Pittsburgh School

“Maher’s book stands out amongst this group as offering the most accessible first port of call for the struggling student approaching the work of either Sellars, McDowell or Brandom. It is clearly and unpretentiously written; includes frequent previews and summaries throughout the narrative; and helpfully invites the reader into further engagement with the relevant thinkers by noting particular points of contention, puzzlement or incompleteness. The book thus succeeds in reaching its explicit goal, which is a genuine achievement given the difficult nature of the material involved.

For the reader already familiar with the writings of this trio, it is the implicit aim of the book—the suggestion that this trio of thinkers form a philosophical school in some interesting sense—that is of potential interest. Unfortunately, this suggestion is insufficiently explored to satisfy the initiated reader. Talk of ‘the Pittsburgh School of philosophy’ may make one think it operates something like ‘the Frankfurt School’, but the former lacks the formal organization and explicit formulation of aims and projects characteristic of the latter.”