The Term “Analytic Philosophy” in 1930s Britain: John Laird's Perspective From Recent Philosophy

ABSTRACT John Laird was a Scottish philosopher associated with New British Realism. He held the position of Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen from 1924 to 1946. Among his notable works during this time was Recent Philosophy , a book published in 1936 that introduced current movements in philosophy. In this work, Laird included a chapter entitled “Analysis,” which introduced the term “new analytic philosophy.” Additionally, in the conclusion of this book, he used the term “contemporary analytical philosophy.” This article has two primary objectives. First, it seeks to reconsider Laird's contributions to philosophy. Second, it aims to elaborate on Laird's conception of “analytic philosophy” and compare it with the views of John Terence Wisdom, L. S. Stebbing and A. J. Ayer. In the article, it is also noted that Laird's book was published in the same year as Nagel's two‐part paper on analytic philosophy. It should be added that Nagel visited Cambridge in 1935. The article also endeavours to shed light on British philosophy and the development of the term “analytic philosophy” in the 1930s.