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Doctor Jhunz

Reasoning, Meaning, and Mind

Reasoning, Meaning, and Mind Cover
ISBN-100198238037
ISBN-139780198238034
AuthorsGilbert Harman
PublisherOxford University Press, USA
Publication Date1999-08-23
Pages304
Dewey Decimal128.33
Rating4.00
Categories
Description
Gilbert Harman presents a selection of fifteen interconnected essays on fundamental issues at the centre of analytic philosophy. The book opens with a group of four essays discussing basic principles of reasoning and rationality. The next three essays argue against the idea that certain claims are true by virtue of meaning and knowable by virtue of meaning. In the third group of essays Harman sets out his own view of meaning, arguing that it depends upon the functioning of concepts in reasoning, perception, and action, by which these concepts are related to the world. He also examines the relation between language and thought. The final three essays investigate the nature of mind, developing further the themes already set out. Reasoning, Meaning, and Mind offers an integrated presentation of this rich and influential body of work.

Harman's book

It was o.k. Some of the issues he discusses just seemed a little trivial and semantical in nature. I liked the section on rationality a lot better than for example, the one on meaning.

Gil, you RULE

In Gil's official portrait, found on the jacket of the book, he looks not unlike Rudy Giuliani. I printed a large copy of this portrait off his web page and hung it in my office -- every time I looked up at it, I'd hear Gil saying "so, you're going to hand your dissertation in next week, right?" This was very inspirational. Anyway, there is plenty of awesome fodder in the book. Sometimes when I need a philosophical intuition confirmed, I look in the book, and lo and behold, there is some terse statement that indicates that Gil had thought the idea up 30 years ago. IQE is a fine article on experience; very thought-provoking and worth intensive study. Wide Functionalism is also a fine piece of work. Kieran says that Practical Reasoning is a classic, and although I don't work on that stuff I found it very impressive.