Abstract

This volume makes available to the English-speaking world a comprehensive selection of the works of one of the central figures in contemporary Swedish philosophy, theology, and law. One of the selections has been previously published by C. D. Broad. In the first selection, "A Summary of My Philosophy," Hägerström contends that in every judgment the reality of that which is judged about is presupposed. Since the real is determinate, there can be no judgments about absolute reality unless it is identified with some determinate real thing. If this were done, all other things would suffer a relative lack of reality, and no judgments about them would be possible. Thus absolute reality is a self-contradictory idea and hence arises Hägerström's motto: "I propose that metaphysics must be destroyed." The remaining selections spell out the implications of this proposal for ethics and religion. The volume also includes a memoir by Broad.—A. E. J.