Language and Intelligence

"The purpose of this book is to relate the nature of genuine thinking, and how it contrasts with blind routine, to the difference between logic and ordinary language. It thus seeks to give an integrated account of the two philosophical problems most under discussion at the present time. The book is written as a continuous argument. First, a critical analysis of some widely held theories shows how these have spread beyond philosophy and have distorted thinking in other fields. Then the argument discusses intelligence and habit in mental and physical activity ; communication by nonverbal means ; the simple and more complex uses of language itself; and finally, various attempts to eradicate vagueness and ambiguity. The latter part of the book is a detailed examination of language as a practical instrument developed for a variety of purposes, yet seldom entirely under control. The author, who is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, has written in the first place for serious students of philosophy. But the argument is clearly and attractively presented throughout, and the work will also be useful to those generally interested in philosophy, or wishing to estimate the significance for related fields of enquiry of the recent far-reaching changes in philosophical thought" -- Dust jacket.