Also a History of Philosophy, Volume 1 - The Project of a Genealogy of Postmetaphysical Thinking

This is the first volume of a ground-breaking new work by Jürgen Habermas on the history of philosophy.

In this major new work, Habermas sets out the ideas that inform his systematic account of the history of Western philosophy as a genealogy of postmetaphysical thinking. His account goes far beyond a vindication of the enduring relevance of philosophical reflection founded on communicative reason as a source of orientation in the modern world. He contrasts this conception with prominent diagnoses of the supposed crisis of Enlightenment reason and culture that seeks redemption in the affirmation of traditional religious authority (Schmitt), the timeless validity of Greek metaphysics (Strauss), a numinous conception of nature (Löwith), and an occurrence of being that speaks to us from beyond the mists of pre-Socratic thought (Heidegger).

Habermas situates Western philosophy in relation to traditions of thought founded in the major worldviews (Judaism, Buddhism, Conf ucianism and Taoism) that continue to shape contemporary culture and civilization. At the same time, he lays the groundwork for his analysis in the later volumes of the constitutive role played by the discourse on faith and knowledge in the development of Western philosophy, which is the result of the unique symbiosis that Christianity entered into with Greek thought with the Christianization of the Roman Empire.

Far from raising claims to exclusivity, completeness or closure, Habermas's history of philosophy, published in English in three volumes, opens up new lines of research and reflection that will influence the humanities and social sciences for decades to come.

Rezension:

"A wonderful English translation of Jürgen Habermas's magnum opus tracing 1,300 years of philosophy in the West. This volume is at once a reconstruction of the encounter between faith and reason, so defining of the Western philosophical legacy, and a reflection on philosophy's role in shaping who we are and how we relate to the world around us. Brilliant, breath-taking in scope, and profound in its assessment of the modern self-understanding, this magnificent work is a vital contribution to contemporary philosophy."
Simone Chambers, University of California, Irvine

"Among all the philosophers and social theorists of our time, Jürgen Habermas has distinguished himself not only for his philosophical acumen, but also for a certain epistemic modesty - a willingness to learn from both his contemporaries and the preceding tradition. In this monumental volume, Habermas shows us how the ideal of philosophy as a learning process can assist in reconstructing our own philosophical history. He guides us through an exhilarating series of past encounters between faith and knowledge that contribute to the rational but fallibilistic model of postmetaphysical thinking today. The result is nothing less than a masterpiece."
Peter E. Gordon, Harvard University

"one of the pre-eminent philosophers and public intellectuals of our time."
Times Literary Supplement

"Not a pedagogic work, not a generic history of philosophy, and certainly not a philosophy of history, Also a History of Philosophy is intimately linked to the inner dynamics of Habermas' project."
Michael Maidan, Phenomenological Reviews