Contains fifteen essays about perennial philosophical problems of knowledge. (Can we have knowledge of the world? . . . the past? . . . the future? . . . God's existence? . . . our freedom?) Ebersole persuades readers the problems derive from philosophical pictures and uses examples to show how the pictures produce confusion.
Frank B. Ebersole has a philosophy Ph.D. (1947) from the University of Chicago. Initially he was interested in biologically oriented metaphysics, later in analytic and ordinary language philosophy—eventually he evolved into a philosopher whose ideas and methods are unique.
Ebersole has held various teaching posts but spent most of his career at the University of Oregon. He has given papers at philosophy meetings and has published widely in philosophy journals. However, much of his writing is not intended for journal publication and is available only in his books: "Things We Know," "Meaning and Saying," and "Language and Perception."