Journal of the History of Philosophy

248 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY directed to knowing "the living" (pp. 62-63). This new method is grounded on the "radical reality" of my life, and is situated in a dialectical series ("a real dialectic of the thing itself, not of the Logos," p. 74) of historico-human experiences, which, though systematic (human life is per se systematic), is never closed. An English translation of this excellent hook would be a welcome contribution toward philosophical ecumenism. ROBERTH ~ Seton Hall University The Idea of Happiness. By V. J. McGill. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. Pp. xvi+360. $6.95) The Idea of Justice. By Otto A. Bird. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. Pp. xvi+ 192. $5.95) The Idea of Love. By Robert G. Hazo. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. Pp. xvii+488. $7.95) The Idea of Progress. By Charles Van Doren. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. Pp. xvii+497. $7.95) These four volumes are part of the Concepts in Western Thought Series published under the sponsorship of the Institute for Philosophical Research. Although each is authored by a different individual, the books are the products of the collaborative research efforts of the Institute's staff. According to the general foreword each volume is "one of a series of studies of basic ideas" undertaken "with the avowed purpose of taking stock of Western thought on subjects that have been of continuing philosophical interest from the advent of philosophy in ancient Greece to the present day." No further explanation is given for the selection of the specific concepts treated in these four volumes; however, they apparently have been chosen partly because of their common concern with the values of man's life and the relationships of humans to each other. Although no mention is made explicitly of the audience to whom the books are principally addressed, presumably they are intended primarily for the use of laymen who are interested in becoming conversant with portions of the thought and writings of the grc.at figures in the Western intellectual tradition. In this undertaking they should have considerable success and I can visualize many a library shelf adorned someday with a complete set of the series. In addition, the volumes can serve a scholarly function; particularly for students they should prove valuable as reference books to which they can turn when contemplating a term paper, or even a thesis, to be written. For this purpose the extensive bibliographies included in each volume should prove particularly helpful. To the question, Of what value might the volumes be to professional philosophers? an answer is less easy to find. The editors have high hopes: The Institute has proceeded on the assumption that the issues in the field of any basic philosophical idea concern matters about which objective truth is ascertainable. The future resolution of these issues depends upon more sustained and more rational efforts to deal with them than the history of Western thought has so far exhibited; and the initiation of such efforts depends in turn upon a clear and precise understanding of the issues. Providing this has been the sole aim of the Insfitute's work from the beginning. Whether the high hopes entertained here will be realized I do not know and cannot say. Time alone will tell. I would like, however, to comment briefly on the way in BOOK REVIEWS 249 which the Institute seeks to attain its goaI of a c/ear and precise understanding of the issues. My concern specifically is with what the editors call the "dialectical" method. To quote again from the general foreword "... the Institute's study of these materials is non-historical in aim. It deliberately abstracts from their historical context and pattern. It views them as if they were all contemporary--as if the documents represented the voices of participants confronting one another in actual discussion." My question concerning this kind of method is simple: Can one succeed in gaining a clear and precise understanding of an issue if he abstracts it completely from its historical context? Two specific problems arise out of such a methodology. (1) It seems very doubtful that writers living in widely divergent epochs and societies can...