Theories and Things
This is a book to be savored, with a little something for a surprisingly wide variety of tastes. Here is Quine on the marvels ofThe Times Atlas,the virtues and vices of Mencken'sThe American Language,the mixed blessings that result from flush times for academia, and the bleariness of Mortimer Adler's vision of philosophy. Of course, Quine's more familiar concerns are also represented, with most of the book's twenty-six essays being devoted to various aspects of ontology, epistemology, semantics, and logic...Together they make a wonderful selection of fine, sparkling Quine. (Ethics)The elegance, economy, wit and precision of his writing are among the chief glories of modern philosophy. Never have asceticism of method and austerity of vision been so glitteringly displayed...By virtue of intellectual power, range and fertility of ideas and brilliance of presentation, Quine is the most distinguished and influential of living philosophers...To all philosophers...this volume will be a source of intense intellectual pleasure. (P. F. StrawsonLondon Review of Books)