Abstract

SOME TWENTY YEARS AGO I wrote a small book entitled Conceptual Idealism, which ultimately saw the light of print in 1973. In the wake of its appearance, a considerable number of reviews were published in the philosophical literature, and their perusal, as well as discussions with various colleagues, brought home to me how easy it is to misunderstand and misconstrue a position which, to its exponent, seems quite clear and straightforward. In due course, I have come to think it useful to exploit the benefit of distant hindsight to try to restate the position more clearly and to try to safeguard it against various misunderstandings that have come to view. The present essay is the result of this endeavor.