Review by Choice Review
Interested readers in the historical development of reason will find interesting, though not unprecedented, arguments in Quinn's book. She addresses the "crisis of reason" by arguing that Plato's articulations of reason were intellectually rich, in part because he realized the vast mysteriousness of the world. His faith in reason is contrasted invidiously with an emerging dangerous, positivist rationalism. Quinn (Adelphi Univ.) believes that the Western dichotomy between reason and faith has led to the diminution of both as progressive forces in the service of democracy, social justice, respect for diversity, and a more caring society. The author addresses the interrelationships between schooling-education and society. Her use of religious language requires attention because meanings might otherwise be misconstrued. She seems to hold that the sacrosanctness of human beings can be realized solely through the reliance on forces that are beyond rational explanation, whereas secular traditions such as existentialism and critical theory can arguably provide such security within the concreteness of everyday life. Quinn's epistemology seems radical in the sense that her knower has an effect on that which is known via thought and action. However, her ontology suggests philosophical realism's reliance on the "correspondence" between our ideas and preexisting realities to which they refer. Recommended for upper-division undergraduates and above. R. A. Brosio University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
