ABSTRACT
It will be said, we have got a working philosophy, and one which is the proper heir to the past of European philosophy: existentialism. This philosophy does so far pervade the scene that philosophers-many linguistic analysts, for instance-who would not claim the name, do in fact work with, are imprisoned inside, existentialist concepts. I shall argue that existentialism is not, and cannot by tinkering be made, the philosophy we need. Although it is indeed the heir of the past, it is (it seems to me) an unrealistic and over-optimistic doctrine and the purveyor of certain false values. This is more obviously true of flimsier creeds, such as utilitarianism or ‘humanism,’ with which people might now attempt to fill the philosophical void.
