Praxis and Action: Contemporary Philosophies of Human Activity

In this book originally published in 1971, Richard Bernstein pulls together and compares four different movements in modern philosophy dealing with praxis or action: the Marxist tradition, existentialism, pragmatism and analytical philosophy. The first three (which address praxis) he puts in the context of influence by and reaction to Hegel. The fourth (which addresses action) treats Hegel as irrelevant and styles itself on modern science and linguistic philosophy. But Bernstein points out how analytical philosophy, through a dialectic of its own, begins to move unwittingly toward a recognition of Hegelian concepts. Bernstein is a lucid and disciplined writer who takes the reader from basic concepts to his own conclusions and show more observations. Thus, in the context of praxis/action, the book can serve as an introduction to the four movements as well as an insightful criticism of how each of them deal with the question of action, including criticism drawn from comparing how the movements deal with the issue in different ways. show less