Back to the Rough Ground: Practical Judgment and the Lure of Technique (REVISIONS)
"Joseph Dunne's achievement in this truly remarkable work is of the highest significance for educational philosophy . . . [Back to the Rough Ground] should be compulsory reading for all those who profess a serious interest in the conceptual complexities . . . of professional knowledge. [Dunne's] arguments are consistently intelligent, clear, and persuasive . . . the overall quality of his writing is simply outstanding." --Journal of Philosophy of Education"A remarkable exercise in the hermeneutics of reading carried out in a truly Gadamerian spirit. . . . The richness and brilliance of Dunne's twofold reading, which moves back and forth between Aristotle, Gadamer, and Habermas . . . does indeed succeed in forcefully reviving . . . a usable modern phronetic tradition." --Quarterly Journal of Speech"An impressively masterful and engaging volume, which will more than repay careful reading and rereading. Its depth of analysis, richness of content, and subtlety of argument offer invaluable resources not only for understanding Aristotle's practical philosophy but also for appreciating why robust accounts of practical reason, though scarce in modernity, are nonetheless indispensable. . . . [A] model of how phronesis [practical wisdom] might be exhibited in our own day." --Modern Theology"[A] very powerful, scholarly, and philosophically acute attempt to rehabilitate an understanding of practical reason. . . . Dunne's absorbing and illuminating book is a necessary acquisition for anyone who is interested in practical philosophy." --International Journal of Philosophical Studies