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,