Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-08-05
Two Master Philosophers
Crhc Story of Philosophy, by VIII Durant Simon aud
Schiserl


Ever since james Harvey Robinson created that
ycnlcnt phrase all efforts to bring knowledge to the
called masses have been characterized the humanzng
OF knowledge" Very few hasr met the really rigid
qurrmens 10y author Of The Mind in tho Making"
he difficulty being either that the particular author
absorbed in the verbaCc Of his science, that his
Ineligible language did with it understanding
Of the subject.
The one individual who has done more. perhaps than
any other person in America to -umanze knowledge is
T. HaldemanJuus who through his 5cent booklets in
is doubtful whether the celebrated Rekame edition
of Germany equals the Little Blue Books Series for in
oluveness and excellent formal. We under the pre-
SUMPTION though not verified that The American public
Is indirectly indebted Mr. Haldemanulus for "A volume
whose intense interest eqaed only by other book
published during past year Krufs "Microbe
Hunters And that book is The story Of Philosophy
by VIII Durnnt. which has been issued under the I'M
prmaur Simon Schuster. If remember
ly, of the chapters contnined in this volume
single volumes in the Little Blue Book Series.
Baruch Spnoza Outcast jew
The scope of Durans book is necessarily limited but
in the classification of those supreme imnortas among
the philosophers he lists Baruch Spnoza and enre Berg
Durunt is especially effective when he is discussing
ancient and medieval philosophers, although he abandons
some of his smoohness when he deals with the mo1erns
Perhaps this latter difficulty is due the that the
PHILOSOPHERS of these contemporaries have yet become
digcsted certainly the philosophers themselves would
hardly admit that they had said the word about their
theories
Bnruch Spinozn, consumptive scion of Portuguese
family, seems to he one of the unfortunate Duran por-
uaits There can be doubling the authors mastery Of
the lensc grinders philosophc tenc but he fails in his
attempt in the personal background If the
eraon he admitted that theories can be understood
apart from their urignators antecedcntS. Durant has
rrly failed in comprehending the ideas of the "Godin
toxcated man"
Durnnt prcfacc> his chapter on spnoza with the
story of the odyssey of the Jews" which would
characterize the brilliant resume Of The history
of the Jews to Spinoza's times that has been written 1t
is actnl and yet sympathetic is brief and yet com
plec There minor discrepancies which be dis
missed in view of the fact that Duranr has attempted
to condonse more than three volume of Gracz in three
pages For instance his sentence Almost in the year
That Columbus discovered America, Ferdinand discovered
the Jews. The author is obviously of the
history of the Jews in Spain that it needs comment.
He might have remembered that restrictions be-
ginning he placed Jews in the thirteenth CEN
fury.
DUrlntS discussion of the which drove Spinoza
out ef the Jewish fold brings back question which Jews
have yet solved day that Spinoza
cycnmLniced his memory has remained black in pop
uar Jewish history, Disregard the fact that modern
Jewish philosophers well nonJcwish philosophers,
have acknowledged Spinoza of the foremost phil
oSophcrS of modern times: disregard the fact that Jewish
"nellcuas have written and SPOKEN renms of protest
against the Amsterdam Jewish community of July ~.
l6ld,nd II remains that arr,ch Spinoza Is vague
figure in Jewish life There Jewish philosophical
circles foremost among whom the late DR. David
Nemnr greatest Jewish philosopher Of the ast half OF
the nineteenth century who have far to deny
the niic of Spinozn ideas claiming thai they were
all derived ultimately from Moses Maimonidc The aver
agr Jew, however that is who has remotely heard of
Spno thinks of the latter undesirable herctic who
upuu ed he wi of he
/ Henri Bergson 0ptimist
Henri Bergsou worlds foremost popular philosopher
Iis Polish jew whose connections with his
race have not extended beyond his birth however There
Iurc those crds who claim that the Frcurhmnns phil
oSohy Is entirely The result Of his origin specially his
emphasis intuition His Jewshness was suhtIy rec
ugnized hy the French Government during the War when
IL EergSon to the United States mission, trusting
that he jew would connections particularly financial
lin America which ordinary Frenchman would not he
able to secure. The international jew. 50 10 speak.
II Is probable that BcrGSon's philosophy has pcnc
tratcl International living more than that of any Other
living thinker \ just estimate of Bcrgson would term hin
refined Martcrlnc for after all his idea of the ct"ra
nux of things is superficial the stray rcmnunlS "f wha
other philosophers have left behind. II is safe T." say
on the other hand that his doctrine Of creative cNptm
has been the basis OF than other con
temporary doctrine II is probuhc that sncH Nto2'"h
has captured the day eternal recurreupc nd tn" super
man may TO grips with creative evolution
Il We believe Durnnt's criticism of Bcrcson 10 lee Toe
cusivc uncritical reproduce for face vau"
"of MI contemporary contributions philosophy e'rs
sons is the precious We needed hs emphasis on TN