These new essays on J. L. Austin's philosophy constitute the first major study of his thought in decades. Eight leading philosophers join together to present a fresh evaluation of his distinctive work, showing how it can be brought to bear on issues at the top of today's philosophical agenda, such as scepticism and contextualism, the epistemology of testimony, the generality of the conceptual, and the viability of the semantics/pragmatics distinction. The contributors offer in-depth interpretations of Austin's views and demonstrate why his work deserves a more central place in mainstream philosophical discussion than it currently has. The volume also contains a substantial introduction that situates Austin's thought in its original intellectual milieu and provides an overview of the many different ways in which his ideas have influenced later developments, in philosophy and elsewhere.

About the Author
Martin Gustafsson is Professor of Philosophy at Abo Akademi University, Finland. His chief research interests are in the philosophy of language, the philosophy of action, philosophical methodology, and the history of analytic philosophy. He has published papers on Austin, Cavell, Davidson, Hacking, McDowell, Quine, Rawls, Wittgenstein, and others. ; Richard Sorli is Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy, University of Bergen, Norway. His research interests centre on philosophy of language, early analytic philosophy, and political philosophy. He has published papers on Wittgenstein, Cavell, Frege, Heidegger, and Carnap.

Reviews
[The essays] indicate that, when carried out with appropriate care, engagement with Austin's work has the potential to be of continuing relevance to contemporary discussions. * Guy Longworth, Mind *



Book Information
ISBN 9780199219759
Author Martin Gustafsson
Format Hardback
Page Count 252
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 550g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 164mm * 27mm