Rare Quentin Skinner / RETURN OF THE GRAND THEORY IN THE HUMAN SCIENCES 1st ed 1985 [Paperback] Skinner, Quentin (editor) - Wiliam Outhwaite, David Hoy, Mark

by Quentin Skinner

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Genres: Philosophy, Theory, Essays, History, Humanities

Paperback

First published August 30, 1985

About the author

Educated at Caius College, Cambridge, where he was elected to a Fellowship upon obtaining a double-starred first in History, Quentin Skinner accepted, however, a teaching Fellowship at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he taught until 2008, except for four years in the 1970s spent at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. In 1978 he was appointed to the chair of Political Science at Cambridge University, and subsequently regarded as one of the two principal members (along with J.G.A. Pocock) of the influential 'Cambridge School' of the history of political thought, best known for its attention to the 'languages' of political thought.

Skinner's primary interest in the 1970s and 1980s was the modern idea of the state, which resulted in two of his most highly regarded works, The Foundations of Modern Political Thought: Volume I: The Renaissance and The Foundations of Modern Political Thought: Volume II: The Age of Reformation.

Reviews

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is series of essays on various twentieth century philosophers in the social sciences. While it is not written for the person with no background in the social sciences or humanities, it does provide a foundational entry for those whose knowledge is limited regarding the philosophical sides of those disciplines. Each section is written by a different author, who is very knowledgeable about the person being discussed. At the end of each essay there is a ‘further reading’ section that provides the reader with options to continue their study of the subjects’ works. I fully plan on keeping this book and consulting it for that very reason.

[Ahmet Akın · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitap 20. yüzyılın ses getiren eleştirel kuramlarını güzel bir şekilde derleyen ve ele alan bir eser. Yalnızca çevirisi biraz zayıf, okunurken bu göz önünde bulundurulmalı...

[Revanth Ukkalam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very fine introduction to all the major philosophies that have come to dominate the humanities and social sciences in the last fifty years (although the book was published when some of these scholars had been more active). It places these men in context, mostly of Marxism and also the somewhat self-confident 'rationalist' anglo-american schools of philosophy and better, pits them against each other as well. However to expect a deeply critical look at any of the scholars is a little much (except of Kuhn perhaps, because after all it is an analysis of just one book and a slim one) - this is a beautiful beginning and very earnestly we are encouraged to go on to read more.

[tamphopho · Rating 4 out of 5]

collection of essays with intellectual history bent on a variety of major thinkers, felt like good introductions and each author has a selected bibliography for further reading.

didn’t get me to care much for derrida, rawls or habermas but i’m definitely going to read gadamer, foucault, kuhn, lévi-strauss, braudel soon, and maybe skinner, wright mills, feyeraband, … T_T

[Greg Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introductory essay by Quentin Skinner is excellent, with the rest of the book uneven depending on the chapter and author. Still, I enjoyed it because it nicely spanned some of the thinkers I’m currently interested in. The essays here were published in 1985, so don’t expect to read about anyone more recent than the ‘60s and ‘70s.

[Karthick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to some of the most important Western 'grand theorists' of the previous century.

[Stells ☆ミ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for intermediate readers of the topics. Unfortunately I walked into this as a beginner so It would have been better of I was 30 percent smarter.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the chapters on Rawls, Habermas, and Althusser.

[Alp Eren Topal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of easily the most economic and most intelligible introductions to several of prominent 20th century philosphers/social theorists. A view of the state-of-art of social sciences from the year 1990, the book gets you to understand methodological shifts and problematics. The articles, though written by different scholars, are not really separate. Rather they all address similar issues such as the contribution of these philosophers to hermeneutics vs positivism debate. And it is really easy to read. You could even finish it in one sitting if you push it a bit.

Not suitable for an undergrad but would definitely help if you are going for grad school or already there.

[Jonathan]

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