Merold westphal biography meaning

Most historical scholarship falls into one of two basic categories. There is, on the one hand, work that operates at the micro level: it aims to explain the finer mechanics of an argument or to document the full-range and nuance of a concept. A second type paints in broader strokes: it takes scholarship of the first kind and attempts to explain its wider importance.

It looks to capture the spirit of a thinker at the occasional expense of the letter. This book is an admirable example of the second type. Merold Westphal weaves a convincing historical narrative that raises important questions for contemporary philosophy of religion, especially in the Continental tradition.

Westphal’s stated task is to capture the general features of Enlightenment accounts of “Universal Reason” in order to show that they do not live up to their own standards.

Merold Westphal on “What is Philosophy of Religion?”

This will, he hopes, open up a space to consider (perhaps even “praise”) the merits of mor Review of Whose Community? Which Interpretation? (#0062) MEB