Clarke-Doane's book offers a coherent and plausible set of answers to the notorious epistemological questions provoked by morality, and to the analogous questions that are provoked by mathematics. It is striking for its creativity, its rigorous arguments, its many subtle but important distinctions, its unusual breadth of expertise (covering the philosophy of language, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mathematics, and meta-ethics), and its rational control of
a daunting battery of interacting considerations from these various branches of the subject. Exceptionally impressive philosophical talent and maturity are on display here. Needless to say, we probably haven't yet been given the final truth about these matters. But it's certain that anyone aiming to
do better will have to grapple with Clarke-Doane's formidable arguments and conclusions.
Justin Clarke-Doane is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. He is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham and an Adjunct Research Associate at Monash University. He has previously been Visiting Scholar at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IHPST) at Pantheon-Sorbonne University (Paris 1). His work centers on metaphysical and epistemological problems surrounding apparently a priori
domains, such as morality, modality, mathematics, and logic. He received his PhD in Philosophy from New York University in 2011 and obtained his BA in Philosophy and Mathematics from New College of Florida in 2005.