Philosophy of Language (Fundamentals of Philosophy)
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'Alex Miller has thought incisively about how to introduce contemporary philosophy to students. His book covers a lot of ground, but by well-judged selection and outstandingly well-organised and lucid exposition he has been able to go into a number of topics quite deeply...this book is excellent.' - Philosophical Books 'An accessible and well-informed guide to this current debate and its origins; professionals as well as students will find this book useful.' - Times Literary Supplement
Review
'Alex Miller has thought incisively about how to introduce contemporary philosophy to students. His book covers a lot of ground, but by well-judged selection and outstandingly well-organised and lucid exposition he has been able to go into a number of topics quite deeply...this book is excellent.' - Philosophical Books
'An accessible and well-informed guide to this current debate and its origins; professionals as well as students will find this book useful.' - Times Literary Supplement
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a very good book. Miller covers key issues in the philosophy of language; and he does so with style, wit, and an ease of writing that makes you forget how hard a subject area you are actually reading. Obscure arguments are made accessible without being simplified, and that is Miller's greatest achievement here. I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a general reader I find this book very clear and (almost) optimally balanced between a historical and a thematic approach. Thanks to its several bridges in the direction of philosophy of mind and metaphysics, its is a very useful companion to other texts for undergraduates such as Lycan'sPhilosophy of Language: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy)book, which deals exclusively with "core issues of philosophy of language". I am rather surprised of finding no more than a single quotation for Austin, for which there must be a reason but beyond my reach.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Promising but Ultimately Disappointing
18 Oct 2011
Format:Paperback
Alexander Miller's `Philosophy of Language' is an instalment in the Fundamentals of Philosophy series published by McGill-Queen's University Press in Canada. The following comments pertain to the 1998 version of the text.
Miller's book is intended to provide a contemporary introduction to the philosophy of language to the non-expert reader. The following comments are offered with this objective in mind. My general impression is that while Miller starts off well enough the book eventually falls off the rails and fails as an effective introduction. That is not to say that the book is without strength but, rather, that it is unlikely to provide a good entry point for the student approaching the subject for the first time. With regard to strength, by far the strongest parts of the book are its early chapters. The overview of the origins of the discipline and the discussion of Frege and Russell are excellent. These early chapters have the feel of material that has been rehearsed and refined in the teaching environment. Key issues are identified and discussed in a well organized and concise manner. The subsequent discussion of logical positivism and Quine are also quite solid.
Following the discussion of Quine, however, the book unfortunately becomes a bit of a muddle. The text loses its coherence and begins to feel like a loose amalgamation of disparate material. Rather than stay at the overview level Miller delves into specifics, the significance of which are likely to be lost on his intended audience. For instance, several chapters are spent examining Kripke's Wittgensteinian sceptical argument and some of various responses that have been offered to this challenge. Granted that this is an interesting enough argument, however, it should not be a major theme in an introductory text. The discussion of Davidson, again, while not bad in and of itself, seemed somewhat off the mark for an introduction. What is needed in texts such as this is more background and less detail. The goal is to provide a road map to help orient the new reader
Overall, while as a Canadian I try to support domestic publishers when able, I would not recommend this text for readers seeking an introduction to the philosophy of language. Two alternatives that come to mind are William Lycon's `Philosophy of Language' in the Routledge Contemporary Introduction to Philosophy Series and Al Martinich's `The Philosophy of Language'.
Miller's book is intended to provide a contemporary introduction to the philosophy of language to the non-expert reader. The following comments are offered with this objective in mind. My general impression is that while Miller starts off well enough the book eventually falls off the rails and fails as an effective introduction. That is not to say that the book is without strength but, rather, that it is unlikely to provide a good entry point for the student approaching the subject for the first time. With regard to strength, by far the strongest parts of the book are its early chapters. The overview of the origins of the discipline and the discussion of Frege and Russell are excellent. These early chapters have the feel of material that has been rehearsed and refined in the teaching environment. Key issues are identified and discussed in a well organized and concise manner. The subsequent discussion of logical positivism and Quine are also quite solid.
Following the discussion of Quine, however, the book unfortunately becomes a bit of a muddle. The text loses its coherence and begins to feel like a loose amalgamation of disparate material. Rather than stay at the overview level Miller delves into specifics, the significance of which are likely to be lost on his intended audience. For instance, several chapters are spent examining Kripke's Wittgensteinian sceptical argument and some of various responses that have been offered to this challenge. Granted that this is an interesting enough argument, however, it should not be a major theme in an introductory text. The discussion of Davidson, again, while not bad in and of itself, seemed somewhat off the mark for an introduction. What is needed in texts such as this is more background and less detail. The goal is to provide a road map to help orient the new reader
Overall, while as a Canadian I try to support domestic publishers when able, I would not recommend this text for readers seeking an introduction to the philosophy of language. Two alternatives that come to mind are William Lycon's `Philosophy of Language' in the Routledge Contemporary Introduction to Philosophy Series and Al Martinich's `The Philosophy of Language'.
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