A History of Western Philosophy

The philosophy of the Western world and your connection with the political and social development (Original Title: A History of Western Philosophy, published in 1945 ) by Bertrand Russell is an introduction to Western philosophy from the Presocratics to the early twentieth century. The philosophy of the West in addition to the ideas of major philosophers in the context of their time history also Russell's own thoughts and interpretations of these ideas.

  • 3.1 reviews

Background

The book was written during the Second World War. The origins of this came from a series of lectures on the history of philosophy that held Russell 1941-1942 at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. Much of the historical research was conducted by Russell's third wife, Patricia. 1943, Russell from the publishers an advance of $ 3000 and 1943-1944, when he lived at Bryn Mawr College, he wrote the book. It was published in 1945 in the U.S. and a year later in the UK.

Content

The work is divided into three books, each of which contains two or three sections, which are in turn divided into chapters. These chapters each dealing with a single philosopher, a school of philosophy, or a time period of history.

The Ancient Philosophy

The Catholic philosophy

  • The Fathers of the Church ( including the early development history of Jewish philosophy and Islamic philosophy ( which he calls " Mohammedan " according to the usual in his time convention ), and Ambrose of Milan, Jerome, Augustine of Hippo, St. Benedict and Pope Gregory the Great)
  • The scholastics ( John Scotus Eriugena and contains Thomas Aquinas )

The philosophy of the modern age

  • From the Renaissance to Hume ( including Niccolò Machiavelli, Erasmus, Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume )
  • From Rousseau to the present ( including Jean -Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, George Gordon Byron, Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche, utilitarianism, Karl Marx, Henri Bergson, William James and John Dewey ). The last chapter in this section, the philosophy of logical analysis, focuses on Russell's own philosophy at the time of writing.

Reactions and subsequent effect

Russell himself described his book as a work of social history and demanded that it should be treated as such. While the work was often praised for Russell's humorous and accessible writing style, however, it was also criticized because of its focus on the front - cartesianistische philosophy as well as his " excessive generalizations " and omissions.

The " History of Western Philosophy " was a direct commercial success and is applied repeatedly since its first edition. When Russell was awarded the 1950 Nobel Prize for Literature, the "philosophy of the West" was cited as one of the works that had earned him this award. The success of the book gave Russell the required financial assurance for the last quarter century of his life.

Reviews

" Bertrand Russell's " History of Philosophy " is a delicious read. I do not know whether to admire more in this great thinker the delicious freshness and originality, or the sensitivity of empathy in distant times and strange mentality. I consider it fortunate that our so dry and at the same time brutal generation one so wise, the counterparty honest, brave and doing humorous man. It is an educational in the highest sense of work that stands above the strife of parties and opinions. "

"Parts of this famous book are sketchy ... in other respects it is a marvellously readable, magnificently sweeping survey of Western thought, distinctive for Placing it into its historical context informatively. Russell enjoyed writing it, and the enjoyment shows; his later remarks about it Equally show did what he conscious of its short comings. "

"Portions of this famous book are sketchy ... in other respects it is a wonderfully readable, great overview of the Western intellectual world, recognizable by the placement of information in the historical context. Russell had pleasure in writing and this pleasure is reflected; his later remarks [ about the book ] also show that he was aware of his shortcomings. "

" Embodies what Seems to me the worst features of Lord Russell's previous more journalistic works, but it is of a Poorer quality than any of these. "

" Does what for me is the worst features of Lord Russell's earlier are more journalistic work, but it is of poorer quality than all this [ work]. "

" Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy is amusing, but suffers from defects ... First, it deals with ancient Largely philosophy, and is curt and selective in its treatment of the post- Cartesian tradition. Secondly, it is dismissive towards all those philosophers with splat Russell felt no personal affinity. Thirdly, it shows no understanding of Kant and post- Kantian idealism. It is, for all that, a classic of wit, elegance and resolute idiosyncrasy. "

" Bertrand Russell's " History of Western Philosophy " is entertaining but suffers from flaws ... First, it covers in detail the ancient philosophy and is scarce and picky in his treatment of after - cartesianistischen tradition. Second, it is condescending towards all philosophers felt no personal affinity for Russell. Third, it shows no understanding of Kant and post - Kantian idealism. It is, after all, a classic with reason, elegance and resolute character. "

"Mr. Russell's qualities as a writer and thinker ... are of a high order: deftness of wit, vigor of mind and suppleness of style. Yet Their presence ... do not save the book from being ... Perhaps the worst did Mr. Russell has written .... As one would expect, the author is at his best When dealing with present day ideas, if for no otherreason than his large share in Their inception .... By contrast, his treatment of ancient and medieval doctrines is nearly worthless. "

" Mr. Russell's qualities as a writer and thinker ... are of high degree: Cleverly mind, spiritual strength and smoother style. Nevertheless, their presence ... saves the book is not ... it, perhaps to be the worst thing that Mr. Russell has ever written .... As expected, the author is best when it comes to the ideas of the present, if for no other reason, because due to its own large proportion .... In contrast to his treatment of ancient and medieval doctrines is almost worthless. "

" A History of Western Philosophy Consistently errs in this respect. Its author never Seems to be able to make up his mind Whether he is writing history or polemic .... [ Its method] confers on philosophers who are dead and gone a kind of false contemporaneity Which june make them SEEM important to the uninitiate. But Nevertheless it is a misreading of history. "

"The philosophy of the West consistently missed its target in this regard. The author never seems to be able to come to terms with himself, whether he polemical style ... writes a story or. [ Methodologically ] transfers the book wrong time close to philosophers who are dead and gone, which makes them seem important for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, this is a misreading of history. "

" " History of Western Philosophy ", a tasteless, but representative book. "

Stanisław Lem to the question of which book he would take to a deserted island:

"One? Only one? Probably that would be a very thick, massive history of philosophy. When I say the history of philosophy, I have not the best, but a concrete thing in mind: the "History of Western Philosophy " by Bertrand Russell. ( ... ) First, this is an excellent work, and secondly, its author a man who does not hide his sympathy and antipathy that brings them openly expressed, even insofar as it appears that he argues smooth with Plato ... this strong commitment to the ontological, epistemological and moral issues really touched me. "

Russell himself said about his work:

" I looked at the first part of my " History of Western Philosophy " as a cultural history, but in the later parts, when science becomes important, it is more difficult to fit into the frame. I did my best, but I'm not sure if I succeeded. It was sometimes accused me of critics to have written no real story, but a biased report of events that I had randomly selected. But in my opinion a man can write without bias no interesting story - if there really is such a person. "

Swell

Benedict of Nursia Cartesianism Albert Einstein Ludwig Wittgenstein George Steiner Ontology
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