In Human Understanding, Stephen Toulmin sets out to rethink how knowledge actually works.

Drawing on philosophy of science, intellectual history, and argumentation theory, Toulmin challenges the idea that understanding progresses through timeless principles alone. Instead, he argues that concepts evolve, standards shift, and rationality itself must be understood in relation to social and historical conditions. This first volume lays the groundwork for his broader project: a critique of formal rationalism and a defence of reasoning as a human, contextual activity.

A wonderful work, beautifully presented, for readers interested in how ideas change, how arguments gain authority, and how knowledge survives outside closed systems.

A key text in twentieth-century philosophy, and a bridge between analytic philosophy and lived intellectual practice.