An admirable introduction to inductive logic, this book is both informative and lucidly written. After an excellent introductory chapter comparing deductive with inductive logic, the author presents Hume's problem of induction and several proposed methods for solving or dissolving it, none of which are adequate. Chapter III is devoted to Goodman's paradox about "grue" and the problems it poses for induction. No attempt, however, is made to develop a calculus of projectibility, which is needed to solve this new riddle of (...) induction. The systematic part of inductive logic is presented in the fourth and longest chapter. This chapter begins with a brief account of elementary truth functions which the author then uses to present an updated and rather elegant version of Mill's methods. The rest of the chapter is devoted to the development of the probability calculus in a systematic manner, without, however, any method of assigning initial probabilities. An account of statistics is appended, which is too brief to be of much value. The fifth chapter is devoted to interpretations of the probability calculus. The frequency interpretation of probability is described as an adequate account of descriptive probability. Two interpretations of inductive probability are presented: Carnap's "logic" interpretation and the frequency interpretation of Reichenbach. Both, however, are found lacking in ultimate justification. Though not flawless, this book is of very high quality.—F. S. M. (shrink)

This study is concerned with certainty and examines the work of Dewey for the light he sheds on this problem. Hart concentrates on the process of verification, the final stage of inquiry in Dewey's theory. He does this because he believes that, according to Dewey, through the process of verification we may attain "flexible" certainty. The first chapter discusses the background of the problem. The second chapter, "A Dewey Dictionary," contains passages selected from Dewey's works on about sixty topics which (...) Hart considers important for his later discussion. In the third chapter, a chronological account of the development of Dewey's theory of inquiry and his views on verification is meticulously presented. The fourth chapter is devoted to a systematic presentation of the place of verification in Dewey's philosophy. In the fifth chapter are the author's critical reflections: Hart holds that the basic principles of Dewey's theory cannot be justified but must be taken on faith. Here Hart does not seem sufficiently appreciative of Dewey's pragmatism. Dewey could answer: such principles are adopted because they are fruitful and will be maintained only so long as they continue to be fruitful. An epilogue concludes the study.—F. S. M. (shrink)

"Like H. H. Price, who said that 'Clarity is not enough' in the intellectual realm, we may say that clarity is all the less sufficient in the ethical realm." Indeed few will want to reproach this author with overvaluing clarity or with placing excessive emphasis on precision. He constantly prefers the suggestive to the exact. Though the book deals with ethical questions, the aim is not to present a general theory of ethics, but to derive ethical and political consequences from (...) the phenomenology of man. What, in fact, emerges is a loosely related series of studies, which have in common the primacy of the concrete subject. The first part of the book is devoted to a phenomenological ontology of the concrete subject. The conclusions are not novel, but they do provide a necessary background for the later studies. The second part of the book considers ethical questions, and presents an interesting trichotomy of values into embodied values, such as holiness as embodied in God; values which are never realized once and for all and which require repeated actualization, such as charity; and values which must be protected and fortified, such as political liberty. Also included are studies of the ethical aspects of lying and of being ashamed. Rotenstreich claims that lying is morally reprehensible because truth is an ethical value. To support this latter contention, he argues that truth is demanded by rationality, the essence of man, and that man has a duty to develop his essence. The third and last part of the book is devoted to political questions.—F. S. M. (shrink)

The views of Ziff in this collection of essays are always challenging and frequently are marked by brilliant insight. Thirteen essays are found in this volume, all of which had been previously published, with the exception of "Truth in Poetry," in which Ziff argues that it is not appropriate to ask if what a poem says is true since poems are not statements. The essays can be divided into three groups, the first group dealing with aesthetics, the second group treating (...) of topics in the philosophy of language, and the third dealing with the philosophy of mind. Also included is an essay "About God." The five essays in aesthetics, which take up roughly half the book, constitute one of the most distinguished bodies of work in contemporary analytic aesthetics. Besides "Truth and Poetry," this group contains "Art and the Object of Art," in which Ziff argues that art is not an illusion, and "Reasons in Art Criticism" in which he tries to determine what is acceptable as a reason why a painting is good. Also included is an essay in which Ziff seeks to give a plausible characterization of pictorial representation and one examining some of the problems in defining a work of art. The four essays in the philosophy of language supplement the author's Semantic Analysis. They are largely concerned with exploring the boundary between syntax and semantics. There is an essay examining ungrammaticalness and one examining how ungrammatical sentences can be understood. Another treats of ambiguity while the fourth attempts to show that active and passive sentences are not synonymous. The essays in the philosophy of mind are a much less well-knit group. The three essays take up the problem of other minds, the feeling of robots and an argument against behaviorism. The chief value of this collection is in gathering together Ziff's important contributions in the field of aesthetics. It also has value for its stimulating and original thought in other fields. Highly recommended.—F. S. M. (shrink)

With the republication of The Structure of Appearance, a classic work of contemporary philosophical analysis has once more become available. The book is divided into three parts. The first part deals with certain topics in the theory of systems. The topics investigated are constructional definition, the calculus of individuals, and the calculus of simplicity. The calculus of individuals is of use only in nominalistic systems such as the one developed later in the book. Goodman's proposals on constructional definition and his (...) calculus of simplicity are, on the other hand, applicable to all systems. The second part is devoted to the presentation of two different phenomenalistic systems. The first is the system of Carnap's Aufbau, which attempts to abstract qualities from "full momentary cross-sections of the total stream of experience" called erlebs. It turns out that two difficulties in Carnap's treatment render his project incapable of realization, at least for the time being. Goodman then proceeds to develop his own system, taking qualities as his basic units and undertaking the task of constructing concrete entities out of them. Goodman devotes a chapter to the intuitive presentation of his ideas and develops them systematically in the two chapters which follow. In the third part of the book, Goodman shows how order and measure can be defined within his system. The last chapter is devoted to time and includes a discussion of indicators. Several major and numerous minor changes distinguish the second edition from the first published fifteen years earlier. The chapter on simplicity has been almost entirely rewritten. In the new edition, the calculus of simplicity is presented axiomatically, and systematic investigations of different types of predicates are conducted. A new section has been added to the chapter on the topology of quality, which takes account of some recent developments. Other changes are minor, consisting of a revision of some formulae, typographical corrections and minor textual emendations. This is a work that no serious student of philosophy should ignore.—F. S. M. (shrink)