Philosophy links

Kadri Vihvelin and Terrance Tomkow didn't like Dennett's review of Mele's book on freedom: 'It is disgraceful because Dennett is coyly, with nodding winks and cunning smiles, inviting the reader to commit the ad hominem fallacy.'

Jerry Coyne didn't like John Gray's review of Dawkins' autobiography.

Michael Rosen reviews The Impact of Idealism: The legacy of post-Kantian German thought (four volumes).

'"Blind" to the obvious: Wittgenstein and Köhler on the obvious and the hidden' (by Janette Dinishak).

Sarah Bakewell's review of The Lagoon: How Aristotle Invented Science (by Armand Marie Leroi). Also reviewed by Patricia Fara.

Frank Freeman reviews Emily Wilson's The Greatest Empire: a Life of Seneca.

Peter Thonemann reviews books on Thucydides by Neville Morley and Geoffrey Hawthorn. Morley's book is Thucydides and the Idea of History.

From Morley's post on the death of German novelist Siegfried Lenz:

It is the task of the novelist, as it is of the historian, to represent the complexity and ambiguity of life, against the tendency of politicians and businessmen to seek simple answers based on a limited number of suppositions and ends.

Baroness Onora O’Neill's Hansard Lecture: ‘Can Human Rights Be Justified?’

Cass Sunstein reviews Altered Pasts: Counterfactuals in History (by Richard J. Evans).

Russ Roberts interviewed about his book How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life: An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness.

Benjamin Bilski reviews Vincent Azoulay's newly translated Pericles of Athens:

Writing with precision and avoiding clichés and anachronisms, Azoulay carefully balances the credibility of classical sources. He presents a convincing account of the stratēgos in the Athens that emerged from the Persian Wars as a fragile democracy in which Pericles played a central role as the city further democratised its public institutions and increased its power until defeat in the Peloponnesian War.

Martin Woessner reviews two books on philosophy and film.

'Under the tutelage of [Wilhelm] Herrmann, [Karl] Barth was from the beginning suspicious of metaphysics and its impact upon Christian doctrine.'

Richard Waters reviews Walter Isaacson's book The Innovators (on the post-war pioneers who laid the groundwork for Silicon Valley):

Unlike Jobs, who was in equal parts brilliant and obnoxious, those singled out for special mention by Isaacson freely share both ideas and credit for their discoveries. The writer is at pains to stress that innovation often works best when combined with a selfless, highly collaborative approach.

From BBC Radio3, Andrew Hussey on Camus.