Essay On Philosophical Method (Key Texts) [Facsimile] [Paperback]

R.G. Collingwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995 | ISBN-10: 1855063921 | ISBN-13: 978-1855063921 | Edition: 1

"My best book in matter; in style, I may call it my only book." - R. G. Collingwood

Collingwood's mature work of metaphysics seeks to overhaul the notion of philosophical method, assigning philosophy the task of "thinking out the idea of an object that shall completely satisfy the demands of reason." He saw natural science and history falling short in their accounts of our knowledge and limited in their aims. Propositions in philosophy, he believes, must have the scope of both natural science and history, to be both universal and categorical. The Essay is particularly interesting as an embodiment of the idealistic metaphysics Collingwood abandoned in later life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the finest restatements of contemporary British philosophy of a Platonic and Hegelian metaphysic viewed from a modern standpoint." -- Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

The late R.G. Collingwood was Waynflete Professor of Metaphysical Philosophy at Oxford University. James Connelly is in the School of Human Sciences and Communication, Southampton Institute. Giuseppina D'Oro is in the Department of Philosophy, Keele University. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Augustines Press; 1 edition (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855063921
• ISBN-13: 978-1855063921
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,143,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collingwood's Best--All Philosophers Should Read This, December 26, 2004

By 

John Russon (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Essay On Philosophical Method (Key Texts) (Paperback)

Collingwood is one of the best philosophers in the tradition of the German Idealists--indeed, reading his work will do more to help you to understand Hegel than reading almost anything else will. Aside from being a great philosopher, he is also an extremely clear writer, and he is able, in simple prose, to demonstrate how dialectical ideas have direct and obvious bearing on everyday life. This book should be the basic "organon" for modern philosophers, but it is, sadly, rarely read. Reading this can improve your understanding of logic, of natural science, of induction and deduction, of historical method, of the distinctive nature of philosophy, of language, and more. It is also an excellent companion to his other great work, "Speculum Mentis." If you know Collingwood only from his writings on art and/or history, you owe it to yourself to read this work (and Speculum Mentis), to understand the deeper philosophical context behind those writings. (Of course, if you don't know his important and influential writings on art and history, you should read those too!) This book is of the highest philosophical and literary calibre, and belongs in every serious philosophical library.