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Russell, Idealism, and the Emergence of Analytic Philosophy (Clarendon Paperbacks)

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Peter Hylton's book is very impressive. It was awarded the Franklin J. Matchette Prize by the american Philosophical Association in 1993, and deservedly so. It is, as indicated in the title, an account of the origins of what is known as the analytic tradition in philosophy, with particular focus on the early work of Bertrand Russell. What is remarkable about this work is the dedication to historical analysis. The analytic tradition is notoriously dismissive of the value of historical analysis in regard to the possibility of philosophical understanding. What Hylton is engaged in here is a historical analysis of the analytic tradition itself, in order to try and better understand its origins and development. The main focus of Hylton's analysis concerns Russell's previous advocacy of idealism, inherited from Kant and Hegel by British philosophers such as Green, Bradley and McTaggart. Hylton makes extensive discussion of the general themes of British idealism and then characterises Russell's support but subsequent rejection of this trend. The subject matter could be difficult and obscure, but Hylton handles the ground comfortably, rarely forsaking depth, and acknowledging when he does. The only drawback might be that one will benefit much more from the book if one has at least a passing familiarity with the work of Kant and Hegel as background. Ultimately this is an valuable work for anyone with a strong interest in philosophy, whether it be the historian of philosophy investigating the development of the analytic tradition from the idealist one, or the analytic philosopher wishing to learn more about the origins of his field.