The Fabric of Existentialism. Philosophical and Literary Sources ed. by Richard Gill and Ernest Sherman (review)

BOOK BEVIEWS 677 49) The opposition between being and nothing, which is expressed by the principle of noncontradiction, becomes also the source of truth in our judgments , for no affirmation and negation are possible with regard to the one and same being. (pp. 58-59) The question of whether in Thomistic metaphysics the principle of noncontraction enjoys priority over the principle of identity is answered in the affirmative by the author, who quotes to this effect Gredt, Jolivet, and Fabro (cf. the review of the latter's work, Tomismo e pensiero mederno, The Thomist, 84 [July, 1970], pp. 499-502). The opposite view of Maritain, Garrigou-Lagrange, and Sofia Vanni Rovighi is discussed and criticized. And so is the position of those who defend either the simultaneousness of the two principles (Suarez) or the priority of the principle of noncontradiction but merely as a law of thought (Van Steenberghen-cf. pp. 68-80). The theological import of the principle under discussion is the subject of the last part of Bartolomei's study. Here the author shows that the principle of causality, which is the immediate vehicle of Thomas's ascent to God in his Five Ways, rests ultimately on the principle of noncontradiction . (pp. 80-97) Bartolomei concludes her study by indicating how contemporary philosophy, in its attempt to solve the problem of being and becoming, could profit from a metaphysical discourse grounded in the ageold principle of noncontradiction. In a time when the very possibility of metaphysical discourse is challenged , especially by advocates of positivistic and analytic trends in philosophy , Bartolomei's volume is not only very enlightening but also a welcome addition to those studies which in recent years have attempted to revive interest in classic and Thomistic philosophy. The Catholic University of America Washington, D. C. BERNARDINO M. BoNANSEA, 0. F. M. The Fabric of Existentialism. Philosophical and Literary Sources. Edited by Richard Gill and Ernest Sherman. New York: Appleton-Century. Crofts, 1978. Pp. 640. $14.95. In the halcyon days of existentialist thought after World War I1 Emmanuel Monnier wrote a book entitled Introduction aux existentialismes. His choice of the plural seems apt indeed, for there is no existentialism; there are only existentialisms crisscrossing and overlaping one another in what Wittgenstein has called a family resemblance. Accordingly, the most satisfactory way of providing a conceptual umbrella for those whom one would like to call existentialists is the listing of several family traits 678 BOOK REVIEWS which the members share in various degree. The editors of the present anthology have done just that, offering a set of eight Kierkegaardian themes in lieu of a definition of existentialism. Few would fault them on their choice of the eight: (1) The Primacy of the Individual; (2) The Critique of Reason; (3) The Authentic versus the Inauthentic Life; (4) The Boundary Situation; (5) Alienation; (6) The Encounter with Nothingness; (7) Dread; (8) Freedom, Choice, Commitment , and Community. Nor are any major existentialists omitted. Indeed , with such exceptions as Abbagnano and Shestov, few minor existentialists fail to be represented either. The passages chosen are the standard ones for any such anthology, although the size of the volume allows for some complete works to be printed on its two-column pages. Each author is introduced with adequate biographical and philosophical information to make the texts intelligible in themselves and in relation to the movement as a whole. The introductory chapter is helpful in this regard as well. What distinguishes the book from other such anthologies is its treatment of the "background and portents " of the movement (allowing the editors to include passages ranging from Plato to Stendhal) as well as its consideration of literary sources which develop these eight existentialist themes. Under the latter rubric the editors introduce Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan lllych (complete text), Coleridge's "Dejection: An Ode," and Hemingway 's" A Clean, Well-lighted Place." Oddly enough, there is nothing from Faulkner. The editors' passion for completeness leads them to add a section, "English and American Undercurrents," which ushers in readings from J. S. Mill (!), Dickens, Arnold, Stephen Crane, and William James. Though each entry is justified, the sheer variety tends to dilute whatever meaning the term...