History of Western Philosophy (Routledge Classics)
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'Remains unchallenged as the perfect introduction to its subject ... exactly the kind of philosophy that most people would like to read, but which only Russell could possibly have written.' - Ray Monk, University of Southampton, UK
'Beautiful and luminous prose, not merely classically clear but scrupulously honest.' - Isaiah Berlin
'It is a witty bird's-eye view of the main figures in Western thought enlivened by references to the personalities and quirks of the thinkers themselves.' - The Week
'A great philosopher's lucid and magisterial look at the history of his own subject, wonderfully readable and enlightening.' - The Observer
The Observer
A great philosopher's lucid and magisterial look at the history of his own subject. Wonderfully readable and enlightening
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am not a philosophy student myself, and I find Bertrand Russell's acerbic style extremely readable. The 2 inch thick book is fascinating, funny and too short. Bertrand Russell's style is not the dry, carefully unbiased style of the accademic, but a colourful walk through several millenia of philosophers and their work. I would thoroughly recommend this book to any readers who have an interest in the development of moral, ethical and analytical thought in Europe.
67 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As a student of philosophy I can't stress enough the help this book has given me. As my understanding of philosophy increases, it has become more apparent that philosophers and their theories are interconnected in many ways. This is where this book comes in. It is a great reference book that provides a link between philosophers from Ancient Greece to the 20th century. Russell tells you about the life of individual philosophers, religious thought and philsophical schools in great detail, combined with their influences, theories and inspirations. All explained in as little jargon as possible, Russell focuses in on the major contributions that changed western thought.
This is essentially three books compiled into one - Ancient, Catholic and Modern philosophy. In book 1, Russell kicks off with the rise of greek civilisation and its relationship to Mesopotamia and Egypt. Then the Pre-Socratic philosophers, through to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and finally the Roman Empire. Book 2 takes you through the rise of Christian thought, the forefathers of Theology, the Dark Ages, Mohammedan culture and its philosophy. Book 3 starts at the Renaissance, through the rise of science and upto the Romantic period with Rousseau. Finally it moves through onto the 20th century through Kant, Hegel, Byron, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Marx. Inbetween the different 'books' Russell tells you the relevant connections and changes of philosophy that took place.
Due to the nature and great expanse of philosophy, it is no doubt impossible to fit every detail into this book as Russell explains, and that is why some of the chapters are explained or mentioned to how Russell sees them worthy and their effect or change on western thought. But but he did a great job considering its size and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to students, non-students or anyone interested in philosophy.
This is essentially three books compiled into one - Ancient, Catholic and Modern philosophy. In book 1, Russell kicks off with the rise of greek civilisation and its relationship to Mesopotamia and Egypt. Then the Pre-Socratic philosophers, through to Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and finally the Roman Empire. Book 2 takes you through the rise of Christian thought, the forefathers of Theology, the Dark Ages, Mohammedan culture and its philosophy. Book 3 starts at the Renaissance, through the rise of science and upto the Romantic period with Rousseau. Finally it moves through onto the 20th century through Kant, Hegel, Byron, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche and Marx. Inbetween the different 'books' Russell tells you the relevant connections and changes of philosophy that took place.
Due to the nature and great expanse of philosophy, it is no doubt impossible to fit every detail into this book as Russell explains, and that is why some of the chapters are explained or mentioned to how Russell sees them worthy and their effect or change on western thought. But but he did a great job considering its size and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to students, non-students or anyone interested in philosophy.
47 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book conveys a brilliant sense of the development of philosophy from ancient Greek cults to modern logical analysis. Ancient philosophers are treated with the respect that they deserve for getting philosophy out of the starting gates and for their unashamed delight in anything that they could debate about. Russell celebrates Democritus' atomic theory and Aristarchus' heliocentric hypothesis and rarely uses the word crude when discussing ancient philosophies. And the benefits of logical analysis are displayed by identifying techniques as they emerge in the work of particular philosophers as well as by Russell's own discussions. Philosophy really is shown as closely related to community life- dispelling the image of the philosopher hidden away from the world in an ivory tower.
The above merits make the book a good introduction and a real insight for those who know philosophy but lack knowledge of its history. However, I cannot recommend it as a reference book. Russell fails to treat some very important philosophers (e.g. Kierkegaard, Husserl and Heidegger) and gives disproportionate space to lesser figures (Bergson, Dewey and Byron). The strengths of Kantian philosophy are almost completely missed. The least developed elements in Nietzsche's philosophy are emphasized to the exclusion of the more developed ones. The out of date elements of Aristotle's ethics are criticized and Aristotle's attempt to put ethics on a purely factual basis is ignored. Also, Russell's discussions often fail to acknowledge the approaches G E Moore and others have taken to the 'is-ought gap' (Russell just states his relativism and leaves it) as well as important elements in Wittgenstein (I suspect partly because Wittgenstein's philosophy makes a strong attack upon Russell's epistemology). But these faults are at least mainly isolated to the section on modern philosophy.
Despite these shortcomings, the book is still well worth reading. It is often insightful and at points Russell's illustrations can be ingenious. But I would recommend that the student looking for a reference book should either buy a compilation of essays by different authors (and thus avoid the prejudices and gaps in knowledge of a single author) or also buy a seperate book on modern philosophy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Now here is what you cross an ocean for
My father handed me this book when I was 16. Hardcover, cheap paper, rough edges. He said this 1940's edition was like that because all America was on extreme austerity for the... Read more
Published 13 days ago by JCV
Masterpiece
The most notable thing about this book for the layperson is its readability. Russell is an exceptional writer, his wit and style maintain interest and he makes what in other hands... Read more
Published 21 days ago by DEG
Wide ranging history of western philosophy
This is mostly an enjoyable, somewhat rambling, journey through the history of western philosophy. It is mostly well written, occasionally quite opinionated (although I guess... Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Newton
Colourful, fascinating and disturbingly relevant
There are two things you are almost certain to utter constantly to yourself while reading this book: "It can't be that simple!" and "this cannot possibly be true!". Read more
Published 6 months ago by Charalampos S. Mpogdanos
Interesting if you're interested in Russell (and you should be)
I read this book as preparation for a university philosophy course. I had previously read a number of Russell's essays and enjoyed his provocative, slightly haughty style. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Hawfinch
Russell's Western
Bought many years ago as an undergraduate, the hard cover has proved its worth many times over. Having seen too many paperbacks disintegrate into annoying sections ever ready to... Read more
Published 8 months ago by RR Waller
Good intoduction
This a concise introduction to Western philosophy which has been thoughtfully pieced together by a master craftsmen, it at times gets grammatically quite technical which for me was... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Ed
Accesible and Enlightening
As a rather philistine individual I cannot critique this book on any philosophical grounds. However, what I will say is that it is broken down into manageable chapters, is... Read more
Published 12 months ago by PARomanov
dark side of the moon
I have read this many times in both love and hatred . In short Russell is a flawed genius. If he took his own advice on Nietzsche and made an emotional response to Friederich's... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. David R. Portus
Brilliant mind meanders through the history of everything
This is an incredible achievement. It is more of a history of the world than simply philosophy. Russell's ability to handle, discuss, analyse, refute, agree with and point out the... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Justice Peace
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