Criticism Books - Page 12

Broken Hegemonies (Studies in Continental Thought)

Reiner Schurmann

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Editorial Review:

In Broken Hegemonies, the late distinguished philosopher Reiner Schurmann offers a radical rethinking of the history of Western philosophy from the Greeks through Heidegger. Schurmann interprets the history of Western thought and action as a series of eras governed by the rise and fall of certain dominating philosophical ideas that contained the seeds of their own destruction. These eras coincided with their dominant languages: Greek, Latin, and vernacular tongues. Analyzing philosophical texts from Parmenides, Plotinus, and Cicero, through Augustine, Meister Eckhardt, and Kant, to Heidegger, Schurmann traces the arguments by which these ideas gained hegemony and by which their credibility was ultimately demolished. Recognizing the failure of ultimate norms, Broken Hegemonies questions how humanity today is to think and act in the absence of principles.

G. W. Leibniz's Monadology

Nicholas Rescher

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Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

G.W. Leibniz’s Monadology, one of the most important pieces of the Leibniz corpus, is at once one of the great classics of modern philosophy and one of its most puzzling productions.  Because the essay is written in so condensed and compact a fashion, for almost three centuries it has baffled and beguiled those who read it for the first time.

Nicholas Rescher accompanies the text of the Monadology section-by-section with relevant excerpts from some of Leibniz’s widely scattered discussions of the matters at issue.  The result serves a dual purpose of providing a commentary of the Monadology by Leibniz himself, while at the same time supplying an exposition of his philosophy using the Monadology as an outline.

The book contains all of the materials that even the most careful study of this could text could require: a detailed overview of the philosophical background of the work and of its bibliographic ramifications; a presentation of the original French text together with a new, closely faithful English translation; a selection of other relevant Leibniz texts; and a detailed commentary.  Rescher also provides a survey of Leibniz’s use of analogies and three separate indices of key terms and expressions, Leibniz’s French terminology, and citations.

Rescher’s edition of the Monadology presents Leibniz’s ideas faithfully, accurately, and accessibly, making it especially valuable to scholars and students alike.

Objectivism and the Corruption of Rationality: A Critique of Ayn Rand's Epistemology

Scott Ryan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Ryan's Corruption of Objectivity 1 out of 5 stars.
80 of 106 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book with the hope of descovering an interesting and innovative view of Ayn Rand. But after reading it, and researching Ryan on the web, I can find no reason to recommend this book to anyone, novice or advanced practioner.

Rather than a critical analysis of the work of a great author and philosopher, Ryan seems intent on anihilating every aspect of her life, or as a previous writer coments, deconstructing Ayn Rand. Even more, I found his mocking, disrespectful tone toward Ayn Rand to be unnecessary and childish, and his use of the omniscient voice--in replication of Rand--to be without the requisite talent, ability, and great experience she had in the world.

Further more, he attempts to defeat Rand by use of the negative, which I find very revealing in a psychological sense--one choosing to spend so much time trying to expose negatives rather than creating a positive vision of one's own. Also, by not identifying with her fight against the prevailing culture, he doesn't seem to understand what she was trying to do in the world, and doesn't understand the entirely hostile culture she had to fight against and the enormity of the battle, something that would effect anyone at anytime.

Yes, Ayn Rand made mistakes, and when you accept that, one can appreciate the world-moving vision she gave the world, and her unrelenting defense of the individual's right to live his or her life by their own rational vision. Like many libertarians, Ryan refuses to accept the need for a philosophical foundation for a free society, and his attempted defense of altruism by defining it, as helping others, shows a reluctance to understand what Ayn Rand was saying in regards to altruism as the foundation for communism, fascism, and religious fanaticism, as we see with Al Queda.

One of the big problems with this book, is that Ryan is very hard to understand. Unlike Ayn Rand, who writes clearly and distinctly, Ryan lacks a concrete and graphic style, and tends to use abstract terms that are open to different interpretations so as to leave the reader, many times, not sure of what he is referring to.

Then, too, ironically like many orthodox Objectivists to whom he refers to contemptuously, he tends to conceptualize, not from the facts of reality, but from his own need to prove Ayn Rand or wrong, and thus misinterprets much of what she says. This comes to light with his treatment of Ayn Rand's essay, "The Metaphysical Versus The Man Made." Here, Ryan misinterprets what she says, offers his own version of her words, and then goes on to argue his point, using his misinterpretation rather than what Ayn Rand was saying.

Along with this Ryan states that Ayn Rand often reified her views of the world, meaning she transformed abstracts into concretes--one's conceptualizations of events into metaphysical concretes. I find no problem with this assessment, but then so what?--Ryan repeatedly does the exact same thing in his writings, especially with Ayn Rand, going as far as to refer to her as a "looter and a speed freek" in one of his comments on Amazon, as well as to make undeserved and contemptuous comments about people associated with the traditional school of Objectivism.

Furthermore, I have to be skeptical of anyone who leaves out the benevolent and very positive aspects of Ayn Rand's life and philosophy. She was a giant of a women who achieved great things in the world, and blazed a frontier path for all those who want to live in the world. To Ryan, it is all negativity, and he oftens falls into the trap of comparing the philosophy of Objectivism with some of the less than positive behavior of people who practice the philosophy of Objectivism, two very different concepts. As with all great social movements that challenge the world, people make mistakes, and people are wounded and damaged, and Objectivism is no exception. Yet, in Ryan's view there is no room for acclaim and respect, nor does he give space to the great amount of independent people, who live their own lives in the way they see fit, but yet have enormous respect and admiration for Ayn Rand.

Editorial Review:

Ayn Rand presented Objectivism as a philosophy of reason. But is it? That is the question Scott Ryan seeks to answer in this careful examination of the Objectivist epistemology and its alleged sufficiency as the philosophical foundation of a free and prosperous commonwealth. Sorting painstakingly through Rand's writings on the subject, Mr. Ryan concludes that the epistemology of Objectivism is incoherent and debases both the concept and the practice of rationality.

Nostalgia for the Absolute (Massey Lectures series)

George Steiner

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Editorial Review:

In this lecture series from a major 20th-century intellectual, the state of Western culture's moral and emotional emptiness is traced to the decline of formal religion. Alternate mythologies offered by Marxism, Freudian psychoanalysis, Levi-Straussian anthropology, and the occult are examined to consider the spiritual and intellectual ideologies that have attempted to fill the void left by formal religion's deterioration. In the argument presented, the pursuit of religious truth offers the opportunity for renewal of hope in an increasingly complex world.

Thomas Aquinas on Human Nature: A Philosophical Study of Summa Theologiae, 1a 75-89

Robert Pasnau

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A Commentary on Aquinas' View of the Human Nature 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful.

We are using this text in one of my classes this semester at Marquette University. The book is a very detailed commentary on Aquinas' view of the human nature from the Summa.

Pasnau takes ancient and modern thinkers and formulates arguments and/or proposals regarding the various areas of the human nature. For instance, Pasnau will take Gilbert Ryle's arguments on the human will and examine them in light of Aquinas. This is merely one brief and small example. The text is very detailed in every issue covered regarding not only what Aquinas thought but also what other various thinkers in the history of philosophy have had to say after Aquinas or perhaps before Aquinas.

The one advantage of this text, it seems, is that Pasnau has written in such a way that the nonspecialist and specialist alike will benefit. As Pasnau claims, "I have tried to write a book that would help the novice, stimulate the nonspecialist, and provoke the specialist." I think he has accomplished this in this work.

The contents of this text include:

I. Essential features
Body and Soul
-the immateriality of the soul
-the unity of body and soul
-when human life begins
II. Capacities
-the soul and its capacities
-sensations
-desire and freedom
-will and temptation
III. Functions
-mind and image
-mind and reality
-knowing the mind
-life after death

There is also an excellent appendix that outlines ST 1a 75-89, and a very nice epilogue titled "Why did God Make Me?"
Everything one would want from Aquinas view of the human nature is commented upon in this text. This is a great secondary text for those who want to gain a better understanding of not only the Thomistic arguments for human nature but also for those other thinkers in the history of philosophy who have written on this topic either in response to Aquinas or of their own accord (those perhaps prior to Aquinas). Thus, this makes for a good secondary reference tool.

Editorial Review:

This major new study of Thomas Aquinas, the most influential philosopher of the Middle Ages, offers a clear and accessible guide to the central project of Aquinas's philosophy--the understanding of human nature. Robert Pasnau sets the philosophy in the context of ancient and modern thought, and argues for groundbreaking proposals for understanding some of the most difficult areas of Aquinas's thought--the relationship of soul to body, the workings of sense and intellect, the will and the passions, and personal identity.

Descartes: A Study Of His Philosophy (Key Texts)

Anthony Kenny

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

After you've read Descartes, turn here. 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

What a pity this book is out of print. Kenny's book on Descartes does not take the reader as far into the deeps of philosophy as Bernard Williams, and the book is not up to date. But Kenny is an intelligent philosopher and, furthermore, he is one of the best writers of philosophical prose. Undergraduates, who have just read some of Descartes' own work can read Kenny, understand the issues that he raises and, very often, they will come away with some idea of where they disagree with Kenny. This is an excellent book for teaching students, by example, how to respond intelligently to the thoughts of a great philosopher.

Well worth the read 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent study of Descartes' philosophy. It is more in depth than an introductory work, but not as ambitious as Bernard William's The Project of Pure Inquiry. It is not, however, an advanced critical approach to Descartes' philosophy, but nonetheless fits the bill of being sufficiently philosophically interesting and substantial.

Kenny's treatment is just another book covering all the usual Cartesian suspects: e.g., res extensia, res cogitans, innate ideas (e.g. God, Substance), mind and body, reason and intuition. But Kenny does it so much better than most others, and his precise and clear presentation makes it easy reading, and appropriate for advanced undergrads and beginning grad students.

The book also includes a section on an aspect of Cartesian thought that is usually passed over in a work like this one. It includes a nice (but brief) section on Descartes' view of matter and motion, and Kenny's explication in this section is a classic formulation and critique.

The Prisoner's Philosophy: Life and Death in Boethius's Consolation

Joel C. Relihan

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Editorial Review:

"Acknowledging that the Consolation of Philosophy is ‘over-familiar and under-read,’ Joel Relihan puts to the side old bromides about the work and instead pays careful attention to the narrative(s) Boethius constructs, grounding his readings in the contexts the work cultivates, especially its Menippean elements. The result is perhaps the first satisfying reading of the Consolation to be produced, a satisfaction felt also in the ways Relihan mirrors Boethius himself in the thoroughness of his scholarship and the elegance of his exposition. No one who studies Boethius will be able to ignore this book." — Joseph Pucci, Brown University

"Anyone who has been fascinated, intrigued, or perhaps puzzled by the meaning, structure or argument of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy will find Joel Relihan's new book, The Prisoner's Philosophy: Life and Death in Boethius's Consolation, a welcome addition to the study of this core text of the early medieval world whose influence extends to the present time. Relihan's study is a tour de force that belongs in the library of all those who appreciate Boethius' depth and subtlety. Fortune's wheel has indeed turned in the favor of those who wish to explore with Relihan the intricacies and brilliance of the Consolation." —Fr. John Fortin, O.S.B., Saint Anselm College

"The Prisoner’s Philosophy is an excellent work both of scholarship and of communication in support of a provocative thesis. Relihan and Heise present the Consolation as a new beginning for philosophy within a Christian context—a beginning only rarely appreciated since it enlists philosophy in aid of human affairs and resists the lure of an other worldly escape. Boethius not only despoiled Cynics, Satirists and Neoplatonists of their gold, but also crafted out of it a new Christian realism. Through a close reading of the text and of its reception, Relihan and Heise attend to the challenge that Boethius’ Christian vision and literary genius posed to rationalist conceptions throughout the Middle Ages." —Paul LaChance, College of Saint Elizabeth

In this book, Joel C. Relihan delivers a genuinely new reading of the Consolation. He argues that it is a Christian work dramatizing not the truths of philosophy as a whole, but the limits of pagan philosophy in particular. He views it as one of a number of literary experiments of late antiquity, taking its place alongside Augustine's Confessions and Soliloquies as a spiritual meditation, as an attempt by Boethius to speak objectively about the life of the mind and its relation to God.

J.G. Ballard: Quotes

J.G. Ballard

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Is "sex times technology equals the future" the new "E=MC... 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

RE/Search has compiled the best blips and ramblings from Ballard's extensive body of work, illuminating the uninitiated and re-affirming to the already converted that Ballard is one of the sharpest commentators on the modern world. The book itself is compact and formated for easy digestion during commuting hours or periods in limbo, and each quote is a gem. This book will definitely keep you intrigued and sane on your otherwise dismal journey through the day to day.

Editorial Review:

Ballard's books have remained fresh decades after they were first published, and the thoughts collected in J.G. Ballard: Quotes have worn equally as well. Small enough to fit in a pocket, this book brings together J. G. Ballard's trenchant thoughts on music, film, celebrity, the rise of corporate media, the death of reality, and much more. Grouped by topics such as "Sex: Relationships, Sex x Technology equals the Future, Pornography" and "Surrealism, Imagination," these quotes are both concise and clear, and provide a strong beacon for readers who are used to a baffling daily assault of advertisements, phone calls, and e-mails. They are also an excellent resource to help readers better understand Ballard's novels, which stand among the most visionary, provocative literature of the 20th century. A Ballardian glossary, the essay "Guide to Virtual Death," and a bibliography round out this excellent resource.

Speech and Phenomena : and Other Essays on Husserl's Theory of Signs

Jacques Derrida

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An introduction to Derrida and his related "différance" 4 out of 5 stars.
14 of 23 people found this review helpful.

Arguably one of the most convtroversial philosophers within the Continental tradigion, Derrida's work either heralds a revolution in philosophy or its utter destruction.

Derrida cites two important pedigrees (as the title suggests): Husserl and (tacitly) de Saussure.

Using the "course in general linguistics" of de Saussure, Derrida notes a certain degree of freedom, a "jeu," between the words-as-symbols and the thought contents they produce. Exploiting de Saussure's note that the relation between the sign and the mental content is arbitrary, Derrida questions the validity of any text (where the notion of text includes, but is not limited to, books, magazines, commercials, art, sex).

Derrida sees behind any "text" its entire recursive history, the weight of all the words, the mental experience of the reader.

At the point he considers the reader's experience he starts to deal with phenomenology - the study proposed and defined by Husserl himself in his Vienna and Paris lectures. A short definition might be that Phenomenology is the study of how man mentally relates to the objects of his experience(I admit, debatably so).

This book proposes Derrida's famous example of "différance" and its effect upon the Gallically trained ear and mind. So if you want to seem witty and "with-it" this introductory tome shall suffice.

As far as my own deconstruction / critique of the work. As an introductory work it is dense. Derrida is often criticized for losing himself in intellectual crevices, being prolix, and employing poor stylistics. These are not unmerited. Yet for the reader who wishes to move beyond the fashionability of tossing "deconstructionist" out at cocktail parties, this is a must read. It is certainly part of the 20th century canon.

My own conclusions are mixed. In his later works Derrida becomes truly absurd, laughable, silly, and occasionally brilliant. Yet his work never fails to move its readers either to agree that he is either an idiot, a bad writer, or that philosophy as we know it has long been dead. Perhaps like a Socratic gadfly, Derrida is moving us to an entire gestalt shift vis-à-vis our relationship with philosophy and social institutions.

A solid background of Kant/Hegel, as well as a familiarity with lingustics (the aforementioned course in general lingustics of de Saussure) greatly ease the difficulty in penetrating his work.

Editorial Review:

In Speech and Phenomena, Jacques Derriba situates the philosophy of language in relation to logic and rhetoric, which have often been seen as irreconcilable criteria for the use and interpretation of signs. His critique of Husserl attacks the position that language is founded on logic rather than on rhetoric; instead, he claims, meaningful language is limited to expression because expression alone conveys sense.

The Woman Racket: The New Science Explaining How the Sexes Relate at Work, at Playand in Society

Steve Moxon

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Biology as destiny - a devastating response to extreme feminism 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.

This book is by the same Steve Moxon who, in 2004, wrote the book "The Great Immigration Scandal" - a work which exposed serious problems within England's Home Office, and eventually led to the resignation of the Immigration Minister.

This new book, covering a subject completely unrelated to the previous works's topic, draws on biology and evolutionary psychology theory, as well as recent findings of scientific research in other areas, to destroy the myth promulgated by radical feminists, of women as "oppressed" and men as their "oppressors". Along the way, the reader is given a "popular science" (yet fairly heavy) account of how the male DH (dominance hierarchy) begins with the male gamete's competition to fertilize the female egg, through the extension of this paradigm of male competition to the behaviour of adult males. Also, the "place" of the female, while lying outside the strict DH, is expained largely by the female's fundamental desire to find and mate with men of perceived high status (which Moxon apparently considers to include ecomomic, political, and social standing, in addition to the male's physical attractiveness).

Being a men's rights activist, what I really like about the book is its devastating critique of "radical" or "ideological" feminism (what Moxon calls "extreme" feminism). Destruction of feminist myths is infused throughout the book, as the other major topic besides the aforementioned, and includes, among a wide range of phenomena, topics such as why men are in such poor health compared to women, feminist lies concerning domestic violence and rape, and workplace gender issues. Each of these topics is tied in with the biological, evolutionary, and other aspects of differences between men and women

Overall, I find this book to be an excellent companion to Warren Farrell's "The Myth of Male Power", which describes the "what", whereas Moxon purports to give the corresponding "why". In fact these two books, plus Nathanson and Young's "Legalizing Misandry", will give the sophisticated reader a firm grasp of men's and gender issues, the "why" of our current situation regarding gender relations, and the extent to which ideological feminists have caused much harm to society.

An excellent read!

Editorial Review:

Steve Moxon's first book, The Great Immigration Scandal, led to the resignation of the immigration minister, Beverley Hughes. But immigration was never his primary interest: he joined the Home Office in order to study its HR policy, as part of a decade-long investigation of men-women relations. Not withstanding its provocative title, The Woman Racket is a serious scientific investigation into one of the key myths of our age ??? that women are oppressed by the 'patriarchal' traditions of Western societies. Drawing on the latest developments in evolutionary psychology, Moxon finds that the opposite is true ??? men, or at least the majority of ordinary males ??? have always been the victims of deep-rooted prejudice. As the prejudice is biologically derived, it is unconscious and can only be uncovered with the tools of scientific psychology.The book reveals this prejudice in fields as diverse as healthcare, employment, family policy and politics.