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Essays in Philosophy and Other Pieces
The foremost of these essays by a noted Scottish philosopher covers a wide field of philosophy and theology. Five subjects — moral freedom, the ethics of pacifism, miracles, magic in modern politics, and the biological approach to philosophy — are given general and popular treatment. The last of these essays leads on to four more of a more technical (and controversial) nature, discussing logic and philosophy of science. These are "Errors in Logical Positivism", "The Atomic Theory", "The Logic of Question and Answer", and "A Defence of Aristotle's Logic".
Next are two theological essays, one on theories of immortality, the other a discussion, in dialogue form, of the arguments for the existence of God.
Two public lectures follow, the first on Isaac Newton, delivered for the recent centenary, the second on the philosophy of Samuel Alexander, who died in 1938. The book ends with two descriptive pieces in a lighter vein, the fruit of summers spend on the coast of Eastern Canada.
Next are two theological essays, one on theories of immortality, the other a discussion, in dialogue form, of the arguments for the existence of God.
Two public lectures follow, the first on Isaac Newton, delivered for the recent centenary, the second on the philosophy of Samuel Alexander, who died in 1938. The book ends with two descriptive pieces in a lighter vein, the fruit of summers spend on the coast of Eastern Canada.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1948
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April 19, 2019
A solid book of philosophical essays for the general reader; Ritchie does a good job of writing clearly and engagingly. That's primarily what promoted it to a 3 star. He writes with a sense of humour, but I think the jokes will only land if you have a reasonable grasp of philosophy and Ritchie's context —otherwise they might look like peculiar tangents.
The strongest essays were on philosophical matters, specifically on the philosophy of science. Interesting early responses to logical positivism, and to other schools, with recourse to empirical evidence and evidential procedures, which I've not come across much before.
Though I enjoyed "Antiphon", Ritchie's pseudo-Socratic dialogue, I thought the primary weaknesses of the essays were theological. Ritchie's essay on pacifism is interesting for its specific contextual views.
The strongest essays were on philosophical matters, specifically on the philosophy of science. Interesting early responses to logical positivism, and to other schools, with recourse to empirical evidence and evidential procedures, which I've not come across much before.
Though I enjoyed "Antiphon", Ritchie's pseudo-Socratic dialogue, I thought the primary weaknesses of the essays were theological. Ritchie's essay on pacifism is interesting for its specific contextual views.
Displaying 1 of 1 review