Customer Reviews

John Searle and his Critics (Philosophers and their Critics)

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Published in 1991 and edited by Lepore and Van Gulick `John Searle and his Critics' is an instalment in the Blackwell `Philosophers and their Critics' series. Searle is a leading American philosopher who has made notable contributions in many spheres of thought including the philosophy of language, the philosophy of mind and social philosophy.

The text is divided into seven sections, each of which deals with a different aspect of Searle's work (e.g. intentionality, speech acts, mind-body problem). Each section contains three - four critical essays from other leading thinkers in the area followed by a response to these critical observations from Searle. The text has much strength, not the least of which is the quality of contributors, e.g. Alston, Burge, Habermas Van Inwagen etc.

While I enjoyed the text, I offer a few points for potential readers

* First, from a physical standpoint the small font coupled with the dense writing makes the book a difficult read at times - the font size does, however, allow the book to a be of a manageable size (400 pages).

* Second, this is very much philosophy for philosophers and not the book for someone unfamiliar with Searle or the subject matter.

* Third and most importantly, given that the book was published in 1991 the essays are limited to Searle's early work. Roughly speaking Searle's focus has developed along the lines of language - mind - society. Hence, the essays related to the philosophy of language are most relevant to Searle's mature (present) views while those dealing with social reality are the least relevant.

Overall, Searle is on a short list of great American philosophers - a true intellectual treasure. Searle's importance aside, in its present form the book is probably only of interest for a select audience. Those interested in Searle may enjoy some of his recent courses available from Berkley thru itunes