Abstract

This book is comprised of eighteen essays covering a wide range of topics, each of which is basically self-contained and may be read independently of the others. However, some of them consist of further developments of ideas presented in previous publications, and thus readers familiar with these will, as the author notes, inevitably have an advantage over those who are not. Only two of the essays included have been previously published. Many of the others were presented as papers at various philosophical meetings. The style varies among the different essays. Some of them are somewhat loose and exploratory, while others are more formal and systematic. Again, some are fundamentally critical while others are mainly constructive. Many of the papers are reactions to the work of others which attempt to strengthen the underlying philosophical view contained there by incorporating other seemingly disparate approaches.