We examine the closure conditions of the probabilistic consequence relation of Hawthorne and Makinson, specifically the outstanding question of completeness in terms of Horn rules, of their (...) proposed (finite) set of rules O. We show that on the contrary no such finite set of Horn rules exists, though we are able to specify an infinite set which is complete. (shrink)
This is an extremely well-edited collection of articles dealing with Austin. A number of articles help to present general biographical information and to provide an overview (...) class='Hi'>of the man and his philosophic style. Three sections of this anthology are divided so as to include papers that deal with issues raised in Austin's Philosophical Papers, Sense and Sensibilia, and How to Do Thing with Words. Papers are included by those who are sympathetic and admire Austin's work as well as those who have been very critical of his work. Altogether this symposium includes a judicious selection of some of the best articles dealing with Austin. There are papers by Warnock, Urmson, Hampshire, Pears, Cavell, Quine, Chisholm, Ayer, Searle, etc. There is a bibliography of Austin's writings as well as writings about Austin.--R. J. B. (shrink)
This is an extremely well-edited collection of articles dealing with Austin. A number of articles help to present general biographical information and to provide an overview (...) class='Hi'>of the man and his philosophic style. Three sections of this anthology are divided so as to include papers that deal with issues raised in Austin's Philosophical Papers, Sense and Sensibilia, and How to Do Thing with Words. Papers are included by those who are sympathetic and admire Austin's work as well as those who have been very critical of his work. Altogether this symposium includes a judicious selection of some of the best articles dealing with Austin. There are papers by Warnock, Urmson, Hampshire, Pears, Cavell, Quine, Chisholm, Ayer, Searle, etc. There is a bibliography of Austin's writings as well as writings about Austin.--R. J. B. (shrink)
A new translation which is eminently readable and extremely accurate. Much of the awkwardness and unnecessary obscurity of the Ogden translation has been eliminated. The comprehensive index (...) which combines both English and German expressions is designed to meet the special problems involved in understanding the Tractatus. Unfortunately Russell's introduction to the 1922 edition is reproduced without any indication of the controversy concerning Russell's interpretation, or subsequent interpretations of the Tractatus.--R. J. B. (shrink)
A provocative collection of technical and popular essays dealing with a variety of scientific and political topics which Popper has treated in his major works. For the (...) most part Popper develops, sharpens, and extends to new areas, themes which he has already explored. The major theme running through the essays is that knowledge grows by unjustified and unjustifiable anticipations, guesses and conjectures. These are controlled by criticisms and refutations. Theories can never be positively justified; they can only prove to be resistant to rational criticism. The boldness of Popper's conjectures demands attempted refutations on the part of the reader.--R. J. B. (shrink)
During the past decade some of the most provocative and controversial disputes concerning the philosophy and history of science have centered about the work of Thomas Kuhn (...) and Sir Karl Popper. One, therefore, looks with anticipation to this volume which is based on a symposium held in July, 1965 where Kuhn, Popper and several of Popper's former students met for an intellectual confrontation. But the result is depressing. The volume is an editorial mess. Two of the main scheduled speakers never appeared at the symposium, although papers by them are published here. Some of the remarks published here seem to be those spoken on the day the symposium was held while others, like Kuhn's answer to his critics, were written four years after the symposium. The result is a confusing and distracting editorial unevenness. While Kuhn's fair-minded opening paper raises some of the most important issues to be confronted, one quickly senses that the Popperians are not really very much interested in discussing Kuhn's work but rather in pushing their own pet theses. Kuhn puts this rather generously when he labels it an example of "talking-through-each-other." Most of the Popperians seem to be obsessed with Kuhn's understanding of normal science and neglect the much more interesting questions concerning his views on scientific revolutions, the sense in which science does and does not make progress, the criteria involved in adjudicating among competing theories. It is almost with relief that one reads Margaret Masterman's remark that it is a "crashingly obvious fact" that there is normal science. Ironically, Masterman's article which is basically sympathetic to Kuhn's work is the most illuminating and the most critical. More successfully than any of other contributors she shows the ambiguities involved in Kuhn's idea of a paradigm. One's wishes that the Popperians would take a good hard look at themselves and what they are doing as it is so disastrously illustrated here. Although ostensibly dedicated to serious critical rationalism, they seem more eager to score points than to understand what they are criticizing. Although they supposedly abhor clubiness, they are rapidly forming themselves into a scholastic circle where the object seems to be to show how brilliant or how stupid some other student of Popper is. Although they scorn the quest for origins, they are almost compulsive in attempting to show that anything worthwhile was previously said by Sir Karl. This book illustrates the faults of the Popperians at their worst and few of their virtues. There is much heat and wit, but little light.--R. J. B. (shrink)
The doctrine of scientific realism has once again come into the center of attention for many philosophers of science, although of course the approaches, arguments, and emphases (...) have somewhat changed. This book is an excellent entree to the current debates on this topic, as seen by van Fraassen who is probably the most direct and severe opponent of scientific realism. What is at stake is nothing less than the ultimate goal of science and the significance of its theories. (shrink)
In this article we show that it is possible to completely classify the degrees of r.e. bases of r.e. vector spaces in terms of weak truth (...) class='Hi'> table degrees. The ideas extend to classify the degrees of complements and splittings. Several ramifications of the classification are discussed, together with an analysis of the structure of the degrees of pairs of r.e. summands of r.e. spaces. (shrink)
Despite the enormous and growing interest in Marx and the availability of Marx's writing in paperback, it is scandalous how little care has been taken in (...) class='Hi'>producing careful texts and English translations of Marx's work. O'Malley's edition is an outstanding exception. It is carefully and intelligently edited. The result makes available an extremely interesting text of Marx. A number of scholars have already argued that in this early critique, one can discover some of the earliest formulations of distinctive Marxian themes. Now the reader can judge for himself, for this is the first full English translation of Marx's Critique. But this Critique is not only extremely important for understanding Marx's intellectual development, it also helps to make Hegel's Philosophy of Right come alive. Marx's fundamental ambivalence toward Hegel is evidenced here. It is clear that Marx is still very much under Hegel's influence and we can see how deeply Hegel is shaping Marx's thought, but there is also a toughness and incisiveness in Marx's criticism of Hegel. O'Malley has provided a very extensive introduction which not only provides the necessary background for understanding this text but also explores the role of this work in the totality of Marx's development. Altogether this edition shows a care and judiciousness which is exceptional. It eminently serves the purpose of making an important text accessible.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Among young liberal Catholic intellectuals, Lonergan is held in extremely high esteem. His philosophic treatise, Insight, is considered to be the important philosophic book where Thomism genuinely (...) encounters contemporary secular philosophy. But outside this circle of Catholic intellectuals Lonergan's thought is barely known. This collection of articles does reflect the comprehensiveness and depth of his thought. Papers range over intricate theological discussions of the Assumption, Christ, marriage, the role of a Catholic university in the modern world, and technical philosophic issues such as the form of inference and geometric possibility. Because the papers are short and have been written for a variety of audiences, it is difficult to discern any overreaching continuity and perspective. Many of the discussions demand a more thorough and critical analysis than is exhibited here. The introduction by Crowe is helpful for reconstructing Lonergan's intellectual development and supplying a broader context for appreciating the papers, although the tone is more reverential than critical.—R. J. B. (shrink)
Cavell is one of the most gifted and sensitive philosophers who has been influenced by Wittgenstein and Austin. He is no slavish disciple but an intelligent and (...) perceptive interpreter of the contemporary sensibility. Six of the ten essays have already appeared in print and some have already become intellectual gems. In "The Availability of Wittgenstein's Later Philosophy," Cavell better than most has managed to capture and convey the spirit and the intensity of the later Wittgenstein. The title essay is the most articulate defense of what ordinary language philosophy can be at its best. But Cavell is also an incisive commentator on Beckett and Kierkegaard. He illuminates a range of aesthetic issues. Cavell's forte is that of an essayist who manages to create in each of his essays a "form of life" within which one can participate and share his insight.--R. J. B. (shrink)
A medley of sensible and informative papers ranging over Advaita Vedanta, the similarities of Eastern and Western philosophy, and social problems of contemporary India.--R. J. B.
A provocative collection of technical and popular essays dealing with a variety of scientific and political topics which Popper has treated in his major works. For the (...) most part Popper develops, sharpens, and extends to new areas, themes which he has already explored. The major theme running through the essays is that knowledge grows by unjustified and unjustifiable anticipations, guesses and conjectures. These are controlled by criticisms and refutations. Theories can never be positively justified; they can only prove to be resistant to rational criticism. The boldness of Popper's conjectures demands attempted refutations on the part of the reader.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Ten years ago Father Ong published a scholarly book, Ramus, Method, and the Decay of Dialogue which led him to raise fundamental questions about the history of (...) the spoken word. Since that time, he has returned to this complex topic from a variety of perspectives, extending his vision over the entire development of Western Civilization. Now in this book he traces the development of the "shifting sensorium," from its oral-aural sources to the subtle take over of the visual world to the new possibilities created by electronic communication. But throughout this history the "mystery" of the spoken word prevails. The spoken word is neither a sign nor a symbol, but a living presence which is at the very center of human life. The mystery of sound "is the most productive of understanding and unity, the most personally human, and in this sense closest to the divine." While Ong ranges over the entire history of man and culture, evoking and exhibiting his claims rather than arguing for them in detail, he opens up for us a fresh and exciting perspective for understanding a wide range of human phenomena.—R. J. B. (shrink)
During the past few years, Smart has published a series of provocative articles in which he has argued for a "tough-minded" scientific materialism. In this book, (...) class='Hi'>which makes use of the articles and combines them with new material, he boldly defends the possibility of a synthetic philosophy which attempts to think clearly and comprehensively about the nature of the universe and the principles of conduct. Starting with a critique of phenomenalism, he argues that the physicist's picture of the world is truer that of the language of ordinary common sense. Continuing with a discussion of biology, secondary qualities, and consciousness, he stoutly maintains that man can be understood as a physical mechanism in a non-anthropocentric space-time world. He concludes with some brief remarks about how materialism is compatible with a humane and beneficent ethic. Reflecting extensive command of recent philosophic and scientific literature, Smart's arguments are clear, sustained and stimulating.—R. J. B. (shrink)
A sampler of Russell's writings from 1963 to 1959 which provides representative selections from his multifarious writings. The book is designed more for the general reader (...) class='Hi'>than for the scholar interested in piecing together the complex mosaic of the man and his work. There is a preface by Bertrand Russell. Handsomely printed, the total effect shows once again how unique and many-sided is this twentieth-century intellectual explorer.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Although political theory was pronounced dead only a few short years ago, this collection of articles shows that much life is left in contemporary political theory. Based (...) on a symposium concerning human rights held at the Sixth World Congress of the International Political Science Association held at Geneva in 1964, the collection includes papers by Macpherson, Polin, Chapman, Cranston, Raphael, Mayo, Schneider, and Fawcett. Macpherson and Polin set the context by exploring the concept of rights in Hobbes and Locke. While the other papers have an eye on traditional discussions, they are also concerned with exploring what "rights" does and can mean in the contemporary world. The international gathering of authors brings together diverse points of view on the common problem of human rights.--R. J. B. (shrink)
When Anscombe wrote her introduction to the Tractatus, she argued that the book should be approached with an awareness of the logical issues that preoccupied Wittgenstein, especially (...) the work of Russell and Frege. The publication of the Notebooks further supported this suggestion. Now Griffin has written a commentary on the set of questions centering on atomic proposition and makes extensive use of the pre-Tractarian writings. As a result, he clarifies a number of technical issues concerning logical atomism. Especially interesting is the use he makes of Hertz in dealing with the Tractatus. Like so many other recent discussions of the Tractatus, Griffin's commentary suffers because he does not attempt to come to grips with the work as a whole.—R. J. B. (shrink)
A medley of sensible and informative papers ranging over Advaita Vedanta, the similarities of Eastern and Western philosophy, and social problems of contemporary India.--R. J. B.
Beginning with a sketch of Aristotelian science and the challenge of the new sciences, Smith leads the reader into a consideration of problems concerning the relation of (...) philosophy and science. Smith provides a panoramic view of traditional and contemporary points of views. Smith also attempts to develop and defend an Aristotelian theory of the philosophy of nature.—R. J. B. (shrink)
A collection of popular and semi-technical philosophic essays written during the past twenty-five years, in which Hook defends an "experimental or pragmatic naturalism." A large part (...) class='Hi'> of the essays are concerned with defending naturalism against its critics and subjecting the recent revival of religion and theology to a devasting polemical attack. Hook's tough-minded intelligence is evident throughout, though he does little toward a careful explication of the knottier problems that cluster about naturalism.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Since the time of Hume and Maine de Biran there have been two dominant views concerning our experience or perception of causality: Humians maintain that there is (...) no direct experience of a causal link between successive events, while followers of Maine de Biran have argued that there is an internal experience of causality. By devising a series of ingenious experiments, Michotte attempts to show that both traditions are mistaken, and that there are causal impressions in the realm of external experience. Whether or not one agrees with Michotte's conclusions, this study does effectively show the relevance of experimental data to an understanding of the perception of causality. There is a forward by R. C. Oldfield, several appendices bringing the research up to date, and a helpful commentary by T. R. Miles.—R. J. B. (shrink)
Madison's Notes of the Convention debates are the central document in this fine series covering the period from the Declaration of Rights of the Stamp Act (...) class='Hi'>Congress to the ratification of the Constitution. The editor's excellent introduction and notes sketch the background and influences on American Constitutionalism.--R. J. B. (shrink)
During the past few years there has appeared an enormous amount of secondary literature dealing with various aspects of the Tractatus. In the main, the purpose animating (...) this scholarship has been a search for a coherent interpretation or key to the Tractatus. Those who have looked forward to the appearance of Black's book for a definitive interpretation of the Tractatus will be disappointed. For Black is not primarily concerned with arguing for a definitive, coherent interpretation. Instead, this book is a companion "intended to make it easier for a serious student of Wittgenstein's early work to reach his own interpretation of the Tractatus." Black has divided the text into "installments" which are introduced by preliminary statements. These are followed by detailed notes commenting on difficult expressions, relevant quotations from Wittgenstein's other works and unpublished manuscripts, explanations of the views to which Wittgenstein refers, cross references to related passages, and occasional free paraphrases of puzzling passages. Given Black's modest but difficult aim, the book will prove invaluable to all students of Wittgenstein, although it will certainly not satisfy those who continue to search for "the key" to what is surely the most mystifying and intriguing philosophic book of our times.—R. J. B. (shrink)
Beginning with a sketch of Aristotelian science and the challenge of the new sciences, Smith leads the reader into a consideration of problems concerning the relation of (...) philosophy and science. Smith provides a panoramic view of traditional and contemporary points of views. Smith also attempts to develop and defend an Aristotelian theory of the philosophy of nature.—R. J. B. (shrink)
There are many signs of a renewed and increasing interest in Hegel. And gradually this is spreading to philosophy students, both graduate and undergraduate. In part, this (...) has been stimulated by the affinity students feel with some of the intellectual orientations that have emerged from, or in reaction to, Hegelianism. In part, it represents a search for a richer intellectual base from which one can explore the pressing issues of our time. Considering the foreignness of the Hegelian idiom from Anglo-Saxon traditions, the problem remains of how to "get into" Hegel. This brief book is intended to serve as an introduction for the uninitiated and it may well serve to whet a student's appetite to study Hegel's own texts. Despite the claim to be an introduction to Hegel's Metaphysics, it is really an introduction to some central themes in Hegel. While its brevity is in some ways an advantage, I am dubious if a student will be able to get very much of a "concrete" idea of what Hegel is "up to." Considering Soll's purpose, he gives too much attention here to commenting on other interpreters of Hegel. For the novice, this will be confusing, and for the serious scholar of Hegel, Soll's almost exclusive concern with English language commentators will seem excessively provincial.--R. J. B. (shrink)
We frequently think of American pragmatism as consisting of the philosophies of Peirce, James, and Dewey. But this picture of pragmatism distorts the actual historical development of (...) this loosely associated movement. As Rucker notes and convincingly shows, it was at the University of Chicago that a truly co-operative movement among pragmatically inclined thinkers evolved. It is the story of this movement that he tells in this book. It is a movement very much involved in the history of the University of Chicago, especially during the period when it was lead William Rainey Harper. Rucker describes for us how the various individuals that make up the Chicago School--including Dewey, Mead, Tufts, Angell--came to Chicago, what were their distinctive contributions, and how they exerted an enormous intellectual influence both on their students and their colleagues, especially those in the social sciences. Rucker not only presents us with a fine intellectual history of the Chicago School from 1895 until 1930, but portrays the school as a paradigm of the spirit of cooperative inquiry which was so central to the deepest convictions of the pragmatists.--R. J. B. (shrink)
This book consists of the papers by Northrop Frye, Stuart Hampshire, and Conor Cruise O'Brien read at the inauguration of the Society for the Humanities. The (...) class='Hi'>topic was eminently suitable for the inauguration because it provided the occasion for three respected humanistic scholars to reflect on the fragile status of scholarship in our troubled times. While each defends the virtues of objectivity and detachment in scholarship, each is aware how easily these virtues can and do degenerate into vices. Frye sketches the balance that must exist between the scholarly virtue of detachment and the moral virtue of concern. The latter includes the sense of importance of preserving the integrity of the total human community. While Hampshire basically accepts the tension that Frye delineates, he explores in greater depth the ways in which committed scholarship in the humanities is an imaginative working out of personal problems felt to be urgent. Lest his colleagues commit the sin of smugness, O'Brien's more astringent paper focuses on the subtle, pervasive pressures of modern politics that perniciously distort scholarship. The papers, together with Black's urbane introduction, are gentle but elegant reminders of the ideals of humanistic scholarship and the ways in which they are threatened in the contemporary marketplace.—R. J. B. (shrink)
This is an anthology with a thesis. For Mrs. Rorty is not only concerned to present us with selections from the "classical" American pragmatists, but to show (...) us how pragmatic themes pervade many aspects of contemporary philosophy. Part One contains ample selections from Peirce, James and Dewey. Part Two consists of some of the criticisms of pragmatism by Russell, Moore and Lovejoy. Part Three is the most interesting and original section. By judiciously selecting papers from a variety of contemporary philosophers, many of whom would probably not think of themselves as pragmatists she shows us how alive pragmatic philosophy is today. There is an excellent bibliography and fine short introductions. Altogether the anthology presents an imaginative perspective on pragmatic philosophy.—R. J. B. (shrink)
Kemp's purpose is to investigate the function of reason in man's practical life. He proceeds by critically discussing the view of Cudworth, Locke, Clarke, Hume, and (...) class='Hi'> Kant on the relation between reason and morality. This serves as a basis for Kemp's own discussion in which, as is characteristic of many contemporary philosophers, he attempts to distinguish carefully between describing a line of conduct and assessing it. He delineates four methods of assessment: conformity of an action to law, consistency of a line of conduct, intelligence of behavior, and insight or discernment of the requirements of a situation. While the approach of Kemp is in the spirit of many other recent investigations of moral discourse and rules, it is not entirely clear in what ways he makes an advance beyond these investigations.—R. J. B. (shrink)
Published in a series, Views and Controversies about Classical Antiquity, this collection consists of fifteen articles or selections dealing with the recent controversy concerning the political doctrines (...) of Plato. Most of the articles were published in direct response to Popper's controversial views expressed in The Open Society and Its Enemies. While some of the more interesting comments on Popper's views are included, a good bibliography and guide to the literature would have greatly increased the value of the book. By photographically reproducing the original articles one might have hoped for an inexpensive edition; instead there is a confusing variety of types.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Recently, work in cybernetics, information theory, computers, artificial intelligence, etc. has become of increasing interest to philosophers. This collection of papers delivered to the Philosophic Institute for (...) Artificial Intelligence at Notre Dame surveys some of the main areas of this field and raises a number of important philosophic issues concerning this work. The introduction by the editors and the selected bibliography are extremely helpful for getting acquainted with the variety of approaches and problems that have been in the foreground of discussion. Especially interesting is the attempt in most of the papers to relate recent research to traditional philosophic issues concerning the nature and capacities of man.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Chisholm's lucid and subtle introduction enables one to understand a wide diversity of selections as well as the import of contemporary realism. Several selections from Brentano, (...) class='Hi'>Meinong and Husserl are translated for the first time. The bibliography is the best and most complete we have in English.--R. J. B. (shrink)
This autobiography is a sheer joy to read. It can be read solely for the biographical information it provides, especially of Sartre's childhood. But it combines (...) class='Hi'>the best of Sartre's philosophical and literary skills and is an example of what might be called "phenomenological biography." Sartre, in describing his youth, self-referentially exhibits in a vivid and concrete way the themes that have preoccupied him as an intellectual. The translation is good, although it is difficult to capture the spareness and directness of the original French.—R. J. B. (shrink)
Three experiments investigated the relationship between subjective experience and attentional lapses during sustained attention. These experiments employed two measures of subjective experience to examine how differences in (...) awareness correspond to variations in both task performance and psycho-physiological measures . This series of experiments examine these phenomena during the Sustained Attention to Response Task . The results suggest we can dissociate between two components of subjective experience during sustained attention: task unrelated thought which corresponds to an absent minded disengagement from the task and a pre-occupation with one's task performance that seems to be best conceptualised as a strategic attempt to deploy attentional resources in response to a perception of environmental demands which exceed ones ability to perform the task. The implications of these findings for our understanding of how awareness is maintained on task relevant material during periods of sustained attention are discussed. (shrink)
A comparison of the views of Peirce and Wittgenstein on logic and mathematics with special reference to negation, relations, and computation. No attempt is made to distinguish (...) carefully the different stages in the development of either philosopher.--R J. B. (shrink)
This anthology is part of the Atherton Controversies Series which is designed to focus on controversial topics in the social sciences. Although the notion of "representation" has (...) been a central one in political theory--especially since the seventeenth century--and has been discussed by a great variety of political theorists and philosophers, there has been a surprising lack of theoretical investigation into just what representation does or ought to mean. Pitkin has written a fine introduction that helps guide the reader through the historical and conceptual labyrinth of conflicting views. In addition to selections from such classic thinkers as Hobbes, Mill, Burke, and Rousseau, there are also a number of selections from contemporaries who have attempted to clarify and sort the various meanings of representation. This would serve as a fine supplementary text for a course in political theory or political philosophy.--R. J. B. (shrink)
Discussions of American philosophy have too frequently fallen into two extreme categories: slavish and plodding exposition; and supercilious and superficial criticism. But what the "classic" American philosophers (...) need is sympathetic but judicious criticism. This book is a model of such criticism. Basically, it consists of two relatively independent monographs--one dealing with Peirce and one with James. Ayer makes no claims to produce a work of historical scholarship. And scholars will find much to quarrel with in this book. But their argument will be with an intelligent and lucid critic. What is especially satisfying is the way in which Ayer discusses some of the more obscure aspects of these philosophers such as Peirce's categories and his theory of signs, and the way in which he attempts to make sense of some of their more controversial claims such as those of James in the Will to Believe. Ayer pulls no punches in pointing out what he takes to be mistaken and untenable; throughout there is a critical dialogue. One can disagree on numerous points of interpretation, but one can only admire the high level of critique. This is the sort of intelligent criticism that these two seminal thinkers deserve.--R. J. B. (shrink)