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Lee Braver

A Thing of This World: A History of Continental Anti-Realism (Topics In Historical Philosophy) Paperback – July 13, 2007

by Lee Braver (Author)

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At a time when the analytic/continental split dominates contemporary philosophy, this ambitious work offers a careful and clear-minded way to bridge that divide. Combining conceptual rigor and clarity of prose with historical erudition, A Thing of This World shows how one of the standard issues of analytic philosophy--realism and anti-realism--has also been at the heart of continental philosophy.

Using a framework derived from prominent analytic thinkers, Lee Braver traces the roots of anti-realism to Kant's idea that the mind actively organizes experience. He then shows in depth and in detail how this idea evolves through the works of Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Foucault, and Derrida. This narrative presents an illuminating account of the
history of continental philosophy by explaining how these thinkers build on each other's attempts to develop new concepts of reality and truth in the wake of the rejection of realism. Braver demonstrates that the analytic and continental traditions have been discussing the same issues, albeit with different vocabularies, interests, and approaches.
By developing a commensurate vocabulary, his book promotes a dialogue between the two branches of philosophy in which each can begin to learn from the other.

Print length

516 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Northwestern University Press
Publication date

July 13, 2007
Dimensions

6 x 1.8 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0810123800
ISBN-13

978-0810123809
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is the sort of book that everyone working in the continental tradition, and many in the analytic tradition, will want to read... Braver's real strength is his sweeping synoptic vision of continentalism from Kant to Derrida, backed by triple the needed homework to make this vision tangible. The book deserves great success, and Braver ought to become a household name in continental circles... It would be hard to ask for a more thoroughly researched work on the topic, or for one more honest or more technically precise... A landmark."--Philosophy Today

"This is a superb book, and potentially an important book. It is addressed to analytic and continental philosophers alike without sacrificing either of the strengths of those traditions: conceptual rigor and clarity of prose on the one hand, historical depth and careful erudition on the other. . . . It is high time our profession embarks on some serious scholarship in this field, and Lee Braver seems to be the one to lead that effort."--John Protevi, editor of A Dictionary of Continental Philosophy

"A Thing of This World is an impressive and valuable achievement. . . that could do a lot to help apnalytical and continental philosophers understand each other. Lee Braver shows an amazing overalla knowledge of the relevant primary and secondary sources, and his analyses of the philosophers he takes up. . . are admirably clear and free from jargon. His Heideggarian critique of Davidson on language, for example, casts new light on the approaches of both thinkers."--Hubert L. Dreyfus, professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley

About the Author

Lee Braver is chair of the department of philosophy at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Northwestern University Press; 1st edition (July 13, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 516 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0810123800
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0810123809
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.83 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.8 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,794,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,943 in Philosophy History & Survey
- #5,903 in Philosophy Movements (Books)

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Ronald Fernandez

A true masterpiece

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2014

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This is an extraordinary book on account of its originality, its scope, its accurate scholarship and its didactic qualities. Seldom have I come across a philosophy book that explains in such coherent and transparent way the complicated concepts that conform german idealism and/or phenomenology. The use of matrices to explain the labyrinth like trajectory of Realism through history is simply superb. Finding Kant,Hegel, Heidegger and Foucault cast in a new and accesible light is a real joy. This book is not only informative but a true pleasure to read. In brief, a masterpiece !

5 people found this helpful

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Louis Berger

excellent and stimulating

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2011

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The other reviews are comprehensive and more than adequate. I see the set of matrices Braver uses to structure his explorations as highly useful and convincing. I found the chapter on Derrida especially illuminating. Even though over decades I had read quite a bit of Derrida's own work as well as much of the voluminous secondary literature, there were some key concepts (e.g., logocentrism, metaphysics of presence) that I felt I never did get quite straight. Braver describes these clearly and illustrates them adequately, clearing up these lingering confusions for me.

Another personal note: because of my highly unorthodox ontogenetic orientation (presented in my last few books), I was particularly interested to see that, and how, all the major figures Braver discusses as well as those mentioned more or less in passing remained what I have come to call adultocentric -- very roughly, the position that allows one to see issues only from a mature person's perspective, neglecting and ignoring, unaware of, the still present significant heritage of individual development that continues to be carried and tacitly at work in adulthood (and in later childhood) -- which I see as an important limitation on thinking not only in philosophy but in virtually all fields -- mostly because it seriously distorts one's conception of what language is and does. Of course, it should go without saying that Braver cannot be blamed for that shortcoming displayed by the various thinkers whose work he analyzes.

Let me add that another, related basic shortcoming common to all of those thinkers analyzed by Braver is that in spite of the many obvious differences, over the centuries the nature of the basic conundrum addressed (unsuccessfully) in these realism/antirealism debates (What is the relationship between what we experience/think/believe/perceive from "inside" us and what is "out there"? What is the nature of self, and of other?) has not really changed; I can see no fundamental progress concerning this paradox. I believe that a critical factor that has impeded progress is the surprising psychological naivete (from a clinician's point of view) shown by the philosophers and scientists who have participated in these debates.

4 people found this helpful

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Richard D. Fleming

Is Continental Philosophy Anti-realist?

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2012

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Lee Braver pursues the anti-realist 'bias' in continental philosophy inaugurated by Kant and coursing through the veins of Hegel, Nietzsche, Heidegger (early and late), Foucault and Derrida.
Can an author possibly address the thought of these celebrated major post Kantian thinkers in one book? Lee Braver takes the one approach that could succeed, namely he focuses on a key topic (realism) that these thinkers all address, some head-on, others more obliquely. The most salient feature of Braver's book, in my opinion, is that one might expect that the thought of each thinker presented would be superficial. I mean can 100 volumes of Heidegger's, writings, lectures, etc., realistically be distilled in one book of manageable size? It can if you limit your focus to a specific topic, and highlight the relevant insights on this topic from each philosopher. Now the difficulty here is to do this without having your 'survey' of several of the greatest minds in the history of Western philosophy end up like a 'Post-Kantian Anti-Realism for Dummies" primer. But on the other hand, you can't let the survey get so bogged-down in scholarly interpretation (and squabbling) that the narrative never gets off the ground! In my opinion, Braver does a sterling job of presenting an intriguing synopsis of each continental philosopher's thinking that relates to the realism/anti-realism 'debate'. Braver also provides some realism 'ballast' through the views of certain key analytic philosophers such as Putnam, Davidson and others.

Overall, Braver's project is a successful undertaking. One could, of course, argue whether Sartre, for example, might have been a better selection rather than Foucault, or even more importantly, while Braver does give some space to Husserl, as a bridge between analytic and continental 'sides', I still think much greater attention needs to be devoted to Husserl and the history phenomenology in general. However, since Lee Braver's book is already 500 pages long, this suggestion would be impractical.

The fact that Braver is able to render significant insight into the various 'phases' of thought that these major continental philosophers passed through is exemplary.

I would definitely recommend this book.

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