The Logic of Modernity: A Review Discussion

THE LOGIC OF MODERNITY: A Review Discussion* PROFESSOR GALGAN has written a history of modern philosophy. His specific intent and achievement is the telling of a story, a story about that period or epoch of philosophy which defines itself by both following on and setting itself against both ancient philosophy and medieval philosophy (and theology) . Philosophy becomes ancient or old only when there is a sense of newness which sets itself up in difference to what until then was simply philosophy, philosophy tout court, not ancient or old philosophy. And in turn when philosophy sets itself up as new in difference to that first newness, we call the newly new philosophy modern; and the old new philosophy, the philosophy between the old and the newly new, we call the in-between philosophy or middle philosophy or medieval philosophy (and theology). Professor Galgan tells a story. A story in relation to whatever it is a story about, a story in relation to its world, does two things: first, it selects; it limits and trims by selecting; second, it organizes; it tightens the relations among the elements it selects. As Aristotle says in talking about the plot and the action which the plot imitates, the plot or story has a beginning and an end and the elements in the plot or story follow each other with a degree of necessity which is lacking in the imitated actions themselves. The story itself therefore contrasts both with everything that happened and with one thing happening merely after another and not because of another . *Gerald J. Galgan, The Logia of Modernity (New York: New York Uni· versity Press, 1982). Pp. xv + 475. $42.50. 151 152 ·rHOMAS PRU.FER I wish to raise several questions about Professor Galgan's book by raising questions, first, about what went before the beginning and what comes after the end of the story he tells and, second, about the principles which he uses to organize or to pattern the events or moments in "the logic of modernity" which his story displays. Third, I wish to ask to what extent the point of view from which Professor Galgan tells the story is identified with the point or points of view he tells about in the story and to what extent Professor Galgan, as teller of the story, takes a different point of view over against the point or points of view he tells about in the story. A story introduces artificial cuts which, by dividing from what went before and from what comes after, make a beginning and an end. Consider a bit of dialogue from Mozart's The Magic Flute: PAMINA: So you know my good and gentle mother? PAPAGENO: If you are the daughter of the Queen of the Night, yes. PAMINA: Oh, I am! PAPAGENO: I shall soon see by comparing you with this picture . Eyes brown: yes, brown. Lips red: yes, red. Hair blond: yes, blond. Everything fits, except the hands and feet. According to this painting, you shouldn't have any hands or feet. Although the representation does not represent the hands and feet of the lady, we know that the represented lady nevertheless has hands and feet. Even though a story makes cuts in the action by beginning and ending, the story will not abstain completely from telling about what went before the beginning and what comes after the end; there will be spillover. I wish to raise questions about the Greek philosophy and the Christian theology which precede the beginning of Professor Galgan 's story but which nevertheless get into that story in a very important way. And I wish to raise a question about THE LOGIC OF MODERNITY 158 what follows the end of the story but nevertheless gets into the story. Briefly, those questions are these: first, is the view of Greek philosophy truncated? In discussing this question I wish to recall Epicurus. Second, is the view of Christian theological doctrines distorted? In discussing this question I wish to recall the orthodox doctrines of the Trinity, creation, and the Incarnation . Third, is the view of post-modern philosophy-cumtheology merely conjectural, that is, is the anticipation of a "rough beast, its...