John Dowell is a man with a mission. He wants to save Plato, Socrates and
Aristotle from clumsy misinterpretations of their ethical systems. In Mind,
Value and Reality, Dowell also explores the relationships between reason, value
and reality, asking, for example, if there might be external reasons. He defends
Wittgenstein and rates Derek Parfit’s reductionist theory of personal identity.
It’s a convenient collection of his essays, but to be of any use to beginners in
philosophy it needs some tough editing. Published by Harvard University Press,
£23.50, ISBN 0676576136.
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