THE PLEASURES OF PHILOSOPHY

What a person is Will Durant! Having recently completed The Story of Civilization in four , he now comes back with a book which has no long a sub-title than A survey of Human Life and Destiny. To be sure this is a revision of an earlier work, The Mansions of Philosophy published is chase into unity"". To give this ""total perspective"" Durant ranges over logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, history, politics, and religion. And how the man can write! There will be many who will pick flaws in his arguments, challenge some of his facts and diagnoses, but none can read this book without deriving there-from a heightened and more intelligent interest in the problems of our civilization. His treatment of religion is by means of a written panel discussion, participated in by a Catholic, a Protestant and an atheist among others. The conclusion to which Durant apparently comes is a sort of synoretic universal religion which will probably please no religionists though it should stimulate them all.