The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-Century PhilosophyPart memoir, part study, The Making of a Philosopher is the self–portrait of a deeply intelligent mind as it develops over a life on both sides of the Atlantic. The Making of a Philosopher follows Colin McGinn from his early years in England reading Descartes and Anselm, to his years in the states, first in Los Angeles, then New York. McGinn presents a contemporary academic take on the great philosophical figures of the twentieth century, including Bertrand Russell, Jean–Paul Sartre, and Noam Chomsky, alongside stories of the teachers who informed his ideas and often became friends and mentors, especially the colorful A.J. Ayer at Oxford. McGinn's prose is always elegant and probing; students of contemporary philosophy and the general reader alike will absorb every page. |
From inside the book
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... thought; philosophy has its funny side, and its all-too-human side. Philosophers, after all, are human beings too, surprising as that may sound. Colin McGinn New York July 2001 Chapter One First Stirrings I WAS BORN IN 1950 ,
... thought of going to university, and the idea had never been mentioned in my house; it was not something a McGinn had ... thoughts turned rather to becoming a circus acrobat or professional percussionist. But one day at school we were ...
... thought ; we know the definition of the word " God , " but what we don't know is whether there is anything in reality that answers to this definition . An agnostic who doubts God's existence surely knows perfectly well what the word ...
... thought yourself to be in contact. Consciousness acquaints you only with its own contents, a play of images upon a mental screen. When I first encountered this argument I would stare at the furniture around me and try to force my mind ...
... thought that the existence of God was rationally questionable but that the external world was solid as a rock, yet reason tells us that we can be surer of God's existence than of our neighbor's existence. Divinities are more certain ...
Contents
Chapter Three Logic and Language | |
Chapter Four Mind and Reality | |
Chapter Five Belief Desire and Wittgenstein | |
Chapter Six Consciousness and Cognition | |
Chapter Seven Metaphilosophy and Fiction | |
Chapter Eight Evil Beauty and Logic | |
Acknowledgments | |
Other editions - View all
The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-Century Philosophy Colin McGinn Limited preview - 2003 |
The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-century Philosophy Colin McGinn No preview available - 2003 |
The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-Century Philosophy Colin McGinn No preview available - 2002 |