The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-Century Philosophy

a book

The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-Century Philosophy

Colin McGinn · 2003 · 256 pages

Part memoir, part study, The Making of a Philosopher is the self–portrait of a deeply intelligent mind as it develops over a life on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Making of a Philosopher follows Colin McGinn from his early years in England reading Descartes and Anselm, to his years in the states, first in Los Angeles, then New York. McGinn presents a contemporary academic take on the great philosophical figures of the twentieth century, including Bertrand Russell, Jean–Paul Sartre, and Noam Chomsky, alongside stories of the teachers who informed his ideas and often became friends and mentors, especially the colorful A.J. Ayer at Oxford.

McGinn's prose is always elegant and probing; students of contemporary philosophy and the general reader alike will absorb every page.

recommended by 2 people

sourced from public statements

books like The Making of a Philosopher: My Journey Through Twentieth-Century Philosophy

other books recommended by the same people who recommend this one

  1. 1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die

    1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die

    Mimi Sheraton

    2 shared recommenders

  2. A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes

    A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes

    Peter Bevelin

    2 shared recommenders

  3. A Guide to Econometrics – 4th Edition

    A Guide to Econometrics – 4th Edition

    Peter E. Kennedy

    2 shared recommenders

  4. A History of the Mind: Evolution and the Birth of Consciousness

    A History of the Mind: Evolution and the Birth of Consciousness

    Nicholas Humphrey

    2 shared recommenders

  5. A New Kind of Science

    A New Kind of Science

    Stephen Wolfram

    2 shared recommenders

  6. Alchemy

    Alchemy

    Rory Sutherland

    2 shared recommenders

  7. Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure

    Birth of a Theorem: A Mathematical Adventure

    VILLANI Cédric

    2 shared recommenders

  8. Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society

    Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society

    Nicholas A. Christakis MD PhD

    2 shared recommenders

  9. Bull!: A History of the Boom, 1982-1999: What drove the Breakneck Market – and What Every Investor Needs to Know About Financial Cycles

    Bull!: A History of the Boom, 1982-1999: What drove the Breakneck Market – and What Every Investor Needs to Know About Financial Cycles

    Maggie Mahar

    2 shared recommenders

  10. Bull by the Horns: Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself

    Bull by the Horns: Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself

    Sheila Bair

    2 shared recommenders

  11. Confessions of a Philosopher: A Personal Journey Through Western Philosophy from Plato to Popper

    Confessions of a Philosopher: A Personal Journey Through Western Philosophy from Plato to Popper

    Bryan Magee

    2 shared recommenders

  12. Consciousness: An Introduction

    Consciousness: An Introduction

    Susan Blackmore

    2 shared recommenders