Early Analytic Philosophy - New Perspectives on the Tradition / The Western Ontario Series in Philosophy of Science Bd.80 (PDF)

The present volume is a collection of papers that focus on discussing (g)old ideas mainly originating in the works of some of the central figures who initiated the analytic tradition: Gottlob Frege, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and Rudolf Carnap. The central point of the book is to show how these ideas remain present and influential in current philosophical debates.

What we have inherited from the analytic tradition can be comparable to the nuggets of legacy contained in the unpublished works Frege left behind him, about which Frege told his son Alfred: "Even if they are not pure gold, there is gold in them."

The collection fulfills the need to better understand these ideas by placing them in their original setting, and systematically examines how these ideas might illuminate debates that animates current philosophical discussion. The authors approach some crucial ideas of the founders of analytic philosophy with a keen interest in showing how much contemporary philosophy is indebted to its original setting; they also examine the extent to which current debates echo the 'original' ones.

The collection is designed to be a useful tool for those who recognize the fruitfulness of (g)old thoughts, and their significant influence in current philosophical disputes.