Stale Philosophy Hinders Giving Birth

Although most writers of philosophy disagree on the nature of man and the existence of God, they hold one value in common--everything they publish must confuse its reader. Professor Jay Cantor of Tufts University, a philosopher noted for his first two books, has graduated from this school of thought with flying colors.

Cantor may not be able to consternate hapless college students with the ease of Kant or put one's head to the desk as swiftly as the Communist Manifesto. But he has made a commendable effort in his latest book, On Giving Birth to One's Own Mother.

Cantor derived the title from a famous sketch by Arshile Gorky because he felt that Gorky's motive behind the drawing--the remaking of the self in art to overcome sadness--mirrors the purpose of the book. However, Cantor does little remaking of anything; he merely expounds on the injustices of conservatives and the scars left on our generation by the Vietnam War.

Cantor begins his work with a recapitulation of great modern questions (justice, intellectual progress, etc.). Unfortunately, he chooses some of the world's most controversial authors as philosophical influences for this book. Cantor claims that brilliant writers like Nietzsche and Freud have only revealed the pressing concerns of our society, not created them.

However, Cantor disappoints the reader by digressing into lengthy historical and cultural examples to prove this point. By the time he reminds the reader of his original premise, we have lost the main idea. For example, he devotes the better part of a chapter to recapitulating the notions he put down in Krazy Kat, one of his previous works. While the reader floats in jargon and bygone culture, he misses the author's central concern, the lack of any stimulating media.

Another weakness: the theories of the authors cited in this book, have long since been dismissed or improved. At this moment the Marxian theory of economics and society is crumbling in the Soviet Union, and modern psychology is trying to heal the damage done by Freud's largely unempirical theorems.

Although Cantor's use of Freud's death instinct supplies this work with chunks of evidence, evolutionary theorists have successfully disputed this and many of other of Freud's basic theories. This unprofessional selection discredits Cantor's theory and obscures any original thought he might have contributed to this work.

Philosophical questions boil down to the conflict between the welfare state and the free market. He may be right--man would be more civilized and peaceful if everything were equitable and planned. But Cantor harps too long on the forces which suppress man's progress.

Even worse, Cantor latches onto Nietzsche's concept that humanity's focus has shifted from God to the community. Cantor adds no contemporary wisdom to the ideas of this late German philosopher--he just parades them as a grand "I told you so" rebuff to the media and other cultural evils of modern society.

Perhaps Cantor might have been true to his theme had he named this book "Justifying My Behavior During the Vietnam War." Or even better: "Why Mean Conservatives Won't Allow Peace."

He plods forward with the belief that the Vietnam War reintroduced our society to the struggle between a communist society and one governed by Adam Smith's invisible (but inequitable) hand.

Cantor, of course, has learned from the "Free Love" years that a socialist society of intellectuals will answer the questions of morality more quickly than one which is market-based. Exactly what moral changes would accompany a socialist movement are either conveniently ignored or buried in the mystic writing code Cantor used to assemble this grammatical disaster.

On Giving Birth to One's Own Mother does convey the despondency which defines the young people of the '80s and '90s. Must we continue to toil through timeless struggles, as described by Nietzsche and Freud, because the search for solutions has waned? Cantor's book attempts to answer this question. He cites television and a lack of intellectual conviction as the wellspring of our complacency.

Cultural Details

According to Cantor, the stagnation of our generation will only end when we use the critical techniques of Marx, Nietzsche and Freud to supersede the artificial (and ultimately harmful) euphoria to which our society has fallen prey.

If the reader can rise above Cantor's straying logic and prose, they will notice the intricate cultural detail he uses to make these points. His prosaic touches add some realistic flavor to the book and give one a sense of what our generation lacks in comparison to past eras.

In sum, On Giving Birth to One's Own Mother will disconcert even a seasoned reader of philosophy. The book laments the treasures of past years rather than proposing any solutions. Despite his fine detail and obvious cultural acumen, Cantor does not realize that the current generation needs new questions, not hackneyed phrases. Society's questions must be answered by contemporary adaptations of old theories. This timeliness will make them relevant and realistic for the generation of people to which they appeal