Truth in Philosophy
Allen (philosophy, Univ. of California, Berkeley) sharply attacks the view of truth held by most analytic philosophers. Truth is not correspondence with reality, he argues; statements pass for true based on practical considerations. To support this radical position, he offers a historical study of several philosophers, including a discussion of Greek and Christian "onto-logic" and a description of Nietzsche's challenge to the value of truth. Michel Foucault's studies support Allen's defiance of orthodoxy by showing in concrete terms the interests that claims to truth serve. Allen's clear account of thinkers whom most analytic philosophers neglect is the book's most valuable feature. His attempt to escape self-refutation seems unsuccessful, but the book deserves careful study. For philosophy collections.- David Gordon, Bowling Green State Univ., OhioCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.