Bruce Silver

I am Bruce Silver, professor emeritus in the Department of Philosophy, at the University of South Florida. My books and essays deal principally with philosophy in America, early-modern philosophy, and philosophy in literature. My most recent book, GRAMMAR, PHILOSOPHY, AND LOGIC (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2017) bears on subtle errors in grammar, defective diction, suspect neologisms, faulty comparisons, and the recurrent misuse of such common words as "Interesting," "Apparent," "Possible." In this book I appeal to familiar philosophical arguments that can clarify and improve prose. As far as I know, no other texts in grammar, syntax, and word use make any such appeal. My broadest goal is to establish how any writer can craft papers, chapters, and books that are excellent, not merely good enough. I am neither a traditionalist nor a revisionist where the rules and practices of grammar are the issue, but in everything that I affirm or reject, I supply arguments to support my position, e.g. an argument that "Interesting" lacks cognitive meaning and should never be used as an adjective. Although I sometimes write in the lst person, I try hard not to tell anecdotes starring me.