Mendieta has brilliantly succeeded in bringing to our attention the seminal work of an unjustly neglected master philosopher. His is the only major study of Karl-Otto Apel, a philosopher whose introduction of Peircian pragmatism and Anglo-American philosophy of language into the German academy led to the transformation of an entire tradition of philosophizing. Mendieta's meticulous tracing of Apel's career—including Apel's pioneering development of discourse ethics (before its Habermasian incarnation) and his recent engagement with the Latin American liberation philosopher Enrique Dussel over the problem of globalization—represents a tour de force of scholarship that will likely stand as the leading study of this great thinker for years to come.
David Ingram, Loyola University, Chicago This book offers an excellent overview and analysis of the work of one of the most important contemporary German philosophers, Karl-Otto Apel. Given that it is the first book-length study of Apel available in English, it will prove invaluable for the long overdue reception of and engagement with Apel's work by Anglo-American philosophers.
Cristina Lafont, Northwestern University Mendieta deftly traces Apel's work through his first encounter with the philosophy of language, his discovery of Charles Sanders Peirce, his development of transcendental semiotics and his quest for an ultimate foundation for rationality. This important book will shape the future debates on Apel's contribution to philosophy.
David M. Rasmussen, Boston College Here is finally a book on arguably the most prominent German philosopher since World War II—who is sadly under-translated into English. Lucidly argued, the book documents how, under the influence of Peirce and Wittgenstein, Apel was led to his 'transformation of philosophy' in the direction of a transcendental semiotics and transcendental pragmatics (or communicative ethics). A splendid and thoughtful introduction to a great, but still under-appreciated thinker.
Fred Dallmayr, University of Notre Dame