The Hidden God: A Study of Tragic Vision in the Pensees of Pascal and the Tragedies of Racine

Goldmann, Lucien; Lowy, Michael; Thody, Philip

ISBN 10: 1784784044 / ISBN 13: 9781784784041

Published by Verso, 2016

About this Item

First printing. An exceptional copy. Binding tight and square, pages clean, bright, and unmarked. 2016 Trade Paperback. xxvii, 426 pp. Translated into English from the original French by Philip Thody, with a foreword by Michael Lowy. This remarkable text, first published in 1964, was a landmark of its era and remains, in the words of Michael Lowy, a work of "remarkable richness." Drawing on Georg Lukacs' History and Class Consciousness, Lucien Goldmann applies the concept of "world visions" to flesh out the similarities between Pascal's Pensees and Kant's critical philosophy, contrasting them with the rationalism of Descartes and the empiricism of Hume. For Goldmann, a leading exponent of the most fruitful method of applying Marxist ideas to literary and philosophical problems, the "tragic vision" marked an important phase in the development of European thought, as it moved from rationalism and empiricism to the dialectical philosophy of Hegel, Marx and Lukacs. Here he offers a general approach to the problems of philosophy, of literary criticism, and of the relationship between thought and action in human society.

Seller Inventory # 2353214

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Hidden God: A Study of Tragic Vision in the Pensees of Pascal and the Tragedies of Racine
• Publisher: Verso
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1784784044
• ISBN 13: 9781784784041
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Edition: 1st Printing.
• Condition: Fine
• Weight: 20 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

A new edition of a major philosophical work

This remarkable text, first published in 1964, was a landmark of its era and remains, in the words of Michael Löwy, a work of “remarkable richness.” Drawing on Georg Lukács’ History and Class Consciousness, Lucien Goldmann applies the concept of “world visions” to flesh out the similarities between Pascal’s Pensées and Kant’s critical philosophy, contrasting them with the rationalism of Descartes and the empiricism of Hume.

For Goldmann, a leading exponent of the most fruitful method of applying Marxist ideas to literary and philosophical problems, the “tragic vision” marked an important phase in the development of European thought, as it moved from rationalism and empiricism to the dialectical philosophy of Hegel, Marx and Lukàcs. Here he offers a general approach to the problems of philosophy, of literary criticism, and of the relationship between thought and action in human society.

About the Author

Lucien Goldmann was a French philosopher and sociologist of Jewish-Romanian origin. As a professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, he was an influential Marxist theorist.

Michael Löwy is Research Director of Sociology at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris. His previous books include Redemption and Utopia: Liberation Judaism in Central Europe, Marxism in Latin America and The War of the Gods: Religion and Politics in Latin America.