I enjoyed it for what it was. Surely due to my sympathies with the works of Quine, Wittgenstein, Dewey, Rorty, and others that the author draws from, the book didn’t wow me. The arguments were solid, and the critiques of essentialism and metaphysical absolutism are standard fair for any pragmatist. Where the book shines most is in the case studies that show the rhetorical/definition skill in action. Given the current political situation, this is definitely a book all folks should be picking up so that We can skip the “What is X” nonsense and get to the real meat: discussions of values and practical implications of Our definitions!

This book is fantastic: fascinating, clear, and relevant to many areas of inquiry. Schiappa discusses complex concepts in such lucid prose, and offers such apt illustrations, that the concepts are easy to understand.

This book has been influential in my professional and personal development. The author does an excellent job of exploring the power of definitions and why people need to carefully examine and critique the definitions presented to them, while also developing their own. I've applied the concepts of this book to my profession as well as my spirituality and have found both to be enriched by the concepts and definitions the author provides.