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278 JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY occasionalism or to Newtonian absolute space. Although undoubtedly the book would have been improved with the addition of analyses of key terms and argumenu , doing so might have produced a much lengthier work. In offering an extraordinary wealth of detailed information Wright joins the company of recent writers such as Jones and Norton whose books significantly expand the historical understanding of Hume's work. JAMES KING Northern Illinois University Jacobi, Friedrich Heinrich. Briefwechsel. Gesamtausgabe. Reihe I. Band i: x762-I775. Edited by Michael Bri~ggen and Siegfried Sudhof, in cooperation with Peter Bachmaier, Reinhard Lauth, and Peter-Paul Schneider. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Friedrich Frommann Verlag (Gtinther Holzboog), x981. xxvi + 32~Pp. Jacobi, Friedrich Heinrich. Briefwechsel. Gesamtausgabe. Reihe L Band 2: x775-x78L Edited by Peter Bachmaier, Michael Brtiggen, Reinhard Lauth, and Siegfried Sudhof, in cooperation with Peter-Paul Schneider. Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt: Friedrich Frommann Verlag (Giinther Holzboog), 1983. xvii + 4~pp. Jacobi, Friedrich Heinrich. David Hume i~berden Glauben oderIdealismus und Realismus. Introduction by Hamilton Beck. Volume xx of "The Philosophy of David Hume." Edited by Lewis White Beck. New York: Garland Publishing, 1983. xxi + 368pp. As the originator of one of its most characteristic genres, the "philosophical novel," F. H. Jacobi's place in the history of German letters is secure. That his place in the history of philosophy may appear less certain is an indication of how selective and distorted the "history of philosophy" continues to be. It was Jacobi who, more than any other single person, was responsible for the modern revival of interest in "Spinozism " and for defining the issues involved (viz., the relationship between determinism , nature, and reflection) in a manner which profoundly influenced the subsequent development of German philosophy during its "Golden Age." Jacobi was also one of the earliest and most penetrating critics of Kant's new Critical Philosophy, about which he observed (in what Hans Vaihinger termed "perhaps the best and most important thing ever said about Kant at all") that without assuming the existence of things in themselves one could not enter into Kant's system, yet once within the system one had, in turn, to reject the existence of things in themselves. Even less well-known is the fact that it was Jacobi who initiated the still flourishing debate over the "nihilistic" implications of modernity. Taking transcendental idealism to be the most representative version of modern philosophy, Jacobi tried to show that such a way of thinking could only climax in what he termed "nihilism." In opposition to the most advanced philosophical tendencies of his own age, he defended his own version of "direct realism" based upon feeling and immediate intuition. Against materialism BOOK REVIEWS ~79 and superficially "enlightened" atheism, as also against all attempts to employ philosophical argument and scientific understanding to establish the truths of morality and religion, Jacobi campaigned tirelessly on behalf of "faith." In everyday life, as in the deepest mysteries of religion, mere understanding, he argued, is woefully inadequate ; what is required is a salto morale. As anyone familiar with recent German and French philosophical literature can attest, we are currently witnessing a modest but significant revival of interest in Jacobi's thought and historical influence. In many respects Jacobi is one of the most representative figures of his era. His career as an author began in the last quarter of the eighteenth century, when he published two brilliant philosophical novels, and extended over a period of nearly fifty years, until his death in 18x9, while in the midst of preparing a collected edition of his own writings. In addidon to his novels, Jacobi published verse, criticism, philosophical treatises, and essays on a wide variety of subjects--all the while pursuing a successful and simultaneous career as a businessman and public servant. Where he found the time to write personal letters is a mystery, but write them he did, with tremendous facility and in enormous number. His circle of correspondents was as extensive as his range of interests. Wieland, Goethe, Lessing, Mendelssohn, Hamann, Herder, Kant, Reinhold, Fichte, and Schelling were among his correspondents. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that Jacobi's correspondence should be of exceptional interest to...

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