In the first systematic study of the philosophy of Thomas Nagel, Alan
Thomas discusses Nagel's contrast between the "subjective" and the "objective"
points of view throughout the various areas of his wide ranging philosophy.
Nagel's original and distinctive contrast between the subjective view and our
aspiration to a "view from nowhere" within metaphysics structures the chapters
of the book. A "new Humean" in epistemology, Nagel takes philosophical
scepticism to be both irrefutable and yet to indicate a profound truth about
our capacity for self-transcendence. The contrast between subjective and
objective views is then considered in the case of the mind, where consciousness
proves to be the central aspect of mind that contemporary theorising fails to
acknowledge adequately. The second half of the book analyses Nagel's work on
moral and political philosophy where he has been most deeply influential.; Topics covered include the contrast between agent-relative and
agent-neutral reasons and values, Nagel's distinctive version of a hybrid
ethical theory, his discussion of life's meaningfulness and finally his
sceptical arguments about whether a liberal society can reconcile the
conflicting moral demands of self and other.
