Talking Philosophy: Dialogues with Fifteen Leading Philosophers

by Bryan Magee

Overview

Based on a highly successful BBC television series, this book presents fifteen dialogues between author and broadcaster Bryan Magee and some of the most important thinkers of the twentieth century.

Isaiah Berlin considers the fundamental question, "What is philosophy?," A. J. Ayer reviews logical positivism, and Iris Murdoch talks about the relation between philosophy and literature. Moral philosophy, political philosophy, the philosophy of language, and the philosophy of science are all treated in depth by the thinkers who have shaped these fields—including Noam Chomsky, W. V. O. Quine, and Herbert Marcuse. Written in an informal, conversational style, even the most difficult philosophical ideas are made accessible to the general reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192854179
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/18/2001
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 5.14(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Bryan Magee has held academic positions at Yale University, King's College London, and Oxford University. He is an independent writer, critic, and broadcaster whose many books include The Great Philosophers, Confessions of a Philosopher, and Aspects of Wagner.

Table of Contents

Preface, Bryan Magee1. An Introduction to Philosophy, Isaiah Berlin2. Marxist Philosophy, Charles Taylor3. Marcuse and the Frankfurt School, Herbert Marcuse4. Heidegger and Modern Existentialism, William Barrett5. The Two Philosophies of Wittgenstein, Anthony Quinton6. Logical Positivism and its Legacy, A. J. Ayer7. The Spell of Linguistic Philosophy, Bernard Williams8. Moral Philosophy, R. M. Hare9. The Ideas of Quine, W. V. O. Quine10. The Philosophy of Language, John Searle11. The Ideas of Chomsky, Noam Chomsky12. The Philosophy of Science, Hilary Putnam13. Philosophy and Politics, Ronald Dworkin14. Philosophy and Literature, Iris Murdoch15. Philosophy: The Social Context, Ernest GellnerSuggestions for Further Reading

Editorial Reviews

Review from previous edition: "Intellectual instruction and entertainment of a high order"—Observer

From the Publisher