Review of Glock, Hans-Johann, 'What is Analytic Philosophy?', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. xii+292, A$47.95 (paper)

Abstract

In this erudite and elegantly written book, Hans-Johann Glock explores the problem of whether it is possible to state precisely what we mean when we talk of 'analytic philosophy'. Is it a genuine taxon? What features might distinguish it from other forms of philosophy? Glock provides measured and plausible answers to those questions and, along the way, raises important themes about philosophical method - such as the role of the a priori in philosophy and the relationship between philosophy and science - as well as providing an insightful history of the development of philosophy in the twentieth century. Indeed, one remarkable feature of the book is Glock's seamless weaving of historical themes into a project that is structured around the search for a concise account of analytic philosophy. Glock's central task then is to define 'analytic philosophy'. By 'analytic philosophy' he generally means to pick out that tradition which begins with Frege and includes Carnap, Wittgenstein, Russell, Ryle, Quine and Strawson, and which is to be contrasted with both Continental and Traditional philosophy. However, at times he also uses it in a much broader sense that would take in ethics and political philosophy as well as a broad range of thinkers including figures like Bernard Williams and John McDowell. This reflects the equivocal way in which contemporary philosophers use the term.