Analytic Philosophy: The History of an Illusion

This is a novel, critical account of the origins and development of the dominant school of philosophy in the English-speaking world. For at least 30 years, analytic philosophy has consisted in an increasingly loose and variable amalgam of philosophical topics, views and methods. This has led some to claim that, despite its professional entrenchment, analytic philosophy is in a state of crisis. “Analytic Philosophy: The History of an Illusion” argues that the crisis is deeper and more longstanding than is usually recognized. Synthesizing data from early and recent studies as well as from canonical primary texts, it argues: that analytic philosophy has never involved significant agreement on substantive philosophical views, and thus that it has always been in this state of crisis, that this fact was long hidden by the illusion that analytic philosophy was originally united in the metaphilosophical thesis that philosophy is linguistic analysis, and that both the rise of analytic philosophy under this illusion and the preservation of its privileged status since the illusion’s demise have been facilitated by a scientistic ‘stance’ that minimizes the traditional philosophical duty to examine one’s most fundamental assumptions. “Continuum Studies in Philosophy” presents cutting-edge scholarship in all the major areas of research and study. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from a range of disciplines across the humanities and social sciences.

Author Biography

Aaron Preston is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Valparaiso University, USA.