Collingwood: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) [Paperback]

A. Ridley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1999 | ISBN-10: 0415923999 | ISBN-13: 978-0415923996 | Edition: 1

Philosophy is one of the most intimidating and difficult of disciplines, as any of its students can attest. This book is an important entry in a distinctive new series from Routledge: "The Great Philosophers." Breaking down obstacles to understanding the ideas of history's greatest thinkers, these brief, accessible, and affordable volumes offer essential introductions to the great philosophers of the Western tradition from Plato to Wittgenstein.
In just 64 pages, each author, a specialist on his subject, places the philosopher and his ideas into historical perspective. Each volume explains, in simple terms, the basic concepts, enriching the narrative through the effective use of biographical detail. And instead of attempting to explain the philosopher's entire intellectual history, which can be daunting, this series takes one central theme in each philosopher's work, using it to unfold the philosopher's thoughts.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Once in a while, a publication comes along that on first sight seems oddly out of place but on second viewing is admirably suited to its purpose. This little series of biographical summaries of the thoughts of 24 Western philosophers from Democritus to Derrida is admirable not only for its reasonable price but even more for the intelligence and clarity of the writing. Each volume has been prepared by an expert in the subject, and the result is a series of well-drawn and exceptionally useful pocket-size (4.5 x 7 inches) sketches of major figures in the history of Western thought. The level is such that no special background in philosophy is required to understand the concepts discussed. Each volume also contains a short bibliography, some of which refer to electronic journals or web sites. Most of the individuals chosen for the series come as no surprise, e.g., Descartes, Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Locke, Hume, Plato, and Socrates. But there are a few unexpected choices, like Alan Turing and Karl PopperAalthough on further consideration, they make more sense. Turing's influence on mathematics and on the development of computers has long been recognized, but his 1936 paper "On Compatible Numbers," which appeared in the Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society in 1936-37, influenced studies in the philosophy of mind. Popper's development of the concept of "historicism" in such works as The Open Society and Its Enemies and The Poverty of Historicism significantly influenced 20th-century political thought. Ultimately, this set should be in every academic and public library as well as many school libraries.ATerry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

...he [Ridley] brings to life the importance of art as an antidote to the corruption of consciousness, our ignorance of our own hearts.
–Steven Burns, Philosophy in Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415923999
• ISBN-13: 978-0415923996
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,004,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of Collingwood's Principles of Art, demonstrating it to have implications far beyond mere aesthetics, September 27, 2011

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This review is from: Collingwood: The Great Philosophers (The Great Philosophers Series) (Paperback)

First off, it should be noted that in spite of the title this little guide doesn't offer an overview of Collingwood's life or thought. It's an attempt to grapple with and make sense of, rather, the core contentions developed in one of Collingwood's most widely read but widely misunderstood books, The Principles of Art.

The writing is exemplary for its clarity, elegance, and precision. It covers more ground and offers more illumination than most lengthy philosophical commentaries, and does it in just over 60 pages. Without simply paraphrasing or summarizing, Ridley identifies the central insights of Collingwood's text, and manages both to make them clear and to show how they could be and have been misunderstood. Collingwood's contentions about "art proper" aren't attempts to define the "essence" of art, but are aimed rather to show precisely the extent to which generalizations about art are useless. An artwork manages to be not a "certain kind of thing" but a "certain thing" - an expression that communicates precisely a unique feeling for how things are. Moreover, the specificity of the work of art has an ethical and political lesson, that teaches us about the dangers of a certain kind of willful confusion, whereby we allow ourselves to forego getting clear about our actual situation and allow instead for our thoughts to be taken over by cliches and slogans.

Collingwood's "expressive theory of art" is easily dismissed, and often is by contemporary writers on aesthetics, if it is read to mean that art takes the generic feelings of the artist and manages to give them a sensuous form so that the audience can share them, or if it is read as an attempt to define art by identifying characteristics by which all and only artworks can be readily picked out, or when his idealism is misunderstood to imply that the true work of art is mental and separate from the specific sensible medium by which it is made public. Ridley's aim here is to show that Collingwood's approach cannot so easily be dismissed, and that in spite of some obscurities introduced into the text by Collingwood's broader philosophical commitments, his work remains relevant not only to aesthetics but to education and ethics. Essential reading for anyone interested in Collingwood, and specifically his philosophical aesthetics; highly recommended reading for anyone interested in philosophy and especially in how to write illuminating philosophical commentary.