Skip to content
Scan a barcode
Scan
Added to your cart
Paperback Words and Life Book

ISBN: 0674956079

ISBN13: 9780674956070

Words and Life

Select Format

Select Condition ThriftBooks Help Icon

Recommended

Format: Paperback

Condition: New

$14.48
Save $4.47!
List Price $18.95
15 Available
Ships within 4-7 days

Book Overview

Hilary Putnam has been convinced for some time that the present situation in philosophy calls for revitalization and renewal; in this latest book he shows us what shape he would like that renewal to take. Words and Life offers a sweeping account of the sources of several of the central problems of philosophy, past and present, and of why some of those problems are not going to go away. As the titles of the first four parts in the volume--"The Return of Aristotle," "The Legacy of Logical Positivism," "The Inheritance of Pragmatism," and "Essays after Wittgenstein"--suggest, many of the essays are concerned with tracing the recent, and the not so recent, history of these problems.

The goal is to bring out what is coercive and arbitrary about some of our present ways of posing the problems and what is of continuing interest in certain past approaches to them. Various supposedly timeless philosophical problems appear, on closer inspection, to change with altered historical circumstances, while there turns out to be much of permanent value in Aristotle's, Peirce's, Dewey's, and Reichenbach's work on some of the problems that continue to exercise us.

A unifying theme of the volume as a whole is that reductionism, scientism, and old-style disenchanted naturalism tend to be obstacles to philosophical progress. The titles of the final three parts of the volume--"Truth and Reference," "Mind and Language," and "The Diversity of the Sciences"--indicate that the sweep of the problems considered here comprehends all the fundamental areas of contemporary analytic philosophy. Rich in detail, the book is also grand in scope, allowing us to trace the ongoing intellectual evolution of one of the most significant philosophers of the century.

Related Subjects

Poetry
Batman, Volume 3: I Am Bane
Batman, Volume 3: I Am Bane
Tom King

from: $10.49

A Very DC Rebirth Holiday
A Very DC Rebirth Holiday
Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Tom King, Tim Seeley, Amanda Conner, Gene Luen Yang, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mariko Tamaki, James Tynion IV, Steve Orlando, Tom King, Eoin Colfer

from: $9.99

Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition, Book 2
Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition, Book 2
Tom King

Out of Stock

Batman, Vol. 5: The Rules of Engagement
Batman, Vol. 5: The Rules of Engagement
Tom King

from: $9.19

Batman, Vol. 9: The Tyrant Wing
Batman, Vol. 9: The Tyrant Wing
Tom King

from: $15.69

Batman #57
Batman #57
Tom King

Out of Stock

Batman (2016-) #103
Batman (2016-) #103
James Tynion IV

Out of Stock

Batman, Vol. 1: I Am Gotham
Batman, Vol. 1: I Am Gotham
Ivan Reis, Tom King, Mike Janin, Scott Snyder, David Finch

from: $5.59

Batman, Vol. 2: I Am Suicide
Batman, Vol. 2: I Am Suicide
Tom King

from: $7.59

Batman/The Flash: The Button
Batman/The Flash: The Button
Tom King, Joshua Williamson

from: $8.69

Batman, Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles
Batman, Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles
Mikel Janín, Tom King, Clay Mann, June Chung

from: $30.79

Batman, Vol. 8: Cold Days
Batman, Vol. 8: Cold Days
Tom King

Out of Stock

Batman, Vol. 7: The Wedding
Batman, Vol. 7: The Wedding
Tom King

from: $11.39

Batman, Vol 10: Knightmares
Batman, Vol 10: Knightmares
Tom King

from: $30.89

Batman, Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar
Batman, Vol. 6: Bride or Burglar
Tom King

from: $5.99

Batman: City of Bane: the Complete Collection
Batman: City of Bane: the Complete Collection
Tom King

from: $22.19

Batman, Vol. 2: The Joker War
Batman, Vol. 2: The Joker War
James Tynion IV

from: $9.49

Batman & Catwoman: Das Hochzeitsalbum
Batman & Catwoman: Das Hochzeitsalbum
Tom King, Lee Weeks, Michael Lark, Neal Adams, Frank Miller, Joëlle Jones, Jim Lee, Mikel Janín

Out of Stock

Batman, Vol. 12: City of Bane, Part 1
Batman, Vol. 12: City of Bane, Part 1
Tom King

from: $8.29

Batman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book One
Batman: Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book One
Tom King, Scott Snyder, Jordie Bellaire

from: $16.39

Batman by Tom King & Lee Weeks Deluxe Edition
Batman by Tom King & Lee Weeks Deluxe Edition
Tom King

Out of Stock

BATMAN #31
BATMAN #31
Tom King

Out of Stock

Batman #11 "I Am Suicide" Mikel Janin Bane Main Cover
Batman #11 "I Am Suicide" Mikel Janin Bane Main Cover
Tom King

Out of Stock

Batman #56 Foil
Batman #56 Foil
Tom King

Out of Stock

Customer Reviews

2 customer ratings | 0 review
There are currently no reviews. Be the first to review this work.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
GoDaddy Verified and Secured