Meaning, Understanding, and Practice is a selection of the most notable essays of a leading contemporary philosopher on a set of central topics in analytic philosophy. Barry Stroud offers penetrating studies of meaning, understanding, necessity, and the intentionality of thought. A question which runs through much of this work is what can be expected from a philosophical account of one's understanding of the meaning of something. Five of the essays are focused specifically on the philosophy of Wittgenstein, and most of the rest work with ideas derived from Wittgenstein. Stroud's introduction puts the papers in context by explaining how his ideas and aims developed over the years, and drawing out the recurring themes of the book.

Oxford University Press is to be congratulated for deciding to make available the writings of one of the clearest, most insightful and most open-minded of Wittgenstein's interpreters * MIND *

Barry Stroud is Mills Professor of Metaphysics and Epistemology at the University of California, Berkeley.