Synopses & Reviews
Leading Harvard philosophy professor William Ernest Hocking (1873-1966), author of 17 books and in his day second only to John Dewey in the breadth of his thinking, is now largely forgotten, and his once-influential writings are out of print. This volume, which combines a rich selection of Hockingís work with incisive essays by distinguished scholars, seeks to recover Hocking's valuable contributions to philosophical thought.
Review
This book will exert a strong influence on the next generation of higher education research. It should be a 'must read' for higher education scholars and scholarly practitioners.
--Don Hossler, Indiana University
Synopsis
During the early decades of the twentieth century, William Ernest Hocking (1873-1966) stood at the front ranks of American philosophy. The author of seventeen books and numerous articles, he held a prestigious chair at Harvard for more than twenty years and was second only to John Dewey in the breadth of his thinking. Today, however, he is virtually a forgotten figure, and his once-influential writings are out of print. This volume, which combines a rich selection of Hocking's work with incisive essays by distinguished scholars, seeks to recover Hocking's valuable contributions to philosophical thought. Hocking's system, the editors observe, can be characterized as a dialectical idealism, which develops the deep connections between individuals, communities, and the world in which they live. Incorporating pragmatic, empirical, personalist, and phenomenological elements, this idealism presents an account of a "unified world order" that sees humans in historical and cultural context while never losing sight of the essential unity of the human race. This collection captures both the general framework and many of the finer details of Hocking's system. Part one, "Hocking in His Own Words," includes book excerpts and essays that encompass Hocking's efforts to "surmount solipsism," his notions on the future of liberalism, and his philosophy of religion, including his vision of a purposive and orderly world, of religious faith, and of God. Part two, "Hocking as Seen Today," presents ten essays that respond to the various elements of Hocking's system through analysis, critique, and defense. This volume offers ample evidence of the continuing power of Hocking's philosophy to provoke thought anddebate. The accessibility of his writings and his emphasis on the continuities and unifying connections among human beings make his work especially relevant in a world fractured by differences large and small.
Synopsis
Leading Harvard philosophy professor William Ernest Hocking (1873-1966), author of 17 books and in his day second only to John Dewey in the breadth of his thinking, is now largely forgotten, and his once-influential writings are out of print. This volume, which combines a rich selection of Hocking's work with incisive essays by distinguished scholars, seeks to recover Hocking's valuable contributions to philosophical thought.
About the Author
John Lachs is Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of several books, including I n Love with Life , published by Vanderbilt University Press. D. Micah Hester is assistant professor of biomedical ethics and humanities at the Mercer University School of Medicine. His books include Community As Healing and On James .
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Editors' Introduction
Hocking in His Own Words
1. "What Does Philosophy Say?" from Philosophical Review
2. "Preface to the 1912 Edition" from The Meaning of God in Human Experience
3. "The Fact, Field and Destiny: Inductive Elements of Metaphysics" from Review of Metaphysics
4. "The Self and Nature" from The Self: It's Body and Freedom
5. "Passage Beyond Modernity: The Possible Universality of Solitude" from The Coming World Civilization
6. "The Human Will" from Man and the State
7. A. "The Knowledge of Other Minds" from Meaning of God in Human Experience
B. "Such Knowledge As We Could Desire" from Meaning of God in Human Experience
C. "That Knowledge We Have" from Meaning of God in Human Experience
8. A. "Are Groups Minds Real?" from Man and the State
B. "Will Circuits" from Man and the State
9. "Institutions and Change" from Human Nature and Its Remaking
10. "The Dialectic of Liberalism" from The Lasting Elements of Liberalism
11. "The Future of Liberalism" From Journal of Philosophy
12. "Astronomy, Physics and World Meaning" from Science and the Idea of God
13. "Faith and World Order" from The Church and the New World Mind
14. "Vox Dei" from Human Nature and Its Remaking
15. "The Unifying of History" from The Meaning of God in Human Experience
16. "The Last Fact" from Human Nature and Its Remaking
17. "Confessio Fidei" from Types of Philosophy (first edition)
Hocking as Seen Today
18. W.E. Hocking's "Transfigured Naturalism"
John Howie
19. Passion for Meaning: W.E. Hocking's Religious-Philosophical Views
Bruce Wilshire
20. Hocking's Critique of Modernity: Countering Solipsism and Cultivating Solitude
Vincent Colapietro
21. Solipsism Surmounted: W.E. Hocking's Philosophy of Community
LeRoy S. Rouner
22. Institutions and the Making of Persons: W.E. Hocking's Social Personalism
Tom Buford
23. W.E. Hocking and the Liberal Spirit
Douglas R. Anderson
24. The Defects of Liberalism: Lasting Elements of W.E. Hocking's Philosophy
John Stuhr
25. W.E. Hocking's Insights About the Individual and the State
John E. Smith
26. W.E. Hocking on Marx, Russian Marxism, and the Soviet Union
George L. Kline
27. Metaphysics and World Philosophy: W.E. Hocking on Chinese Philosophy
Robert Cummings Neville
Selected Bibliography of William Ernest Hocking
Index of Selected Names
Index of Selected Subjects