The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy: (Bloomsbury Companions)

Featuring chapters on the latest developments in fifteen core subjects in analytic philosophy, The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy is an essential guide for all those working in the field today. Introducing its history and looking ahead to new research directions, this companion brings together a team of internationally renowned philosophers to explore the major concepts, thinkers and areas of inquiry in the analytic tradition With an extensive glossary, an annotated bibliography, a timeline of major events and publications, and a guide to further resources, this comprehensive companion is ideal for use on courses. Broken down into three parts, it covers: The history of analytic philosophy, from Frege, Moore and Russell to Wittgenstein, the Vienna Circle and beyond the more recent work of four influential American philosophers: Quine, Davidson, Putnam and Kripke Current analytic philosophy in action in subjects such as philosophy of mind and language, moral and political philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology and the philosophy of science, mathematics, perception, free will and personal identity Recent trends and developments such as the rise of specialisation and science, self-consciousness and analytic metaphysics Broaching the controversial question of what analytical philosophy is, explaining how it differs from Continental Philosophy and exploring the extent to which it in a state of crisis, The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy presents an authoritative introduction to the origins and future of Anglo-America's dominant philosophical tradition. Now available in paperback, this edition includes updated references and a chapter on Ethics and the problem of overdemandingnes.

Table of Contents:
Part I: History, Methods and Problems, Barry Dainton 1 A Different World 2 From Idealism to a Realistic (Platonic) Pluralism 3 Principia Ethica 4. Principles and Paradox 5 Frege 6 On Denoting, Acquaintance and Construction 7 Wittgenstein and the Tractatus 8 The Vienna Circle and its “Wissenschaftliche Weltauffassung” 9 Later Wittgenstein 10 Quine 11 Oxford and Ordinary Language 12 Developments in Ethics 13 Davidson 14 Kripke and Putnam 15 Analytic Philosophy of Mind (with Howard Robinson) Appendix: A Simple Introduction to Tarski's Theory of Truth Part II: Current Research and Issues Introduction to Part II, Barry Dainton and Howard Robinson 16. Mathematics and Logic, Mary Leng 17. Philosophy and Language, Barry C Smith 18. Meaning, Normativity and Naturalism, Richard Gaskin 19. Philosophy of Science, James Ladyman 20. Philosophy of Physics, Barry Loewer 21. Causation, Helen Beebee 22. Metaphysics, E.J Lowe 23. Philosophy of Mind: Consciousness, Intentionality and Ignorance, Daniel Stoljar 24. Personal Identity: Are we Ontological Trash?, Mark Johnston 25. Free Will, Ferenc Huoranszki 26. Knowledge, Bryan Frances & Allan Hazlett 27. The Philosophy of Perception: An Introduction, Paul Snowdon 28. Practical Reasons: The Problem of Gridlock, Ruth Chang 29. Political Obligation, and the Site and Scope of Justice, Andres Moles 30. Ethics: The Overdemandingness Problem, Attila Tanyi Part III: New Directions in Analytic Philosophy, Barry Dainton and Howard Robinson 1. Specialization and Science 2. Mind and Consciousness 3. Analytic Metaphysics 4. Rising Self-Consciousness 5. Crisis? 30. Coda A: What is Analytic Philosophy?, Barry Dainton and Howard Robinson 31. Coda B: Analytic versus Continental, Howard Robinson Notes Part IV: Research Resources Chronology Timeline of Individual Philosophers A-Z of Key Terms and Concepts Resources Annotated Bibliography Part A Analytic Philosophy and its History Part B by Subject and Chapter Bibliography Author Index Subject Index

About the Author :
Barry Dainton is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, UK. His previous publications include Stream of Consciousness (2nd edition, 2006), The Phenomenal Self (2008) and Time and Space (2nd edition, 2010). Howard Robinson is University Professor in the Philosophy Department at Central European University in Budapest, recurrent Visiting Scholar at Fordham University in New York and Senior Fellow of the Center for the Philosophy of Religion at Rutgers University, New Jersey.

Review :
This reviewer can think of no better book for students about to enter graduate school in analytic philosophy, or indeed for anyone with some knowledge of the field who needs a general guide to fill in the gaps.The volume has obvious competition--free, peer-reviewed resources exist online covering the subtopics of philosophy. Thus it needs to justify its nontrivial price tag, and it does.The pitch of the articles is more historical and the articles themselves are more readable than those in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and more in-depth than those in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Summing Up: Highly Recommended. The organization of the book is excellent ... The contributors cover debates on philosophy of language, science, mathematics, ethics, political obligation, free will, personal identity, practical reason, normativity, mind, perception and metaphysics with clarity and accuracy. An impressive volume featuring well-chosen contributors and formidable editorial scholarship. Its combination of original topic-based essays and clear historical introductions, together with a glossary, brief chronologies and extensive bibliographies, will make it of great use to undergraduates and researchers alike. The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy edited by Barry Dainton and Howard Robinson is a valuable contribution to the growing literature on the history, practice, and nature of analytic philosophy. The editors provide an engaging and informative overview of the history and major figures of analytic philosophy as well as insightful discussions of such issues as what is distinctive about analytic philosophy and the differences between analytic and Continental philosophy. This multi-faceted volume also features advanced survey articles by leading philosophers on the major areas of analytic philosophy. The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy is an excellent resource for students and researchers and anyone interested in analytic philosophy, the most important movement in recent and contemporary philosophy. This is a welcome addition to the Bloomsbury Companions series. The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy manages to combine philosophical investigation and historically informed introduction. If you want a comprehensive guide to analytic philosophy, look no further. The Bloomsbury Companion to Analytic Philosophy is a very useful addition to the literature on the history and prospects of broadly analytic approaches to philosophical issues. The extensive introduction is especially useful, and offers a lucid and insightful overview of the historical development of analytic philosophy. The chapters provide state of the art overviews of individual topics by acknowledged experts. And the coda seeks to assess the prospects of work in the analytic tradition. The book will be of value for anyone seeking a synoptic view of work within the analytic tradition.