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Solving, Resolving, and Dissolving Philosophical Problems: Essays in Connective, Contrastive and Contextual Analysis
Equips readers with the intellectual tools required to tackle perennial philosophical problems
Solving, Resolving, and Dissolving Philosophical Problems is addressed to all who are interested in philosophical questions. It presupposes little philosophical knowledge, only curiosity and an open mind. It demands a willingness to learn not doctrine but method, and the courage to suspend judgement and to challenge received ideas.
Advocating the method of the 3 Connective, Contrastive, and Contextual Analysis, the book demonstrates the method by putting it to work — examining fifteen salient philosophical questions that concern all thinking people. It is organized thematically into four parts. Part I introduces questions in philosophy of psychology (the nature of the mind; the mind/body problem; the nature of consciousness and its demystification; knowledge of other minds). Part II deals with epistemological questions (knowledge, belief; memory; imagination, thinking; dreaming). Part III deals with value (the roots of morality; the nature of good and evil; the need for a secular conception of the soul; happiness). The application of the method in the essays produces striking, original and unanticipated results that will give readers pause. The final part of the book articulates in detail the methodology of the 3 C-s exemplified by the fifteen essays and defends it against objections.
Solving, Resolving, and Dissolving Philosophical On the Methodology of Connective, Contrastive, and Contextual Analysis is an excellent textbook for undergraduate students in introductory philosophy courses alongside more advanced scholars, as well as an invaluable resource for educated general readers with an interest in philosophical methodology.
Solving, Resolving, and Dissolving Philosophical Problems is addressed to all who are interested in philosophical questions. It presupposes little philosophical knowledge, only curiosity and an open mind. It demands a willingness to learn not doctrine but method, and the courage to suspend judgement and to challenge received ideas.
Advocating the method of the 3 Connective, Contrastive, and Contextual Analysis, the book demonstrates the method by putting it to work — examining fifteen salient philosophical questions that concern all thinking people. It is organized thematically into four parts. Part I introduces questions in philosophy of psychology (the nature of the mind; the mind/body problem; the nature of consciousness and its demystification; knowledge of other minds). Part II deals with epistemological questions (knowledge, belief; memory; imagination, thinking; dreaming). Part III deals with value (the roots of morality; the nature of good and evil; the need for a secular conception of the soul; happiness). The application of the method in the essays produces striking, original and unanticipated results that will give readers pause. The final part of the book articulates in detail the methodology of the 3 C-s exemplified by the fifteen essays and defends it against objections.
Solving, Resolving, and Dissolving Philosophical On the Methodology of Connective, Contrastive, and Contextual Analysis is an excellent textbook for undergraduate students in introductory philosophy courses alongside more advanced scholars, as well as an invaluable resource for educated general readers with an interest in philosophical methodology.
239 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 6, 2025
About the author
P.M.S. Hacker
65 books21 followersPeter Hacker was born in London in 1939. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at The Queen's College, Oxford from 1960-63, obtaining a Congratulatory First Class degree. He was elected to a graduate studentship at St Antony's College, Oxford, where he remained from 1963-65, writing a doctoral dissertation under the supervision of H.L.A. Hart on the subject of 'Rules and Duties'. In 1965 he was elected to a Junior Research Fellowship at Balliol College. In 1966 he completed his doctorate and was granted the D. Phil.
He became a Tutorial Fellow at St John's College in 1966, a post he held until his retirement in 2006, when he was appointed to an Emeritus Research Fellowship at St John's. He was College Librarian 1986-2006, and Keeper of the College Pictures 1986-1998. In 2010 he was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at The Queen's College, Oxford.
He was a visiting lecturer at Makere College, Uganda (1968), a visiting professor at Swarthmore College, Pa., U.S.A (1973), a visiting professor at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, U.S.A. (1974), a Milton C. Scott Visiting Professor, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario (1984). He was elected to a British Academy Research Readership in Humanities 1985-7. In 1986 he was again a visiting professor for a semester at Swarthmore College, Pa., U.S.A. He was elected to a Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship (1991-4). From 1992 to 2010 he served as a member of the Rothschild Fellowships Academic Committee, Yad Hanadiv, Jerusalem. He was a visiting fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation at Bellagio, Italy in 2006. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Bologna for a semester in 2009. In 2013 he was appointed Professor of philosophy at the University of Kent at Canterbury for three years.
He is an associate editor of Philosophical Investigations, and of Wittgenstein Studies. From 1997 to 2003 he was an associate editor, 20th century philosophers - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. From 1998 to 2003 he was a Trustee of the Wittgenstein papers and Member of the Committee of Editors; since 2003 he has been a member and Secretary of the Advisory Committee of Wittgenstein Editors.
He became a Tutorial Fellow at St John's College in 1966, a post he held until his retirement in 2006, when he was appointed to an Emeritus Research Fellowship at St John's. He was College Librarian 1986-2006, and Keeper of the College Pictures 1986-1998. In 2010 he was elected to an Honorary Fellowship at The Queen's College, Oxford.
He was a visiting lecturer at Makere College, Uganda (1968), a visiting professor at Swarthmore College, Pa., U.S.A (1973), a visiting professor at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, U.S.A. (1974), a Milton C. Scott Visiting Professor, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario (1984). He was elected to a British Academy Research Readership in Humanities 1985-7. In 1986 he was again a visiting professor for a semester at Swarthmore College, Pa., U.S.A. He was elected to a Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowship (1991-4). From 1992 to 2010 he served as a member of the Rothschild Fellowships Academic Committee, Yad Hanadiv, Jerusalem. He was a visiting fellow at the Rockefeller Foundation at Bellagio, Italy in 2006. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Bologna for a semester in 2009. In 2013 he was appointed Professor of philosophy at the University of Kent at Canterbury for three years.
He is an associate editor of Philosophical Investigations, and of Wittgenstein Studies. From 1997 to 2003 he was an associate editor, 20th century philosophers - Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. From 1998 to 2003 he was a Trustee of the Wittgenstein papers and Member of the Committee of Editors; since 2003 he has been a member and Secretary of the Advisory Committee of Wittgenstein Editors.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 5, 2025
This is an amazing book - a summary of a lifetime dedicated to resolving philosophical problems and replacing conceptual confusion with clarity. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in philosophy and who wants to gain clarity on issues such as: the nature of consciousness; the supposed mind-body problem; and the problem of other minds. These are covered in the first five essays of this book and are truly excellent. If the whole philosophical world (and some areas of science such as neuroscience) took them to heart, it would eliminate a lot of senseless activity! So, do read them - you will unfortunately end up with a different position from most people but you will at least see things clearly in relation to these (non-)issues.
As mentioned earlier, the book brings together a lifetime of industrious study and it refers to a very wide range of culture material (which is interesting) and uses a wide vocabulary (which slows down one's reading, since I imagine most people will, like me, occasionally have to resort to google a word to understand its meaning, but is vocabulary-enhancing). It is the sort of book where ten pages or one chapter at a time seems to me the best approach (unless you really get excited and want to take a couple of chapters together). It is rich but also fairly demanding read. Surprisingly it did make me laugh out loud at various points, so despite it being a serious read it was also quite enjoyable.
I found the chapters on values (and on evil, happiness etc) really interesting and insightful, but to me they seemed different in nature to the chapters that do not relate to practical philosophy. This is one area where I disagree with Hacker, since I think he provides an interesting and compelling outline of a possible set of concepts, but I do not think that this particular way of linking the concepts involved is one that everyone in our culture embraces. While I do not think anyone can (coherently) disagree with what Hacker says about the mind, the body and the brain, I do think that people might reasonably (or unreasonably but coherently) disagree with what he says about values. Nonetheless in this area too I find what Hacker has to say insightful and stimulating. Indeed, it is useful to recognise that there is a network of more or less shared concepts that does provide a good framework for discussion of value-related issues even if that discussion may often end in disagreement.
To sum, a fantastic book that I would really strongly recommend to everyone interested in philosophy. If it seems to high a mountain for non-Wittgensteinians to climb, then perhaps it would be worth reading an introduction to Wittgenstein by Hacker as a limbing up exercise!
As mentioned earlier, the book brings together a lifetime of industrious study and it refers to a very wide range of culture material (which is interesting) and uses a wide vocabulary (which slows down one's reading, since I imagine most people will, like me, occasionally have to resort to google a word to understand its meaning, but is vocabulary-enhancing). It is the sort of book where ten pages or one chapter at a time seems to me the best approach (unless you really get excited and want to take a couple of chapters together). It is rich but also fairly demanding read. Surprisingly it did make me laugh out loud at various points, so despite it being a serious read it was also quite enjoyable.
I found the chapters on values (and on evil, happiness etc) really interesting and insightful, but to me they seemed different in nature to the chapters that do not relate to practical philosophy. This is one area where I disagree with Hacker, since I think he provides an interesting and compelling outline of a possible set of concepts, but I do not think that this particular way of linking the concepts involved is one that everyone in our culture embraces. While I do not think anyone can (coherently) disagree with what Hacker says about the mind, the body and the brain, I do think that people might reasonably (or unreasonably but coherently) disagree with what he says about values. Nonetheless in this area too I find what Hacker has to say insightful and stimulating. Indeed, it is useful to recognise that there is a network of more or less shared concepts that does provide a good framework for discussion of value-related issues even if that discussion may often end in disagreement.
To sum, a fantastic book that I would really strongly recommend to everyone interested in philosophy. If it seems to high a mountain for non-Wittgensteinians to climb, then perhaps it would be worth reading an introduction to Wittgenstein by Hacker as a limbing up exercise!
Displaying 1 of 1 review