Hans Blumenberg

The interest taken in the philosophy of Hans Blumenberg (1920-1996) is growing both in Germany and abroad. Yet it almost always focuses on the later Blumenberg. The reasons for the neglect of his early writings are easy to point out: they seek their way between Husserl and Heidegger in interpretations of texts of medieval philosophy, and the greater part of them remains unpublished to this day. This monograph by Kurt Flasch, one of Germany s most renowned experts on medieval philosophy and the history of philosophy, is based on archival studies and draws on lifelong source work on medieval philosophy and the early modern period. It reconstructs the philosophical development of Blumenberg from his earliest texts up to the discussion centered upon the Legitimität der Neuzeit (1966). It philosophically and philologically discusses their lines of argumentation and juxtaposes them with the contemporaneous historical development of the German Federal Republic. It does not eschew criticism, but at the same time does not deny the author s personal empathy for his subject. Despite the scholarliness of the presentation, the extensive study is an eminently good read - just as one has come to rightfully expect from this author.