when Hegel's name is mentioned in philosophy, usually people listen. Hodgson shows a side of Hegel that i previously had little to no knowledge of--his spiritual ideas. this book provides insight and understanding to the 'absolute of absolutes' that Hegel incorporates into his modern thought. this merger of philosophical ideas from with the gospel message of Christianity allows one to understand that the complexity of philosophy, especially with Hegel, can be articulated to others for their growth as Christians. this is definitely a worthwhile read about an enlightening topic.

No matter what anyone says about Georg Büchner and "Woyzeck," I think any intellectual can benefit from reading the complete works of the man who could have outdone Goethe and Schiller (if only he had lived longer!) It is absolutely imperative to know a bit about Georg Büchner, the radical and the man, before reading his interpretation of the struggle between Robespierre and Danton. The man was a rebel. Having helped to write "The Hessian Courier," he lived most of his life in Strasbourg, an exile of his native Germany (before it was Germany.) Well, he was brilliant--studied to be a doctor, and incorporated his political ideals (with incredible subtlety) into his dramas.
"Dantons Tod" is about the last days of political revolutionary Georges Danton, and his ultimate execution provoked by his once friend Robespierre. The entire book is chocked full of Greek and Roman inuendo---complete with comparison to Brutus and Julius Caesar. Büchner used historically accurate political speeches as his basis for the ranting of Robespierre (charismatic in my opinion, but cold hearted and a self-proclaimed "blood Messiah.") The terror of the guillotine, the indecisiveness of the people (Volk), and the loss of hope for Danton (comparing himself and others as marionettes controlled by fate) are all worthwhile components in the search for the the truth behind the French Revolution. Almost every morality issue is questioned in this HIGHLY contemporary work of one of Germany's greatist literary figures. If you have an interest in drama or history, this should be on your must read/must see list.

The Grand Review is not only about the climatic end of the Civil War, but rather the beginning of modern America. For students of Civil War history, this book provides rare insights into an event that is still part of America. The writing that describes the two-day parade marking the end of the war is griping in its detail. And the authors forcefully make the point that although the fighting has long since ended, many of the forces that led to war remain with us. A compelling read for any person interested in American history.

This review reproduced here with the permission of the author and the Executive Editor of the Journal of Environment & Development

This is the Seventh Edition of this collection of updates on international environment and development agreements. The Oxford University Press previously published it (then called the Green Globe Yearbook). It begins with five short academic articles which set forth major themes: the twentieth anniversary of Stockholm and fifth anniversary of Rio, the Forest Stewardship Council, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, Dumping and the London Convention, and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development reporting process. These articles are well written and informative. The summaries and updates of 50 different international agreements in the areas of atmosphere, hazardous substances, marine issues, nature conservation and terrestrial resources, nuclear safety and freshwater resources follow them. The Yearbook also lists and describes 23 Intergovernmental Organizations and 29 Non-governmental Organizations, and then closes with country profiles on 14 OECD and five non-OECD countries focusing on their current environment and development profile. This information is useful and well presented and thus makes this book a good starting place for researchers and policy-makers.

JED V8N2

The Great Philosopher's book on Hegel is interesting because it approaches him from a religious context. Normally one would expect a fifty page survey of Hegel to focus on the dialectic, his views on history or materialism or government. Instead, the book places its emphasis on his metaphysical philosophy. Different and intriguing, this book is well worth a read.

Concerning the rational structure of the Absolute, Hegel, following the ancient Greek philosopher Parmenides, argued that "what is rational is real and what is real is rational." This must be understood in terms of Hegel's further claim that the Absolute must ultimately be regarded as pure Thought, or Spirit, or Mind, in the process of self-development. The logic that governs this developmental process is dialectic. The dialectical method involves the notion that movement, or process, or progress, is the result of the conflict of opposites. Traditionally, this dimension of Hegel's thought has been analyzed in terms of the categories of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. Although Hegel tended to avoid these terms, they are helpful in understanding his concept of the dialectic. The thesis, then, might be an idea or a historical movement. Such an idea or movement contains within itself incompleteness that gives rise to opposition, or an antithesis, a conflicting idea or movement. As a result of the conflict a third point of view arises, a synthesis, which overcomes the conflict by reconciling at a higher level the truth contained in both the thesis and antithesis. This synthesis becomes a new thesis that generates another antithesis, giving rise to a new synthesis, and in such a fashion the process of intellectual or historical development is continually generated. Hegel thought that Absolute Spirit itself (which is to say, the sum total of reality) develops in this dialectical fashion toward an ultimate end or goal. For Hegel, therefore, reality is understood as the Absolute unfolding dialectically in a process of self-development. As the Absolute undergoes this development, it manifests itself both in nature and in human history. Nature is Absolute Thought or Being objectifying itself in material form. Finite minds and human history are the process of the Absolute manifesting itself in that which is most kin to itself, namely, spirit or consciousness. In The Phenomenology of Mind Hegel traced the stages of this manifestation from the simplest level of consciousness, through self-consciousness, to the advent of reason.

I am reading this book simultaneously with Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit/Mind. It serves as a very helpful companion to enrich comprehension of the Phenomenology, specifically by providing an excellent overview of each area of dense terrain you must pass through certain parts of Hegel's densely abstract masterpiece. Hegel is incredibly challenging and almost painful in how much contemplative time and effort are required to grasp the meaning of many passages. However, it is all well worth it. When it begins to sink in, moments of becoming lucid to the self-presence and harmony of Knowing Absolute begin to flicker as sweet reward. H.S. Harris's book helps you get there.

"Hermeneutics and the Voice of the Other: Re-reading Gadamer's Philosophical Hermeneutics," by James Risser, is, on the whole, a well-written and accessible text. As the book's subtitle indicates, it is a look at the work of 20th century thinker Hans-Georg Gadamer, whose 1960 book "Truth and Method" looms large in academia. In his introduction, Risser notes that the "aim of this book [...] is to treat philosophical hermeneutics in a more encompassing way, in a way that takes account of the complexity and breadth of the project of philosophical hermeneutics."

Risser reflects on the relationship of Gadamer's work to the work of such related thinkers as Heidegger, Kant, Husserl, Kierkegaard, and Derrida. He addresses the concerns of Gadamer critics John Caputo and Richard Bernstein. Risser looks at some specific controversies surrounding Gadamer's work, such as the debate over Gadamer's concept of "prejudice."

I found one of the more interesting parts of the book to be Risser's look at the relevance of "Buber's distinction between an I-It relation and an I-Thou relation" to Gadamer's work. I was also intrigued by Risser's thoughts on "the concept of play" ("Spiel" in German) in Gadamer's work.

If you're turned off by phrases like "an Aristotelico-Hegelian metaphysics of infinity," you might want to avoid this book. But on the whole I found Risser's prose quite engaging. My main disappointment with the book stems from my expectations regarding the book's title. Risser talks about the voice of the "other," but I didn't see anything in the book which really explored what makes an "other" an "other." In particular, I finished the book wondering what relevance Risser's work (and Gadamer's by extension) has on postmodern debates over difference in race, gender, class, etc. Significantly, such terms as "race," "gender," etc. don't even appear in the index. My advice: supplement your reading of this book with Adrienne Rich's "Blood, Bread, and Poetry" or Audre Lorde's "Sister Outsider."

Risser's prose gets a bit "touchy-feely" towards the end, as he reflects on commonalities between poetry and philosophy and waxes poetic himself on such concepts on grace, kindness, friendship, and the "radiant word." (But I admit: I liked the "touchy-feely" stuff.) Not a wholly satisfying book, but nonetheless an admirable achievement.

Not much detail is presented in Westphal's book, nor are the contours of dialectical development laid out very clearly. A basic outline of the Phenomenology is followed, but without much attention to the crucial transitions between dialectical stages. The section on consciousness, (i.e. sense experience, perception, and understanding), is adequate; the section on self-consciousness, (i.e. master-slave, unhappy consciouness), is the weakest and murkiest.

Probably, the best section concerns the latter stages of spiritual progression, (i.e. religion, absolute knowledge). Westphal discusses developments here in a general context of Christian theology, showing how Christian themes are taken up and reproduced in philosophical terms. A traditional issue arises at this point: Has Hegel abandoned phenomenology (description) for Christian metaphysics (transcendancy). The author presents a thoroughly secularized interpretation of of spirit's fulfillment and Absolute Knowledge. Spirit's ultimate return to itself transpires on the this side of the temporal divide instead of the transcendent side. It's an historical and temporal event in which spirit recognizes itself in others in a mutual display of love and recognition. It's not a transcendent occurrence in which exteriority is somehow overcome. Just how this mutual recognition also includes recognition of nature as its own ontological creation is not clear to me from Westphal's text; yet some such must be present if Absolute Knowledge is to truly take place.

In the author's opinion, Hegel's error lies not in a departure from the phenomenological method, since correctly understood in its secularized interpretation, no metaphysics is involved. Rather, Hegel's error lies in the naive belief that this final spiritual stage of description was actually being realized in 19th century Prussia! In short, his mistake was not philosophical but historical. Westphal's reading of Hegel works fine as an interpretation congenial to modern secular readers.