Books in the Continuum Studies in British Philosophy series

In 1911, Bertrand Russell began a historically formative interchange about the nature of logic and cognition with his student, Ludwig Wittgenstein. This work presents a treatment of Russell's decisive 1913 exchanges with Wittgenstein. It also incorporates little-known notes and diagrams into a different analysis of the problems Russell was facing.

Focuses on how Wittgenstein and Gadamer treat language in their accounts of language as game and their major writings on the subject - "Philosophical Investigations" and "Truth and Method", respectively. This book brings the work of two major modern philosophers in to dialogue.

A monograph that examines Hobbes' political writings in the context of the rest of his corpus and the work of his contemporaries. It considers what it is that makes the study of Hobbes so compelling. It shows the relevance of Hobbes to contemporary debates around the radically democratic potential of the 'multitude'.

A monograph that presents a non-sceptical outlook on David Hume's "A Treatise of Human Nature" by analysing the hitherto neglected role of the belief in other minds. It considers the problem of other minds as a special problem within the debate about scepticism. It focuses on Hume's discussion of sympathy.

One of the influential debates in John Locke's work is the problem of personal identity over time. This problem is that of how a person at one time is the same person later in time, and so can be held responsible for past actions. This title offers an emphasis on Locke's theological commitments, and those of Rene Descartes and Thomas Hobbes.

David Hume, one of the most influential philosophers to have written in the English language, is widely known as a skeptic and an empiricist. This book studies Hume's philosophy of religion, a topic central to his whole philosophical project.

Offers an appreciation of Iris Murdoch's philosophy, focusing the importance of images and the imagination for her thought. This book examines how literature and imagination enabled Murdoch to form a philosophical response to the decline of religion. It also reconsiders various contemporary assumptions about what philosophy is and does.

Shows how Wittgenstein's philosophy of language points towards a different philosophy of life, thereby making a contribution to ethical and political thought. Tracing the development of Wittgenstein's work from 1914 to 1951, this book explores the notion of 'form' in the Tractatus.

Examines Russell's work, particularly from 1900 to 1950, and exposes a repeated emphasis on, and turn to, linguistic considerations. This book considers how 'linguistics' and 'philosophy' were struggling in the twentieth century to define themselves and to create appropriate contemporary disciplines.

Offers an original reading of Ludwig Wittgenstein's views on such topics as radical scepticism, the first- and third-person asymmetry of mental talk, Cartesianism, and rule-following.

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) is remembered only as an alleged 'Social Darwinist' who applied the theory of the survival of the fittest to society. This book provides the modern survey of the corpus of Spencer's thought. It introduces a Spencer very different to his posthumous reputation.

Argues that Wittgenstein, though himself often silent on particular ethical matters, gives us immense resources for understanding the aims appropriate to any philosophical ethics. This work re-examines some of the landmarks in the history of moral philosophy in order to cast contemporary ethical philosophy in a fresh light.

Tackles some of the problems in Berkeley's philosophy by providing a fresh interpretation of Berkeley's core ontological doctrines and their relationship to his views about self-consciousness. This work examines that Berkeley is led to adopt a model of self-consciousness because he rejects basic metaphysics of many of his predecessors.

A development in Wittgenstein Studies has been the advancement of a therapeutic reading of the Tractatus. This book offers an extended application of this reading of Wittgenstein, encompassing Wittgenstein's later work too, to examine the implications of Wittgenstein's work as a whole upon the domains of literature, psychopathology, and time.

Ludwig Wittgenstein's later philosophy comes alive when it is used as a vehicle for philosophical discovery, rather than when it is interpreted as a system of propositions. This volume offers a study of Wittgenstein's later work on the philosophy of psychology, his cryptic remarks on visual meaning and the analysis of the concept of perception.

Thomas Reid (1710-96) was one of the most daring and original thinkers of the eighteenth century. His work became the cornerstone of the Scottish School of Common Sense Philosophy. This book begins by characterizing the state of moral epistemology at the time when Reid was writing. It offers an assessment of the success of Reid's ethical project.

Takes issue with the near-universal tendency of Hobbes scholars to emphasize the influence of Hobbes's natural philosophy on his political philosophy. This book shows how Hobbes's political ideas influence his natural philosophy.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the philosophy of John Stuart Mill has never been more relevant. Can we reconcile individual liberty with the demands of the common good? This book argues that Mill's liberal utilitarianism can indeed support a system of rights rich enough to guarantee individual liberty.