Review by Choice Review
Although transcendental arguments have been used by almost every philosopher, it was Descartes who explicitly employed the transcendental argument to combat skepticism and thereby render knowledge secure; with Kant, transcendental argumentation acquires an exalted status. Palmer is concerned with clarifying the nature of these arguments and evaluating their adequacy. Using the metaphysics of Descartes as an illustration, Palmer deals first with the kind of skepticism transcendental arguments are purported to defeat. Discussing the notion of presupposition, Palmer shows how and why transcendental arguments inevitably suffer from circularity, and how this circularity afflicts Kant's transcendental arguments. Several prominent contemporary stances are considered yet all employ transcendental arguments and hence suffer from circularity. A final chapter evaluates the virtues and vices of transcendental arguments. This is a first-class philosophic work, filled with insights and elegant argumentation. But why does Palmer, who spent some time in India, fail to mention Nagarjuna, the oldest and most famous debunker of transcendental arguments? Excellent bibliography and useful index. Highly recommended for upper-division undergraduates and graduate students.-R. Puligandla, University of Toledo
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
