The Story of Analytic Philosophy: Plot and Heroes (Routledge Studies in Twentieth Century Philosophy)

291 Pages·1998·0.91 MB·English

by  Anat Biletzki

The Story of Analytic Philosophy

The Story of Analytic Philosophy: Plot and Heroes is an edited collection of essays
looking at analytic philosophy in its historical context. Analytic philosophy
has been, for some time now, in a state of crisis—having to deal with its self-
image, its relationship with philosophical alternatives, its fruitfulness and even
legitimacy in the general philosophical community. This crisis manifests itself
both within analytic philosophy, as we can see with the discussions and debates
concerning the interpretation of its origins and key players (such as Frege,
Russell, Wittgenstein), as well as in its evaluation by philosophers of different
bents (such as postmodernists and Continental philosophers).
The Story of Analytic Philosophy: Plot and Heroes presents an obvious and explicit
awareness of the crisis by “insiders,” with a view to interpreting it. Such an
interpretation is accomplished by telling the story of analytic philosophy—
that is, by presenting its raison d’etre and the motivations, methods, and
results of its eminent figures. The “plot,” or the theoretics of a philosophical
movement, is told by contributors Hacker, Hylton, Sacks, Skorupski and
others. Each of the essays falling into this category addresses essential issues
such as analysis, style, psychologism, and empiricism. The story of the
“heroes,” signifying the likes of Frege, Russell, and Wittgenstein, is a well
known story, but still worth retelling. Floyd, Friedlander, Putnam and Lurie
are some of the philosophers in this collection who examine the story of the
heroes in a new light.
The unique position of the collection is its internal critique. The collection
is an undertaking by analytic philosophers to assess the challenge posed by
changing cultural and philosophical winds.
Anat Biletzki is a senior lecturer in Philosophy. Anat Matar is a lecturer
in Philosophy. Both teach at Tel Aviv University.
Routledge Studies in Twentieth-Century Philosophy

The Story of Analytic Philosophy
Plot and Heroes
Edited by Anat Biletzki and Anat Matar
The Story of Analytic
Philosophy

Plot and Heroes
Edited by Anat Biletzki and Anat Matar

London and New York
First published 1998 by Routledge
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1998 Anat Biletzki and Anat Matar, selection and editorial matter;
individual chapters, the contributors

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Ths story of analytic philosophy: plot and heroes/edited by Anat
Biletzki and Anat Matar.
Includes index.
1. Analysis (Philosophy). I. Biletzki
Anat. II. Matar, Anat.
B808.5.S76 1998 97–23396
146'. 4–dc21 CIP

ISBN 0-415-16251-3 (Print Edition)
ISBN 0-203-04857-1 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-21108-1 (Glassbook Format)
For Burton Dreben and Michael Dummett

Contents

Notes on Contributors ix
Preface xi
Part I Introduction
1 Analytic philosophy: what, whence, and whither? 3
P.M.S.Hacker
Part II Plot
2 Analysis in analytic philosophy 37
Peter Hylton
3 Analytical philosophy as a matter of style 56
J.J.Ross
4 Analytic philosophy: rationalism vs. romanticism 71
Anat Matar
5 The subject, normative structure, and externalism 88
Mark Sacks
6 Empiricism without positivism 108
John Skorupski
7 Psychologism and meaning 123
Yemima Ben-Menahem
Part III Heroes
8 Frege, semantics, and the double definition stroke 141
Juliet Floyd
viii Contents
9 Analysis without elimination: on the philosophical significance of
Russell’s “On Denoting” 167
Gilead Bar-Elli
10 Perception: from Moore to Austin 182
Ruth Anna Putnam
11 Wittgenstein: analytic philosopher? 197
Anat Biletzki
12 Wittgenstein as the forlorn caretaker of language 209
Yuval Lurie
13 Heidegger, Carnap, Wittgenstein: much ado about nothing 226
Eli Friedlander
Part IV An eye to the future
14 Kripkean realism and Wittgenstein’s realism 241
Hilary Putnam
15 Who is about to kill analytic philosophy? 253
Jaakko Hintikka
Index 270
Contributors

Gilead Bar-Elli is Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy,
Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
Yemima Ben-Menahem is Professor of Philosophy, Department of
Philosophy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
Anat Biletzki is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy,
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Juliet Floyd is Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Boston
University, Boston, Mass. U.S.A.
Eli Friedlander is Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Tel
Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
P.M.S.Hacker is Fellow of St. John’s College, Oxford, U.K.
Jaakko Hintikka is Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy,
Boston University, Boston, Mass. U.S.A.
Peter Hylton is Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy,
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Il. U.S.A.
Yuval Lurie is Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Ben-
Gurion University, Beer Sheba, Israel.
Anat Matar is Lecturer in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Tel Aviv
University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Hilary Putnam is Pearson Professor of Mathematical Logic, Department
of Philosophy, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. U.S.A.
Ruth Anna Putnam is Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy,
Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. U.S.A.