Baird, Forrest E. : Whitworth College

Determining what is a "philosophic classic" becomes more difficult the closer one gets to the present, and I am sure there will be disagreements about particular selections included (or not included) here. In the first place, what counts as "philosophic"? The lines between philosophy, literary criticism, linguistics, sociology, political studies, and other disciplines have become blurred. Are Foucault's writings really philosophy? How about Irigaray? Does a thinker such as Du Bois, who was never called a philosopher in his lifetime, belong in this anthology? If everything is philosophic, then is nothing philosophic? Whereas some may trumpet that we are, indeed, coming to the end of philosophy, this questioning about the nature of philosophy is not a new concept. One of the most important jobs of philosophy over the centuries has been to determine what philosophy is and what it studies. We are presently in a period of redefining the nature and scope of philosophy. Several of the selections included here represent the partial results of this ongoing redefinition.

Second, what counts as a "classic"? One can well imagine an editor at the end of the nineteenth century preparing an anthology of nineteenth-century classics: There would probably be a great deal on F.H. Bradley and nothing on Kierkegaard--a choice no one would even consider today. This anthology of twentieth-century classics is also time-bound and subject to revision. But the philosophers and texts included here are presently seen as classics or as emerging classics. Some, such as the works of Wittgenstein and Heidegger, will undoubtedly continue to be considered "classics" well into the next century. Others, such as the work of Ayer and Moore, are already on the wane--though they still are an important part of the development of twentieth-century Western philosophy.

Commonly twentieth-century philosophers are divided into two groups: Continental thinkers and Anglo-American thinkers. The readings given in this volume represent a balance between these two approaches to philosophy. About half the contributors fall on each side of the great divide. Accordingly, it is possible to trace the development of Continental thought beginning with Husserl and moving through Heidegger, Gadamer, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Derrida, Irigaray, and Habermas. Likewise, one can follow the Anglo-American concerns beginning with Dewey and continuing on through Du Bois, Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Quine, Austin, Davidson, Rawls, MacIntyre, Rorty, and Taylor. (Of course the development of twentieth-century philosophy is hardly that neat and tidy; in recent years the lines have blurred almost beyond recognition.)

For this edition, I have added selections from John Rawls and Alasdair MacIntyre, changed one of the Bertrand Russell readings and the translation of one of the Martin Heidegger selections. To make room for these changes, I have dropped the selections from Alfred North Whitehead and Hilary Putnam. In choosing texts for this volume, I have tried wherever possible to follow three principles: (1) to use complete works or, where more appropriate, complete sections of works (2) in clear translations (3) of texts central to the thinker's philosophy or widely accepted as part of the "canon." To make the works more accessible to students, most footnotes treating textual matters (variant readings, etc.) have been omitted and all Greek words have been transliterated and put within angle brackets. In addition, each thinker is introduced by a brief essay composed of three sections: (1) biographical (a glimpse of the life), (2) philosophical (a resume of the philosopher's thought), and (3) bibliographical (suggestions for further reading). The selections given here continue the themes of epistemology and metaphysics/ontology from the nineteenth-century volume. Some important works in social and political philosophy are also included.

Those who use this volume in one-term courses, such as contemporary philosophy, Continental philosophy, or Anglo-American philosophy, will find more material here than can easily fit a normal semester. But this embarrassment of riches gives teachers some choice and, for those who offer the same course year after year, an opportunity to change the menu.

For courses in 20th-century Philosophy, recent Continental Philosophy, Anglo-American Philosophy; as part of courses in Contemporary Philosophy; or courses on Epistemology or Metaphysics that take a historical approach.

Designed to be accessible to today's students, this anthology of readings in 20th-century philosophical classics includes recent European and American philosophers, and contains texts that are presently seen as classics or as emerging classics. It features the best available translations of texts�complete works or complete sections of works�which are both central to each philosopher's thought and are widely accepted as part of the canon. The selections are readable and accessible while still being faithful to the original works. Introductions to each philosopher, an abundance of drawings, diagrams, photographs, and a timeline keep students focused throughout.

Introduction: A Map of Twentieth-Century Philosophy byHans Bynagle.
Edmund Husserl.
Phenomenology (from Encyclopaedia Brittanica).The Crisis of European Science and Transcendental Phenomenology

(Part III, A, §33 and §34).

John Dewey.