A glance at the various trends of philosophical thought in the Age of National Imperialism reveals a complex array of speculation. The development of the biological sciences opened the way for vitalism and an interest in the philosophy of life, while the philosophy of history came into renewed emphasis with the names of Weber, Spengler, and Toynbee. Pragmatism and materialism, realism and naturalism, all vie for our attention. And if we are met with a revivalism of scholasticism, the philosophy of Bergson and the appearance of the phenomenology of Husserl and others represent fresh approaches to speculative life. The Post-Colonial Age, Professor Caponigri believes, is an era "hungry for philosophy, deeply in need of it, and conscious of this need." The great number of philosophical positions in evidence support this view, although we may not be able to characterize the philosophical spirit of the age in an easy formula. Existentialism and contemporary spiritualism are found alongside language analysis. In the early part of this period were found philosophies of action as well as reactions to positivism: absolute historicism and actual idealism. This variety of philosophical concern may stamp our age as one genuinely philosophical in it quality. - from Amzon