Philosophy

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31653, 13 April 1968, Page 4

Philosophy

The Unwritten Philosophy and Other Essays. By F. M. Cornford. Cambridge University Press. 139 pp. F. M. Cornford is a name known to all as the author of the standard translation of Plato’s “Republic”; this was, however, only the last work of a remarkably productive career—when Cornford died in 1943 he left no less than twelve books (and a host of articles) dealing chiefly with Greek philosophy, a massive monument to an extraordinary classicist. As most of these have been long out of print, the paperback reissue of the present volume, containing eight essays about Plato and before, should elicit ■ Bacchic revelry from all, genuine Graecophils: the more so because Cornford himself takes the lead and dances over the rugged crags of Hesiod and the Pre-Socratics with a sureness of foot that indicates close familiarity with the land. Language and the Pursuit of Truth. By John Wilson. Cambridge. 105 pp. The popularity of this ini troduction to the semantic side of logic is demonstrated by its four reprintings since its first appearance in 1956, and this assures the success of this first paperback edition. While not all will agree with Mr Wilson’s way of handling “Analytic Statements,” this will only in a very slight way detract from the value of this book as a lucid formulation of the conditions of truth and the basis of meaning and verification. Perhaps the chief factor which has ensured the book’s success is its unusually wide audience range: Mr Wilson writes so simply and systematically that the nonspecialist adult reader can easily follow his argument, land yet this book is also profitable reading for the philosophy student, who will find the novelty of Mr Wilson’s approach refreshing.