On the Edge of Certainty - (Philosophical Explorations) by Raymond Tallis (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Raymond Tallis's The Explicit Animal (1991) was a passionate attack on attempts to explain human consciousness in purely biological terms. This ground-breaking book defended the distinctive nature of human consciousness against the misrepresentations of those many philosophers and cognitive scientists who aimed to reduce it to a set of functions understood in evolutionary, neurobiological and computational terms. In his laudatory review in The Times Literary Supplement, Stephen Clark expressed the hope that Tallis would continue his explorations. On the Edge of Certainty does precisely that, investigating and clarifying the implications of the highly original view of human nature discussed in his earlier book, in order to understand the nature of truth, of language, of the mind and of the self.

Review Quotes

From the reviews of Enemies of Hope:

'`Tallis....is a high achiever with a range of expertise that would leave Jonathan Miller gasping' - Walter Ellis, The Sunday Times

'As its title and length indicate, this is a Big Book. It is written, nevertheless, in a clear, accessible, unpretentious and often witty style. And as anyone familiar with Raymond Tallis's other similar works will know, it has important things to say....there is about his panoptic sweep an intrepidity, a candour and open-mindedness, a gameness for anything, a total lack of vanity or self-importance, and a generous hatred of cant, that are extremely engaging. Every page of Enemies of Hope is lit by its author's characteristic wisdom and luminous intelligence, and by flashes of novel, striking insight. That alone is as much as to say, read it.' - Robert Grant, The Times Literary Supplement

'Brilliantly argued and with a wide range of erudition' - Nicholas Kochan, The Financial Times

'There may be other professors of geriatric medicine who have chosen to write down their views on life, the universe and everything...Raymond Tallis is unusual in that he is philosophically well educated and alert; his books are genuine contributions to professional debate and must be assessed as such.' - Stephen R.L. Clark, Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

RAYMOND TALLIS was recently described in The Times Higher Educational Supplement as 'one of the most intriguing figures in the current intellectual scene'. Trained as a doctor at Oxford University and St.Thomas' Hospital, he has written extensively outside of medicine of the last 15 years. He has published short stories and poetry, and been recognized for his critiques of post-Saussurean thought, his reflections on art and science, and his discussions of the philosophy of mind. He was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Hull in 1997 for his contributions to literary scholarship. Since 1987 he has been Professor of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Manchester and a consultant physician in Health Care of the elderly in Salford.