ABSTRACT
Despite their difficult histories through the twentieth century, idealism (particularly Anglo-American idealism), metaphysics, and the study of community find themselves well-placed at the beginning of a new millennium. The abandonment of studies of metaphysics, and the focus on questions of language-a characteristic of Anglo-American philosophy through the middle decades of the twentieth century-resulted in a view of philosophy as turned in on itself, and as engaged simply in ratified intellectual skirmishes. In short, philosophical idealism, particularly that developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, has much to say about contemporary discussions of metaphysics and social and political philosophy, and it is because of this an increasing number of philosophers have turned to the writings of the British idealists. Idealism, metaphysics, and community are themes that have long gone together, and people can see how they interrelate by looking at the work of the Canadian philosopher, Leslie Armour.
