Political readings of Descartes in Continental thought /

In the preface to this book Segev (Loyola Univ. Chicago) writes that he "does not deal with the philosophy of Descartes" (p. viii); rather, he deals with the use made of Descartes' philosophy by a range of 19th- and 20th-century Continental thinkers in promoting their own political views. "Political" here must be construed broadly as covering not just social organization, but also the meaning and purpose of human life and civilization. The thinkers discussed include both philosophical titans such as Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger and now-obscure figures such as Franz Baader, Franz Borkenau, and Franz Böhm. The overall attitude toward Descartes and Cartesianism among the figures presented is critical. Descartes' mechanism and his mathematization of nature, his substitution of the self for God at the center of existence, and the disconnectedness of the Cartesian ego from culture and history all come in for criticism. Particularly valuable are Segev's discussions of Husserl and Heidegger. In his judicious appraisal of Heidegger's infamous Black Notebooks, Segev shows that the philosopher's relation to Nazism was more nuanced and distant than some critics claim. Though the book presupposes familiarity with Descartes' thought, Segev's exceptionally lucid and attractive prose style renders the discussion accessible. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Michael Latzer, Gannon University