Description
Book SynopsisJ. L. Austin was one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, but also an intelligence officer in the Second World War. This revelatory biography explores Austin's complex character, his remarkable achievements in war and peace, and the surprisinglty dramatic events in his personal life.
Trade ReviewScrupulous and engrossing * Best Books of the Year 2023, The Economist *
A revelatory work of intelligence history, ingeniously built from scattered and skimpy materials. * Richard Davenport-Hines, Books of the Year 2023, Times Literary Supplement *
A superb biography...dense and readable. * Tom Stoppard, Books of the Year 2023, Times Literary Supplement *
Meticulously researched yet uncluttered ... philosophically illuminating. * Jane O'Grady, Times Literary Supplement *
[ Rowe's] research is so thorough, his exposition so meticulous and his presentation so clear that even the digressions are a delight * Jonathan Ree, Literary Review *
a marvellous book . . . thoroughly absorbing... First, it gives a detailed account of Austin's philosophical development, his background, his works and his academic career and influence, accompanied at each stage by interpretations and criticisms that are judicious and insightful. Rowe shows himself to be an excellent philosopher in his own right. Second, the book presents the results of Rowe's painstaking archival research on Austin's intelligence career, placing it in the context of British and Allied intelligence concerning Western Europe and North Africa. It gives a fascinating account of the way military intelligence is generated and the crucial role it plays in every military operation... Third, Rowe offers a perceptive analysis of Austin's personal qualities and their part in his academic and military engagements. * Thomas Nagel, London Review of Books *
well-researched, and admirably written intellectual biography. * Stephen Mulhall, Society *
Table of ContentsPart I: Pre-War 1: Origins: c. 1670-1911 2: Childhood: 1911-1924 3: Shrewsbury: 1924-1929 4: Balliol: 1929-1933 5: Philosophy in Oxford: 1918-1933 6: All Souls: 1933-1935 7: Collingwood, C. I. Lewis, and Aristotle: 1935-1938 8: The Brethren, Politics, and Wittgenstein: 1937-1940 Part II: War 9: Jean and the Army: 1939-1941 10: MI14, Marriage, and North African Intelligence: 1941 11: Injury, Scotland, and the Desert War: 1941-1942 12: The Coming of the Martians: 1942 13: Norfolk House, Dieppe, and Torch: 1942 14: Skyscraper, Invade Mecum, and Exile: 1943 15: The Hunt for the V-Weapons: 1943-1944 16: At Peter Robinson's: 1943-1944 17: Towards D-Day: 1944 18: D-Day and the Battle of Normandy: 1944 19: Arnhem and the Ardennes: 1944-1945 20: War's End: 1945 Part III: Post-War 21: Post-War Britain and Oxford: 1945-1947 22: 'Other Minds': 1946-1947 23: Ordinary Language Philosophy: 1947-1959 24: The Oral and the Written: 1947-1959 25: Sense and Sensibilia: 1947-1959 26: Truth and Logic: 1950-1952 27: White's Professor: 1952-1954 28: Domestic Life and the Americans: 1952-1954 29: Harvard and Speech-Acts: 1955 30: Abilities and Excuses: 1956-1957 31: Royaumont and Anscombe: 1958 32: California, Semantics, and Sound Symbolism: 1958-1959 33: Ayer, Scandinavia, and the Gellner Controversy: 1959 34: Final Illness: 1959-1960
