This important new title by Richard J. Bernstein presents a detailed examination of Freud's last book, Moses and Monotheism. Bernstein argues convincingly that this frequently vilified and dismissed book is one of Freud's most important works. It is in Moses and Monotheism that Freud answers the question that obsessed him: what is the essence of the Jewish people? Bernstein goes on to show how Freud developed a new interpretation of the concept of a religious tradition--an interpretation that is applicable to both Judaism and Christianity.

Since 9/11 politicians, preachers, conservatives and the media are all speaking about evil. In the past the dicourse about evil in our religious, philosophic and literary traditions has provoked thinking, questioning and inquiry. But today the appeal to evil is being used as a political tool to obscure compex issues, block serious thinking and stifle public discussion and debate.

We are now confronting a clash of mentalities, not a clash of civilisations. One mentality is drawn to absolutes, moral certainties, and simplistic dichotomies of good and evil. The other seriously questions...

The Pragmatic Century critically assesses the significance of American philosopher Richard J. Bernstein's intellectual contributions. Written by scholars who share with Bernstein a combined interest in the American pragmatic tradition and contemporary religious thought, the essays explore such diverse topics as Bernstein's place as an interpreter of both American and continental thought, the possibility of system building and analysis in an antimetaphysical age, the potential for theological and ethical reinterpretation in contemporary society, and much more. Included are not only responses...

"An extraordinarily ambitious and surprisingly successful attempt to bridge the gap between analytical philosophy and modern developments in Marxism, existentialism, and pragmatism. . . . An important step towards the restructuring of contemporary philoso

"A fascinating and timely treatment of the objectivism versus relativism debates occurring in philosophy of science, literary theory, the social sciences, political science, and elsewhere."--Choice

This important new title by Richard J. Bernstein presents a detailed examination of Freud's last book, Moses and Monotheism. Bernstein argues convincingly that this frequently vilified and dismissed book is one of Freud's most important works. It is in Moses and Monotheism that Freud answers the question that obsessed him: what is the essence of the Jewish people? Bernstein goes on to show how Freud developed a new interpretation of the concept of a religious tradition--an interpretation that is applicable to both Judaism and Christianity.

At present, there is an enormous gulf between the visibility of evil and the paucity of our intellectual resources for coming to grips with it. We have been flooded with images of death camps, terrorist attacks and horrendous human suffering. Yet when we ask what we mean by radical evil and how we are to account for it, we seem to be at a loss for proper responses.


Bernstein seeks to discover what we can learn about the meaning of evil and human responsibility. He turns to philosophers such as Kant, who coined the expression 'radical evil', as well as to Hegel and...

Bernstein untersucht die genannten sozialwissenschaftlichen Richtungen mit dem Ziel, eine Perspektive zu entwickeln, unter der es mglich wird, das an ihnen Richtige und Plausible zu integrieren. Seine kritische Darstellung der verfgbaren Theorien ist zugleich eine Restrukturierung (dieser Begriff spielt auf den der Struktur in Kuhns Titel Die Struktur wissenschaftlicher Revolutionen an) - ein Restrukturierung der Gesellschaftstheorie.