First published in 1946, History of Western Philosophy went on to become the best-selling philosophy book of the twentieth century. A dazzlingly ambitious project, it remains unchallenged to this day as the ultimate introduction to Western philosophy. Providing a sophisticated overview of the ideas that have perplexed people from time immemorial, it is 'long on wit, intelligence and curmudgeonly scepticism', as the New York Times noted, and it is this, coupled with the sheer brilliance of its scholarship, that has made Russell's History of Western Philosophy one of the most important philosophical works of all time.
History of Western Philosophy (Routledge Classics)
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £6.50
Trade in History of Western Philosophy (Routledge Classics) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £6.50, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'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
From the Publisher
As part of our commitment to Russell publishing, the delux version of this bestselling title will continue to be available. Paperback: ISBN: 0415-078547
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By Mike Sadler
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
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.
69 of 70 people found the following review helpful
By Student
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.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 134 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear and excellent
Sorry no time for in depth review but thoroughly recommend Russell's History of Western Philosophy.
Interesting and lucid, very reader friendly.
Interesting and lucid, very reader friendly.
Published 2 months ago by Beryl L Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
A long book that puts an enormous subject in comprehensive terms
This book has been criticized by many for being too shallow, not doing certain philosophers justice and ignoring certain events, but that critique totally misses the point: this is... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Oskoreii
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive reference book for philosophy.
No library should be without this book - which may never be read from cover to cover - but which makes you feel secure in that the knowledge is on your bookshelf. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Anthony M. Godley
5.0 out of 5 stars
A little dated but still a masterly work
I first read this as a young man in the early 50's and it has informed my thinking more than I can describe. Read more
Published 4 months ago by I. G. Norris
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic then and a classic now
Despite the frequent merging of oneword into another in the Kindle version this book remains a great read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by K E Pearce
5.0 out of 5 stars
Illuminating, insightful and an astonishing read, this has to be the...
This edition (first published in 1946) has to be one of the most interesting and insightful narratives on the extensive history of western philosophy that there is. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Lucinda
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shortcomings in the Kindle Edition
As much as I'm enjoying the text itself, I can't fathom why the people involved in transposing Russell to the wonderful world of Kindle neglected to include something so basic as a... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Paul B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Masterpiece
Arguably the greatest book of the 20th century.Richly deserved 1950 Noble Prize for Literature. The depth and breath of learning and knowledge is staggering which is conveyed to... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest WEuropean Philopher
I had at school part of the works of B. R. and I started to appreciate his way of looking at the world and at man living in it. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Aldo Marturano
5.0 out of 5 stars
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 12 months ago by JCV
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
