12 Modern Philosophers

Featuring essays from leading philosophical scholars, 12 Modern Philosophers explores the works, origins, and influences of twelve of the most important late 20th Century philosophers working in the analytic tradition. Draws on essays from well-known scholars, including Thomas Baldwin, Catherine Wilson, Adrian Moore and Lori Gruen Locates the authors and their oeuvre within the context of the discipline as a whole Considers how contemporary philosophy both draws from, and contributes to, the broader intellectual and cultural milieu

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments vi Notes on Contributors vii Introduction Christopher Belshaw and Gary Kemp 1 1 Quine A. W. Moore 16 2 Rawls Thomas Baldwin 34 3 Davidson Ernie Lepore and Kirk Ludwig 54 4 Williams Catherine Wilson 76 5 Rorty Alan Malachowski 94 6 Fodor José Luis Bermúdez 115 7 Nagel Sonia Sedivy 134 8 Kripke Alexander Bird 153 9 Nozick A. R. Lacey 173 10 Parfit Jacob Ross 192 11 McDowell Marie McGinn 216 12 Singer Lori Gruen 232 Index 251

About the Author :
Christopher Belshaw is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Staff Tutor with the Open University. He works mainly at the theoretical end of applied ethics. He is the author of Ideas (Open University 1998), Environmental Philosophy (Acumen, 2001) and 10 Good Questions About Life and Death (Blackwell, 2005). Another book, Annihilation: The Sense and Significance of Death, is forthcoming. Gary Kemp is Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department at the University of Glasgow. He works in the philosophy of logic and language, on Frege, Russell, Quine and Davidson, and on aesthetics and philosophical themes in literature. He is the author of Quine: A Guide for the Perplexed (2005) and, with Tracy Bowell, of Critical Thinking: A Concise Guide (2002, 2005, 2009).

Review :
"The 12 essays by 12 different authors are clear and concise; they offer both summaries and critiques that give valuable guidance to those who are new to the writings of these thinkers." (CHOICE, 2009) “It is recommended not only to readers not yet familiar with philosophical discourse and concerns, but also to 'insiders' who wish to get a clearer view of the various debates and discussions that are taking place in philosophy today.” (Metapsychology, August 2009) "This book was a superb idea and has been superbly done." Brad Hooker, University of Reading   "This engaging collection of incisive and lucid essays on twelve major contemporary contributors to the subject elegantly delivers a synoptic view that, in making this work readily comprehensible to the non-specialist without a hint of oversimplification, shows philosophy for what it is at its best: enlivening, stimulating, exacting, and – true to the promise of its Socratic origins – ever capable of provocatively unsettling the otherwise unexamined presumptions that would blind us to life’s absorbing complexities. Informative, illuminating reading." Garry L. Hagberg, University of East Anglia