A Terribly Serious Adventure

Philosophy at Oxford 1900-60

Nikhil Krishnan

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English

Profile
30 May 2023

20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Philosophy

What are the limits of language? How to bring philosophy closer to everyday life? What is a good human being?

These were among the questions that philosophers wrestled with in mid-twentieth-century Britain, a period shadowed by war and the rise of fascism. In response to these events, thinkers such as Gilbert Ryle, J. L. Austin, Elizabeth Anscombe and Iris Murdoch aspired to a new level of watchfulness and self-awareness about language. Being vigilant about their words was their way to keep philosophy true to everyday experience.

A Terribly Serious Adventure traces the friendships and the rivalries, the shared preoccupations and the passionate disagreements of Oxford's most brilliant thinkers. Far from being stuck in a world of tweed, pipes and public schools, the Oxford philosophers drew on their wartime lives as soldiers and spies, conscientious objectors and prisoners of war in creating their greatest works, works that are original in both thought and style, true masterpieces of British modernism.

Nikhil Krishnan brings his knowledge and understanding of philosophy to bear on the lives and intellectual achievements of a large and lively cast of characters. Together, they stood for a compelling moral vision of philosophy that is still with us today.

By: Nikhil Krishnan
Imprint: Profile
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Main
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 162mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 640g
ISBN: 9781800812369
ISBN 10: 1800812361
Pages: 416
Publication Date: 30 May 2023
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Nikhil Krishnan is a Fellow in Philosophy at Robinson College, Cambridge. He completed his doctorate in Philosophy at Balliol College, Oxford. His essays and reviews have appeared in the New Yorker, New Statesman, Daily Telegraph and Literary Review.

Reviews for A Terribly Serious Adventure: Philosophy at Oxford 1900-60

A compelling story-teller, Krishnan brings human sympathy and acuity to his very readable book. Past debates spring vividly to life, with all their drama and comedy: so we understand how philosophers walked-and-talked, suffered and interacted. Recommended to everyone interested in ideas, not just students of philosophy -- Peter Conradi, author * Who Lost Russia? *