Frege’s Logicism and the Significance of Interpretive Analysis

The history of Western philosophy, at least as reflected in university curricula in the English-speaking world, is standardly divided into three major periods: ancient philosophy, early modern philosophy, and modern philosophy. Ancient philosophy is seen as inaugurated by Socrates, and the subsequent writings of Plato and Aristotle undoubtedly set much of the agenda for the development of Western philosophy. There were thinkers before Socrates – the so-called Pre-Socratics; but as their name suggests, their significance lies in their being forerunners to Socrates. Early modern philosophy is typically taken to start with Descartes; certainly, it is with Descartes that most university courses on early modern philosophy – and indeed, many introductory courses in philosophy – begin. Early modern philosophy may or may not be divided into ‘rationalism’ and ‘empiricism’, with individual courses sometimes carved up accordingly; but the period is generally regarded as culminating in the critical philosophy of Kant, who at least saw himself as synthesizing rationalism and empiricism. The importance of Kant is reflected in the courses that focus entirely on his philosophy, and indeed, on just his first Critique, the Critique of Pure Reason.