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Jean Piaget, along with Sigmund Freud and B. F. Skinner, is one of the most influential thinkers in psychology. His influence on developmental and cogni-tive psychology, pedagogy and the so-called cognitive revolution is without doubt. The contributors to the book under review aim to show his past, contemporary as well as future relevance to important areas of psychology. I argue that they fail because they use Piaget's own terminology, instead of explaining his ideas and relevance in a way accessible to someone not already familiar with or sceptical about his assumptions and ideas. Thus, the book neither meets the authors' own stated goals, nor provides an accessible ex-position of Piaget for the uninitiated or sceptical reader. A companion book like this one should help give answers to questions which someone unfamil-iar with or sceptical of, but curious about, Piaget's work would ask. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responds to Leslie Smith's paper 'Genetic Epistemology and the Child's Understanding of Logic,' published in the 1984 issue of 'Philosophy of the Social Sciences.' Jean Piaget's psychological theories and ideas; Relation between genetic and philosophical epistemology; Contradiction and intelligence.

Discusses genetic epistemology and the child's understanding of logic. Jean Piaget's epistemological theory; Relation between genetic and philosophical epistemology; Role of the principles of logic in the development of intelligence; Acquisition of knowledge.