Analytical philosophy and Logical Positivism Books

Book Synopsis''Why can''t a human be more like a cat? That is the question threaded through this vivid patchwork of philosophy, fiction, history and memoir ... a wonderful mixture of flippancy and profundity, astringency and tenderness, wit and lament'' Jane O''Grady, Daily Telegraph''When I play with my cat, how do I know she is not passing time with me rather than I with her?'' MontaigneThere is no real evidence that humans ever ''domesticated'' cats. Rather, it seems that at some point cats saw the potential value to themselves of humans. John Gray''s wonderful new book is an attempt to get to grips with the philosophical and moral issues around the uniquely strange relationship between ourselves and these remarkable animals.Feline Philosophy draws on centuries of philosophy, from Montaigne to Schopenhauer, to explore the complex and intimate links that have defined how we react to and behave with this most unlikely ''pet''.At the heart of the book is a sense of gratitude towards cats as perhaps the species that more than any other - in the essential loneliness of our position in the world - gives us a sense of our own animal nature.Trade ReviewThe intellectual cat's pyjamas ... Gray's is the perfect book for the estranging oddness of the pandemic. -- Tim Adams * The Observer *Why can't a human be more like a cat? That is the question threaded through this vivid patchwork of philosophy, fiction, history and memoir ... Feline Philosophy is a wonderful mixture of flippancy and profundity, astringency and tenderness, wit and lament. -- Jane O'Grady * Daily Telegraph *Engaging, amusing, perceptive and untimely, in the most admirable Nietzschean sense. -- Mark Rowlands * New Statesman *An elegant philosophical study of the good life ... one of the most important thinkers alive ... It's a mark of the book's subtlety that you're not quite sure how seriously to take him. -- James Marriott * The Times *A scratching, spitting, and finally purring tour de force. -- Will Self

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Book SynopsisIf you can''t prove something, it is literally senseless - so argues Ayer in this irreverent and electrifying book. Statements are either true by definition (as in maths), or can be verified by direct experience. Ayer rejected metaphysical claims about god, the absolute, and objective values as completely nonsensical. Ayer was only 24 when he finished LANGUAGE, TRUTH & LOGIC, yet it shook the foundations of Anglo-American philosophy and made its author notorious. It became a classic text, cleared away the cobwebs in philosophical thinking, and has been enormously influential.

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Book SynopsisWe live in an age of impotence. Stuck between global war and global finance, between identity and capital, we seem to be incapable of producing that radical change that is so desperately needed. Is there still a way to disentangle ourselves from a global order that shapes our politics as well as our imagination?In his most systematic book to date, renowned Italian theorist Franco Berardi Bifo tackles this question through a solid yet visionary analysis of the three fundamental concepts of Possibility, Potency, and Power. Overcoming any temptation of giving in to despair or nostalgia, Berardi proposes the notion of Futurability as a way to remind us that even within the darkness of our current crisis, still lies dormant the horizon of possibility.Trade ReviewAs a diagnostician, Berardi is among the sharpest. * Slate *Bifo is a master of global activism in the age of depression. His mission is to understand real existing capitalism. Sense the despair of the revolt, enjoy this brilliant 'labour of the negative'! -- Geert Lovink, Founding Director of the Institute of Network Cultures

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Book SynopsisCopleston, an Oxford Jesuit and specialist in the history of philosophy, created his history as an introduction for Catholic ecclesiastical seminaries. The 11-volume series gives an accessible account of each philosopher's work, and explains their relationship to the work of other philosophers.Trade ReviewA monumental history . . . learned, lucid, patient and comprehensive. * New Statesman *We can only applaud at the end of each act and look forward to applauding again at the final curtain. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPreface I Contemporary British Philosophy II Some Reflection on Logical Positivism III A Note on Verification IV A Further Note on Verification V The Function of Metaphysics VI On Seeing and Noticing VII The Meaning of the Terms Predicated by God VIII The Human Person in Contemporary Philosophy IX Existentialism: Introductory X Theistic Existentialism XI Aesthetic Existentialism XII A Critical Discussion of Existentialism Index

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Book SynopsisWhat is gender? What should gender look like in the 21st century? This book brings together philosophy with insights from feminist and transgender theory to argue for gender pluralism: that there should be more than two genders, and that each gender term should have multiple meanings. Developing an explicitly political version of conceptual engineering, What Gender Should Be contains novel and powerful arguments both against existing theories of gender such as family resemblance accounts and against gender abolition, underlining how each is insufficient for thinking about and doing justice to contemporary transgender identities and politics. Instead, Matthew J. Cull argues that we should be pluralists about gender, putting forward and advocating for a position that is more apt for contemporary transgender and feminist activism. The 21st century requires a new way of thinking about gender. What Gender Should Be sets out to provide it.

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Book Synopsis''The most prescient of British public intellectuals'' Pankaj Mishra, Financial TimesUpdated with a new foreword and two new chapters of John Gray''s writing.Why is progress a pernicious myth? Why do beliefs that humanity can be improved end in farce or horror? Is atheism a hangover from Christian faith? John Gray, one of the most iconoclastic thinkers of our time, smashes through civilization''s long cherished beliefs, overturning our view of the world and our place in it.Trade ReviewGray's dissection of modern delusion, cant and wishful thinking is to be welcomed in this moment of convulsion ... This is a book to learn from and argue with -- Ben Wilson * Literary Review *A thoroughly enjoyable book ... These essays cover a remarkable range of topics, from Isaiah Berlin to Damien Hirst, from torture to environmentalism. But their unifying theme is that our naïve belief in the idea of progress has turned modern life into a constant round of shadow-boxing -- David Runciman * Observer *A visionary ... one of the most reliably provocative and heterodox voices in British intellectual life today -- Jonathan Derbyshire * New Statesman *Gray has consistently anticipated the shape of things to come . . . he teaches us that true humanism is to be found in uncertainty and doubt -- Will SelfInvigorating...elegant, witty, incisive... Gray's assault on Enlightenment ideas of progress is timelier than ever -- John Banville * The Guardian *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of New Statesman's Books of the Year 2020""A Times Literary Supplement Book of the Year 2021""[A] compelling biography."---Oliver Moody, The Times"[L]ively and accessible. . . . [Edmond’s] research has also uncovered important new biographical information, including about [the Vienna Circle’s] lesser-known female members."---Adam Kirsch, New Yorker"As pacy as a thriller."---Joe Humphreys, Irish Times"[An] exemplary [piece] of intellectual history, doing meticulous justice to the ideas and engrossing about the personalities involved."---Alan Ryan, New Statesman"A clear accessible introduction to the complexities of logical positivism . . . [Edmonds] brilliantly illuminates why and how the philosophy burned so brightly."---Clare Clark, Standpoint"A readable popular history of the Circle that deftly integrates the ideas and lives of its members with the story of the Viennese milieu in which it emerged and its destruction. . . . [Edmonds’] historical narrative is clear, reliable and thoroughly readable – gripping, even, in places."---Tom Stern, Literary Review"A stimulating, scintillating new book on the Vienna Circle."---Daniel Johnson, The Critic"[An] engrossing and eminently readable history of the circle."---David Conway, Jewish Chronicle"[Edmonds manages to] combine the biographical and historical with the philosophical, without getting too technical. . . . It’s quite a poignant book."---Nigel Warburton, FiveBooks"A cracking read."---Diane Coyle, Enlightened Economist"I very much enjoyed this book, and found its direct style refreshing, and I hope it will serve as a model for others. [Edmonds] actually tells you what you want to know!"---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution"Absorbing. . . . so fascinating and relevant now."---Thomas Filbin, The Arts Fuse"An accessible introduction to the group of philosophers and scientists who formed the influential Vienna Circle in the 20th century. . . . Edmonds tells its story thoughtfully in this fascinating mix of philosophy, biography and cultural history."---David Herman, Jewish Renaissance"Edmonds has written a compelling, captivating, and easily approachable book on the history of the Vienna Circle. He is witty, engaging, knows where to put emphasis, and how to draw lively pictures of those philosophers that are still too often conceived as technically minded abstract logicians. . . .Edmonds’ book will make you understand why the Vienna Circle was so important back in the 1920s, and still important in the 2020s."---Adam Tamas Tuboly, Review of History of Philosophy of Science Books"[A] lively new book. . . .Edmonds draws unexpected connections within the sprawling web of thinkers and artists in interwar Vienna. . . bringing to life the artistic and political flavour of those coffee-house debates"---Jonathan Egid, Times Literary Supplement"An always-readable obituary for the philosophers who sought a common basis for western thought while communism and Nazism were on the bloody rise."---Frederic Raphael, Times Literary Supplement ​​​​​​​"An informative and pleasurable read. . . .The Murder of Professor Schlick is a must read for anyone interested in the Vienna Circle."---Ambika Natarajan, Austrian History Yearbook

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Book SynopsisThis revised and considerably expanded 2nd edition brings together a wide range of topics, including modal, tense, conditional, intuitionist, many-valued, paraconsistent, relevant, and fuzzy logics. Part 1, on propositional logic, is the old Introduction, but contains much new material. Part 2 is entirely new, and covers quantification and identity for all the logics in Part 1. The material is unified by the underlying theme of world semantics. All of the topics are explained clearly using devices such as tableau proofs, and their relation to current philosophical issues and debates are discussed. Students with a basic understanding of classical logic will find this book an invaluable introduction to an area that has become of central importance in both logic and philosophy. It will also interest people working in mathematics and computer science who wish to know about the area.Trade Review'Priest's Introduction to Non-Classical Logic is my textbook of choice for introducing non-classical logic to undergraduates. It is unique in meeting two almost inconsistent aims. It gives the reader an introduction to a vast range of non-classical logics. No comparable textbook manages to cover modal logics, conditional logics, intuitionistic logic, relevant and paraconsistent logics and fuzzy logic with such clarity and accessibility. Amazingly, it is not merely a catalogue of different logical systems. The distinctive value of this Introduction is that it also tells a coherent story: Priest weaves together these different logics in the one narrative - the search for a logic of conditionals. With the publication of the second volume, this unique combination of breadth and coherence now covers much more ground, and the reader now has an expert guide to much more of the vast field of research in non-classical logics.' Greg Restall, The University of Melbourne'I've used your book (first edition, that is) for years now in my upper level philosophy of logic courses. It is easily the best introduction to non-classical logics. I especially like its coverage of conditionals, and the introduction to relevant logic. Over the years, your book has made my students come to appreciate the variety and scope that exists within in formal logic, I intend to use the new edition so as to carry similar investigations into first order theory.' Jeffry Pelletier, Simon Fraser University'Graham Priest's Introduction to Non-Classical Logic made this fascinating material on alternative logics accessible to my students for the very first time. The very welcome new edition extends the range of what is addressed to include important questions about quantification for modal logic, and the other systems as well.' Tony Roy, California State University, San Bernardino'The first edition of Graham Priest's Introduction to Non-Classical Logic turned out to be an extremely useful and well-written introductory guide to the vast and difficult to survey area of non-classical and philosophical logic. The substantially expanded second edition in two volumes is bound to become a standard reference.' Heinrich Wansing, Dresden University of Technology'Clear, self-contained, generously complete: this is bound to be the classic on non-classical logics for many years to come.' Achille Varzi, Columbia University'This is an excellent introductory book to modern non-classical logics, fully accessible to non-professionals, and useful to professionals too. I have used part of its content in teaching Non-Classical Logic in the past years, and the response from my students shows the great success of the author's intention. The proof system it employs and the meta-proofs it provides are extremely easy to follow, while those followed-up philosophical discussions it summarizes for each logic system are both concise and lucid. It is not only a work introducing modern non-classical logic systems, but also a work full of interesting philosophical discussions on the motivations, advantages and disadvantages of these systems. With one penetrating theme - what a logic of conditionals should be like - in mind, the author has effectively organized a variety of topics into one integrated work. I would recommend it both to logicians and to philosophers, to professionals and to non-professionals.' Wen-fang Wang, National Chung Chen University'The second edition of Graham Priest's book is, like the first, clearly expressed, well thought out for the student and an essential work for all those studying philosophy who want an adequate grounding in non-classical logic. I have used the first edition successfully in my intermediate class for the last five years, and will certainly be adding the second edition to the reading list when it is available.' Steve Read, University of St Andrews'Priest succeeds in offering a marvellously unified treatment of 11 varieties of logic: classical, basic modal, normal modal, non-normal, conditional, intuitionist, many-valued, first-degree entailment, basic relevant, mainstream relevant, and fussy … Excellent references support this concise but clear treatment.' Choice'This book is just what the title says it is … And it is a very good one …' Stewart Shapiro, University of Ohio' … for anyone who wants to explore the non-classical systems, it is the only book of its kind and could not be more highly recommended.' The Times Higher Education Supplement'I've just picked up a copy of the second edition of Graham Preist's An Introduction to Non-Classical Logic from the CUP bookshop. It looks terrific. More than twice the length of the first edition which just covered propositional logics, this covers their extensions with quantifiers and identity too. I thought the fist edition was terrific: so this is a hugely welcome expansion and I'm delighted to report that CUP has published this as a paperback in their Cambridge Introductions to Philosophy Series at just £18.99, which is surely an amazing bargain for a well produced 613 page book. So a must-buy and a must-read!' Logic MattersTable of ContentsPreface to the first edition; Preface to the second edition; Mathematical prolegomenon; Part I. Propositional Logic: 1. Classical logic and the material conditional; 2. Basic modal logic; 3. Normal modal logics; 4. Non-normal modal logics; strict conditionals; 5. Conditional logics; 6. Intuitionist logic; 7. Many-valued logics; 8. First degree entailment; 9. Logics with gaps, gluts, and worlds; 10. Relevant logics; 11. Fuzzy logics; 11a. Appendix: many valued modal logics; Postscript: an historical perspective on conditionals; Part II. Qualification and Identity: 12. Classical logic; 13. Free logic; 14. Constant domain modal logics; 15. Variable domain modal logics; 16. Necessary identity in modal logic; 17. Contingent identity in modal logic; 18. Non-normal modal logics; 19. Conditional logics; 20. Intuitionist logic; 21. Many-valued logics; 22. First degree entailment; 23. Logics with gaps, gluts, and worlds; 24. Relevant logics; 25. Fuzzy logics; Postscript: a methodological coda.

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Book SynopsisProvides new solutions to the central problems of the philosophy of mathematics by reconstructing Deleuze's metaphysics

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Book SynopsisPragmatic Perspectives in Phenomenology offers a complex analysis of the pragmatic theses that are present in the works of leading phenomenological authors, including not only Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty, as it is often the case within Hubert Dreyfusâ tradition, but also Husserl, Levinas, Scheler, and Patocka. Starting from a critical reassessment of existing pragmatic readings which draw especially on Heideggerâs account of Being-in-the-world, the volumeâs chapters explore the following themes as possible justifications for speaking about the pragmatic turn in phenomenology: the primacy of the practical over theoretical understanding, criticism of the representationalist account of perception and consciousness, and the analysis of language and truth within the context of social and cultural practices. Having thus analyzed the pragmatic readings of key phenomenological concepts, the book situates these readings in a larger historical and thematic context and introduces themes that until now have been overlooked in debates, including freedom, alterity, transcendence, normativity, distance, and self-knowledge. This volume seeks to refresh the debate about the phenomenological legacy and its relevance for contemporary thought by enlarging the thematic scope of pragmatic motives in phenomenology in new and revealing ways. It will be of interest to advanced students and scholars of phenomenology who are interested in moving beyond the analytic-continental divide to explore the relationship between practice and theory.Trade Review"There are some excellent papers here that not only articulate the pragmatic turn in the history of phenomenology, but offer much-needed insight into the problems associated with long-standing pragmatic interpretations of the works of Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Husserl." – Phenomenological Reviews"The debate over the pragmatic turn in phenomenology is of the utmost significance since it will determine the future of the movement, and in this volume prominent philosophers examine the key positions and arguments that have been developing over at least a decade." – Michael D. Barber, St. Louis University, USATable of ContentsIntroduction: Localizing the Pragmatic Turn in Phenomenology Ondřej Švec and Jakub Čapek Part I: Contemporary Pragmatic Readings of Phenomenology1. On Layer Cakes: Heidegger’s Normative Pragmatism RevisitedMark Okrent2. Heidegger’s Pragmatist ReadersThomas Nenon3. Primordiality and the Pragmata. A Critical Assessment of Rorty’s Challenge to Heideggerian NostalgiaAndreas Beinsteiner4. Two Forms of Practical Knowledge in Being and TimeTucker McKinney5. Discursive Intentionality as Embodied Coping. A Pragmatist Critique of Existential PhenomenologyCarl B. SachsPart II: Pragmatic Readings Challenged by the History of the Phenomenology6. The Limits of Dreyfus’ View of Husserl: Intentionality, Openness, and praxisWitold Płotka7. On Dreyfus’ Naturalization of Phenomenological Pragmatism: Misleading Dichotomies, and the Counter-Concept of IntentionalitySophie Loidolt8. Perceptual Faith beyond Practical Involvement: Merleau-Ponty and His Pragmatist ReadersJakub Čapek9. Max Scheler and PragmatismZachary Davis10. From Circumspection to InsightEddo EvinkPart III: Opening up Perspectives11. Freedom and The Theoretical AttitudeJames Mensch12. The Primacy of Practice and the Pervasiveness of DiscourseOndřej Švec13. Making Sense of Human Existence (Heidegger on the Limits of Practical Familiarity)Mark Wrathall14. Exemplary Necessity: Heidegger, Pragmatism, and ReasonSteven Crowell

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Book SynopsisThis Element aims to introduce the different definitions of translation provided in the history of analytic philosophy. It explores the philosophical-analytic notions used to explain translation from Frege and Wittgenstein onwards. It focuses on translation equivalence, translating into another language, and the analytic philosophy of language.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. From Frege to carnap: translation as paraphrase; 2. Wittgenstein: translation as calculus and translation as a language game; 3. Quine and the thesis of translation indeterminacy; 4. The notion of synonymy and Davidson's theory of radical interpretation; 5. The Principle of Charity and the third dogma of Empiricism; 6. Sellars and the problem of semantic vs. pragmatic equivalence; 7. Grice and the translation of implicit meaning; 8. Kripke's translation test; 9. The translation of explicit meaning in Literalism vs. Contextualism; Conclusion; References.

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Book SynopsisAmber L. Griffioen is Coordinator for Early Career Researchers and International Scholars, Cluster of Excellence at the University of Konstanz, Germany, and Residential Fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Religion, University of Notre Dame, USA.

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Book SynopsisFeaturing updates and the inclusion of nine new chapters, Analytic Philosophy: An Anthology, 2nd Edition offers a comprehensive and authoritative collection of the most influential readings in analytic philosophy written over the past hundred years. Features broad coverage of analytic philosophy, including such topics as ethics, methodology, and freedom and personal identity Focuses on classic or seminal articles that were especially influential or significant New articles in this edition include Proof of an External World by G. E. Moore, Criteria, Defeasibility, and Knowledge by John McDowell, Sensations and Brain Processes by J. J. C. Smart, selections from Sense and Sensibilia by J. L. Austin, Other Bodies by Tyler Burge, Individualism and Supervenience by Jerry Fodor, Responsibility and Avoidability by Roderick Chisholm, Alternative Possibilities and Moral Responsibility by Harry Frankfurt, and Personal Identity bTable of ContentsAcknowledgments. Introduction. Part I :Philosophy of Language. 1 “On Sense and Reference”(Gottlob Frege). 2 “Thought”(Gottlob Frege. 3 “On Denoting”(Bertrand Russell). 4 “On Referring”(P. F. Strawson). 5 “Meaning”(H. P. Grice). 6 “Truth and Meaning”(Donald Davidson). 7 “Identity and Necessity”(Saul Kripke). 8 “Meaning and Reference”(Hilary Putnam). Further Reading in Philosophy of Language. Part II: Metaphysics. 9 “On the Relations of Universals and Particulars”(Bertrand Russell). 10 From the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus(Ludwig Wittgenstein). 11 “Particular and General”(P. F. Strawson). 12 “On What There Is”(W. V. Quine). 13 “The Identity of Indiscernibles”(Max Black). Further Reading in Metaphysics. Part III: Epistemology. 14 “Proof of an External World”(E. Moore). 15 From On Certainty:( Ludwig Wittgenstein). 16 “Knowledge by Acquaintance and Knowledge by Description”(Bertrand Russell). 17 “The Problem of the Criterion”(Roderick Chisholm). 18 “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”(Edmund Gettier). 19 “Studies in the Logic of Explanation”(Carl Hempel and Paul Oppenheim). 20 “The New Riddle of Induction”(Nelson Goodman). 21 “Epistemology Naturalized”(W. V. Quine). 22 “Criteria, Defeasibility, and Knowledge”(John McDowell). Further Reading in Epistemology. Part IV: Philosophy of Mind. 23 “Sensations and Brain Processes”(J. J. C. Smart). 24 “The Nature of Mental States”(Hilary Putnam). 25 Sense and Sensibilia(J. L. Austin). 26 “Mental Events”(Donald Davidson). 27 “What is it Like to Be a Bat?”(Thomas Nagel). 28 “Mad Pain and Martian Pain”(David Lewis). 29 “Can Computers Think?”(John Searle). 30 “Other Bodies”(Tyler Burge). 31 “Individualism and Supervenience”(Jerry Fodor). Further Reading in Philosophy of Mind. Part V: Freedom and Personal Identity. 32 “The Conceivability of Mechanism”(Normal Malcolm). 33 “Freedom and Resentment”(P. F. Strawson). 34 “Human Freedom and Self”(Roderick Chisholm). 35 “Alternative Possibilities and Moral Responsibility”(Harry Frankfurt). 36 “The Self and the Future”(Bernard Williams). 37 “Personal Identity”(Derek Parfit). 38 “Action, Reasons, and Causes”(Donald Davidson). Further Reading in Freedom and Personal Identity. Part VI :Ethics. 39 “The Subject Matter of Ethics”(G. E. Moore). 40 “The Emotive Meaning of Ethical Terms”(Charles Stevenson). 41 “Justice as Fairness”(John Rawls). 42 “Modern Moral Philosophy”(G. E. M. Anscombe). 43 “Morality as a System of Hypothetical Imperatives”(Philippa Foot). Further Reading in Ethics. Part VII: Methodology. 44 “The Elimination of Metaphysics”(A. J. Ayer). 45 “Empiricism, Semantics, and Ontology”(Rudolf Carnap). 46 “Two Dogmas of Empiricism”(W. V. Quine). 47 “In Defense of a Dogma”(H. P. Grice and P. F. Strawson). 48 “Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man”(Wilfrid Sellars). 49 The Blue and the Brown Books(Ludwig Wittgenstein). Further Reading in Methodology. Index.

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Book SynopsisFrederick Kroon is Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.Stuart Brock is Associate Professor in Philosophy at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.Jonathan McKeown-Green was Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.Trade ReviewA Critical Introduction to Fictionalism offers enough overview and background to serve as a genuine introduction to the topic to those not already immersed in the literature, but also, by bringing together strands from debates over fictionalisms in different areas, includes enough food for thought for the more seasoned fictionalist to prompt reflection on how best to develop core fictionalist insights ... recommend[ed] to both of these groups of readers. * Philosophia Mathematica *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Existence examined 2. Objectivity and independence 3. Relegating existence: prefixing, prefacing, reducing and nonfactualism 4. What is fictionalism? 5. Fictionalism: a confusing past and a divided present 6. Fiction and Fictionalism 7. Fictionalism: why, where, how 8. Objections 9. Close Cousins Extended Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn these newly commissioned essays, leading Whitehead scholars ask a range of important questions about Whitehead's first year of philosophy lectures. Also included in this volume is the text of Whitehead's first lecture at Harvard, allowing for a clearer understanding of Whitehead's plans and goals for his first philosophy lectures.

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Book SynopsisPresents 29 texts, beginning with "Immortality in the Light of Synechism", in which the author proposes synechism, tendency to regard everything as continuous, as a key advance over the 3 'isms' materialism, idealism, and dualism, and ending with the author's unfinished investigations of the relative merits of different kinds of reasoning.

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Book SynopsisCopleston, an Oxford Jesuit and specialist in the history of philosophy, created his history as an introduction for Catholic ecclesiastical seminaries. The 11-volume series gives an accessible account of each philosopher's work, and explains their relationship to the work of other philosophers.Trade ReviewA monumental history . . . learned, lucid, patient and comprehensive. * New Statesman *We can only applaud at the end of each act and look forward to applauding again at the final curtain. * Times Literary Supplement *Immensely erudite, lucid in analysis, and almost incredibly dispassionate. * The Month *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements PART I: BRITISH EMPIRICISM I The Utilitarian Movement (1) II The Utilitarian Movement (2) III J.S. Mill: Logic and Empiricism IV Empiricists, Agnostics, Positivists V The Philosophy of Herbert Spencer PART II: THE IDEALIST MOVEMENT IN GREAT BRITAIN VI The Beginnings of the Movement VII The Development of Idealism VIII Absolute Idealism: Bradley IX Absolute Idealism: Bonsanquet X The Turn Towards Personal Identity PART III: IDEALISM IN AMERICA XI Introductory XII The Philosophy of Royce XIII Personal Idealism and Other Tendencies PART IV: THE PRAGMATIST MOVEMENT XIV The Philosophy of C.S. Peirce XV The Pragmatism of James and Schiller XVI The Experimentalism of John Dewey PART V: THE REVOLT AGAINST IDEALISM XVII Realism in Britain and America XVIII G. E. Moore and Analysis XIX Bertrand Russell (1) XX Bertrand Russell (2) XXI Bertrand Russell (3) Epilogue Appendix A: John Henry Newman Appendix B: A Short Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis Element presents and critically examines the relationship between metaphysics and the sciences. Section 1 provides a brief introduction. Section 2 addresses methodological issues. Section 3 describe the milder forms of naturalism about metaphysics. Section 4 reflects on pressing open problems in scientifically oriented metaphysics.

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Book SynopsisLudwig Wittgenstein (1889â1951) is one of the most important and influential philosophers in modern times, but he is also one of the least accessible. In this volume, leading experts chart the development of his work and clarify the connections between its different stages. The essays, which are both expository and original, address central themes in Wittgenstein's writing on a wide range of topics, particularly his thinking about the mind, language, logic, and mathematics. The contributors illuminate the character of the whole body of work by focusing on key topics: the style of the philosophy, the conception of grammar contained in it, rule-following, convention, logical necessity, the self, and what Wittgenstein called, in a famous phrase, 'forms of life'. This revised edition includes a new introduction, five new essays - on Tractarian ethics, Wittgenstein's development, aspects, the mind, and time and history - and a fully updated comprehensive bibliography.Trade Review'The distinguished contributors take different interpretive approaches to Wittgenstein's work and cover a wide range of topics. Some essays stay within the standard range of topics, whereas others, e.g., Sluga's 'Time and History in Wittgenstein', look to extend the range.' ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction; 1. Wittgenstein's critique of philosophy Robert J. Fogelin; 2. Pictures, logic, and the limits of sense in Wittgenstein's Tractatus Thomas Ricketts; 3. Tractarian ethics Kevin Cahill; 4. Wittgenstein in the 1930s David G. Stern; 5. A philosophy of mathematics between two camps Steve Gerrard; 6. Necessity and normativity Hans-Johann Glock; 7. Wittgenstein, mathematics, and ethics: resisting the attractions of realism Cora Diamond; 8. Notes and afterthoughts on the opening of Wittgenstein's Investigations Stanley Cavell; 9. Mind, meaning and practice Barry Stroud; 10. Body and soul Joachim Schulte; 11. The question of linguistic idealism revisited Hans Sluga; 12. Aspects of aspects Juliet Floyd; 13. Forms of life: mapping the rough ground Naomi Scheman; 14. Time and history in Wittgenstein Hans Sluga; 15. Certainties of a world picture: the epistemological investigations of On Certainty Michael Kober; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisExploring the ethical dimension of Wittgenstein's thought, Iczkovits challenges the view that Wittgenstein had a vision of language and subsequently a vision of ethics, showing how the two are integrated in his philosophical method, and allowing us to reframe traditional problems in moral philosophy considered as external to questions of meaning.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction The Rungs of the 'Ethical' Ladder Philosophical Imaginations On Certainty and Honesty World-Picture and World-View The Reality of What is Said Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisDoes scepticism threaten our common sense picture of the world? Does it really undermine our deep-rooted certainties? Answers to these questions are offered through a comparative study of the epistemological work of two key figures in the history of analytic philosophy, G. E. Moore and Ludwig Wittgenstein.Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Foreword Abbreviations of Works by Moore and Wittgenstein Aknowledgements Introduction G. E. Moore: Scepticism, Certainty and Common Sense Wittgenstein: Belief, Knowledge and Certainty Wittgenstein: Doubts and the Nonsense of Scepticism Wittgenstein: Hinges, Certainty, World-Picture and Mythology Conclusion: Moore and Wittgenstein On Epistemology and Language: A Synopsis References Index

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Book SynopsisHinge Epistemology is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting areas of epistemology and Wittgenstein studies. In connecting these two fields it brings a revived energy to both, opening them up to fresh developments. The essays in this volume extend the subject in terms of both depth and breadth. They present new voices and challenges within hinge epistemology. They explore new applications and directions of hinge epistemology, particularly as it relates to the philosophy of mind, society, ethics, and the history of ideas.Trade Review‘Edited by two leading authorities on Wittgenstein’s philosophy, this volume further extends and consolidates the burgeoning research programme on ‘hinge epistemology’. The epistemic lessons to be derived from reflection on the epistemology of certainty are opened out to domains beyond the purely epistemic such as, politics, ideology, the extended individual, etc.’ — Dr. Nigel Pleasants, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Sociology, University of Exeter, UK.‘Never before have epistemologists been so genuinely interested in Wittgenstein’s later work as in recent years. Extending Hinge Epistemology brings together insightful essays by some of the leading scholars in the field and will be essential reading for anyone seeking to go beyond the mere exegesis of On Certainty.’ — Nuno Venturinha, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal.‘Hinge Epistemology: Fastening the Hinges, Opening the Door provides a further demonstration of the wide-ranging significance of Wittgenstein’s thoughts on knowledge, doubt and certainty for philosophical epistemology and for our thinking about human life more generally. The authors, comprising both established experts in the field and more up-and- coming scholars, develop the approach of hinge epistemology in fruitful ways, bringing out its relevance to multiple areas of human thought and activity, including religion, politics, scepticism and enactivism, as well as considering the extent to which the approach was prefigured in the work of earlier philosophers such as David Hume and Thomas Reid. The volume constitutes a valuable contribution to contemporary epistemology and Wittgenstein studies.’ — Dr Mikel Burley, Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy, University of Leeds, UK.This book is an impressive collection of essays on hinge epistemology that provide clarification on both existing debates and original interventions. This collection brings together well-known names in hinge epistemology with newer voices engaging with a range of philosophical areas and presenting a range of philosophical positions — Samuel Laves, Universidade Nova de Lisboa Instituto de Filosofia, Lisbon, Portugal.Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors; Acknowledgements; Introduction: Fastening the Hinges, Opening the Door; Part I Fastening the Hinges, Chapter One Wittgenstein’s Hinge Certainty, Danièle Moyal-Sharrock; Chapter Two Exploring Quasi-Fideism, Duncan Pritchard; Chapter Three Which Hinge Epistemology between Animal, Biscopic and Constitutivist? Annalisa Coliva; Chapter Four Something Animal, Something Unpredictable: On the Difficulty of Finding the Beginning and Not Trying to Go Further Back, Paul Standish; Chapter Five Closure-Based Scepticism and Epistemic Restrictions: A Dialectical Approach to Hinge Epistemology, Xavier Maréchal; Chapter Six ‘Hinges’ of Trust: Wittgenstein on the Other Minds Problem, Jasmin Trächtler; Part II Opening the Door, Chapter Seven Political Hinge Epistemology, Chris Ranalli; Chapter Eight Collective Thought and Collective Trust, Michel Le Du; Chapter Nine Deep Impact: Wittgenstein’s Enduring Enactivist Legacy, Victor Loughlin; Chapter Ten In Defence of a Reidian Moderate View of Our Hinge Commitments, Angélique Thébert; Chapter Eleven Consider the Squirrel: Hume as Hinge Epistemologist, Constantine Sandis; Index

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Book SynopsisThis fourth and final volume of writings by Elizabeth Anscombe reprints her Introduction to Wittgenstein''s Tractatus, together with a number of later essays on thought and language in which she explores issues of reason, representation, truth and existence. As with previous volumes this gathers hitherto inaccessible publications and previously unpublished texts. Singly and collectively the four volumes provide for a broader and deeper understanding of the thought of one of the twentieth century''s most important anglophone philosophers.

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Book SynopsisThe New Rhetoric is founded on the idea that since ""argumentation aims at securing the adherence of those to whom it is addressed, it is, in its entirety, relative to the audience to be influenced"", says Chaïm Perelman and L. Olbrechts-Tyteca. They rely for their theory of argumentation on the twin concepts of universal and particular audiences.Trade Review". . . a readable English translation of this highly influential work in which Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca point out historical and systematic inadequacies in much of contemporary logic and methodology." —The Review of Metaphysics"It is difficult to see how any rhetorician, rhetorical critic, logician interested in verbal logic, or student of either philosophical or popular argument can claim full competence without familiarity with this work. It challenges the orthodoxies of all and suggests fresh modes of inquiry to all." —The Quarterly Journal of Speech"An important work representing the recent increase of interest in rhetorical studies among Continental scholars. . . . The interest of philosophers of the rank of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca in rhetoric marks a significant break from the influence of Ramus and Descartes upon Western philosophy's concept of reason and reasoning. An important work, highly recommended." —Choice"One of the best features of the book is that the authors have not merely described kinds of argument used in persuasive discourse, but have constantly shown how such arguments can be countered—and not merely by one's saying 'but that doesn't follow logically'. Even if we abandon the slogan 'deductive or defective' we are not required to abandon all criticism of nondeductive arguments. The non-logical has its own logic." —Mind"An important book, which should initiate re-estimation of the importance of a liberal art central to antiquity and the Renaissance, latterly eclipsed by the . . . logic of science and mathematics. . . . Dealing primarily with the written word, the authors analyze the constant and the variables in all argumentation, whether addressed to a universal audience or to one's self. Perelman claims that this work marks a break with a concept of reason which has dominated Western thought for three centuries. In 550 pages, he makes a good case for the claim." —The Key Reporter“Readers will find this volume a fascinating and firm first step toward the solution of some important philosophical problems."—Philosophy and Rhetoric

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Book SynopsisIn an original defense of armchair philosophy, Michael Strevens seeks to restore philosophy to its traditional position as an essential part of the quest for knowledge, by reshaping debates about the nature of philosophical thinking. His approach explores experimental philosophy’s methodological implications and the cognitive science of concepts.Trade ReviewThinking Off Your Feet is an outstanding book that will make a splash. It proposes an original defense of philosophical analysis and of its main tool, the method of cases. It is an impressive defense of armchair philosophy, as it is by and large currently practiced, and is also an important contribution to the cognitive science of concepts. Philosophers as well as psychologists will benefit tremendously from reading this book. -- Edouard Machery, University of PittsburghThis book is beautifully written, powerfully argued, and deeply informed on the psychology. Strevens’s combination of respect for science and for ‘armchair’ philosophy results in a framework for understanding philosophy as a seamless and essential part of the human quest for knowledge. -- Michael Bishop, Florida State University

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Book SynopsisDeals with issues in the philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics, and illustrates various approaches to the problems in the analytic tradition.Trade ReviewThe best anthology I know of for a general course on 20th century analytic philosophy. --H. E. Baber, University of San DiegoThis is an absolutely perfect anthology. I was thrilled when I found that Hackett reissued this irreplaceable collection that exactly fits its title. --Michael Losonsky, Colorado State University

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Graham Oppy examines arguments for and against the existence of God. He shows that none of these arguments is powerful enough to change the minds of reasonable participants in debates on the question of the existence of God. His conclusion is supported by detailed analyses of the arguments as well as by the development of a theory about the purpose of arguments and the criteria that should be used in judging whether or not arguments are successful. Oppy discusses the work of a wide array of philosophers, including Anselm, Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, Kant, Hume and, more recently, Plantinga, Dembski, White, Dawkins, Bergman, Gale and Pruss.Table of Contents1. Some preliminary questions addressed; 2. Ontological arguments; 3. Cosmological arguments; 4. Teleological arguments; 5. Pascal's wager; 6. Arguments from evil; 7. Other arguments; 8. Concluding remarks.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Gives an extraordinarily intimate insight into what Wittgenstein was like as a human being. . . . These notes . . . capture Wittgenstein's outlook on morality and religion, and reveal some of his personal problems." --Alice Ambrose Lazerowitz, Smith College

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Book SynopsisOffers insights into what Wittgenstein was like as a human being. This title presents Wittgenstein's outlook on morality and religion, and reveals some of his personal problems.Trade Review"Gives an extraordinarily intimate insight into what Wittgenstein was like as a human being. . . . These notes . . . capture Wittgenstein's outlook on morality and religion, and reveal some of his personal problems." --Alice Ambrose Lazerowitz, Smith College

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Book SynopsisDeals with issues in the philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics, and illustrates various approaches to the problems in the analytic tradition.Trade ReviewThe best anthology I know of for a general course on 20th century analytic philosophy. --H. E. Baber, University of San DiegoThis is an absolutely perfect anthology. I was thrilled when I found that Hackett reissued this irreplaceable collection that exactly fits its title. --Michael Losonsky, Colorado State University

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA magnificent collection . . . the editors are to be congratulated. --Steven Gerrard, Williams College. . .selections make available in easily accessible form some of the most interesting smaller writings of Wittgenstein's, including the longest explanation he ever gave of the nature of the philosophical enterprise. --Jaakko Hintikka, Boston University[The editors] have usefully and skillfully assembled various writings by Wittgenstein. . . . to permit a synoptic view of his several concerns. . . . The book is an excellent source and it provides a nourishing supplement to the Investigations. --Colin McGinn, The New Republic

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Book SynopsisCarnap, Quine, and Putnam held that in our pursuit of truth we can do no better than to start in the middle, relying on already-established beliefs and inferences and applying our best methods for re-evaluating particular beliefs and inferences and arriving at new ones. In this collection of essays, Gary Ebbs interprets these thinkers'' methodological views in the light of their own philosophical commitments, and in the process refutes some widespread misunderstandings of their views, reveals the real strengths of their arguments, and exposes a number of problems that they face. To solve these problems, in many of the essays Ebbs also develops new philosophical approaches, including new theories of logical truth, language use, reference and truth, truth by convention, realism, trans-theoretical terms, agreement and disagreement, radical belief revision, and contextually a priori statements. His essays will be valuable for a wide range of readers in analytic philosophy.Trade Review'Ebbs' volume … is an important publication from both an historical and a systematic point of view. It offers a new perspective on the relation between Carnap, Quine, and Putnam, as well as a substantive contribution to ongoing systematic debates about truth, justification, and language use. As such, it will be of interest and value not only to historians of analytic philosophy, but also to all philosophers who believe that Carnap's, Quine's, and Putnam's most fundamental insights deserve continuous discussion and adaptation.' Notre Dame Philosophical ReviewsTable of ContentsPart I. Carnap: 1. Carnap's logical syntax; 2. Carnap on ontology; Part II. Carnap and Quine: 3. Carnap and Quine on truth by convention; 4. Quine's naturalistic explication of Carnap's logic of science; Part III. Quine: 5. Quine gets the last word; 6. Reading Quine's claim that definitional abbreviations create synonymies; 7. Can logical truth be defined in purely extensional terms?; 8. Reading Quine's claim that no statement is immune to revision; Part IV. Quine and Putnam: 9. Conditionalization and conceptual change: Chalmers in defense of a dogma; 10. Truth and trans-theoretical terms; Part V. Putnam: 11. Putnam and the contextually apriori.

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Book SynopsisW. V. Quine was one of the most influential figures of twentieth-century American analytic philosophy. Although he wrote predominantly in English, in Brazil in 1942 he gave a series of lectures on logic and its philosophy in Portuguese, subsequently published as the book O Sentido da Nova Lógica. The book has never before been fully translated into English, and this volume is the first to make its content accessible to Anglophone philosophers. Quine would go on to develop revolutionary ideas about semantic holism and ontology, and this book provides a snapshot of his views on logic and language at a pivotal stage of his intellectual development. The volume also includes an essay on logic which Quine also published in Portuguese, together with an extensive historical-philosophical essay by Frederique Janssen-Lauret. The valuable and previously neglected works first translated in this volume will be essential for scholars of twentieth-century philosophy.Trade Review'This volume brings together works by Quine that are of great importance to those interested in the development of 20th-century Anglophone philosophy.' J. A. Fischel, Choice'… of great value to … researchers and students studying logic in the analytic tradition of philosophy in the United States.' Jason Wakefield, Grammar Language and LinguisticsTable of ContentsEditors' introduction Walter Carnielli, Frederique Janssen-Lauret and William Pickering; W. V. O. Quine's philosophical development in the 1930s and 1940s Frederique Janssen-Lauret; The Significance of the New Logic W. V. O. Quine; Appendix. The United States and the revival of logic W. V. O. Quine.

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Book SynopsisMany people go through life in a rather hit-or-miss fashion, casting about for ideas to explain why their projects improve or decline, why they are successful or why they are not. Guessing and "hunches," however, are not very reliable. And without the knowledge of how to actually investigate situations, good or bad, and get the true facts, a person is set adrift in a sea of unevaluated data. Accurate investigation is, in fact, a rare commodity. Man's tendency in matters he doesn't understand is to accept the first proffered explanation, no matter how faulty. Thus investigatory technology had not actually been practiced or refined. However, L. Ron Hubbard made a breakthrough in the subject of logic and reasoning which led to his development of the first truly effective way to search for and consistently find the actual causes for things. Knowing how to investigate gives one the power to navigate through the random facts and opinions and emerge with the real reasons behind success or failure in any aspect of life. By really finding out why things are the way they are, one is therefore able to remedy and improve a situation-any situation. This is an invaluable technology for people in all walks of life.

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Book SynopsisGod and Time is a collection of previously unpublished essays written by leading philosophers about God''s relation to time. The essays have been selected to represent current debates written between those who believe God to be atemporal and those who do not. The essays highlight issues such as how the nature of time is relevant to whether God is temporal and how God''s other attributes are compatible with his mode of temporal being. By focusing on the metaphysical aspects of time and temporal existence, God and Time will make a unique contribution to the current resurgence of interest in philosophical theology within the analytic tradition.Trade ReviewExibits a rich spectrum of argument concerning the many-faceted issue of God's relation to time...I found no essay in this anthology that lacked intellectual rigor. Accordingly, the volume should serve as an excellent ancillary text for courses in philosophy of religion that focus on divine attributes...I recommend this collection, and must confess that I cannot begin to do justice to its rich argumentation in such a brief review. * The Journal of Religion *

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Book SynopsisThis volume contains thirteen papers, including two previously unpublished, by Gareth Evans, a brilliant philosopher who died in 1980 at the age of 34. The treatments of problems about language are here informed by a lively sense of interconnections with issues in metaphysics and the problem of mind, and some of the papers are primarly directed to problems in these fields. Anyone who is concerned with the central questions of philosophy will be interested in this collection.Trade ReviewGareth Evans ... was widely regarded as the most brilliant and exciting philosopher of his generation ... The present volume now collects his previously published papers ... together with two substantial unpublished pieces ... These two papers, like the older ones, exemplify Evans's great virtues--his ability to develop sophisticated arguments with great clarity, his lightly worn technical expertise, and above all his capacity to get to the very heart of philosophical issues. This is analytical philosophy of the very highest quality. Those who already know Evans's work will be grateful to have his scattered papers brought together in this handsome volume; and any professional philosopher or advanced student unfamiliar with his work has an intellectual treat in store. * British Book News *

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Book SynopsisThe claim that contemporary analytic philosophers rely extensively on intuitions as evidence is almost universally accepted in current meta-philosophical debates and it figures prominently in our self-understanding as analytic philosophers. No matter what area you happen to work in and what views you happen to hold in those areas, you are likely to think that philosophizing requires constructing cases and making intuitive judgments about those cases. This assumption also underlines the entire experimental philosophy movement: only if philosophers rely on intuitions as evidence are data about non-philosophers'' intuitions of any interest to us. Our alleged reliance on the intuitive makes many philosophers who don''t work on meta-philosophy concerned about their own discipline: they are unsure what intuitions are and whether they can carry the evidential weight we allegedly assign to them. The goal of this book is to argue that this concern is unwarranted since the claim is false: it is Trade Reviewa wonderfully clear, largely well-argued case against a central assumption of many contemporary metaphilosophers ... I highly recommend it. * Daniel Cohnitz, Disputatio *engaging and exciting ... Philosophy Without Intutions represents a clear jolt to contemporary metaphilosophical orthodoxy. It is a vivid and powerful call for philosophers to examine their assumptions about philosophy. Anyone interested in the role of intuitions in philosophy or the proper description of contemporary philosophical practice will benefit from studying it. * Jonathan Ichikawa, International Journal for Philosophical Studies *an excellent contribution to the ongoing debate * Stephen Ingram, Metaphilosophy *Table of ContentsPART I: THE ARGUMENT FROM 'INTUITION'-TALK; PART II: THE ARGUMENT FROM PHILOSOPHICAL PRACTICE

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Book SynopsisDuring the course of the twentieth century, analytic philosophy developed into the dominant philosophical tradition in the English-speaking world. In the last two decades, it has become increasingly influential in the rest of the world, from continental Europe to Latin America and Asia. At the same time there has been deepening interest in the origins and history of analytic philosophy, as analytic philosophers examine the foundations of their tradition and question many of the assumptions of their predecessors. This has led to greater historical self-consciousness among analytic philosophers and more scholarly work on the historical contexts in which analytic philosophy developed. This historical turn in analytic philosophy has been gathering pace since the 1990s, and the present volume is the most comprehensive collection of essays to date on the history of analytic philosophy. It contains state-of-the-art contributions from many of the leading scholars in the field, all of the contrTrade ReviewThe Handbook is a large and wonderfully useful resource. * Kevin C. Klement, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsPART ONE: THE ORIGINS OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY; PART TWO: THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY; PART THREE: THEMES IN THE HISTORY OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY

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