McDowell and His Critics

by Macdonald, Cynthia; Macdonald, Graham

• ISBN13: 9780470776254
• ISBN10: 0470776250
• Edition: 1st
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2008-02-25
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

The most comprehensive discussion available of the work of philosopher, John McDowell.

Contains newly commissioned papers by distinguished philosophers on McDowell’s work, along with substantial replies to each by McDowell himself.

The contributors are philosophers with international reputations for their work in the areas in which they are contributing.

Covers the whole of McDowell’s philosophy, including his contributions in ancient philosophy, moral philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, metaphysics and epistemology.

McDowell’s replies to the contributions in this volume contribute to the body of his work.

Author Biography

Cynthia Macdonald is Professor of Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast and Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Her previous publications include Mind–Body Identity Theories (1989), Varieties of Things: Foundations of Contemporary Metaphysics (Blackwell, 2005), and she is co-editor, with Stephen Laurence, of Contemporary Readings in the Foundations of Metaphysics (Blackwell, 1998).

Graham Macdonald is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and Distinguished International Fellow at the Institute of Cognition and Culture, Queen’s University Belfast. He is co-author, with Philip Pettit, of Semantics and Social Science (1980). In addition, he is editor of Perception and Identity: Essays Presented to A. J. Ayer, with His Replies to Them (1979), co-editor, with Crispin Wright, of Fact, Science, and Morality (Blackwell, 1986), and co-editor, with Philip Catton, of Karl Popper: Critical Appraisals (2004).

Together, they have edited Philosophy of Psychology: Debates on Psychological Explanation and Connectionism: Debates on Psychological Explanation (both Blackwell, 1995).

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors.

Introduction.

1 Austerity and Openness: R. M. Sainsbury(University of Texas at Austin and King’s College London).

Response to Sainsbury: John McDowell.

2 Reason and Language: Richard G. Heck, Jr. (Brown University and Arché).

Response to Heck: John McDowell.

3 Some Philosophical Integrations: Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia University).

Response to Bilgrami: John McDowell.

4 Self-Knowledge and Inner Space: Cynthia Macdonald (University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and Queen’s University Belfast).

Response to Macdonald: John McDowell.

5 Personal Identity, Ethical not Metaphysical: Carol Rovane (Columbia University).

Response to Rovane: John McDowell.

6 Acting in the Light of the Appearances: Jonathan Dancy (University of Reading and University of Texas at Austin).

Response to Dancy: John McDowell.

7 External Reasons: Philip Pettit and Michael Smith (Princeton University).

Response to Pettit and Smith: John McDowell.

8 Aristotle’s Use of Prudential Concepts: T. H. Irwin (Cornell University).

Response to Irwin: John McDowell.

9 Julius Caesar and George Berkeley Play Leapfrog: Simon Blackburn (University of Cambridge).

Response to Blackburn: John McDowell.

10 The Two Natures: Another Dogma?: Graham Macdonald (University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and Queen’s University Belfast).

Response to Macdonald: John McDowell.

Index