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Title: Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy by Avrum Stroll ISBN: 0-231-11221-1 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent
Comment: This excellent book represents the perfect introduction to analytic philosophy. Following an interesting chapter that presents the main topics of analytic philosophy, the main figures of the twentieth century are introduced. In dealing with each of them, Stroll produces an interesting biography, and a chapter dedicated to the criticisms. For each of them, Stroll covers the entire body of work, not just focusing on one or two aspects. In the last part of the book he writes his own opinions about longly debated issues in analytic philosophy, such as reference theory and natural kinds. His positions are very interesting and brilliantly illustrated. A final chapter looks at the future of analytic philosophy. The book is easy to read and well written. The reader should be prepared to the fact that Stroll is a Wittgenstein enthusiast (and a Wittgenstein expert). Wittgenstein is mentioned more or less every second page. Even when writing the biography of Austin, Stroll manages to introduce ten lines of Wittgenstein's biography! If the reader is not bothered by this obsession for Wittgenstein (I wasn't!) this book turns out to be delightful and interesting reading. For anyone interested in analytic philosophy, this should be the first book to buy.
Rating: 3
Summary: The layman as a philosopher!!
Comment: There are many reason for liking this book. It is very well written and Stroll does something very out of the ordinary: He tells about the lives of analytic philosophers.
But then there are problems. First of all the short biographies of philosophers are sometimes almost as long as the part which deals with their philosophy. It is of course interesting to read about Quine's holidays but I think "The Two Dogmas of Empiriscm" should be granted much more space than Quine's trip to Europe.
The book is clear but sometimes I find Stroll cutting corners. For example I find the part on Frege a bit simplifying. Although Stroll seems to love Wittgenstein I don't like his introduction to the Tractatus.
At the end Stroll arrives at the big question: Who is the greatest 20th century analytic philosopher and he sees only two candidates Quine and Wittgenstein. Out of the two Wittgesntein emerges as a clear winner. But why? Stroll sees the philosophy of the later Wittgenstein as a true revolution in philosophy but I myself see Quine's philosophy to be much more revolutionary. Stroll also seems to believe everything Wittgenstein says in the Investigations and his criticism towards it is very poor indeed. He never considers the fact that Wittgensteins philosophy of language can be said to be in contrast with the principle of compositionality, which is a very suuported theory in contemporary philosophy. Stroll criticizes the direct reference theories of Putnam and Kripke with the help of Wittgenstein, but I think he misses his target. For example Stroll never considers why the direct reference theories were developed in the first place and he never deals with the idea of "reference borrowing" which is absolutely central to these theories. And it is very questionable whether we truly learn a language the way Wittgenstein thought we do.
If you are a beginner to analytic philosophy, this is a very good introduction. But don't believe that this is all to it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Surprisingly lively and interesting
Comment: For the student of philosophy, this book together with a collection of original papers could make a very good introduction to analytic philosophy. For the professional philosopher and others with good knowledge of twentieth century analytic philosophy, it could serve as a roadmap to compare with your own understanding.
In spite of a subject, which, in some ways, could be boring, I find this book often very fun and amusing. So far as I can understand it is also written with very good understanding and insight in to it's subject.
The chapter on the future of analytic philosophy and the question of which philosophers who will be still famous in the future is well argued and very interesting. And Yes, if you placed your money on Wittgenstein as a star of philosophy in year 2200 there are god arguments that you have made a good investment.
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Title: Contemporary Analytic Philosophy: Core Readings by James Baillie ISBN: 013099068X Publisher: Prentice Hall Pub. Date: 17 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $56.00 |
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Title: Logical Positivism by A.J. Ayer ISBN: 0029011302 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 1966 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: Language, Truth and Logic by Alfred J. Ayer ISBN: 0486200108 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 01 June, 1952 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Origins of Analytical Philosophy by Michael Dummett ISBN: 0674644735 Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr Pub. Date: September, 1996 List Price(USD): $20.95 |
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Title: Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century, Volume 1 : The Dawn of Analysis by Scott Soames ISBN: 0691115737 Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr Pub. Date: 02 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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