Mind, World, and German Idealism Essays

Over the last half century, John McDowell has solidified a singular career in the history and evolution of philosophy. This volume--one half of a companion-volume set--collects a series of essays from the eminent philosopher on philosophical debates of the twentieth and twenty-first century, and German Idealism. The first section contains a miscellany of interventions in recent philosophical conversation, including commentary on debates with Hubert Dreyfus and Wilfrid Sellars. Included here are "The Myth of Mind as Detached," and "Colours as Secondary Qualities," among others. The second section contains a number of essays on the interpretation of German Idealism, including a detailed reading of Kant's Transcendental Deduction of the Categories, and a suite of essays on Robert Brandom's interpretation of Hegel's The Phenomenology of Spirit. Included in this section are "Rationalism Without Dogmas," and "Second Nature and Geist," among others. This volume presents some of the most important philosophical conversations in recent memory in a much-needed book format. It brings together crucial philosophical developments from the past few decades and is a fitting companion to the volume Perception and Action.