Hegel thought he had shown that if one wanted to be a metaphysician he/she had to be an idealist. One may not have to be a metaphysician, but if one is to be a metaphysician, then spirit, mind, person is the unavoidable analogy or model. Diefenbeck’s book can be understood as an elaborate documentation of Hegel’s claim. Thus we have a full-scale dialectical development of the position which holds that the subject and the subject’s activity, rather than “objective truth”, are (...) the fundamental reality. For Diefenbeck the rumor of idealism’s demise is somewhat exaggerated. Although the book is clearly influenced by Hegel and Collingwood, it presents an independent argument for the principle and primacy of subjectivity. It is a thoroughly scholarly study even though it lacks the usual apparatus of footnotes and bibliography. This book is the refined outcome of Diefenbeck’s long and distinguished teaching career at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. It is included in the George Kimball Plochmann series, Philosophical Explorations. Diefenbeck’s exploration of the centrality of subjectivity in knowledge and reality deserves careful attention. It will be of particular interest to personalists, panpsychists, and idealists in general. (shrink)

It is reassuring to this reviewer to find that there is at least one other unregenerate liberal, both politically and religiously, extant in the world. This is not to say, however, that the outlook of Munk’s book is particularly optimistic. Indeed, the weight of his evidence points to the real uncertainty as to whether there will be an American Tricentennial. In fact, Munk’s diagnosis of threats both from the home front and from the global front leads one to doubt whether (...) any human being will long remain extant. Of course, Munk’s avowed aim “is to awaken rather than frighten the American people”. (shrink)

It is reassuring to this reviewer to find that there is at least one other unregenerate liberal, both politically and religiously, extant in the world. This is not to say, however, that the outlook of Munk’s book is particularly optimistic. Indeed, the weight of his evidence points to the real uncertainty as to whether there will be an American Tricentennial. In fact, Munk’s diagnosis of threats both from the home front and from the global front leads one to doubt whether (...) any human being will long remain extant. Of course, Munk’s avowed aim “is to awaken rather than frighten the American people”. (shrink)