An improbable case of philosophy

Arne Naess between empiricism, existentialism and metaphysics

Elisabeth Nemeth

pp. 281-292

in: Juha Manninen, Friedrich Stadler (eds), The Vienna circle in the Nordic countries, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

The Selected Works of Arne Naess, ed. by Harold Glasser and Alan Drengson in cooperation with the author, Dordrecht: Springer 2005. 10 volumes. On January 12, 2009 Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess passed away at the age of 96. He was still actively involved in putting together the edition of the Selected Writings of Arne Naess (SWAN). He worte an introduction to the writings which is printed at the beginning of each volume together with the extensive introduction by the editor Harold Glasser. At first sight this seems strangely repetitive and superfluous but on closer scrutiny it certainly makes sense. In view of the large breadth of philosophical themes that are presented in the volumes it is quite likely that the readers interested in the writings will come from different areas. A number of these writings make high demands on the reader who is expected to be relatively versed in logical analysis and in the work and thought of Spinoza, Kierkegaard, Gandhi, Husserl, Carnap or even Sextus Empiricus. The reader who is interested in one of these heterogenous fields is encouraged by both introductory texts to reflect on a specific theme against the backdrop of the philosophers's entire oeuvre – and that's a good thing.

Cited authors

Husserl Edmund

Spinoza Baruch

Kierkegaard Søren

Naess Arne

Drengson Alan