"On Professor John Wisdom's approach to philosophical problems"

Abstract

This quotation is from Professor Gilbert Ryle's review of Professor John Wisdom's collection of articles "Other Minds". Later in the review, Prof. Ryle expresses the wish that Wisdom "would give meta-philosophy a rest, and move on his own feet through some actual rough country." ibid. By a "meta-philosopher", I take it Ryle means one who makes remarks about the nature of philosophy. Now, if this is what Ryle means, then I am going to agree with him that Wisdom is a meta-philosopher in as much as wisdom does make many remarks about the nature of philosophy. But I shall go on to disagree with Ryle if he wishes us to infer that Wisdom is just a meta-philosopher. For, it seems to me that while it is undoubtedly correct to describe Wisdom as a meta-philosopher, it is dangerously misleading not to hasten to add "as well as a philosopher, of course."