Language and the Pursuit of Truth

I read this book as a teenager, as a prior reviewer suggested everyone should. It made me analyze what people are really saying, or not saying, a very useful exercise. Give it to your kids. Discuss it with them.

It is a tragedy that this book, the best example of clear philosophical writing I've ever read, is out of print. I loaned my copy to a friend a decade ago; I'll never forgive him for decamping across the country with it and not leaving a forwarding address. This deceptively simple book (it could, and I think should, be used as a textbook for on-the-ball middle school students) discusses the difference between what we say and what we mean, and how separate the two, especially when discussing things that can't be tied back to things in the physical world. In addition to being an utterly practical (of how many philosophy books can that be said?) introduction to metaphysics, the book's closing essay is a wonderous impassioned cry for clarity, wisdom, and tolerance in an increasing crass and muddleheaded world. Find it. Read it.