John Mcdowell (Philosophy Now) by Tim Thornton

John McDowell's contribution to philosophy has ranged across Greek philosophy, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, metaphysics and ethics. His writings have drawn on the works of, amongst others, Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, Sellars, and Davidson. His contributions have made him one of the most widely read, discussed and challenging philosophers writing today. This book provides a careful account of the main claims that McDowell advances in a number of different areas of philosophy. The interconnections between the different arguments are highlighted and Tim Thornton shows how these individual projects are unified in a post-Kantian framework that articulates the preconditions of thought and language. Thornton sets out the differing strands of McDowell's work prior to, and leading up to, their combination in the broader philosophical vision revealed in "Mind and World" and provides an interpretative and critical framework that will help shape ongoing debates surrounding McDowell's work. An underlying theme of the book is whether McDowell's therapeutic approach to philosophy, which owes much to the later Wittgenstein, is consistent with the substance of McDowell's discussion of nature that uses the vocabulary of other philosophers including, centrally, Kant.

Review:

"Tim Thornton has not only written a fine introduction to McDowell's philosophy, but also made a valuable contribution to the professional literature." - The Philosophers' Magazine "Excellent - subtle, illuminating, sophisticated - I would recommend it to any professional." - Mind "a valuable work [that] will contribute to advanced debates about McDowell's works, as well as helping students who are as yet unfamiliar with his challenging, and sometimes opaquely-formulated, but deeply stimulating and humane essays." - Philosophical Investigations