Origins of Analytical Philosophy / Edition 1

by Michael Dummett

Overview

For half a century analytical philosophy has dominated professional philosophy in English-speaking countries. When contrasted with "Continental" philosophy, analytical philosophy is often called "Anglo-American." Michael Dummett argues that this is a misnomer: "Anglo-Austrian" would be a more accurate label, for analytical philosophy arose in the same milieu as the principal rival school of phenomenology. Furthermore, the two schools have the same roots. By reexamining the similar origins of the two traditions, we can come to understand why they later diverged so widely, and thus take the first step toward reconciliation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674644731
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	09/01/1996
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	212
Product dimensions:	5.69(w) x 8.88(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Michael Dummett was Wykeham Professor of Logic, Emeritus, at the University of Oxford.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• The History of Thinkers and the History of Ideas
• The Linguistic Turn
• Truth and Meaning
• The Extrusion of Thoughts from the Mind
• The Legacy of Brentano
• Husserl’s View of Meaning
• Sense without Reference
• Noemata and Idealism
• Frege on Perception
• Grasping a Thought
• Husserl on Perception: the Generalisation of Meaning
• Proto-Thoughts
• Thought and Language
• Conclusion: a Methodology or a Subject-Matter?
• Appendix: Interview
• Index

Editorial Reviews

Dummett rightly says that many of the roots of analytical philosophy are to be found in German-speaking lands...The defining characteristic of analytical philosophy [he argues] is its attempt to base a comprehensive philosophical account of thought on a philosophical account of language. For anyone interested in that project, this book would be an excellent investment. It shows, clearly and concisely, how the essential first step for such a project is what Dummett calls 'the extrusion of thought from the mind.'

Economist

Dummett rightly says that many of the roots of analytical philosophy are to be found in German-speaking lands...The defining characteristic of analytical philosophy [he argues] is its attempt to base a comprehensive philosophical account of thought on a philosophical account of language. For anyone interested in that project, this book would be an excellent investment. It shows, clearly and concisely, how the essential first step for such a project is what Dummett calls 'the extrusion of thought from the mind.'

Economist

Dummett (logic, Oxford U.) says that the school of philosophy that has dominated English-speaking academia for the past half- century is closely related to the Austrian school. Both, he says, derive from Bernard Balano's denial that thoughts are contents of the mind, and from Franz Brentano's centralizing intentionality as the defining feature of the mind. He also shows how the two schools have diverged, and suggests how they can be reconciled. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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