PositiveThe Houston ChronicleMenand is that rare bird, the academic who also writes for a wider audience ... Menand takes detours into things like the rise of the probability theory and statistics and how those disciplines fed the pragmatist notion of truth being tentative and approximate. The book proceeds chronologically but tends to sprawl forward rather than pursue a narrow path. And while Menand\'s explanations are always lucid, The Metaphysical Club cannot be called a casual read ... At 546 pages, The Metaphysical Club is a challenging book, expansive and not readily summarized, combining anecdote and biographical detail with analysis of fairly complex philosophical ideas. Those for whom American intellectual history from the Civil War to World War I is fuzzy will find this book serves impressively to bring the period more sharply into focus.
