Nietzsche characterized the philosopher as the man of tomorrow and
the day after tomorrow--a description befitting Stanley Cavell,
with his longtime interest in freedom in the face of an uncertain
future. This interest, particularly in the role of language in
freedom of the will, is fully engaged in this volume, a collection
of retrospective and forward-thinking essays on performative
language and on performances in which the question of freedom is
the underlying concern.
Seeking for philosophy the same spirit and assurance conveyed
by an artist like Fred Astaire, Cavell presents essays that explore
the meaning of grace and gesture in film and on stage, in language
and in life. Cavell's range is broad--from Astaire to Shakespeare's
soulful Cordelia. He also analyzes filmic gestures that bespeak
racial stereotypes, opening a key topic that runs through the book:
What is the nature of praise? The theme of aesthetic judgment,
viewed in the light of "passionate utterance," is everywhere
evident in Cavell's effort to provoke a renaissance in American
thought. Critical to such a rebirth is a recognition of the
centrality of the "ordinary" to American life. Here Cavell, who has
alluded to Thoreau throughout, takes up the quintessential American
philosopher directly, and in relation to Heidegger; he also returns
to his great philosophical love, Wittgenstein. His collection of
essays ends, appropriately enough, with an essay on collecting.
General
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