Pleased and Disappointed

I am pleased that another important work by Gaston Bachelard has been translated into English. The review by Dr. Gary Gutting (Book Review, March 31) was excellent. However, I am disappointed that Bachelard’s “Philosophy of No,” which was translated in 1940 from “La Philosophie du Non,” was not mentioned.

Your readers should know that the “Philosophy of No” was the next development of his epistemological break theory, which has been further developed both by Dr. J. Samuel Bois in his “Art of Awareness” and “Breeds of Men” and by me in my book, “The Miracle of Abduction”--thus, making Bachelard’s words more widely known than was indicated in Gutting’s review.

WILLIAM U. WILLIAMS

Professor, School of Public Administration

University of Southern California

Los Angeles