Reviews for Philosophy of Brand Blanshard, Vol. 15 - Brand Blanshard - Hardcover - 1st ed

The average rating for Philosophy of Brand Blanshard, Vol. 15 - Brand Blanshard - Hardcover - 1st ed based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-06-25 00:00:00 John Mackey Interesting philosophy. Blanshard is deep reading.

Review # 2 was written on 2021-01-08 00:00:00 Lee Gandolfi Though not especially well-known, Brand Blanshard was among the leading American philosophers of the 20th century. The case could be made that he was the foremost American philosopher of all. This omnibus volume - part of a series that includes the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre, Bertrand Russell, and Alfred North Whitehead - is primarily a collection of fascinating exchanges between Blanshard and his philosophical peers. It also includes an autobiography, and a bibliography. But equally valuably, it brings us up to date on Blanshard's thinking as of the date of publication (1980). We discover here that Blanshard was not an "absolute idealist" as some of his less perceptive peers imagined, nor was he a hedonist, and still less, as some supposed, was he any sort of libertarian. But these are all negative characterizations. What is of greater value is the position that Blanshard here clarifies in response to his critics, perhaps most notably Oliver Johnson. In ethics, Blanshard's position was close to that of the self-actualization views of Aristotle. Johnson thought this committed Blanshard to a sort of egoism. Blanshard shows precisely why this is not the case (from page 294 forward). As this has repeatedly been a stumbling block for those who accept this sort of view, Blanshard here performs an immensely valuable service. In broader perspective, Blanshard was a rationalist, and ably holds his ground here against his critics, as he did throughout his career. Indeed, he shows that his critics almost invariably take weaker, often indefensible positions. In all, this lengthy (1,142 page) book is probably best for, and most likely to be read by, those who already have a significant appreciation of Blanshard. Those who have not yet had the pleasure of developing that appreciation might wish to begin with "Four Reasonable Men", which provides very compelling and addictive reading indeed.