Walking the Tightrope of Reason

By Robert J. Fogelin

Book Overview

Human beings are both supremely rational and deeply superstitious, capable of believing just about anything and of questioning just about everything. Indeed, just as our reason demands that we know the truth, our skepticism leads to doubts we can ever really do so.
In Walking the Tightrope of Reason, Robert J. Fogelin guides readers through a contradiction that lies at the very heart of philosophical inquiry. Fogelin argues that our rational faculties insist on a purely rational account of the universe, yet at the same time, the inherent limitations of these faculties ensure that we will never fully satisfy that demand. As a result of being driven to this point of paradox, we either comfort ourselves with what Kant called "metaphysical illusions" or adopt a stance of radical skepticism. No middle ground seems possible and, as Fogelin shows, skepticism, even though a healthy dose of it is essential for living a rational life, "has an inherent tendency to become unlimited in its scope, with the result that the edifice of rationality is destroyed." In much Postmodernist thought, for example, skepticism takes the extreme form of absolute relativism, denying the basis for any value distinctions and treating all truth-claims as equally groundless. How reason avoids disgracing itself, walking a fine line between dogmatic belief and self-defeating doubt, is the question Fogelin seeks to answer.
Reflecting upon the ancient Greek skeptics as well as such thinkers as Hume, Kant, Wittgenstein, Nietzsche, and Whitman, this book takes readers into--and through--some of philosophy's most troubling paradoxes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195160266
• ISBN13: 9780195160260
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.1" x 1.1" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

Handbook for sanity in an insane world

Without any doubts and without any hedges Fogelin's 'Walking the Tightrope of Reason: The Precarious Life of a Rational Animal' is the best philosophy book I have ever read. Why? Fogelin presents the limits of rational thought in both a cogent and concise manner. The amateur philosopher can wrap his or her head around a useful handbook exploring the boundaries of rational thought as presented by Hume and Kant. Fogelin's skill as a writer and philosopher manifests in his ability to distill the writings of Hume and Kant into a precis for us time-pressed amateurs. 'Walking' helps the reader cope with the bull that stinks up the world at large. I recommend 'Walking' without reservation.

Fogelin is a master teacher!

A wonderfully human account of philosophy and its limits. Indeed, of humanity and our limits. Can (should) be read by "intelligent children of all ages," in all disciplines and all walks of life.

Thinking About Thinking About Thinking

First, I must confess that when I read the synopsis of Walking The Tightrope Of Reason by Robert Fogelin, I had visions of a much different book. As a science-type who is open-minded, but skeptical, reading a book of straight philosophy tends to make me feel like I've entered the land of navel gazers. The synopsis made Fogelin's book sound much more practical than I found it to be. Still, I found Fogelin's review of the history of philosophy to be a good education in a subject that I've admittedly neglected. If you are looking for a primer on how to navigate the precarious life of a rational animal, Walking The Tightrope Of Reason may fall short and miss the safety net. If you are looking at a nondogmatic and personal review of the history of thinking about thinking, Fogelin's musings could take you across the high wire safely.