The Crisis Of Western Philosophy: Against Positivism (Esalen Institute/Lindisfarne Press Library Of Russian Philosophy)

The Crisis of Western Philosophy: Against Positivism (Esalen Institute/Lindisfarne Press Library of Russian Philosophy)

This book is the seminal work in which Solovyov developed his religious philosophy. In it, he undertakes a stunning critique of positivism, by which he understands the entire philosophy of Western rationalism, which he sees as setting up a conflict between reason and faith, and reason and nature. In the modern period, he finds abundant evidence for reason's war against nature in Western philosophy from Descartes to Hegel. "Positivism," the leading philosophy in his time, Solovyov also finds repugnant. In its place, he proposes his great theme of total unity--which was to become the dominant theme in Russian philosophy. This is the work that launched Russian religious philosophy and is a must for anyone interested in the subject. From the Esalen-Lindisfarne Library of Russian Philosophy.From Library JournalThe present text is a translation of Krizis Zapadnoy Filosofi, Solovyov's (1853-1900) master's thesis in philosophy, written in 1874 when he was 21. The subtitle is indicative of the thrust of the work, in which Solovyov is intensely critical of Western rationalist philosophy, which he sees as encompassing positivism. The text is fairly dogmatic, as one might expect of a youthful work, but it gives indications of a powerful philosophical mind in evolution. This work is recommended for collections supporting programs in the history of Russian philosophy, but it should be balanced with Teoreticheskoi Filosofii (1898-99), translated as Foundations of Theoretical Philosophy in 1965 and, unfortunately, no longer in print.?Terry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, QuebecCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.