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The Analytic Tradition In Philosophy, Volume 1: The Founding Giants

This is the first of five volumes of a definitive history of analytic philosophy from the invention of modern logic in 1879 to the end of the twentieth century. Scott Soames, a leading philosopher of language and historian of analytic philosophy, provides the fullest and most detailed account of the analytic tradition yet published, one that is unmatched in its chronological range, topics covered, and depth of treatment. Focusing on the major milestones and distinguishing them from the dead ends, Soames gives a seminal account of where the analytic tradition has been and where it appears to be heading.Volume 1 examines the initial phase of the analytic tradition through the major contributions of three of its four founding giants--Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, and G. E. Moore. Soames describes and analyzes their work in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and the philosophy of language. He explains how by about 1920 their efforts had made logic, language, and mathematics central to philosophy in an unprecedented way. But although logic, language, and mathematics were now seen as powerful tools to attain traditional ends, they did not yet define philosophy. As volume 1 comes to a close, that was all about to change with the advent of the fourth founding giant, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and the 1922 English publication of his Tractatus, which ushered in a "linguistic turn" in philosophy that was to last for decades.

Hardcover: 680 pages

Publisher: Princeton University Press (March 23, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0691160023

ISBN-13: 978-0691160023

Product Dimensions: 2 x 5 x 8 inches

Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #53 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Analytic Philosophy #2657 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > History & Surveys #161372 in Books > History

Well, I did and profited greatly from it, but it took much of my free time for a month. (I admit to a special interest in the history of analytic philosophy, having made my own modest contributions in print to the subject.) Soames is a leading figure in contemporary philosophy and he brings all of his brilliance and expertise to bear on the philosophical convolutions of The Founding Giants--Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, and G. E. Moore (and they ARE convoluted). Soames's book is 650 or so densely packed pages of detailed philosophical explanations and argumentation. He makes no compromises with the reader. All of the topics are treated in daunting, tricky and technical, and illuminating detail, many definitely requiring further study. A first pass on a straight-through reading like I did hardly does them justice.This is volume 1 of what promises to be a monumental 5 volume history of analytic philosophy. This is definitely not for the general reader--it is aimed at fellow practitioners.Soames offers the clearest, best, most searching examinations of many of the topics he covers: E.g. the formal logic of Frege's philosophy of mathematics and language, Moore's ethics, and Russell's logicism.Soames's book is a philosophical history. There is very little about the social, political, and cultural aspects of analytic philosophy and likewise very little about the lives and characters of the philosophers studied. E.g. one reads this entire work without learning that Russell was a pacifist during WW1 and spent six months in jail as a result.What Soames does is open the hood, dismantle the engine and minutely examine all the working parts of the seminal works of Frege, Russell, and Moore.

The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy, Volume 1: The Founding Giants Philosophy's Second Revolution: Early and Recent Analytic Philosophy The Story of Analytic Philosophy: Plot and Heroes (Routledge Studies in Twentieth-Century Philosophy) Learning from the Giants: Life and Leadership Lessons from the Bible (Giants of the Bible) Contemporary Analytic Philosophy: Core Readings (2nd Edition) Redrawing the Lines: Analytic Philosophy, Deconstruction, and Literary Theory (Minnesota Archive Editions) Analytic Philosophy: An Anthology What is Analytic Philosophy? The Oxford Handbook of The History of Analytic Philosophy (Oxford Handbooks) A Brief History of Analytic Philosophy: From Russell to Rawls Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy Classics of Analytic Philosophy (Hackett Classics) Fashionable Nihilism: A Critique of Analytic Philosophy Reading in The Philosophy of Religion: An Analytic Approach, 2nd Edition Heidegger's Analytic: Interpretation, Discourse and Authenticity in Being and Time (Modern European Philosophy) Analytic versus Continental: Arguments on the Methods and Value of Philosophy Analytic Philosophy in America: And Other Historical and Contemporary Essays What Philosophers Know: Case Studies in Recent Analytic Philosophy The Human Tradition in Modern Japan (The Human Tradition around the World series) The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking: A Student's Guide (Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition)