Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy

Analytic philosophy is difficult to define since it is not so much a specific doctrine as a loose concatenation of approaches to problems. As well as having strong ties to scientism—the notion that only the methods of the natural sciences give rise to knowledge—it also has humanistic ties to the great thinkers and philosophical problems of the past. Moreover, no single feature characterizes the activities of analytic philosophers. Undaunted by these difficulties, Avrum Stroll investigates the "family resemblances" between that impressive breed of thinkers known as analytic philosophers. In so doing, he grapples with the point and purpose of doing what is philosophy. What are its tasks? What kind of information, illumination, and understanding is it supposed to provide if it is not one of the natural sciences? Imbued with clarity, liveliness, and philosophical sophistication, Stroll's book presents a synoptic picture of the main developments in logic, philosophy of language, epistemology, and metaphysics in the past century. It does this by concentrating on the individual thinkers whose ideas have been most influential. Major themes include the innovation of mathematical logic by Gottlob Frege and its development by Bertrand Russell, the impact of scientific advancements on philosophy, and the various approaches to logic and language among notable philosophers. The book covers theories of Carnap, Quine, Ryle, Austin, Putnam, Kripke, Searle, Marcus, and the Churchlands, presenting analytic philosophy as a domain of personalities and their competing methods and arguments.