Presence and Absence: A Philosophical Investigation of Language and Being

by Robert Sokolowski

" Presence and Absence is a book of importance for all who are actively engaged in the philosophical enterprise, whatever their differing persuasions. It shows philosophy to be flourishing in the midst of its own self-proclaimed signs of morbidity." – The Review of Metaphysics"A splendid, provocative and profound work, this book explores the manifold ways in which the contrast of presence and absence operate to establish the possibility of human discourse and truthfulnessbelongs in every philosophy collection." – Choice"Quite simply a superb book, which deserves more than one careful reading. A fresh, unified treatment of a grand philosophical theme, the theme of the connections between thought, truth, and being." – Man and World"A thoughtful book about thoughtfulness and truthfulness and their ontological conditions. Simply put, this is a book that will reward its careful reader a hundredfold, for Sokolowski is a speaker who says things in ways that are provocative, exciting, and invariably insightful." – Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology"Has few peers in phenomenological literature." – International Philosophical Quarterly"[Sokolowski is] an original thinker of the first rank, who has significantly furthered the path of phenomenological philosophy. As well as being an exciting synthesis, a thinking of the previously unthought in predecessors, and a ground-breaking movement, this work is written with a sensitivity to language and its graceful use that one would hope for from one exploring its richness and power." – Human Studies

Genres: Philosophy, Language

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1978

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

If nothing else, Fr. Sokolowski is a master of clear, crisp prose. To quote Timon of Athens:
"No levell'd malice
Infects one comma in the course I hold."

Otherwise, I am still an idiot and do not understand the metaphysics and phenomenology of language.