkegaard, Sartre, Heidegger, and the English idealists. The publication of this massive translation not only has historical value for making Hegel's thought more accessible, but it is still a rich source for the philosopher interested in Thought and Being.--R. J. B. (shrink)

The demand for a synoptic philosophic overview is a perennial one. If contemporary professional philosophers are reluctant to satisfy such a demand, others will attempt it. In this brief sketch, Phenix argues that there are three perspectives for understanding the complexity of human nature. The natural sciences disclose the universal aspects of human nature, the social sciences describe those aspects shared with some but not all other persons, and the humanities show man in his uniqueness. Throughout his discussion Phenix is (...) concerned to show the relevance of these ideas to education and to clarify and justify the meaning of liberal learning.—R. J. B. (shrink)

Broadie notes in his preface that the trouble with the Meditations is "that since the work is short and well written one has finished it before one has properly begun to grasp the vast issues with which Descartes engages." To overcome this trouble he turns to Descartes for advice. Descartes notes in his "Preface to the Reader" that he would never advise anyone to read the Meditations excepting those who desire to meditate seriously with him. Broadie takes Descartes at his (...) word, "and accordingly the present work is not so much a text book, or a commentary, as an attempt to reconstruct his ‘Treatise’ afresh. Therefore, it is not a series of reflections, but a sustained attempt to discover what is central in the Meditations, and to treat the work as Descartes urged us to." Paralleling the Meditations, the Approach is divided into six chapters. Its external features, other than an index, may be noted by their absence. Missing are the usual notes, bibliography, and references to the literature, which one is used to seeing in a scholarly work. Also, Broadie side-steps questions of translation from the Latin and French, choosing instead to rely exclusively on the Haldane and Ross translation. With all of this, however, what is missing is not a loss. He does give us a scholarly treatment of the Meditations, one which stands on its own analysis. The Approach is a worthwhile addition to the Cartesian literature. In it, Broadie attains his objective of reconstructing Descartes’ ‘Treatise’ afresh, and provides, in addition, a competent handling of the issues and thread of the argument.—D. R. P. (shrink)

As seen by Professor Capek, Bergson’s views about the nature of matter were either misunderstood or ignored in the decades following their publication at the turn of the century. The explanation for this attitude of both Bergson’s opponents and his disciples lies in the fact that, at that time, although there were rumblings under the foundations of classical physics, "hardly anybody could then guess even remotely the extent of the coming scientific revolution." One of the main stumbling blocks for Bergson’s (...) readers was the non-pictorial character of his ‘model’ of matter, which was conceived as consisting of imageless events. In Bergson and Modern Physics, Capek attempts to remove this stumbling block and to evaluate the relation between Bergson’s thought and modern physics as it stands today. The book consists of three parts: Bergson’s biological theory of knowledge, his theory of duration, and his theory of the physical world and its relations to contemporary physics. Three appendices deal with Russell’s complex relation to Bergson, with the much discussed relation of microphysical indeterminancy to freedom, and with Bergson’s views on entropy and modern cosmogony, respectively. The book is indexed and carries extensive references to the scientific and philosophical literature. With this book Capek provides a competent exposition and historical perspective of Bergson’s philosophy and its relation to modern physics.—D. R. P. (shrink)

A scholarly dissertation in which the Introduction, Commentary and Indices dwarf the text and translation. Though quite short as Augustine's works go, this text is critically important both as the climax of the anti-Manichean writings and as a summary statement of Augustines' view on the nature of evil.--D. R.

Constituting a special double issue of Theodor Reik's Journal of Psychoanalytic Psychology, this small volume will be of interest to those who approach Freud from the greatest variety of points of view. Particularly noteworthy is the paper on religion by Jacob Taubes.--D. R.

Scabini's doctoral thesis from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan focuses primarily on the philosophical methodology pervading Tillich's three volume Systematic Theology, although the author demonstrates a solid familiarity with all of Tillich's writing. The study has two major divisions. Part one summarizes Tillich's existential dialectic, method of correlation, his concept of reason and revelation and his treatment of ontology. Part two explores Tillich's theology of culture with particular emphasis on his concept of history. Tillich's development of existence (...) and the Christ, the New Being, receives only passing attention, although Scabini has certainly grasped the significance of the New Being in Tillich's comprehensive system. While the author's summation of Tillich's philosophical structures affords a precise and competent overview, some of her critical reflections appear too modest and beg further development and clarification. Scabini's most dominant criticism is that Tillich failed to articulate a rigorous metaphysics and thus succumbed to imprecision and ambiguity. The author also contends that Tillich, even if he would deny the charge, has produced a natural theology in his treatment of Being and God. Given the Tillichian distinction and dilemma between controlling knowledge and receiving knowledge, Scabini asks on what rational principle Tillich opts for receiving knowledge and its openness to revelation since both types of knowledge are equally acceptable. Since Tillich views the existential situation of man as offering only partial meaning to life's ambiguities, Scabini asks on what metaphysical grounds partial meaning demands ultimacy in meaning. The author presents a thorough bibliography on Tillich. Scabini deserves honest commendation for her engaging study and becomes the first scholar to present the systematic thought of Paul Tillich to an Italian audience.--J. R. (shrink)

The author argues that biological evolution and genetic determinants rather than prohihiting or providing purpose make man's freedom and creation of his own purpose possible. Numerous interesting and well-illustrated corrections of misconceptions of biological theory are provided; some are commonplace, but others are genuinely enlightening.--J. R.

The third volume in a projected library of contemporary Soviet thought called 'Sovietica' is of particular interest because it makes available to non-Russian readers a condensed German translation of the most recent Summa of Soviet thought, Osnovy marksistskoj filosofii. The text, organised under two main headings, Dialectical and Historical Materialism, is a catechism of Soviet dogmata which ranges from questions of space, time and perception to those of scientific socialism, class war and social consciousness. One of the aims of the (...) editor, as stated in the preface, is to demonstrate that the current Soviet version of 'Marxism' fails to express young Marx's overriding concern for the human being, and the phenomenon of estrangement.--K. R. D. (shrink)

This small volume successfully captures the essential in Kant’s philosophy, his insight and understanding of the a priori as the universal and necessary condition in epistemology and ethics. Knowledge and morality, if they are to qualify as knowledge and morality, must be subjected to principles of universalizability, and it is Kant’s contribution to philosophy that he argues for the non-empirical conditions that make these possible. The author approaches Kant’s theory of knowledge from an untraditional perspective. Rather than start his inquiry (...) with a study of the Transcendental Aesthetic and Transcendental Analytic, Hartnack focuses in on the Transcendental Dialectic giving Kant’s arguments for the first two antinomies and presenting a cursory account of the paralogisms and Transcendental Idea. Hartnack defends his procedure by calling our attention to the fact that it was not primarily Hume’s attack on the necessary connexion of cause and effect that influenced Kant to undertake his transcendental criticism as many scholars believe. By Kant’s own admission which he makes clear in a letter to Christian Garve in 1798 it was the antinomy of pure reason that "first aroused me from my dogmatic slumber and drew me to the Critique of Pure Reason itself in order to resolve the scandal of ostensible contradiction of reason with itself." It was the illegitimate use of reason that prompted Kant to search out the bounds and limits to which reason could legitimately make claim to. Bearing this in mind the present study centers on the dialectical illusion of reason which necessarily implies that it has another side to it, the legitimate and regulative use of reason. Hartnack strongly emphasizes the relationship between the Transcendental Analytic and Transcendental Dialectic and the relationship of the Critique as a whole to the Critique of Practical Reason where the a priori finds its expression in the categorical imperative. The Transcendental Dialectic are as two sides of the same coin. Reason on the one side legitimately applies its categories to the empirical, conditioned, phenomenal object of sense experience. But by nature reason seeks the unempirical, unconditioned, noumenal object which by definition cannot be given, and reason by applying the categories falls prey to the antinomies, paralogisms, and transcendental Idea. Hartnack’s critical account reveals the intimate and dynamic unity within the first Critique and its unity with the Critique of Practical Reason, a synthesis of Kant’s theory of knowledge and theory of morality. Much of what is obscure and obfuscatory in the primary sources is clarified and simplified for us in this work and yet the author has sacrificed none of the depth and dimension that characterize Kant’s writings. Rather in a few pages he has managed to target in on a significant aspect that sheds light and puts into proper perspective Kant’s project as a whole. Here is a case where less is better than more.—K.R.M. (shrink)

A provocative and original interpretation of the Parmenides as constructive, positive metaphysics. By bringing together the speculative enthusiasm of the continental tradition with the more patient analysis of English scholarship Lynch has opened up a new line of inquiry and discussion.--R. S. B.

For many years scholars have paid lip service to the "dramatic" or "mimetic" character of Plato's dialogues, but too few have taken this character seriously. Klein does, making it the basis of his exposition. He convincingly demonstrates that the dramatic action and the topic discussed are tightly interwoven and must be taken together to understand the Meno. In his introduction he distinguishes three kinds of mimesis: ethological, doxological, and mythological. The Meno is interpreted as primarily ethological. But one can ask (...) whether the author has done justice to the doxological element in the dialogue. He places considerable emphasis on the character of the "historical" Meno and does not seem to consider seriously the possibility that Meno's responses to Socrates show that he is learning something about the nature of ἀρετή. To suggest a possible criticism is in no way to take issue with the major thesis of this thorough and imaginative study.—R. J. W. (shrink)

This edition makes available the author's privately printed Course of Lectures on Aesthetics, a 1920 article, "Mind and Medium in Art," in which appreciation and creation are sharply distinguished, and his well known, but already reprinted, article on "Psychical Distance." The author held that the future of aesthetics lies in psychology, and argues in his Lectures that aesthetics is the systematic attitude which "man takes up vis-à-vis human life."--R. P.

Rome, the author holds, is not only the symbol of a political empire and a world at peace but also of a definite image of man. As a consequence it became the focus of the controversy between humanistic and other worldly Christianity. The present work deals with Augustine's views on Rome as political symbol and as moral symbol.--R. G. S.

In his preface, Smart tells us that there are three types of treatises on the philosophy of science: the philosopher's philosophy of science, "baby" philosophy of science, and the scientist's philosophy of science. He classifies his own attempt as "a not too technical scientist's philosophy of science." But this book is an excellent introduction to contemporary philosophy of science for anyone interested in the topic. Smart writes lucidly and has the gift of carrying the reader from the most elementary issues (...) to some of the most recent controversies and disputes. Many of the usual topics are covered including the nature of theories, laws, explanation in the different sciences, induction, and probability. But Smart also gives a heavy emphasis to problems of space and time, especially the "direction of time." He has adopted the excellent device of supplying a commentary on further reading at the end of each chapter which enables the student to pursue topics in greater depth. Smart's own views, familiar to those who know his work, are not hidden here but there is a serious attempt to report different views and to provide the reader with the information needed to explore controversies. As an introduction for the intelligent student, this now stands as one of the best books available.--R. J. B. (shrink)

Kneller holds that existentialism, as a humanism concerned with authentic human existence, may well throw light on many educational problems. Though open to challenge on many points of interpretation, the book remains interesting for its approach and for the novel viewpoint from which it appraises existentialist thinkers and themes.--R. D. G.

The authors have attempted a sustained exploration of the cluster of problems involved in the relationship between Christian faith and intellectual integrity. They alternate brief essays, each picking up where the other left off. The latter sections tend to become somewhat technical for a book intended for use by undergraduate students, but there is some fruitful philosophical encounter which could make this book useful in courses in the philosophy of religion.--R. J. W.

Papers by Hempel, Sellars, Caspari, Grünbaum and Feyerabend are included in this new series of lectures in the philosophy of science given at the University of Pittsburgh. Hempel defends his theory of historical explanation against recent critics; Sellars' exciting paper is the best introduction to the philosophic viewpoint that he has developed during the past fifteen years; Grünbaum argues that the problem of the nature of time belongs to physics; and Feyerabend surveys the present state of philosophic problems of quantum (...) physics. All the lectures are excellent, though little new ground is broken. Carefully edited and well designed.--R. J B. (shrink)

This book was originally written for the French series, Philosophes de tous les temps. It follows the format of this series with an introductory essay and series of brief selections from James. Although Reck states that he "sought to see James as the French see him," he does not limit himself to a single perspective but presents a judicious, balanced interpretation of James. There is little exploitation of the recent "discovery" of James by phenomenologically oriented philosophers. In his introductory essay, (...) Reck has attempted to be comprehensive. The essay succeeds admirably in presenting a fine introduction to James.—R. J. B. (shrink)

This book, as its title indicates, is put forth as a criticism of our age. The author, who is especially known for his work in the tradition of Husserl and Heidegger, and who has written a book on Aristotle, has often mentioned elements of his own philosophical position in his many essays and books; this volume presents the complete view, of which the others gave only hints. Boehm defines "our age" as determined by science, a science which stems from the (...) Greek understanding of knowledge and contains theological elements from antiquity and the middle ages. Knowledge is taken to be an attempt to overcome the limits of the human condition, and Boehm says that this attempt in turn is based on a desire to escape dying. He examines Hesiod, the Bible, and Lao-Tse to find extra-philosophical statements of the interpretation of death as something that somehow might not be. After these analyses of classical and non-philosophical versions of this theme, Boehm has a chapter to show how the issue is developed in various modern ways: Pascal evades the issue of death by escaping into divertissement, and modern political and economic life becomes a process or a game of its own, cut loose from the ends it was contrived to serve; Fichte and Marx are used here, and so are the satires of Parkinson and Boorstin’s analysis of "image" as replacing real need. Boehm emphasizes the reversal of means and ends in contemporary life and sees it as the consequence of the ancient attempt to replace the human condition by knowledge; an inhuman existence results from the desire to avoid being human. In a final chapter, Boehm studies Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, Kant, and others as thinkers who further develop the theme of man as "subject," in the sense of a being that subjects itself to necessity as its only way of surviving; this conception of subjectivity is a condition for the modern subjugation of human needs to the control of the "laws" of economics, production, science, bureaucracy, and the other manifestations of sheer rationality. Human needs are reduced to the needs of rationalistic order and thinking. In conclusion, Boehm observes that philosophy can only criticize the image of the age and its foundations; the return to being human must be accomplished by other means. Boehm’s book is very interesting and puts flesh and blood on many themes we have heard from Heidegger in more abstract form. The main weakness in the book is a failure to analyse virtue, phronesis, and action, which must be seen as a counterpoise even for the understanding of Aristotle’s notion of theory. His criticisms of rationalism, and of gnostic versions of religion which attempt to solve human problems purely by knowledge or by thinking, are accurate, although it is questionable whether he gives a satisfactory picture of Christianity and Judaism in the few passages he cites and interprets; for example, once again the dimension of performance in these religions is not included. Some of his historical remarks, like his interpretation of the events of the thirteenth century, are bold, and one is inclined to read them along with his own remarks on the writing of history. The short description of a conversation with a man of science is pointed and well done. The book is lively and vivid, especially in narrating the reversals of ends and means in our present world.—R.S. (shrink)

A detailed exposition of Kant's theory of perceptual objects and persons, from the point of view of contemporary analysis. The attempt is made to clarify Kant's theory for readers who approach Kant from that point of view. Of special value are the criticisms of phenomenalist interpretations of Kant's doctrine of physical objects, and the comparison with Strawson's account of persons.--R. R. E.

Employing techniques based on those of Gentzen, the author formulates a number of systems of propositional and quantificational logic as calculi of Sequenzen. Syntactical material concerning these systems is presented in great detail, and the problem of decision is discussed for those cases in which a positive result is obtainable--R. H. T.

An elegant book, with careful scholarly annotation, by two scholars who believe that Plato has a contribution to offer to the thought of modern Japan. It will be interesting to see what scholars in the field say as to how far, if at all, Plato's thought must be deflected toward or from Zen Buddhism by the overtones of the language in any Japanese translation. But the choice of these three dialogues for translation evidently reflects a central interest in Plato's analyses (...) of love and desire as an attempt at building a coherent, if somewhat discursive, bridge in a Western style between finite beings in time and their background in eternity. And the Western Platonist should feel that there could perhaps be no more propitious prologue to the Symposium than the Japanese philosophic tradition expressed in Bashö's poems, such as "The Milky Way" : A stormy sea--To Sado Isle reaches The River of Heaven. --R. S. B. (shrink)