As If

“Kwame Anthony Appiah is a writer and thinker of remarkable range… Appiah writes very clearly, and much of this original and absorbing book will be of interest to general readers… Appiah has packed into this short book an impressive amount of original reflection on a number of topics… [A] rich and illuminating book.”—Thomas Nagel, The New York Review of Books

“Appiah is the rare public intellectual who is also a first-rate analytic philosopher, and the characteristic virtues associated with each of these identities are very much in evidence throughout the book.”—Thomas Kelly, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

“Following his practice of producing short, concise, well-written, thoughtful books of interest to a broad audience, Appiah again raises important questions.”—J. Gough, Choice

“Appiah is absolutely right that the notion of idealization is both ripe and suitable for significant philosophical exploration. The subject has been central to political theory, epistemology, and philosophy of science. As If: Idealization and Ideals is the first book to explicitly combine and link all of the discussions in a very valuable—if controversial—contribution.”—Jason Stanley, Yale University