Rotations in Quantum Mechanics are a very well-known subject. When one is faced with rotations related to the SO group, for instance, all the underlying operators are well-known and built from their classical counterparts. However, when it comes to represent rotations related to the SU group, it is always argued that there is no classical counterpart from which the expressions for the quantum mechanical operators can be built. The approach is always done using matrix representation. In the way of this (...) aproach, one assumes that the operators related to SU are pseudovectors and end up with the weird result that only rotations by multiples of \ would bring the system to its original situation. In Olavo we have shown that any half-integral spin system can be represented in the Schrödinger picture by solving a Schrödinger equation with well defined expressions for the SU differential operators. It turned out that two of these operators are symmetric tensors, not pseudovectors or antisymmetric tensors. In this paper we use these results to dismiss with the \ conundrum. (shrink)

Kasm does not offer any concept of proof which is regulative for all metaphysics, for he is convinced that each metaphysical approach requires its own proper logic and methodology. Within this pluralistic framework he seeks to discern the structure of formal truth as expressed in the concept of proof inherent in various metaphysical approaches.--L. S. F.

Waterman argues that traditional Christianity has too often ignored its heritage of prophetic moral tradition. His study concentrates on Second Isaiah and the continuity of this moral criticism in John the Baptist and in Jesus. His approach is expository and informative, but little attention is paid to the details of Old Testament scholarship.--L. S. F.

Gründer examines two basic concepts in Hamann's early thought as they appear in informal reading notes: God's condescension in creation and salvation, and the typological interpretation of Biblical history. Gründer also sketches the theological history of each concept, notes the historical context of its use by Hamann, and discusses its ontological implications in a very well documented account. A pioneer study. --L. S. F.

A brief popular biography of George Fox, quoting extensively from his Journal, followed by an account of the beliefs and work of the Quakers both here and in Europe. This paperback is profusely and interestingly illustrated, but one would like a larger format and better binding. --L. S. F.

Collins examines the main philosophical approaches, whether positive, negative, or skeptical, which have been taken towards God since Cusanus, showing the central and often decisive role which the theme of God's existence, nature, and relation to the world has played in this development. It is an ambitious undertaking, and Collins acquits himself well. His survey includes such diverse thinkers as Montaigne, Descartes, Hume and Rousseau, Pascal, Newman, Marx, Mill, and Whitehead. The concise introductory remarks to each chapter are particularly revealing, (...) and the bibliographical references are extensive and up-to-date.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Becker gives a brief survey of the philosophically relevant aspects to be found in the history of mathematics, starting with the Pythagorean conception of numbers and its fate at the hands of Plato and Aristotle. He considers the development of the exact sciences based on mathematics, paying particular attention to the problems in pure mathematics. In the final chapter the limitations of mathematical reasoning are examined. Nothing new is presented, but then that is not its purpose. The survey presupposes no (...) special competence in either mathematics or logic.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Fürstenau systematically analyzes Heidegger's understanding of being, stressing the continuity between Sein und Zeit and his later writings. He also presents a survey of the history of philosophy as interpreted by Heidegger, summing up this discussion with an account of Heidegger's conception of Ursprünglichkeit and Verfall in philosophy. A work of explication and interpretation rather than criticism.--L. S. F.

The compiler complains that the standard dictionaries of philosophy "attempt far too lengthy a discussion of too few terms to be of much value to the beginner." His attempt errs on the side of brevity and over-simplification. E.g., paradox is defined as "A statement or belief involving inconsistencies." The Kantian meanings for reason and understanding, representation and intuition, are ignored, and representation and understanding not even listed. --L. S. F.

Miss Weil's perception is acute and refreshing, but also fanciful and undisciplined. Her premonitions of Christianity in the Iliad, Antigone, the Prometheus myth and Plato's Timaeus and Symposium are based on allegorical interpretations.--L. S. F.

Thirty-two standard readings in philosophy grouped about four themes: nature of philosophy, epistemology and metaphysics, ethics, and the philosophy of religion. No attempt has been made to represent current existentialist or analytic trends, though Bergson, Kierkegaard, and F. R. Tennant are present. Leibniz' Monadology, freshly translated by Smullyan, is included in its entirety.--L. S. F.

Eighteen articles concerning modern logic by Ackermann, Carnap, Curry, Gödel, Heyting, among others, reprinted from the double issue of the review Dialectica for 1958.--L. S. F.

Brandon approaches the history of religions from the perspective of their views on the nature of man and the afterlife. Egypt is discussed in terms of "immortality and the technique of its achievement," while Mesopotamia is considered in the light of the moral of the Gilgamesh Epic: "the life thou seekest, thou shalt not find." Brandon sees in Old Testament Yahwism an ethnic religion which sought to break down the popular cult of the dead and limit the expectations of its (...) devotees to this life. The gradual belief in the soul's immortality rendered the ancient Yahwism a more adequate faith for the individual, but it was in radical tension with the doctrine of Israel's election, tensions which Christianity was able to overcome. Greek culture, Christianity, Islam, Iran, India, Buddhism, and China are handled in an analogous manner in this important study.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Eleven essays devoted to contemporary perspectives on mysticism, mostly written in the tradition of religious liberalism. Several contributors stress the existentialist contribution to our understanding of mysticism, while N. A. Nikam examines "Some Aspects of Ontological and Ethical Mysticism in Indian Thought." Emerson is considered, along with two less conventional candidates, Whitehead and Wittgenstein, for their relevance to mystical thought. These studies are suggestive rather than definitive.--L. S. F.

Gilkey forcefully argues that the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo is required by the Christian view of reality. After determining the meaning and limits of this doctrine, he investigates its implications for the nature of God, the status of the world as created, the purpose of the Incarnation, the problem of evil, and the meaning of time. This is a popularization in the best sense, for the author sketches in enough background to enable him to inform the general reader without (...) falling into oversimplification.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Hennemann finds that the history of the natural sciences has usually been treated in a non-historical way, as a merely chronological sequence of discoveries and developments with little attention paid to the evolution of its historically conditioned presuppositions. Focusing chiefly on the 19th century, he uncovers many interconnections between the special sciences and the philosophy of nature. He is unsuccessful in his attempt to discern a basic structural relationship.--L. S. F.

Johnstone is concerned with the problem of genuine disagreement among opposing philosophical positions. He examines the role of philosophical argument as the only final basis for communication between opposing positions. Philosophical statements by themselves are radically ambiguous, and only take on definite meaning within the context of the arguments adduced both for and against them. Johnstone supports his general theory of philosophic argument by an examination of Hume's argument against causality and by an elaboration of the concept of personality implied (...) by this theory. A well-argued study.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Wolff examines all of Plato's dialogues as oblique fragments of a spiritual autobiography, akin to Augustine's Confessions. Plato's encounter with Socrates--not only with his personality and teaching, but also with his trial and death-had decisive importance in shaping Plato's inner development. The later Plato attempted to give a firm foundation to knowledge and morality, but failed, ending in a partially concealed scepticism.--L. S. F.

From the meagre fragments available, Sambursky has carefully reconstructed the basic physical concepts of the Stoa, emphasizing the continuum theory developed by Chrysippos and Poseidonios. Stoic physics, in contrast with Democritean atomism, has been largely neglected, in spite of its relevance to contemporary theories of continuity. Sambursky's contribution should overcome this omission to a great extent, and, together with Mates' and Lukasiewicz's work in Stoic logic, enable us to comprehend the non-ethical features of Stoic thought. Included is a 30 page (...) appendix giving English translations of the relevant classical fragments.--L. S. F. (shrink)

This group of essays concerns man, history, and culture--particularly the interdependence of the philosophical vocation and the supporting culture. Scheler's writing is engaging and lively, but unsystematic in presentation. The translation is good.--L. S. F.

This is the third and final volume of Dr. Wuest's expanded translation of the New Testament, a literal rendering of the Greek text with numerous bracketed insertions intended to clarify the meaning. Designed primarily as an auxiliary study aid for those who have not studied Greek, it lacks the gracefulness of the Revised Standard Version and the readability of J. B. Phillips' translation. Dr. Wuest is conservative and premillenialist in theological belief.--L. S. F.

The Wertethik of Scheler and Hartmann forms the basis of this posthumous essay in philosophical anthropology.--L. S. F.

In applying a sophisticated version of "ordinary language" analysis to comparative religion, Smart offers us a highly perceptive account of the inner logic and the principles of justification for religious doctrines. He distinguishes three fundamental doctrinal strands, the mystical, the numinous, and the incarnational, uncovering the demands that each imposes upon the others.--L. S. F.

Martin believes that "mathematic statements, scientific statements, and moral statements are not themselves in conceptual disorder, though philosophical accounts of them regularly are." In this book he sets out to show that most religious statements share this defect. Martin uses linguistic analysis, but his aim is primarily to criticize the content of religious statements, not to discover the logic of religious discourse. Much of his argument depends upon the contention that many assertions are meaningful only if their negation is logically (...) possible and that such assertions cannot be meaningfully transferred from the contingent realm to apply necessarily to God. Martin writes well, and uses dialogue to illustrate his point effectively and entertainingly.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Statement of the problem rather than arguments for any conclusion dominates this brief essay on the nature and implications of the Christian commandment to love one's neighbor--L. S. F.

These ten essays are concerned with the broader aspects of analytic philosophy. White would like to see the tools of logical analysis, developed over the past 50 years, applied to fields other than logic and scientific methodology, in particular, to the philosophy of law, politics, education, religion, and history. In the title essay he argues that religion should be taught as part of our cultural heritage, and not for the purpose of encouraging student commitment.--L. S. F.

Feibleman finds two diverse strands in Plato's philosophy: an idealism centered upon the Forms denying full ontological status to the realm of becoming, and a moderate realism granting actuality equal reality with Forms. For each strand Plato developed a conception of religion: a supernatural one derived from Orphism, and a naturalistic religion revering the traditional Olympian deities. Unfortunately, Feibleman's method of mere confrontation of conflicting statements in Plato detracts from his persuasiveness.--L. S. F.

Arguing that religion and science can not be in essential conflict, Harris sets himself the task of resolving their apparent disagreements by considering such problems as the language of theology, the relation of nature and God, and the nature of evil.--L. S. F.

Nineteen thoughtful essays devoted to the theoretical aspects of sociological investigation: the use of ideal types, the causal concept and the concept of social change, functional analysis, the formalization of theory, and the place of values in sociology. C. Wright Mill's "On Intellectual Craftsmanship" is an engaging and informal account of how one social scientist goes about his business, with a liberal sprinkling of criticisms against the tendency to divorce methodological inquiry from the scientific investigation itself. --L. S. F.

This yearbook contains eleven articles in French and German, but unfortunately they are not grouped around a single theme, as some former yearbooks have been, e.g., the Schelling yearbook of 1954. Axelos and Bloch contribute good studies on time.--L. S. F.

Haines' work first appeared in 1914; this volume is a reprint of the enlarged second edition, which was judged at that time to be "clearly the most comprehensive survey of the origin and early growth of judicial review." In the second part, covering the period since the Civil War, Haines attempts an adequate rather than a complete quantitative study, including not only the relevant court decisions but also a survey of informed critical opinion concerning the powers of the Court to (...) rule on the constitutionality of legislation. In the final chapter he argues against the traditional doctrine that the courts do not control the legislature, but simply interpret the law. The study includes three lengthy, but not up-to-date, appendices. --L. S. F. (shrink)

A thorough theological and exegetical study of the New Testament view of baptism. Patristic, medieval, and Reformation views fall beyond the scope of this work, yet in chapter 16 the author considers and criticizes contemporary defenses of infant baptism. Chapter 15 is a useful summary of White's position. White's treatment is judicious and not overly polemical; his scholarship is extensive and up-to-date, but restricted to works appearing in English.--L. S. F.

Ten excerpts from Maritain's writings have been selected to illustrate the dimensions of his thought on education. The introductory essay is descriptive and appreciative, not critical. A six-page bibliography of Maritain's writings on education is included.--L. S. F.

The edicts expounding Dharma--the laws of piety and morality--which the Indian emperor Asoka caused to be inscribed on rocks and pillars set up throughout the kingdom. The editors have rearranged these edicts in an order designed to render them more accessible to the general reader in a clear, readable translation.--L. S. F.

An eclectic defense of progress and re-creation, with more quotations and citations than reasoned argument.--L. S. F.

This informative and well-written account of gnosticism provides the English reader with his first access to much of this material, which was formerly restricted to specialized publications in French and German. Jonas describes the basic tenets and symbols of gnosticism, and then presents six specific systems for consideration, including Marcian, Valentinius, and Mani. The third section is perhaps the most interesting: in it Jonas demonstrates that gnosticism is more objectionable to the classic Greek than to the Christian.--L. S. F.

Epistemology is here approached from a systematic rather than an historical point of view. Boas recognizes that our experience is mediated by selective concerns and principles of interpretation, and emphasizes the role of consistency in organizing our knowledge. The writing is unpretentious and often witty. His is the cautious wisdom of a man who has struggled with questions a long time, rather than a brilliantly conceived and tightly reasoned argument of one who would offer us a strikingly novel solution.--L. S. (...) F. (shrink)

A selection of brief, half-page reflections and observations culled from Schweitzer's major works. --L. S. F.

Van Zandt finds that the theoretical structures upon which the study of American history have been based are no longer adequate to explain America's role in our complex and organically unified Western society. This theoretical structure has been rarely consciously held or critically examined because it asserts itself as a fact rather than as a theory and maintains that the facts may be ascertained irrespective of any theoretical construction. This anti-theoretical attitude was inherent in the idea of the American Revolution, (...) which sought to restore the "natural" order of society--a multiplicity of independent societies--freed from the political and theoretical encrustations of the centuries. A large part of the book is devoted to Jefferson's role in crystalizing this "anti-theoretical" theoretical structure which remains dominant even today. A fresh venture written in a style not quite fully articulate or sufficiently concise.--L. S. F. (shrink)

In this essay on the archaic conception of historical being, Eliade has marshalled a wealth of archaeological and anthropological material. Eliade considers not only the more sophisticated versions of eternal return in great years and in cosmic cycles, but also its foundation in the annual cultic rites designed to overcome time. He catches the flavor of archaic ontology very nicely--the ontology which found its philosophical expression in Plato.--L. S. F.

That religion is essentially a human achievement is the central thesis of these short popular essays. The author is an enthusiastic admirer of the late Professor Garman of Amherst.---L. S. F.

Few of these essays by the late Professor of English at Calvin College are either detailed or scholarly, but all reflect the wisdom of a liberally educated gentleman, steeped in the Reformed tradition. --L. S. F.

In an effort to document the infiltration of rationalistic and essentialistic patterns of thought in nineteenth century scholasticism, Father Gurr has been patient and thorough enough to search through most of the Catholic manuals in use from 1750 to 1900, focusing on the single problem of the principle of sufficient reason. Whatever the ultimate origins of this principle, it received its classic formulation with Leibniz and Wolff. It is from these thinkers that the manual writers borrowed the concept, disengaging it (...) from its rationalistic implications with only varying degrees of success.--L. S. F. (shrink)

Duncan traces the renewed interest in the poetry of Donne, Herbert, Marvell, and others, among poets and critics during the past century and a half.--L. S. F.

A balanced proclamation of the salvation available in Jesus Christ. Theological complexity is avoided --perhaps necessarily in such a popular work--but the result is disappointing to the critical reader. --L. S. F.

In an attempt to render the philosophical enterprise scientific by making it fully systematic, Lazowick elaborates seven exhaustive dimensions or categories which are applicable in every instance to each of the three dominant wholes: the personal self, cultural institutions, and God. The attempt is not enhanced by Lazowick's singularly barbarous style.--L. S. F.

A careful, descriptive history of belief, beginning in very broad terms with early Christian, Roman, and Greek beliefs and finally narrowing to beliefs held by the schoolmen in Paris during the high middle ages. The stress is on the latter period. Pickman wishes to do justice to the range of significant belief which these thinkers held rather than to exhibit their logical structure.--L. S. F.

In this careful study, Woolf traces the international effort to make accurate observations of the transits of Venus across the face of the sun in 1761 and 1769. Precise measurement of these infrequent transits permitted the calculation of the distance from the earth to the sun, and enabled the eighteenth century to give fixed scalar dimensions to the Newtonian account of the solar system.--L. S. F.

Evelyn-White, Mair, and Brown all translated Hesiod into prose; Lattimore now offers us a very readable translation in blank verse. He writes, as Robert Lowell remarked, "the most accurate verse translations in the language." An attractive and refreshing volume.--L. S. F.

E. F. J. Payne is the first to re-translate Schopenhauer's principal work since Haldane and Kemp's edition of 1883-6. It is a careful translation, staying very close perhaps too close--to Schopenhauer's style and punctuation, but avoiding the errors of literalistic translation. Payne also has the advantage of a far more critical German edition than was available to his predecessors.--L. S. F.