I havent read the book, but I thought I was going to when I clicked a link that brought me here..

Jean-Luc Marions fast schon berühmt zu nennende Studie über "Reduction and Givenness", im französischen Original in 1989 veröffentlicht (Originaltitel: "Réduction et Donation") liegt nun in englischer Übersetzung vor. Das Buch war wohl v.a. deshalb insbesondere in der französischen phänomenologischen Szene so einflußreich, weil es seinem Autor gelang, auf originelle Weise verschiedene, vieldiskutierte philosophische Stränge (Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, M. Henry) zu einer umfassend neuen Darstellung von "Reduktion", hier verstanden als das Grundverfahren der Phänomenologie schlechthin, zusammenzufassen und sich damit einen eigenen Standpunkt in aktuellen Auseinandersetzungen u.a. mit Derrida zu erarbeiten. "Reduktion" wird hier in erster Linie als reine Methodik begriffen, deren sich die Phänomenologie - genauer jede philosophische Bemühung, die sich phänomenologisch nennt -, bedient, ja bedienen muß. Umfassend ist Marions Darstellung in diesem Licht v.a. deshalb, weil er eine allgemeine Deutung der Reduktion vorlegt, die, so die These, von der Anfangsgestalt bei Husserl ihre immer radikaleren Schichten enthüllt und so in Konsequenz zu dem kommt, was Marion "reine Gegebenheit" (donation, givenness) nennt. Hierbei ist die Reduktion weniger als operativer Methodenschritt thematisch, sondern vielmehr die Weise, wie radikal und worauf die Reduktion reduziert. Wird selbige erstmals bei Husserl "entdeckt" und angewendet, so versucht Marion nachzuweisen, daß sie dort zwar eine, über die natürliche Einstellung hinausgehende, Radikalität besitzt, aber doch nicht radikal genug vorgeht: Mit der Reduktion auf die weltkonstituierende transzendentale Subjektivität bleibt Husserl im modernen reflexionstheoretischen Paradigma und dem Subjekt-Objekt-Dualismus befangen und setzt ein allzu rigides Verständnis der Phänomenologie als bloßer Wirklichkeit (anstatt, wie Heidegger, als Möglichkeit) voraus.

Radikaler dagegen ist bereits Heidegger, der genau diese Voraussetzungshaftigeit der Husserlschen Phänomenologie kritisiert und dagegen auf das reine Sein, das nicht mehr Sein von Seiendem ist, reduziert (!). Damit wird vorausgesetzt, daß es auch bei Heidegger so etwas wie eine Reduktion gibt. Oder anders gesagt: Marion unterstellt ein Verständnis von Reduktion (ein sehr allgemeines, notwendigerweise), das es ermöglicht, auch Heideggers Verfahren als Reduktion bezeichnen zu können. Der Leser vermißt leider eine methodologische Reflexion, die - bei Heidegger, wie beim Folgenden - die Möglichkeit einer solchen Lesart von Reduktion begründet oder zumindest diskutiert. Der Begriff "Reduktion" bleibt leider "operativ verschattet", statt daß er - dem Titel des Buches nach eigentlich erwartungsgemäß - ins Thema rückt.(1)

Wie der Titel bereits programmatisch verheißt, wird auch die Heideggersche Reduktion kritisiert mit dem Nachweis, daß auch sie nicht radikal genug sei; denn das Heideggersche Sein, das sich gibt und dem Menschen in einem Seinsgeschick offenbart, setzt wiederum voraus, daß es sich gibt, supponiert das pure Daß, oder mit Marion, seine Gabe selbst. Sein setzt seine Gebung voraus, und auf die Frage, was die Gabe denn gibt, so wird geantwortet: sich selbst. Die Gabe gibt nichts anderes als sich selbst. Wenn das keine Tautologie sein soll, muß sich dies näher bestimmen lassen. Marion meint hiermit offensichtlich eine reine Gegebenheit, die noch jenseits aller Gegensätze (subjektiv-objektiv, aktiv-passiv, Sein-Nichts) angesiedelt ist und eine Art radikaler Ur-Passivität (offensichtlich nicht mehr als in der Opposition von aktiv-passiv) darstellt, hinter die nun wirklich nicht mehr zurückzugehen ist. Dieser Schritt ist sicherlich von Michel Henrys radikalem Rückgang (in diesem Sinn vergleichbar mit einer Reduktion, zumindest in der Lesart Rolf Kühns) auf die absolute Passivität inspiriert, wenn auch Marion sicherlich diese direkte Identifikation ablehnen würde.

Die kritische Frage wäre dann, was über dieses "Phänomen", das eigentlich jenseits aller Phänomenalität angesiedelt ist, noch ausgesagt werden kann im Rahmen von Phänomenologie, die doch das Paradigma von Evidenz und Zur-Anschauung-Bringen nicht aufgeben kann, ohne sich selbst dabei aufzugeben. Die Radikalität der radikalsten aller Reduktionen müßte zur Konsequenz haben, sich nicht mehr als phänomenologisch bezeichnen zu dürfen. Doch die Grenzen und Konsequenzen dieses Vorgehens können auch nicht mehr phänomenologisch reflektiert werden. Diese Undeutlichkeit läßt es zuletzt fraglich oder zumindest unklar erscheinen, worin sich Marions philosophischer Versuch noch als phänomenologisch rechtfertigen läßt. Nicht, daß "die Phänomenologie" über alles ginge, aber was ist es, womit Marion über die Phänomenologie (hinaus)geht?

Dieser Kritik ungeachtet, ist "Réduction et Donation" ein beeindruckendes, gelehrtes und v.a. einflußreiches Buch, das man gelesen haben muß, um von sich behaupten zu können, etwas von französischer Gegenwartsphilosophie zu verstehen. Daher ist es höchst verdienstvoll, daß dieses Werk nun auch in englischer Sprache verfügbar ist, was ihm so evtl. sogar zu einer Wiedergeburt verhelfen wird. Die Übersetzung ist hierbei als gelungen - elegant und technisch-präzise zugleich - zu bezeichnen, und Northwestern hat sie auch zu einem vernünftigen Preis im Verlagsprogramm. Angesichts des Interesses an französischer Philosophie in amerikanischen kontinentalphilosophischen Kreisen hat Northwestern sicherlich klug daran getan, gerade dieses Buch aufzunehmen, sofern es eine ganze Diskussionslage in ihrer Breite auf kompaktem Raum (261 S.) bündelt.

Sebastian Luft (Leuven)

(1) Rudolf Bernet hat - m.E. sehr plausibel - den Versuch unternommen, den Reduktionsbegriff auf eine solche Weise zu verallgemeinern, um sie mit der Idee der Phänomenologie selbst, unter Absehen von einem bestimmten Denker, in Einklang zu bringen; vgl. seinen Text: "Phenomenological Reduction and the Double Life of the Subject", in: Reading Heidegger from the Start. Essays in His Earliest Thought, ed. by Theodore Kisiel and John van Buren, State University of New York 1994, S. 245-267.

The eve of the cold war in Greece provides the political setting for the murder of American journalist George Polk and the stagy trial that followed. In this thorough examination of the meager evidence and doubtful testimony, what becomes clear is that the "official version" was at best a shadowy distortion and at worst a clumsy fiction. Essential reading for those intrigued by the immediate circumstances, the prominent personalities, the leading theories of the crime and the general cold war context.

Edmund Wilson, brilliant author and critic, describes the most exciting manuscript find of our time in a lucid account of the origin, discovery, and implications of the ancient Dead Sea scrolls, the first of which were found by Bedouin boys early in 1947. The significance of this dramatic discovery and its meaning to the history of Christianity and Judaism, and its relevance to modern Biblical research, is recounted in this absorbing narrative.
The author visited the Dead Sea site and writes of scrolls and scholars with warmth and feeling, telling about the discovery of the scrolls, the environment, historical background, and the personalities involved. He traces the precarious journey of the scrolls from the hands of the Bedouin boys to the Syrian Metropolitan Samuel at the Monastery of St. Mark in Old Jerusalem. The Metropolitan purchased half the Hebrew manuscripts and brought them to the attention of interested scholars. The rest of the manuscripts were purchased by Professor Sukénik of the Hebrew University in New Jerusalem. it was a spectacular find -- the oldest Biblical manuscripts yet known -- which included a complete copy of the book of Isaiah.
One of these scrolls contained a Manual of Discipline evidently used by the Essenes, a pre-Christian monastic order, whose monastery has recently been excavated near the cave where the scrolls were found. Other caves were explored, and there has come to light what is apparently a whole library of the literature of the religious movement to which the Essenes belonged -- a literature which in some respects corresponds so closely with the Gospels and the Pauline Epistles that the latter are now thought to derive from it.
A shorter version of the book appeared in The New Yorker, where it provoked exceptional response from readers of all religious denominations.
One of the most distinguished literary critics writing today, Edmund Wilson is also a novelist, poet, and playwright. He is the author of The Triple Thinkers and The Wound and the Bow, and recipient of the 1955 Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism of The American Academy of Arts and Letters and The National Institute of Arts and Letters.

I gave the book three stars because the author has a mindset that not all international negotiators will have. For Mr. Curry, the world is a dark place full of people who are trying to cheat him and take advantage of him. As an indication of his philopsophy, he doesn't think there are win-win negotiations.

Those who share the mindset will give the book five stars and love it. Those who disagree will be less impressed.

Having said that, the book does contain some excellent tips on organizing and conducting any negotiation, not just international negotiations. Use it for ammunition to get your boss to let you fly first or business class.

This is a VERY basic introduction. It is a large book and has a large number of beautiful color pics of the artwork, but when it comes to learning about art in my opinion this book is on a high-school level. This book introduces very general concepts of art history.

good book. lot of detail. would like more info on background history and more on what became of the children of each generation. also has another book been printed bringing the families forward since the 1971 publishing?

Tim Cook writes a brief, useful introduction to the works and provides a useful recommended reading list. He also includes a useful glossary in the back, since he maintains the original language of the text. It's handy to have all of Spenser's works in one text, and the binding holds up well, despite the thickness of the book. Unfortunately, however, the notes to the text and the glossary are both in the back, which makes it cumbersome to flip back and forth.

The author (Edmund Morris) and the publisher (Random House) promised us a new biographical format. Indeed, the prospect of virtually a new genre was the message permeating the whirlwind pre-release publicity tour. As undoubtedly thousands of others did, this reader rushed to get a copy of what was expected to be a significant, in-depth work about Ronald Reagan, his character, and his accomplishments.

Unfortunately, Morris' effort simply does not deliver on its promises. The book turns out to be neither significant nor indepth. Rather, we find nearly 700 pages of meandering text which, at least in the first quarter of the book, features as much biographical information about the author himself as it does about the author's subject, Ronald Reagan. This reader has the impression that the author was struggling for focus, and never really grasped his subject.

Another troubling, and related, aspect of this book concerns its disappointing lack of depth. In his many media appearances prior to publication, Morris stressed how challenging it had been for him to really get to know Ronald Reagan. It is evident the author never overcame the problem. And that is a shame, because we had just one opportunity to experience the special insights about Reagan that could come only from a biographer who was given unprecedented access over a period of several years to Reagan while he was in office. One only wishes Morris could dig through his notes, find focus, and try again.

Obviously, most readers of presidential history know that this is considered perhaps the most controversial biography ever written.

The book has its decent points and does give a lot of insight into Reagan's life, but the reader must always remember that its Morris' view of Reagan's life--via his fictionalized characters--and thus could be viewed in a fictionalized light.

I guess my overall view is that Morris, in spite of other great works he has delivered, really let the American public down in the first "authorized" presidential biography.

There's no doubt that Ronald Reagan was an incredibly private man. That being said, there's probably only one person on the face of the earth who ever got to know his heart and that person will never "kiss and tell"--Nancy Reagan.

Morris could have done better.

I read this biography a couple of years ago and was very moved by it then. I am now buying a copy on tape for my grandmother, who I know will also appreciate the story of one of the greatest Presidents of our time, particularly in the midst of the election debacle. Readers have complained that there is too much text devoted to the biographer's own life, but I believe that it really adds to the impact of the story. You will find that you have a greater understanding of the times in which Reagan grew up, went to school (and became a Democrat), went to Hollywood (still a Democrat), entered public office (became a Republican..."I didn't leave the Democratic party...the party left me!")and went on to become our President. I can remember exactly where I was, as a little girl in third grade, when Reagan was shot. The story of his survival and recovery is amazing, particularly as told by an observer, one who was both close by and also an ordinary American watching the coverage on television. At the close of the book, we read about Reagan's decline into Alzheimer's and it broke my heart. Having just read about his amazing accomplishments, and blunders! in office (great in-depth coverage of his relationship with the then-Soviet Union), I cried over the description of the way in which he was eventually forced to abandon his full life. Reagan has been misunderstood by many Americans, particularly, but not only, the Left. He's been blamed for the arms race rather than credited for staving off such a confrontation, which he did. He's been blamed for the economy in the 80s rather than credited with the booming market we enjoy today, which is a result of both the market's cyclical nature and Reaganomics (not Clinton as he would like us to believe). This book was written for any American who is still proud of their country and wants to believe the best about its people. Reagan is a great inspiration and one of my personal heroes. By the way, I plan to read Edmund Morris'Pulitzer Prize-winning book on Teddy Roosevelt next. Enjoy! And then buy a copy for your grandmother.

Edmunds blew it. They changed the format of this price guide. This book used to provide the DEALER price of each vehicle and option, which I found very helpful. Now all you get is the price range for the vehicle. They don't even list each option, let alone price it. Oh sure, they give safety data, & technical specs, but everyone knows the only reason you buy this book is to learn what the dealer costs are. I don't want a research book on the vehicle, I want info to save me money when I haggle with the dealer. That money saving info is no longer there, so why buy the book?

This new book shed some light on an otherwise dim selection of car pricing guides. First, it's an actual book and not a magazine that will show its age after just a few days. Second, it's by the people at Edmunds who have been providing great reviews and (accurate) infomation for years (unlike some three-letter acronymic companies that come to mind...) This new layout has much better photography and the overall design navigation is very good. The other reviewers who seemed bitter about the book might have overlooked the price point: 10 bucks. It goes a much further distance in this format than it did in the past. Save the magazines for the bathroom and buy this book!

Wow! What a great format! The previous book contained nothing but page after page of belaboured option and standard feature descriptions, plus pricing information that was out of date before the book hit the shelves. Now it has in-depth vehicle review infomration, excellent comparison charts and much better photography. It also comes in a larger format and on better paper stock. There's even some stuff on upcoming 2004 models. I love just reading through it to learn about all the new cars on the market, and when I need accurate pricing, I simply go to the site (which was also just redesigned and is much easier to use!). I'm glad Edmunds.com figured out what most consumers need in a new car buyer's guide.