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American Philosophy
The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce, Volume II: Logic, Loyalty, and Community (American Philosophy)
Now back in print, and in paperback, these two classicvolumes illustrate the scope and quality of Royce'sthought, providing the most comprehensive selection ofhis writings currently available. They offer a detailedpresentation of the viable relationship Royce forgedbetween the local experience of community and thedemands of a philosophical and scientific vision ofthe human situation.The selections reprinted here are basic to any understandingof Royce's thought and its pressing relevanceto contemporary cultural, moral, and religious issues.
- GenresPhilosophyLogic
Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Josiah Royce
403 books37 followersLife
Royce, born in Grass Valley, California on November 20, 1855. He was the son of Josiah and Sarah Eleanor (Bayliss) Royce, whose families were recent English emigrants, and who sought their fortune in the westward movement of the American pioneers in 1849. He received the B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley (which moved from Oakland to Berkeley during his matriculation) in 1875 where he later accepted an instructorship teaching English composition, literature, and rhetoric. After some time in Germany, where he studied with Hermann Lotze, the new Johns Hopkins University awarded him in 1878 one of its first four doctorates, in philosophy. At Johns Hopkins he taught a course on the history of German thought, which was “one of his chief interests” because he was able to give consideration to the philosophy of history.[1] After four years at the University of California, Berkeley, he went to Harvard in 1882 as a sabbatical replacement for William James, who was at once Royce's friend and philosophical antagonist. Royce's position at Harvard was made permanent in 1884 and he remained there until his death, September 14, 1916.
Historiography
Royce stands out starkly in the philosophical crowd because he was the only major American philosopher who spent a significant period of his life studying and writing history, specifically of the American West. “As one of the four giants in American philosophy of his time […] Royce overshadowed himself as historian, in both reputation and output” (Pomeroy, 2). During his first three years at Harvard, Royce taught many different subjects such as English composition, forensics, psychology and philosophy for other professors. Although he eventually settled into writing philosophy, his early adulthood was characterized by wide-ranging interests, during which he wrote a novel, investigated paranormal phenomena (as a skeptic), and published a significant body of literary criticism. Only as historian and philosopher did he distinguish himself. Royce spread himself too thin, however, and in 1888 suffered a nervous breakdown which required him to take a leave of absence from his duties.
Royce, born in Grass Valley, California on November 20, 1855. He was the son of Josiah and Sarah Eleanor (Bayliss) Royce, whose families were recent English emigrants, and who sought their fortune in the westward movement of the American pioneers in 1849. He received the B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley (which moved from Oakland to Berkeley during his matriculation) in 1875 where he later accepted an instructorship teaching English composition, literature, and rhetoric. After some time in Germany, where he studied with Hermann Lotze, the new Johns Hopkins University awarded him in 1878 one of its first four doctorates, in philosophy. At Johns Hopkins he taught a course on the history of German thought, which was “one of his chief interests” because he was able to give consideration to the philosophy of history.[1] After four years at the University of California, Berkeley, he went to Harvard in 1882 as a sabbatical replacement for William James, who was at once Royce's friend and philosophical antagonist. Royce's position at Harvard was made permanent in 1884 and he remained there until his death, September 14, 1916.
Historiography
Royce stands out starkly in the philosophical crowd because he was the only major American philosopher who spent a significant period of his life studying and writing history, specifically of the American West. “As one of the four giants in American philosophy of his time […] Royce overshadowed himself as historian, in both reputation and output” (Pomeroy, 2). During his first three years at Harvard, Royce taught many different subjects such as English composition, forensics, psychology and philosophy for other professors. Although he eventually settled into writing philosophy, his early adulthood was characterized by wide-ranging interests, during which he wrote a novel, investigated paranormal phenomena (as a skeptic), and published a significant body of literary criticism. Only as historian and philosopher did he distinguish himself. Royce spread himself too thin, however, and in 1888 suffered a nervous breakdown which required him to take a leave of absence from his duties.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 14, 2022
Josiah Royce In His Own Words -- II
Subtitled "Logic, Loyalty, and Community" this book is the second of two large volumes of "The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce" edited and with an introduction by philosopher John McDermott. Fordham University Press published this paperback edition of the volumes in 2005 after the original 1969 edition had gone out of print. Taken together, the two volumes offer a comprehensive selection from Royce's writings. Royce (1855 -- 1916) was a great American idealist philosopher who fell into obscurity following his death. His works have been attracting a great deal of recent interest both on their own merits and as part of the revival of interest in American pragmatism.
The two volumes consist of over 1200 pages which show the range of Royce's thinking. The selections consist of 36 separate entries, and exclude only Royce's 1912 book, "The Problem of Christianity" which is accessible on its own. The writings range from highly technical and difficult philosophical discussions to popular, topical lectures intended for lay audiences. McDermott wrote a valuable introduction reprinted in both volumes while Royce scholar Ignas Skrupskelis prepared an extensive annotated bibliography of Royce's published writings included in volume 2.
I have reviewed volume 1 of the "Basic Writings" on Goodreads."The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce, Volume I: Culture, Philosophy, and Religion (American Philosophy)", The present review discusses the contents of volume 2, which is divided into three large sections titled, "Logic and Methodology", "Moral and Religious Experience", and "Community as Lived".
The seven selections from Royce's logical writings can be difficult, but they offer fascinating insights into Royce's thought and into logic. Royce wrote at a time of great advances in mathematical and symbolic logic, highlighted by Russell and Whitehead's publication of "The Principles of Mathematics" in 1904. Royce was not part of this development but his essays show awareness and insight about it. Royce also is aware of the logical and early phenomenological work of Edmund Husserl. Royce's logical essays are at the cutting edge of logic and psychology, pragmatism, and the new symbolic logic and he discusses their interrelationships. He even tried to develop his own formal logical language to capture the philosophy of idealism. These essays are not only historically valuable; they also show Royce wrestling with the new logic, including the theory of classes. Royce insists that the new logic must have a metaphysical basis to avoid skepticism and self-contradiction.
The second section of the volume, "Moral and Religious Experience" includes the full text of Royce's 1908 study of ethics, "The Philosophy of Loyalty". This book, together with Royce's related discussion of community, has been extensively studied by modern students of Royce. Probably no other philosopher made as extensive claims for the importance of loyalty as did Royce. Royce tries to show the centrality of loyalty and of "loyalty to loyalty" to living an ethical life. He gives two definitions of loyalty, a preliminary definition and a full definition near the end of the book. He first defines "loyalty" as the "willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion to a cause." His final definition emphasizes what Royce sees as the metaphysical aspects of loyalty: "Loyalty is the will to manifest so far as is possible the Eternal, that is, the conscious and superhuman unity of life, in the form of the acts of an individual self".
The section on "Moral and Religious Experience" also includes two important essays in which Royce addresses the problem of evil, "The Problem of Job" and "The Religious Mission of Sorrow" together with a selection from Royce's book, "The Sources of Religious Insight" which emphasizes the communal bases of religion as opposed to the individualistic bases emphasized by William James in his famous book, "The Varieties of Religious Experience".
The final section of this volume, "Community as Lived" includes five essays of Royce's understanding of the human community and its importance to understanding the nature of human selfhood. The section includes what I find one of Royce's most accessible and still timely writings, "On Certain Limitations on the Thoughtful Public in America" which offers a nuanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in much American life. The section also includes an essay "Provincialism" which shows the importance Royce placed on community, as opposed to both sectionalism and to universalism, in leading a responsible life. The ambiguous essay "Race Questions and Prejudice" is frequently studied to determine Royce's attitude towards racial questions. The final two essays were written near the end of Royce's life and propose an international system of insurance to prevent the catastrophe of WW I from occurring again. Apart from the insurance scheme, the essay "The Hope of a Great Community" is an eloquent statement of Royce's communal idealism.
There is no substitute for close and repeated readings of a philosopher to understand that philosopher's thinking. There is much to be learned from Royce by readers who study him in detail. These two volumes are an excellent way to engage with the thought of Royce. They will be of interest to readers with a strong philosophical background and an interest in American pragmatism and American idealism.
Robin Friedman
Note: Fordham University Press has graciously made this volume and its companion volume available online with free access.
Subtitled "Logic, Loyalty, and Community" this book is the second of two large volumes of "The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce" edited and with an introduction by philosopher John McDermott. Fordham University Press published this paperback edition of the volumes in 2005 after the original 1969 edition had gone out of print. Taken together, the two volumes offer a comprehensive selection from Royce's writings. Royce (1855 -- 1916) was a great American idealist philosopher who fell into obscurity following his death. His works have been attracting a great deal of recent interest both on their own merits and as part of the revival of interest in American pragmatism.
The two volumes consist of over 1200 pages which show the range of Royce's thinking. The selections consist of 36 separate entries, and exclude only Royce's 1912 book, "The Problem of Christianity" which is accessible on its own. The writings range from highly technical and difficult philosophical discussions to popular, topical lectures intended for lay audiences. McDermott wrote a valuable introduction reprinted in both volumes while Royce scholar Ignas Skrupskelis prepared an extensive annotated bibliography of Royce's published writings included in volume 2.
I have reviewed volume 1 of the "Basic Writings" on Goodreads."The Basic Writings of Josiah Royce, Volume I: Culture, Philosophy, and Religion (American Philosophy)", The present review discusses the contents of volume 2, which is divided into three large sections titled, "Logic and Methodology", "Moral and Religious Experience", and "Community as Lived".
The seven selections from Royce's logical writings can be difficult, but they offer fascinating insights into Royce's thought and into logic. Royce wrote at a time of great advances in mathematical and symbolic logic, highlighted by Russell and Whitehead's publication of "The Principles of Mathematics" in 1904. Royce was not part of this development but his essays show awareness and insight about it. Royce also is aware of the logical and early phenomenological work of Edmund Husserl. Royce's logical essays are at the cutting edge of logic and psychology, pragmatism, and the new symbolic logic and he discusses their interrelationships. He even tried to develop his own formal logical language to capture the philosophy of idealism. These essays are not only historically valuable; they also show Royce wrestling with the new logic, including the theory of classes. Royce insists that the new logic must have a metaphysical basis to avoid skepticism and self-contradiction.
The second section of the volume, "Moral and Religious Experience" includes the full text of Royce's 1908 study of ethics, "The Philosophy of Loyalty". This book, together with Royce's related discussion of community, has been extensively studied by modern students of Royce. Probably no other philosopher made as extensive claims for the importance of loyalty as did Royce. Royce tries to show the centrality of loyalty and of "loyalty to loyalty" to living an ethical life. He gives two definitions of loyalty, a preliminary definition and a full definition near the end of the book. He first defines "loyalty" as the "willing and practical and thoroughgoing devotion to a cause." His final definition emphasizes what Royce sees as the metaphysical aspects of loyalty: "Loyalty is the will to manifest so far as is possible the Eternal, that is, the conscious and superhuman unity of life, in the form of the acts of an individual self".
The section on "Moral and Religious Experience" also includes two important essays in which Royce addresses the problem of evil, "The Problem of Job" and "The Religious Mission of Sorrow" together with a selection from Royce's book, "The Sources of Religious Insight" which emphasizes the communal bases of religion as opposed to the individualistic bases emphasized by William James in his famous book, "The Varieties of Religious Experience".
The final section of this volume, "Community as Lived" includes five essays of Royce's understanding of the human community and its importance to understanding the nature of human selfhood. The section includes what I find one of Royce's most accessible and still timely writings, "On Certain Limitations on the Thoughtful Public in America" which offers a nuanced assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in much American life. The section also includes an essay "Provincialism" which shows the importance Royce placed on community, as opposed to both sectionalism and to universalism, in leading a responsible life. The ambiguous essay "Race Questions and Prejudice" is frequently studied to determine Royce's attitude towards racial questions. The final two essays were written near the end of Royce's life and propose an international system of insurance to prevent the catastrophe of WW I from occurring again. Apart from the insurance scheme, the essay "The Hope of a Great Community" is an eloquent statement of Royce's communal idealism.
There is no substitute for close and repeated readings of a philosopher to understand that philosopher's thinking. There is much to be learned from Royce by readers who study him in detail. These two volumes are an excellent way to engage with the thought of Royce. They will be of interest to readers with a strong philosophical background and an interest in American pragmatism and American idealism.
Robin Friedman
Note: Fordham University Press has graciously made this volume and its companion volume available online with free access.
September 27, 2021
Philosophy
This is the second volume, the first one was not free. This volume consists of many things in philosophy, from religion to morality. Its good to have this book if you love philosophy.
This is the second volume, the first one was not free. This volume consists of many things in philosophy, from religion to morality. Its good to have this book if you love philosophy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews