John Mcdowell

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.

Genres: Philosophy

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2004

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Not to be confused with Historian Tim Thornton, Writer/Musician Tim Thornton or Yachting/IT expert Tim Thornton.

Tim Thornton completed his PhD on Wittgenstein and judgement in the History and Philosophy of Science Department of the University of Cambridge before becoming Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is now Professor of Philosophy and Mental Health in the newly established Institute for Philosophy, Diversity and Mental Health at the University of Central Lancashire.