Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2796 in Books
• Published on: 2004-02-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

Ray Monk
History of Western Philosophy remains unchallenged as the perferct introduction to its subject.

The Observer
A great philosopher's lucid and magisterial look at the history of his own subject. Wonderfully readable and enlightening

Isaiah Berlin
Beautiful and luminous prose, not merely classically clear but scrupulously honest

Customer Reviews

Good Introduction to the Subject
Being an engineering student, the closest brush I had with the formal study of philosophy was a few university courses, which I barely passed. Therefore, I decided to buy Bertrand Russell's classic work in order to refresh my knowledge. I wish I had done it earlier.

Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, enlivens philosophy-from ancient Greece to today. His account is lengthy, as any account of such a subject should, but well worth it. How else does one condense 3000 years of Western intellectual history in one volume?

I liked the pace of the book. He begins with a definition of philosophy and its roots in the Ancient world. It is not so much a list of facts as it is a discussion of the ideas of the Ancients. Absurd though it seems to us today, the leap from religious explanations to material for nature was ground-breaking. He then follows philosophy as it slithers through the Middle Ages, into the Renaissance and into the Modern Period. I particularly like the way he treated the medieval philosophers, like Aquinas and Ockam. I wish my philosophy professor at Univerity could have explained nominalism that way.

The work is an introduction to the subject. By definition, it is superficial in a few areas. I would have liked to see more about how contemporary (to Russell) issues like the Worlds Wars were connected to eighteenth century European thinkers such as Hegel.

In conclusion, it is a great read. One I recommend for any reflective 16-year old, who is thinking about studying an applied science like engineering. Russell's work is a great introduction to the subject. It will enable one to see where our currently rational, scientific tradition springs from.

A classic and a delight to read
What Bertrand Russell brings to the history of western philosophy is a clear, readable style and a delightfully opinionated stance. Unlike some writers on western philosophy, Russell is quick to give his opinion on the rigor and the agreeability of not only the philosophies presented, but of the philosophers themselves. He speaks with authority of course since he is considered one of the great minds of the twentieth century. He reaches a wide readership because of his great celebrity, and he is accessible to that readership because of his elegant, straightforward, and concrete (especially for a philosopher!) style. I understand that Russell wrote one draft, edited it and that was it. This is in contrast to some other writers (James Thurber comes to mind) who wrote twenty drafts and still were not satisfied.

He had the gift of a great memory, combined with an ease of composition that allowed him to be a most prolific writer over a long lifetime that began in 1872 and ended almost a hundred years later in 1970. He has something of the English Don and the 19th century naturalist about him as well as the 20th century progressive. He was intensely engaged in various political projects throughout his long life, most notably as an anti-war and later as an anti-nuclear activist while writing academic philosophy and mathematics as well as many volumes directed toward the general public. He was infamous (in some circles) for his free-love advocacy and his public rejection of Christianity. He was thrown into prison for his pacifism during WWI. He won the Noble Prize for Literature (not peace) in 1950.

Here he takes delight in surveying the entire spectrum of western philosophy beginning with the pre-Socratics and ending with his own philosophy of logical analysis. Curiously (or not so curiously) he does not mention Wittgenstein. His critique of the Greeks, especially Plato, is most edifying and fun to read. He sees modern philosophy as reaching its zenith with David Hume's empiricism. He finds Nietzsche disagreeable and is dismissive of Kant.

I am reading this for the second time, having first read it as a young man. It delights me anew. As I read I am unsure as to whether I find his opinions so congenial because they are so similar to mine or because in fact I acquired many of my early opinions through reading Russell! He had quite an influence on several generations before I came of age, although perhaps he reached the epitome of his fame (at least) during the fifties before I presumed to read philosophy.

Anyone interested in philosophy of any kind, especially of course western philosophy, should read this book. It is one of those books that cannot be ignored. First published in 1945, it is still in print today and will be for many decades to come. I only regret that Russell did not take the time to study eastern philosophies as well and to include them in this volume. How interesting it would be to read Russell on say, Buddhism, Taoism and Vedanta.

Magnificent
This book is perhaps one of the greatest works of 20th century in itself. Russell somehow manages to write for the layman while being comprehensive in his coverage and fiercely critical in his analysis. In this this book is in a class of its own, and will likely never be surpassed.

Of the supposed limitations of Russells effort (that he doesnt pay enough attention to Kant, Hegel or Marx - even though they recieve about the same and equal treatment as everyone else; that he is biased - even though he always stresses his views and critiques are his own; and that he fails to mention Wittgenstein - even though this book was published before Wittgenstein wrote anything!) there is very little to say other than that they are misguided. Perhaps the only justified criticism is the unbalanced way Russell savages Nietzsche... but then, in my opinion, Nietzsche deserves to be savaged.

Yes, its an introduction, and you will always need to do more independent reading to get a real feel for each philosopher. But, even conceding this, there is simply no excuse for not having this book within easy reach at all times