The Last Word

If there is such a thing as reason, it has to be universal. Reason must reflect objective principles whose validity is independent of our point of view--principles that anyone with enough intelligence ought to be able to recognize as correct. But this generality of reason is what relativists and subjectivists deny in ever-increasing numbers. And such subjectivism is not just an inconsequential intellectual flourish or badge of theoretical chic. It is exploited to deflect argument and to belittle the pretensions of the arguments of others. The continuing spread of this relativistic way of thinking threatens to make public discourse increasingly difficult and to exacerbate the deep divisions of our society. In The Last Word, Thomas Nagel, one of the most influential philosophers writing in English, presents a sustained defense of reason against the attacks of subjectivism, delivering systematic rebuttals of relativistic claims with respect to language, logic, science, and ethics. He shows that the last word in disputes about the objective validity of any form of thought must lie in some unqualified thoughts about how things are--thoughts that we cannot regard from outside as mere psychological dispositions.

About the Author :
Thomas Nagel is Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University. He is the author of The View from Nowhere, What Does It All Mean?, The Possibility of Altruism, Mortal Questions, Equality and Partiality, and Other Minds: Critical Essays, 1969-1994.

Review :
"...[a] subtle, compact, and forceful book....The Last Word is a work of philosophical reflection...a significant contribution to the culture wars of our time."--New York Review of Books "...[a] subtle, compact, and forceful book....The Last Word is a work of philosophical reflection...a significant contribution to the culture wars of our time."--New York Review of Books "Nagel's book is a ringing defense of the rationalist conception of reason and an uncompromising attack on the subjectivist conception.... Nagel applies his general anti-subjectivist argument in a number of areas, including language, logic, arithmetic and ethics....The case that Nagel presents in these chapters should disturb all those who have been lulled, or bludgeoned, into the flabby relativism that is so rampant in contemporary intellectual culture....Nagel's argument is not only correct, it is also urgent....The Last Word is a book that should be read and pondered in this golden age of subjectivism."--Colin McGinn, The New Republic "Thomas Nagel stands out among today's best philosophers in retaining closer links with the big puzzles and mysteries that first attract most people to philosophy. He has a livelier sense of their depth and power than is conspicuous elsewhere in the academic study of philosophy, and admirably resists the widespread tendency to deny a thing's existence because it is difficult or perhaps impossible to understand."--The Times Literary Supplement "...now comes Professor Nagel's fascinating, even brilliant, book..."--Commonweal "Recommended."--The Key Reporter "...[Nagel's] book, which is concise, spare, and well-argued, will prolong discussion by setting it on a new path....what he has to say is challenging, impressive, and thought-provoking."--International Philosophical Quarterly "How refreshing and intellectually stimulating it is to read a philosopher - and one as smart as Thomas Nagel - say a favorable word on behalf of Descartes."--First Things "...the combination of a question fundamental to all intellectual life, lucid writing, and intelligent argumentation warrants highly recommending The Last Word to a wide audience."--Review of Metaphysics