Philosophy as criticism and perspective
pp. 412-432
in: Robert B Plamer, Robert Hamerton Kelly (eds), Philomathes, Berlin, Springer, 1971Abstract
A memorial volume is a more personal document than most philosophical essays. It not only pays tribute to one who has left us but also gives each participant the opportunity to review his own thought and relate it to that of the honored person. I am indeed happy to join with others in acknowledging the high quality of Professor Merlan's work and also to say how much our close association many years ago has meant to me. The intervening years, with only occasional meetings, have not dulled my affection but have increased my early esteem as I watched and learned from his scholarly and philosophical achievement. I do not think I could press an "ism" on Professor Merlan, although I know how deep his sympathies were toward phenomenology and existentialism. But his incisive and persistent critical scholarship it seems to me, kept him from being totally annexed by any single point of view. And in that sentence lies the theme of my paper. It will be a personal statement, a kind of assessment, a kind of looking-back and a gathering-in. There may be little or much that my friend would have accepted. But it does not matter. I have never measured my friendships in terms of philosophical agreement. Moreover I am sure that Professor Merlan would not have denied that differences in philosophy are signs of vitality rather than decadence.