Why would any intelligent person want to read about philosophy?
Searle (Philosophy/Univ. of Calif., Berkeley) presents a far too
circuitous guide for those brave souls prepared to enter the
philosophical labyrinth. Searle attempts a down-to-earth synthesis
of his views "on mind, language, and society, . . . how they relate
to each other, and how they fit into our overall conception of the
universe." In the tradition of what is nowadays quite unpopularly
referred to as the "logical positivists," Searle goes a step
further: after analyzing reality into its parts, he wants to put it
all back tgogether in a constructive mode. The main thesis,
however, which is never fully articulated, involves thes rejection
of Nietzsche's belief that reality is constructed through our
interpretation of it while affirming his notions of the will to
power. The nonspecialist will surely miss the import of this
complex argument with Continental philosophy and postmodern
thought. Theory and system take precedence over clear and precise
explanation. So, for example, one essential technical term,
"Cartesian dualism" is found in the introduction but the reader
must wade through 44 pages before finding out that dualism is a
notion "of radically different kinds of entities in the universe,
material objects and minds" and that this particular form of
dualism is named after Rene Descartes. Searle never really bothers
to unpack the nature of logical arguments or show us how to ask the
right philosophical questions. Bertrand Russell, in his The
Problems of Philosophy, points out that "philosophy is to be
studied not for the sake of any definite answers to its questions,
since no definite answers can, as a rule, be known to be true, but
rather for the sake of the questions themselves." Searle spends too
much time making claims "to have knowledge of the real world" and
too little time on the rest of us who are still trying to find some
meaning in the often confusing, painful reality of our world.
(Kirkus Reviews)
Disillusionment with psychology is leading more and more people to
formal philosophy for clues about how to think about life. But most
of us who try to grapple with concepts such as reality, truth,
common sense, consciousness, and society lack the rigorous training
to discuss them with any confidence. John Searle brings these
notions down from their abstract heights to the terra firma of
real-world understanding, so that those with no knowledge of
philosophy can understand how these principles play out in our
everyday lives. The author stresses that there is a real world out
there to deal with, and condemns the belief that the reality of our
world is dependent on our perception of it.
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