Book Description
Analytic philosophy--arguably one of the most important philosophical movements in the twentieth century--has gained a new historical self-consciousness, particularly about its own origins. Between 1880 and 1930, the most important work of its founding figures (Frege, Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein) not only gained attention but flourished. In this collection, fifteen previously unpublished essays explore different facets of this period, with an emphasis on the vital intellectual relationship between Frege and the early Wittgenstein. ... Read more

Book Description
The nature of the information content of declarative sentences is a central topic in the philosophy of language. The natural view that a sentence like "John loves Mary" contains information in which two individuals occur as constituents is termed the naive theory, and is one that has been abandoned by most contemporary scholars. This theory was refuted originally by philosopher Gottlob Frege. His argument that the naive theory did not work is termed Frege's puzzle, and his rival account of information content is termed the orthodox theory.

In this detailed study, Nathan Salmon defends a version of the naive theory and presents a proposal for its extension that provides a better picture of information content than the orthodox theory gives. He argues that a great deal of what has generally been taken for granted in the philosophy of language over the past few decades is either mistaken or unsupported, and consequently, much current research is focused on the wrong set of questions.

Salmon dissolves Frege's puzzle as it is usually formulated and demonstrates how it can be reconstructed and strengthened to yield a more powerful objection to the naive theory. He then defends the naive theory against the new Frege puzzle by presenting an idea that yields both a surprisingly rich and powerful extension of the naive theory and a better picture of information content than that of the original orthodox theory.

Nathan Salmon is Professor of Philosophy, University of California at Santa Barbara. A Bradford Book. ... Read more

Book Description
What is the number one? How do we know that 2+2=4? These apparently simple questions are in fact notoriously difficult to answer, and in one form or other have occupied philosophers from ancient times to the present. Gottlob Frege's conviction that the truths of arithmetic, and mathematics more generally, are derived from self-evident logical truths formed the basis of a systematic project which revolutionized logic, and founded modern analytic philosophy.In this accessible and stimulating introduction, Joan Weiner traces the development of Frege's thought from his invention of a powerful new logical language in Begriffsschrift, through his explication of his project in the Foundations of Arithmetic and famous papers such as 'On Sense and Reference', to the brilliant, but ultimately doomed, presentation of the system in Basic Laws of Arithmetic. At each stage, she discusses Frege's motivations in a way which enables the modern reader to appreciate the originality, clarity, and profundity of his thought. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

mediocre introduction
This book is fine you are willing to settle for mediocrity. I have read many lucid books; this is not one of them.

I agree that it is dull and quite futile reading
I recommend reading some of Frege's own works, most notably the Foundations of Arithmetic.This book can not convey the energy and enthusiasm they carry. It gives the impression that all Frege's concern was building a logical notation that would express the validity of 'mathematical induction', a form of inference that can not be accounted for in Aristotalian logic.No real further insight into Frege has been accomplished.. try one of the shorter works of Dummet like the Origins of Analytic Philosophy, i think would be much more interesting and also instructive.

Excellent
This is an excellent introduction to the thought of Frege, an understanding of whom is essential to the study of modern philosophy...I think it is quite well-written; however, some of the discussion is rather technical for a book in the Past Masters series.

Wonderful Book!
I found this introduction to Frege to be wonderfully lucid and intriguing! Wonderful Book and a wonderful author!

Great and easy intro to Frege
The "Past Master" series is excellent.I had no idea that G. Frege was so important in the development of modern logic.I have had minimal exposure to logic and philosophy, but with a little effort theideas presented in this book can be understood even without thatbackground. It is not necessarily easy, but the effort is worth it.

Thisis probably a good book if you are encountering Frege in a college courseand want to see the context his thoughts came out of and what hisintentions were. ... Read more

Book Description
Joan Weiner here offers a challenging new approach to the philosophical works of Gottlob Frege. Her close readings invite us to rethink Frege's influence on contemporary Anglo-American philosophy, and especially on current work in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of language. ... Read more

Book Description
Gottlob Frege has exerted an enormous influence on the evolution of twentieth-century philosophy, yet the real significance of that influence is still very much a matter of debate. This book provides a completely new and systematic account of Frege's philosophy by focusing on its cornerstone: the theory of sense and reference. This study represents a major reassessment of a seminal figure in the history of philosophy, and will be of particular interest to philosophers concerned with language and epistemology. ... Read more