Making names: an idea of philosophy

by Andrew Malcolm

This controversial philosophy text, subtitled 'an Idea of Philosophy' and aimed at a general readership, became the subject of a marathon lawsuit fought against Oxford University (Press) which the author famously won in the UK Court of Appeal in 1990. The case fundamentally redrew UK author-publisher law, and left the book subject to an Oxford condition which makes it additionally unique in literary history. The book itself has been described as 'a modern Platonic dialogue', and consists, after a passage of Oxbridge scene-setting, of a day-long conversation between two strangers who meet one summer's morning in a near-miss car accident. After introductions, Andrew Cause, a philosopher, subjects Malcolm Effect, a research scientist, to a sustained sceptical attack upon the inadequacies and inconsistencies of his world-view. Traditional problems are introduced, including those of mind and body, cause and effect, free will, universals, and the nature of moral goodness. Cause identifies the scientist's particle theory of matter as a crucially mistaken and hopeless metaphysics which has now outlived any usefulness. Step by step, Effect is reduced to a state of confusion, and finally he demands that Cause produce an alternative. In a literally dramatic climax the philosopher invokes a new model which, he claims, gets to the heart of things...

435 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1993