Date posted: January 16, 2005

What Analytical Philosophy Today Is About

In “How many grains make a heap?” a book review in the London Review of Books, Richard Rorty gives an interesting account of the current state of affairs in analytical philosophy. My own background is in continental philosophy and with the exception of the Wittgenstein of the Philosophical Investigations I’ve always thought of analytical philosophy as tiresome and tedious. While I do think that many problems in philosophy arise because of the way language works, I doubt whether studying the structure of language will offer any insights into who we are and what makes a good pizza. Still every now and then I like to read a review article to see whether any progress has been made with the problem of predication and the nature of truth. If you like to know what analytical philosophy is about the book review by Richard Rorty is a good starting point. And in case it had escaped you, Rorty is right, vagueness IS huge.