The Making of a Philosopher is an unusual book--and a welcome one. Well-known analytic philosopher Colin McGinn sets out, rather ambitiously, to write an introduction and explanation of philosophy. But instead of a dry volume bound for dusty shelves, McGinn has given us a book of philosophy, but it is philosophy as told through autobiography. By telling the story of his life--or, more precisely, his intellectual life--McGinn illuminates a number of the central topics in contemporary philosophy. He intentionally leaves out the portions of his life he deems irrelevant to his intellectual formation, but one can't help wondering how capably he can make this distinction about himself.
The book is enormously readable, or at least as readable as an introduction to analytic philosophy can hope to be. McGinn, who also writes fiction, has a gift for narrative, and the events in his life propel the reader along a clear, concise, and helpful overview of the main topics in today's philosophy departments. He is candid, occasionally self-deprecating, and funny, but above all, an able guide. Readers will discover not only the thoughts of Bertrand Russell, Saul Kripke, and Ludwig Wittgenstein but also a wonderfully honest examination of a philosopher's life worth living. --Eric de Place
