‘Modernists with a Vengeance’: Changing Cultures of Theory in Nuclear Science, 1920–1930.J. C. &J. Hughes -1998 -Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics 29 (3):339-367.detailsSandia National Laboratories, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was originally a part of Los Alamos Laboratory. In 1949, AT&T agreed to manage Sandia, which they did for the next 44 years. During those Cold War years, Sandia was the prime weapons engineering laboratory for Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore. As such, it bore prime responsibility for designing and adapting nuclear weapons for the military services' delivery systems, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the stockpile. The Labs' history has been (...) unevenly documented, hindered by the secret nature of its work and the desire of management to maintain a low public profile. There have been three history programs at Sandia: a restricted history published internally in 1963; another history program in the early 1980s that resulted in a history of the Labs' first decade; and the current history program dating from the mid-1990s, which has published a general history and several monographs. This article discusses the challenges and problems inherent in documenting the history of a national weapons laboratory during the last 50 years. (shrink)
Freiheit und Tod. [REVIEW]J. D. C. -1973 -Review of Metaphysics 27 (1):147-148.detailsArnold Metzger is one of Germany’s leading philosophers. He served as an assistant to Husserl at Freiburg from 1919 to 1924 and published his first major book—Der Gegendstand der Erkenntnis —in Husserl’s Jarhbuch. [[sic]] The present title is a second unchanged edition of the work which appeared in 1955, and which received a warm reception in Germany. Metzger’s philosophy is concerned with working out the implications which lie in the concept of Being. There are two "mythologies" about Being which Metzger (...) hopes to dispel. The one hypostasizes Being as something transcendent and permanent, while the other is a reductionism which hypostasizes the factual. The problem of freedom and death must be understood within the context of the question of Being so formulated. Metzger’s approach is in the broad sense "existential," but it is developed out of a constant dialogue with Socrates, Plato and Kant. His German is highly readable and unencumbered. His book which is a cross section of the major themes of twentieth century German philosophy, is a thoughtful meditative study of one of the major themes in contemporary thought.—J. D. C. (shrink)
Heidegger. [REVIEW]J. D. C. -1970 -Review of Metaphysics 24 (1):145-146.detailsOtto Pöggeler is among the most distinguished living German scholars. He is the coeditor of the new critical edition of the works of Hegel published by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. In addition he is the author of what many regard as the book on Heidegger. He has access to documents that Heidegger makes available to only a few and is considered to have an acquaintance with the pre-Sein und Zeit period that is matched by none. This latest volume--a collection of important (...) articles that have appeared in European periodicals on Heidegger, and offered on the occasion of his 80th birthday--is exactly what one would expect of Pöggeler. The contributions are most distinguished. To name a few: Löwith on Heidegger and Protestant theology; Schulz's famous article on the place of Heidegger in the history of Philosophy; Gadamer on Heidegger and Marburg theology; Beda Allemann on Heidegger's engagement with the National Socialists; Tugendhat on Heidegger's idea of truth; and finally an article by Pöggeler on Heidegger's hermeneutics. Pöggeler also provides a 38-page introduction entitled "Heidegger Today." In addition to a helpful index, there is a tripartite bibliography including not only Heidegger's works and the important secondary literature but also the works of independent thinkers who think out of the context and under the influence of Heidegger--such as Binswanger, Bultmann, Fink, Löwith et al.--J. D. C. (shrink)
Heidegger et Kant. [REVIEW]J. D. C. -1972 -Review of Metaphysics 25 (3):552-552.detailsThis is a lengthy study which, appearing as it does contemporaneously with Sherover's Heidegger, Kant and Time, underlines the importance not only of Kant's influence on Heidegger but also of Heidegger's unorthodox but intriguing interpretation of the Critique of Pure Reason. In his Introduction Declève discusses at some length Heidegger's involvement with the National Socialists, pointing out in particular Heidegger's tendency at that time to fuse the technical language of philosophy with the jargon of the Nazi ideology. It is of (...) some importance, Declève holds, that Heidegger saw for a time the historical and political consequences of his thought in the Nazi's, whereas the political applications of Kant's thought are considerably more praiseworthy. Where Heidegger approves of Hitler's decision to withdraw--from the League of Nations, for example, Kant's thought lays the theoretical foundations of a world society. Accordingly Declève sees a radical shortcoming in Heidegger's whole approach to Kant: if it is true that Kant is laying the foundations of metaphysics, this must be understood to include the foundations of the metaphysics of morals. Heidegger ignores the second Critique. Nonetheless, Declève's treatment of his topic is, on the whole, sympathetic to Heidegger's approach to Kant, and he regards the confrontation of Heidegger and Kant as a dialogue of the greatest importance between philosophical geniuses of the highest order. The book is richly documented and very carefully executed. It is certain to become standard fare for anyone interested in Heidegger's challenging "retrieve" of Kant.--J. D. C. (shrink)
Le jeu. [REVIEW]J. D. C. -1970 -Review of Metaphysics 24 (2):340-340.detailsThis volume is No. 86 in a series entitled "Initiation philosophique," directed by Jean Lacroix. Henriot takes issue with those who, on the one hand, hold that all is play and with those who, on the other hand, hold that because everything is determined, there is nothing arbitrary or undetermined, and consequently there is no play at all. The author's argument occurs in three stages: the structure of play as an objective fact ; the act of playing itself ; that (...) which makes play to be play. This last element the author identifies as the "intersubjective" or "existential." This constitutes the three parts of the book: I. Games; II. Playing; III. The Player.--J. D. C. (shrink)
(1 other version)Martin Heidegger. [REVIEW]J. D. C. -1969 -Review of Metaphysics 23 (1):134-134.detailsThis compact profile by the co-translator of Sein und Zeit is one in a series of introductory studies of major contemporary theologians and philosophers who have influenced theology. This study of Heidegger is a remarkably lucid general introduction to his thought. Macquarrie considers in turn Heidegger's "life", "thought", and "significance." Macquarrie accepts for the most part Heidegger's own self-interpretation of his development--that his thought represents a continuous progressive path, all along guided by the problem of being. As one might expect, (...) there are a number of illuminating comparisons between Heidegger and other theological literature, including gnosticism, Barth, Bultmann, Tillich, and Heinrich Ott. The account of Heidegger on God is among the most meritorious features of the book. The references to Heidegger are to the English translations. There is no bibliography, but there is an excellent glossary which explicates clearly, simply, and accurately many important words in Heidegger's vocabulary.--J. D. C. (shrink)
On Heidegger and Language. [REVIEW]J. D. C. -1972 -Review of Metaphysics 26 (1):162-162.detailsKockelmans’ book is an anthology of readings which he has collected together and in most cases translated. Eight of the eleven selections have already been published—although not all have appeared in English. Part I contains two essays with no evident connection—one by Kockelmans and a 1961 article from a Dutch periodical by Jan Aler on the view of language in Being and Time. Part II is the heart of the book and contains the translated texts of the six lectures given (...) at the Colloquium at Penn State in 1969 on "Heidegger’s Conception of Language," of which Kockelmans was the director. It also includes the panel discussion among the participants: Walter Biemel, Otto Poeggeler, Henri Birault, Heinrich Ott, Werner Marx and Kockelmans. These papers are extremely high level Heideggerian scholarship and very penetrating studies. They will repay careful study. Part III contains papers of a linguistic nature by Johannes Lohmann and Erasmus Schoefer. The essay by Schoefer is interesting; it is excerpted from his valuable book Die Sprache Heideggers which studies Heidegger’s own use of the German language. This is a worthwhile collection of studies which is enhanced by a bibliography and index.—J. D. C. (shrink)