Nelson Goodman's distinctive contributions to such diverse areas of philosophy as epistemology, metaphysics, semiotics, logic, philosophy of language, science, and art, and his engagement with the work of Rudolf Carnap and other prominent figures in the analytic tradition, places him at the forefront of the history and development of Anglo-American philosophy in the twentieth century. Although recently the significance of Goodman's work has not been sufficiently appreciated, Daniel Cohnitz and Marcus Rossberg show that much of it is of relevance for contemporary philosophy. This book, the first comprehensive introduction to Goodman's philosophy, examines and assesses his contribution. The book begins with Goodman's New Riddle of Induction, the so-called "Grue"-paradox, which exemplifies his way of dealing with philosophical problems, and thus provides an introduction to Goodman's thought. It then covers his central work, The Structure of Appearance, as well as his philosophy of art, philosophy of language, his conventionalism, constructionalism and relativism. The technical apparatus that is required to understand Goodman's work, in particular his mereology and theory of symbols, is introduced in an accessible manner in the course of the book. The final chapter locates Goodman's position in contemporary debates and discusses recent criticisms.
Nelson Goodman's acceptance and critique of certain methods and tenets of positivism, his defence of nominalism and phenomenalism, his formulation of a new riddle of induction, his work on notational systems, and his analysis of the arts place him at the forefront of the history and development of American philosophy in the twentieth-century.
