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 Popular philosophy? August 1, 2007
It is only on the page before last we find the author's intentions: to make philosophy "intelligible to the layperson." This is an ambitious attempt but falls short - to participate in philosophy requires a good grasp of the terms, knowledge of what came before, and various skills for posing questions, constructing and analyzing positions, etc. The approach to give "the gist of it" sometimes works, it is readable and not exactly 'dumbed down', but still feels unsatisfactory.
Mr. McGinn's 'big thing' was proposing that our minds are not capable of understanding our minds! It is simply beyond our limits, in the way that dogs are never going to grasp the theories of Einstein! This is possible to appreciate and value; although a negative in terms of human endveour, it is honest enough to challenge our self-delusions ("God created man in his own image").
The book also gives an open account of academic life, the struggle for recognition and advancement, the rivalries, the mechanics and personal drive which propel the system.
Overall, I got to say there have been more successful writers when it comes to popularising philosophy.
 intersting autobiograpy, uninspiring philosophy February 12, 2004
7 out of 19 found this review helpful
This book lends itself readily to comparison with Bryan Magee's 'Confessions of a Philosopher' since it follows a similar line - a sense of exasperation with analytic philosophy and the excitement of American philosophy, but there the comparison ends. It is unfortunately a less weighty book in terms of the ideas it explores, and seems to be rooted in only a few strands of philosophical enquiry that are peculiarly British and fixed in the 20th century. Even here, the half page given over to existentialism is not only woefully inadequate, it is a dreadful interpretation that cannot begin to approach the significance of this line of enquiry.
Thisa is hardly surprising. Despite his own protestations, one gets the feeling that whatever modern philosophy has become, or is becoming, it longs to become a science, and knows simultaneously that this could never happen. Despite this quandary, one feels there is a constant pursuit in philosophy to find some logical scheme that could make this happen, just as theories of everything are pursued in science but fated to be forever out of reach. But in the case of philosophy, the elusiveness of this holy grail is threatening philosophy with a sense of its own redundancy.
The irony is that it is the very status of science that philosophy should be challenging, and this is an enquiry notable by its absence in this book. Such a challenge could help invigorate both categories of understanding and could, I feel, throw a better light on traditional problems such as, say, the body/mind dichotomy, and could go further in understanding it than is possible with McGinn's 'mysterians'. These come across as modern day equivalents of the noumenal, the very notion that modern philosophy is striving to move away from, but this seems to be the limit of understanding that is available in philosophyas it is now practiced, and seems to be something of a dead end. That the book ends with a sense of its own futility base on this limit does not speak well for philosophy as a method of enquiry, nor will it endear itself to a wider audience if this is the best it can do. It only helps to further the status of science which often complains of the redundancy of philosophy, and that it must therefore further the cause of understanding without its aid. In this way, science and philosophy both suffer, and the result of it has been a revived dogmatism that has led to the usual apathy and sense of helplessness that is the hallmark of a dogmatic era.
The irony of taking the autobiographical approach to this subject is that it displays the pursuit of philosophy as an incestuous practice, of who is rubbing shoulders with whom. Perhaps that is how ideas have always been engendered, but sadly, philosophy (since it produces nothing useful by its own nature) comes across as an intellectual pastime played amongst its own peers. It may be difficult, but attraction to such a pursuit must have something more to offer than simply learning a specialised language in order to become a club member. There are still rich veins of enquiry to mine, and at the end of this book, I am left with a feeling that this will not occur nor be instigated in the universities.
 A Magnificent incite to the World of Philosophy January 29, 2004
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I came across this book having read an article on him in a newspaper. I bought it, and have never been so interested by a book. It is truly thought provoking.I am a complete novice when it comes to philosophy. The joy of this book is that it takes you through many philosophical topics: the mind and the brain, linguistic philosophy and the existence of God, whilst not getting too heavy! The philosophical discussions are dispersed with light biographical recollections to easethe brain after a bit of serious thought. I would recomend this book to anyone with even a minor interest in philosophy, regardless of their previous philosophical experience!
Literary Genius November 19, 2003
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
Colin McGinn is a master at getting his point across whether you’re philosophically enlightened or not. McGinn has a gift for both clarity of thought and expressing these thoughts.I often find philosophy books disorientating but I just couldn't put this book down. This book is a philosophical autobiography, traversing his voyage through philosophy and how he arrived at his own philosophical opinions, he often sidesteps away from conceptual thought and lightens the mood with witty anecdotes and I think he strikes a healthy balance. I found this a comforting, light relief from the occasionally weighty philosophical concept. He knows when to push an idea, how to push it, how much to push it, and just as your on the verge of being swamped under overwhelming weight of it all.....he backs off and fills you in on some of his youthful undertakings. Literary Genius! a truly unique book. A 'must read' for anybody approaching philosophy for the first time or anybody willing to test the water of philosophy. If like me you find philosophy enthralling and inpirational but all too often get bogged down by heavy philosophical texts, then this is the book for you.
Entertaining the mind October 31, 2003
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
Having previously never heard of Colin McGinn, I was extremely pleased to discover one of his books. I have never claimed to be a philosopher, in fact truth be told i’m a relative newcomer to the subject. So naturally I was keen to be introduced to the subject. The book proved to be both informative and interesting, and just as importantly was witty and gripping throughout. Taking the form of an autobiography as a reader we are introduced to the wonderful world of philosophy through the authors eyes, experiencing his journey of discovery as he did. I found this a great way to learn about some of the most important philosophical theories in recent history.
His ability to both introduce and explain the numerous theories was immensely effective. Too many academic writers these days can become obsessed with jargon and excessive detail. But not Colin McGinn! His style of writing is approachable, and a joy to read. I would recommend this to anyone after a real introduction to the subject.
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