num_pages: 262
description: "The growing importance of reason in philosophy concerns Stanley Rosen in this essay. Rosen's primary objective is to defend Plato &amp; classical philosophy against Martin Heidegger's radical existentialist criticism...Many critics of Heidegger consider his dubious politics during the early days of Nazi rule irrelevant to the understanding of his work. Rosen argues, on the contrary, that Heidegger's philosophy helps explain his initial enthusiasm for, &amp; later submission to, the Nazi regime. The argument yields genuine insight into the connection between philosophical &amp; political nihilism. Furthermore, exposing the evil consequences of nihilistic thought adds to his stout defense of the classical tradition."--Elliot Feingold, Book Week "Those who ignore his book do so at their peril. It vigorously poses issues which have been too long neglected by both political scientists &amp; political theorists."--R.L. Nichols, American Political Science Review "This is an impressive book...Part of the interest of this book resides in its structure, which analyses moments in the history of ideas to sketch a systematic critique of theoretical &amp; practical reason."--Times Literary Supplement
language: English
title: Nihilism a Philosophical Essay
titlecomplete: Nihilism a Philosophical Essay
genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Philosophy
ratings_count: 41
publisher: Yale University Press (New Haven, CT)