Author Description

Richard Wollheim (1923-2003) Is Known Primarily For His Writings On Aesthetics, And On Philosophy Of Mind And Psychoanalysis, Being A Towering Figure In These Fields. Yet His Work Had A Very Wide Scope, And A Discernible Further Major Strand In His Academic Output Is Political Philosophy, On Which This Volume, Of Previously Uncollected Papers, Concentrates. The Papers Range Over A Number Of Topics, But Several Themes Recur: A Concern For The Workings Of Democracy; A Robust Defence Of Individual Liberty; And The Role Of Education And Culture. Wollheim's Distinctive Voice Is A Constant: Wit, Verve, Sophistication, Erudition, And Subtlety. The Originality And Penetration Of His Thinking Is With Us Throughout. He Is Always To Be Seen Thinking Things Through For Himself; Often In Reaction To The Great Philosophers, Sometimes, Though Actually Relatively Rarely, With The Assistance Of Contemporaries, But Always With The Determination Of Getting To The Bottom Of Things. And He Does So In Such A Distinctive Way That His Writings Remain Full Of Fresh - Indeed Quotable - Insights Even Decades Later-- Provided By Publisher.