John Searle (Contemporary Philosophy in Focus) (Paperback)

~ Barry Smith (Editor) "It was in the Oxford of Austin, Ryle, and Strawson that John Searle was shaped as a philosopher..." (more)
Key Phrases: recognitional rationality, yellow station wagon, master speech acts, John Searle, New York, Cambridge University Press (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

'... this is a detailed and relatively comprehensive introduction to one of the most prominent and diverse figures in contemporary philosophy. It would undoubtedly be of great value to undergraduate, and possibly graduate, students in philosophy or other disciplines who are unfamiliar with Searle's philosophy.' Philosophical Writings

Product Description

From Speech Acts to his most recent studies of consciousness, freedom and rationality, John Searle has been a highly influential figure among contemporary philosophers. This systematic introduction to the entire range of Searle's work begins with the theory of speech acts and proceeds with expositions of his writings on intentionality, consciousness and perception, including, as well, a careful presentation of the so-called Chinese Room argument. Barry Smith is a Julian Park Professor of Philosophy, University at Buffalo and Director of the Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical Information Science in the University of Leipzig. He is the author of Austrian Philosophy (Open Court, 1994) and of some 300 articles on ontology and other branches of philosophy. In 2001 he received the Wolfgang Paul Award of the Alexander on Humboldt Foundation. He is also the editor of The Monist: An International Journal of General Philosophical Inquiry.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (August 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521797047
• ISBN-13: 978-0521797047
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,463,501 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So far, I am pleased, January 21, 2009

By	Anax Andron - See all my reviews

This book is an athology of essays commissioned for this athology. If you are interested in the individual authors and topics, I suggest you take a look, as of writing this review amazon let you look inside the book. I have only read the extensive essay on Searle's Chinese Room Argument. I was very pleased with it.

The article presents a synopsis of what the author takes to be the main force of the thought experiment and argument that Searle continues to present as the Chines Room Argument. It also presents a critical examination of the many critical remarks that have been made of said argument. It is this discussion of the critical remarks that are of particular merit. The author of this essay presents the main types of responses, discusses implications of these responses, and presents any rebuttal Searle may have mustered. For someone that has found it hard to find all the literature on this funny little argument, this little essay was a God send. The bibliography was also quite helpful in directing this reviewer to the literature that is relelevant to this dicussion. I was immensely pleased with the essay overall. If the other articles are as informative and helpful as the one on the Chinese Room Argument, I will be very pleased with the book.