On the Idea and Ideology of Analytic Philosophy (original) (raw)

I argue that the dominant concept of analytic philosophy among self-described analytic philosophers is an identity concept. It involves a substantive and always contestable vision of the nature of analytic philosophy that is at the same time a vision of one’s own intellectual identity. In this non-pejorative sense, the concept is intrinsically ideological. I further argue that the anthology by Conant and Elliott (The Analytic Tradition, Norton 2017), while extraordinarily broad and comprehensive, retains this ideological character. I draw attention to four features of their substantive vision.