Explanation and Understanding

G. H. Von Wright

ISBN 10: 0801406447 / ISBN 13: 9780801406447

Published by Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 1971

Pages are clean. Book is tight. Jacket's condition is very good. Front and back covers have slight staining. An eminent philosopher here offers a detailed and sophisticated analysis of the concepts of cause and intentionality and evaluates the usefulness of these concepts for purposes of explanation. Seller Inventory # TA243693

Synopsis:

"Explanation and Understanding, perhaps von Wright's best-known book, showed the influence of Wittgenstein, but marked a clean break with the positivism of his youth. He suggested that human action could not be explained causally by scientific or 'natural' laws, but had to be understood 'intentionally'―a concept connected with wants and beliefs developed in a social and cultural context."―Daily Telegraph

"This is a very good book packed with much original material; it also contains illuminating reinterpretations of some familiar theories and arguments. The range of topics treated includes causation, action, verification of gnomic statements, practical inference and its use in the explanation of action, and the structure of explanation in history."―Philosophical Review

About the Author:

The late G. H. von Wright, who succeeded Wittgenstein in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and served as one of three executors of the Wittgenstein estate, was a visiting professor at Cornell University from 1965 to 1977 and finished his career at the University of Helsinki. His many books include The Varieties of Goodness, Norm and Action, The Logic of Preference, and Freedom and Determination.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Explanation and Understanding
Publisher: Cornell University Press, Ithaca
Publication Date: 1971
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good