Customer Reviews

A Dictionary of Philosophy, Third Edition

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In his preface, Lacey indicates that in writing this dictionary he wanted to "give the layman or intending student a pocket encyclopedia of philosophy, one with a bias towards explaining terminology." He fulfills his purpose admirably; the student can include this dictionary in a back pack or book bag so that it is available at all times. The more exhaustive dictionaries, such as the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy or the Oxford Companion to the mind are simply too big to carry around, and thus are less likely to be at hand when the student needs them. The entries in Lacey's dictionary are clear, concise, and sufficiently cross-referenced. Particularly useful are the substantial bibliographies that follow many of the entries. I rate this book as four stars, rather than five, because some of the entries could actually be longer. I believe that this dictionary could expand on some of the entries without adding significantly to the length of the book. For example, the entry on Wittgenstein's private language argument is simply to short to be very useful. Otherwise, when viewed in light of its purpose, the dictionary is a job well done.

If you want a single dictionary of philosophy I'd recommend getting a more authoritative text such as Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy. Flipping through it some of the entries appear to be substantial (several pages), but none of the 6 items I've looked up so far have been in the Dictionary (including Postmodernism, Logical Positivism, and Correspondence Theory of Truth).