Philosophy for Graduate Students

"Alex Broadbent has succeeded in writing a terrific primer for those beginning graduate studies in analytic philosophy. Each chapter will familiarize the reader with terms, concepts, distinctions, positions, arguments, readings and authors that are essential for engaging in professional philosophy in the English-speaking world. Although the focus is on metaphysics, epistemology and the philosophy of language, those working in aesthetics or ethical theory would also benefit from reading this book."

Thaddeus Metz, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

"This is the kind of book I wish I had had access to when starting off as a graduate student in philosophy. Broadbent gives wonderfully clear accounts of the central topics in contemporary epistemology and metaphysics. Every graduate student in the field will benefit from it -- as will advanced undergraduates (and their teachers)."

Martin Kusch, University of Vienna, Austria

"Broadbent’s Philosophy for Graduate Students is a superb overview of analytic metaphysics and epistemology. This book can be read by senior undergraduates and beginning graduate students to ensure that they are aware of some of the main currents of contemporary philosophy. Fun examples illustrate profound ideas. The writing is lively and clear, and will appeal to aspiring professional philosophers and really anyone interested in this core part of our intellectual tradition, especially as it has been developed in the last half century."

Jacob Stegenga, University of Victoria, Canada

"Broadbent provides a clear, concise, reliable, and well-written overview of classical analytic metaphysics, philosophy of science, epistemology, and philosophy of language. There are chapters on such topics as induction, causation, and reference, and each chapter includes explanations of key terms and suggestions for further reading. As the title makes clear, this book is intended for students entering graduate school in philosophy. Although certainly useful, the book has limitations. Broadbent offers very little discussion of developments in analytic philosophy since the early 1970s. The focus is on philosophers such as W. V. O. Quine, David Lewis, Nelson Goodman, D. M. Armstrong, and Saul Kripke. They are giants of analytic philosophy and important for those working on advanced degrees in philosophy, but the lack of any overview of work in analytic philosophy of the last 40–50 years makes the book seem dated. This volume could be profitably used by anyone interested in the basics of mid-20th-century analytic philosophy, but as an overview for prospective graduate students, it would need to be supplemented with more recent material."

S. P. Schwartz, Ithaca College, CHOICE December 2016

"In Philosophy for Graduate Students, Alex Broadbent carefully traces the history of philosophical inquiries in metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind and language, lucidly assesses philosophical contentions in each field, before taking a seminar on metaphysics or epistemology, it will give them an excellent opportunity to grasp the bigger picture of each discipline."

Ka Ya Lee, Harvard University