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Book Details

Contemporary Philosophy in Focus offers a series of introductory volumes to many of the dominant philosophical thinkers of the current age. Each volume consists of newly commissioned essays that cover major contributions of a pre-eminent philosopher in a systematic and accessible manner. Comparable in scope and rationale to the highly successful series Cambridge Companions to Philosophy, the volumes do not presuppose that readers are already intimately familiar with the details of each philosopher's work. They thus combine exposition and critical analysis in a manner that will appeal both to students of philosophy and to professionals as well as to students across the humanities and social sciences. From his groundbreaking book Speech Acts to his most recent studies of consciousness, freedom, and rationality, John Searle has been a dominant and highly influential figure among contemporary philosophers. This systematic introduction to the full range of Searle's work begins with the theory of speech acts and proceeds with expositions of Searle's writings on intentionality, consciousness, and perception, as well as a careful presentation of the so-called Chinese Room Argument. The volume considers Searle's recent work on social ontology and his views on the nature of law and obligation. It concludes with an appraisal of Searle's spirited defense of truth and scientific method in the face of the criticisms of Derrida and other postmodernists. This is the only comprehensive introduction to Searle's work. As such, it will be of particular value to advanced undergraduates, graduates, and professionals in philosophy, psychology, linguistics, cognitive and computer science, and literary theory.