Review by Choice Review
Does reason have any authority anymore? What might people's collective life look like if it does not? Is there any chance that there is some degree of fit between nature and the world of human devising? May one still hope for normative political theory or ethics? In these 13 essays (7 previously published), well-known critical philosopher Geuss (Univ. of Cambridge, UK) ranges over a very wide field of topics--politics, ethics, cultural formations, history, ancient literary and philosophical works, and criticism itself. The questions above suggest some unity to the collection; however, it is perhaps no more than a particular style of writing, or a way of moving around and out and back again on some topic of interest that lends a breath of unity to the essays. In many cases the circling, self-reflective style of the critical theorist will put undergraduates off, but students can read some of these essays with profit, such as the discussion of when obscurity of speech might be best. --Richard T. Lee, Trinity College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Geuss (philosophy, Univ. of Cambridge; The Idea of a Critical Theory) thinks that philosophers, especially those who follow Plato and Immanuel Kant, are the victims of an illusion. These philosophers reckon that our moral views fit together seamlessly; moreover, our ethical opinions are objectively true and form part of a harmonious cosmos. Geuss, in this erudite collection of essays, dissents. He believes that morality is part of politics and reflects contested values that have varied throughout history. Further, there is no overarching account of things that explains where everything fits in; we live in a "world without why." The author often proceeds by a careful attention to words. In asking whether criticism must be constructive, for example, he distinguishes with great precision various senses of "criticism." He displays a remarkable knowledge of the Greek and Roman classics, and readers will learn much from his discussion of the auctoritas (authority) of the Roman Senate and from his account of the Greek poet Pindar. Geuss was a friend and admirer of Bernard Williams, and he offers a very helpful account of Williams's skepticism about ethics. Attracted to Marxism, Geuss here displays illuminating remarks on the notion of human powers in Marx. VERDICT Geuss is a unique voice in contemporary philosophy, and this book is ideal for anyone interested in intellectual history.-David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
