C. D. Broad's Examination is a tribute to one of the last of the British Idealists, J. M. E. McTaggart (1866-1925). Broad, a contemporary of Russell, Moore and Wittgenstein, succeeded McTaggart as Fellow in Moral Science at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1923 and was his literary executor.
At over 1300 pages, this is an extremely detailed and thorough exposition of McTaggart's system. Painstaking and patient in his description, Broad gives particular attention to McTaggart's major work The Nature of Existence and its famous concept of time. Clarifying McTaggart's position by means of symbolism and occasional diagrams, Broad goes on to provide criticism of his doctrines, followed by independent discussion of the fundamental problems McTaggart tackles. As well as being an incisive commentary on McTaggart, the Examination is also the site of much of Broad's most impressive writing and most interesting philosophy. He himself described it as 'about the best work' of which he was capable.
A meticulous piece of scholarship, the Examination is a balanced and impartial judgement of a philosopher whom Broad greatly admired but did not agree with in any way. It is crucial to any study of the philosophy of McTaggart, and of Broad himself, as well a central text in the study of idealism.
--extremely detailed and meticulous study of one of the last British Hegelians
--one of the rarities of modern philosophy, hard to find secondhand
--a much-cited work, still considered the definitive explanation of McTaggart's philosophy
At over 1300 pages, this is an extremely detailed and thorough exposition of McTaggart's system. Painstaking and patient in his description, Broad gives particular attention to McTaggart's major work The Nature of Existence and its famous concept of time. Clarifying McTaggart's position by means of symbolism and occasional diagrams, Broad goes on to provide criticism of his doctrines, followed by independent discussion of the fundamental problems McTaggart tackles. As well as being an incisive commentary on McTaggart, the Examination is also the site of much of Broad's most impressive writing and most interesting philosophy. He himself described it as 'about the best work' of which he was capable.
A meticulous piece of scholarship, the Examination is a balanced and impartial judgement of a philosopher whom Broad greatly admired but did not agree with in any way. It is crucial to any study of the philosophy of McTaggart, and of Broad himself, as well a central text in the study of idealism.
--extremely detailed and meticulous study of one of the last British Hegelians
--one of the rarities of modern philosophy, hard to find secondhand
--a much-cited work, still considered the definitive explanation of McTaggart's philosophy
