A little more than a hundred years ago philosophy in the English speaking world was transformed by the arrival of what has come to be known as 'analytic philosophy'. It was hugely influential. Focussing on logic and the meaning of words, analytic philosophy sought to put philosophy on a scientific footing. Yet a century on and critics argue the core questions about the relationship between language and the world have been largely abandoned as insoluble, while the focus on logic and the aping of science is out of sync with the contemporary environment. .
Is it time for the English speaking world to move on from analytic philosophy? Should we see it as the high point of an enlightenment scientism that has been in retreat almost since its inception and which is no longer relevant? Or can it be revived by appying its focus on rationality and the logic of words to the divisive and emotional disputes that beset current culture?