Essays in Quasi-Realism [Paperback]

Simon Blackburn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0195082249 | ISBN-13: 978-0195082241 | Edition: First Edition

This volume collects some influential essays in which Simon Blackburn, one of our leading philosophers, explores one of the most profound and fertile of philosophical problems: the way in which our judgments relate to the world. This debate has centered on realism, or the view that what we say is validated by the way things stand in the world, and a variety of oppositions to it. Prominent among the latter are expressive and projective theories, but also a relaxed pluralism that discourages the view that there are substantial issues at stake. The figure of the "quasi-realist" dramatizes the difficulty of conducting these debates. Typically philosophers thinking of themselves as realists will believe that they alone can give a proper or literal account of some of our attachments--to truth, to facts, to the independent world, to knowledge and certainty. The quasi-realist challenge, developed by Blackburn in this volume, is that we can have those attachments without any metaphysic that deserves to be called realism, so that the metaphysical picture that goes with our practices is quite idle. The cases treated here include the theories of value and knowledge, modality, probability, causation, intentionality and rule-following, and explanation. A substantial new introduction has been added, drawing together some of the central themes. The essays articulate a fresh alternative to a primitive realist/anti-realist opposition, and their cumulative effect is to yield a new appreciation of the delicacy of the debate in these central areas.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a genuine service to have Blackburn's work brought together....His prose style is extremely refreshing. He writes with clarity and vigor, without pretension or over-qualification. Fans of issues concerning realism will know that this is not faint praise."--The Philosophical Review

"Technically and historically accurate and helpful. Good treatment, especially, of moral realism."--Manuel Davenport, Texas A & M

"This collection well represents Blackburn's contribution to philosophy."--Ronald Glass, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse

"All these essays have been published previously, and everyone in the field will be glad to have them conveniently collected. They well display their author's virtues in advancing philosophical debate."--Utilitas

About the Author

Simon Blackburn is at University of North Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (June 17, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195082249
• ISBN-13: 978-0195082241
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simon Blackburn is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. He was Edna J. Doury Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, and from 1969 to 1990 was a Fellow and Tutor at Pembroke College, Oxford. He is the author of The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy and the best-selling Think and Being Good, among other books.