C. D. Broad: Key Unpublished Writings

Book excerpt: C. D. Broad (1887–1971) was a British philosopher who taught for many years at Trinity College, Cambridge. Possessing extremely wide-ranging interests, Broad made significant contributions to the mind-body problem, perception, memory, introspection, the unconscious, the nature of space, time, and causation. He also wrote extensively on the philosophy of science, ethics, the history of philosophy, and the philosophy of religion and had an abiding interest in ‘psychical research’—a subject he approached with the disinterested curiosity and scrupulous care that is characteristic of his philosophical work. Whilst overshadowed in his own time by figures such as Russell, Moore, and Wittgenstein, he is acknowledged to have anticipated important developments in several fields, such as emergence in philosophy of science, sense perception, and the 'growing block' theory of time in metaphysics. Although Broad published many books in his lifetime, this volume is unique in presenting some of his most interesting unpublished writings. Divided into five clear sections, the following figures and topics are covered: Autobiography Hegel and the nature of philosophy Francis Bacon Hume's philosophy of the self and belief F. H. Bradley The historical development of scientific thought from Pythagoras to Newton Causation Change and continuity Quantitative methods Poltergeists Paranormal phenomena. Each section is introduced and placed in context by the editor, Joel Walmsley. The volume also includes an engaging and informative foreword by Simon Blackburn. It will be of great value to those studying and researching the history of twentieth-century philosophy, metaphysics, and the recent history and philosophy of science, as well as anyone interested in Broad's philosophical thought and his place in the history of philosophy.