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Thomas Nagel

  • The Quest for Reality: Subjectivism and the Metaphysics of Colour by Barry Stroud

This strange and absorbing book sets out to undermine the central metaphysical ambition which has dominated philosophy since the 17th century – that of reaching what Bernard Williams calls an ‘absolute conception of reality’. The aim is to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the world, consistent with modern science, which distinguishes between what exists objectively, independent of our minds, and what is merely subjective – due to the effects of the world on our minds and our responses to it.

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Thomas Nagel is University Professor at New York University. Concealment and Exposure and Other Essays is his most recent book.
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