Product Description
The works translated here deal with two major themes in the thinking of St Augustine (354-430): free will and divine grace. On the one hand, free will enables human beings to make their own choices; on the other hand, God's grace is required for these choices to be efficacious. 'On the Free Choice of the Will', 'On Grace and Free Choice', 'On Reprimand and Grace' and 'On the Gift of Perseverance' set out Augustine's theory of human responsibility, and sketch a subtle reconciliation of will and grace. This volume is the first to bring together Augustine's early and later writings on these two themes, in a new translation by Peter King, enabling the reader to see what Augustine regarded as the crowning achievement of his work. The volume also includes a clear and accessible introduction that analyzes Augustine's key philosophical lines of thought. ... Read more

Product Description
Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of  its author to universal acclaimas the best history of philosophy in English.



Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history's great thinkers was reduced to simplistic caricatures.  Copleston set out to redress the wrong by writing a complete history of Western philosophy, one crackling with incident and intellectual excitement - and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who came after him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Volume 4: The Birth of the Modern
Volume I of this series covers the pre-Christian philosophies of Greece and Rome, while Volumes II and III are devoted to Medieval and Scholastic philosophers. (I have, for the moment, jumped over those last two).

Volumes IV, V, and VI cover "modern" philosophy from Descartes through Kant, and this volume (Volume IV) has a special treat at the beginning.There is a fascinating, well-written introduction which is actually an introduction to Volumes IV, V, and VI --- and is therefore a brilliant 62-page essay on everything from Descartes to Kant.Naturally, it's a bird's-eye overview, but it is the first thing I have ever read which actually made me feel I understood Kant!(When in college, I made a serious blunder and just went and bought "The Critique of Pure Reason" and sat down and tried to read it!:-)30 pages later, I abandoned my foolish task with a bad headache!)

Volume IV covers Descartes, Pascal, Spinoza, and Leibniz.As usual, the discussion and illustrations are excellent.

Excellent
Fr. Copleston is a treasure. Initially, he wrote these books of history to better a seminarian's understanding of philosophy, but his influence now goes beyond the classroom. Thank God!

Interesting
After the modern philosophers shed Aristotlianism and Platonism at least to a large extent, things got a lot more interesting when they started espousing their theories.The first principles of their arguments became more divierse, and many times lead to some very different metaphysics.How much you enjoy a philosopher probably says a lot about what your own mentality is.

I personally liked Descartes, that, though still more or less a dualist, he came from the existential principles of experience.Some of his thought was flawed, like being able to espouse metaphysics without sufficient empirical study to back it up, but he most certainly was on the right track.

Spinoza, on the other hand, I could not stand.He just replaces Nature with the word God and hopes nobody notices he's not saying anything at all.I hate people who deny any sort of freedom then espouse how one can live a virtuous life.Hey Spinoza, it's all either matter in motion or it's not.

Liebniz was downright headache inducing at points, and his theory of monads was wonderfully goofy.That being said, his theory of knowledge was excellent.Can't say I ever thought of the universe the way he did.

As always, Copleston is even handed, probably too even handed for some of the sillier things they said.Then again, as a layperson with no formal training, maybe I missed something too that he saw.Still, I'd prefer Copleston's fairness to the in your face bashing of Russell anyday.

The Best Introduction to Philosophy Ever!
Copleston's series, "The History of Philosophy", is quite possibly the best introduction to the history of philosophical thought that has ever been published and certainly the best currently in print.

You will be hard pressed to find a better collection of solid philosophical surveys in one place.The beauty of the series is that Copleston has clearly done his research on each period and each thinker of Western philosophy.

I cannot recommend this series any more highly.It is a must-have collection for anyone who is a scholar (professional or casual) of philosophy, theology or any of the arts.

If this isn't on your bookshelf, it should be!

Comprehensive and enlightening
I read the whole series nine volumes twice. Being a business major in school I didnot have any true understanding of philosophy, but this book really got me interested and I started reading on philosophy. I definitely recommand it for anyone interested in serious reading. ... Read more

Product Description
After leaving University, Deborah Koreshoff spent three years in a full-time capacity writing and illustrating "Bonsai", a book about her birth into the world of bonsai and her parents' Bonsai Nursery authorized of Nippon Bonsai-Saikei Art Institute. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bonsai: Its Art, Science, History and Philosophy by Deborah R. Koreshoff
Excellent book, easily the best book I have read on Bonsai & I can highly recommend it. If you want a full, well explained & illustrated account of all aspects of bonsai & want to read just one book then this in my opinion is the book. I like the fact that it covers the science as well as the art as when you understand why you do something it makes it easier to implement. If you are a beginner & have no other access to instruction you could learn the art of bonsai by just reading, understanding & implementing the information gleaned from this book. Written by somebody who has walked the walk & not just talked the talk & written in a practical & non academic way!

Comprehensive coverage for beginners to experts
This text was the one i'd been searching for so long. I've purchased a dozen bonsai books over the years and finally found Koreshoff's book. It's straight foreward, simple, and explains so many things i'd been confusedabout that other bonsai books don't touch on like the philosophical purposeof the shapes of trees. Bottom line is this: you can get many bonsai booksand get close to what Koreshoff has done, or you can purchase hers and bedone. You won't regret it.

A compendium of practical and innovative bonsai techniques.
With few color photographs but many excellent line drawings and lucid writing, the author covers all the essentials.The techniques presented are both practical and innovative.The chapters on shaping, soil, and styling are exceptional.Only Naka's two volume set rivals this publication. ... Read more

Product Description
Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English.



Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history's great thinkers was reduced to simplistic caricatures.  Copleston set out to redress the wrong by writing a complete history of Western Philosophy, one crackling with incident and intellectual excitement - and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who went before and to those who came after him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Many surprises
I have to begin by confessing that I have refused to even look at Medieval Philosophy for most of my fairly long life.When I was just a boy at St. John's College, I quit after one year.My boyish self thought that he had absorbed the Greeks and the Romans, and had no wish to waste time with...gack...Dark Age Idiots squabbling over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

Well.

I have now finished Vol. I of this history, and embarked on Vol. II, and I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying the tale so far!Is this because the philosophy is intrinsically interesting, or because of Frederick Copleston's sublime presentation and discussion of that philosophy?

Make no mistake here: Copleston was one of the best teaching-writers who ever lived.(Gosh!Those Jesuits!They seem to do this over and over again!!)

Big surprise #1: Augustine becomes my favorite philosopher!Well, at least for these points, which I will summarize from memory: "Many people doubt the evidence of the senses as inherently unreliable. Well, we have all seen an oar in the water, and are aware of optical illusions, but anyone who wants to throw out all of our information from the senses is making a terrible mistake.We learn everything from what we see and sense of the world.In the same way, we cannot trust the statements of other men; they are often unreliable.But anyone who insists on tossing all of the knowledge obtained from other men is an idiot: our human knowledge has grown great because of what we can see, and what we can hear from other men."

Somehow, I want to place this beside Immanuel Kant's love of the starry firmament.(How did Kant KNOW that the night sky was filled with stars, aside from opening his eyes and LOOKING?)

The second major surprise has been to discover that medieval philosophy was not just blind dogmatism and blinkered prejudice.The philosophers of pre-modern Europe were indeed groping in the dark, but they did have Plato and the Bible to help them, and they INSISTED on trying to discuss them rationally.

We should not spit on the graves of these men.They were devout, and sometimes wildly mistaken, but they were doing their very best to take Plato and Aristotle and make something BETTER.At the very least, it is a story with a compelling human interest.

Which is just about the last thing I expected from this book!

Have a look for yourself some day!Of course, you have to begin with Volume I to make sense of Volume II.Just 5-10 pages a day will get you there, if you are patient and persevering.:-)

Who ever said that Medieval philosophy was supposed to be exciting?
Other reviewers have complained about Copleston's style. They say that it's boring, dry or hard to read. This may be true to an extent, but consider the topic. It's Medieval Philosophy. I don't know who would ever be able to bring such a topic down to the level of most ADD Westerners today (including the previous reviewer who has a "bachelor's degree" in philosophy. [sarcasm] Thankfully he recommended a comic book introduction to philosophy in place of Copleston).

At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed the volume. If you are attempting to get an introductory grasp on Western Philosophy, then the Medieval period cannot be skipped. If we do skip this time period by jumping from Neoplatonism to Francis Bacon and Modern philosophy, then we will not completely understand what it was that Renassance and Modern philosophy were reacting against. I must admit that Copleston's work is not exciting to read for it's own sake. But, for me any dullness was overshadowed by the importance and necessity of the topic. I am almost finished with the the author's third volume and I am very glad that I had read this second one first. I have always read scattered references to Duns Scotus' thinking and Albert the Great, etc., but now I feel much more confident in evaluating what happened in the middle ages. Furthermore, I just read Jaroslav Pelikan's volume on the development of Medieval Theology. It was an excellent complement to Copleston.

The work was originally written for seminary students. I am one and I certainly believe that prior exposure to many of the theological topics and questions helped me through the book. However, anyone with a general philosophical/theological framework and enough motivation and patience will be delightfully pleased by the end of the book (and remember if you see a term or topic that you are unfamiliar with, then just look it up on Wikipedia!).

The bottom line is, if you are both motivated and interested, then buy and read it (and read it slowly). The content and concepts presented are not what we normally think and talk about. It took me three times as long as it would normally take me to read a book of this length! It's a helpful and concise introduction to the topic. Unfortunately, if you are a casual reader, then you'll probably fall asleep like Mr. "bachelor's degree".

(By the way, the reviewer who says that Copleston imposes Kantian ideas on Aquinas' thought aparently skipped page 388. Here Copleston explicitly argues that such a Kantian analysis of Aquinas would be wrongheaded. He writes "Thomist principles cannot be developed in such a way as to afford answers to subjective idealism and Kantianism; but one should not be guilty of the anachronism of making the historic Thomas answer questions with which he was not actually faced." And I don't think that very many people are in a hurry to read Etienne Gilson's detailed treatments unless they are already beyond an introductory work such as Copleston.)

Wrestling with the Great Thinkers - St. Augustine to the Great Scholastics
This is the second volume in Frederick Copleston's classic nine volume A History of Philosophy. Like all the volumes in this series, it is an exhaustive study of the period covered and presents the development of the philosophical thought of the period as an interrelated whole where trends ebb and flow as ideas are introduced and synthesized within the systems of the great thinkers of the time.

All of this is done within a framework where Copleston, as a professor in a Catholic seminary, is mindful of pointing out the elements that would become adopted within the framework of Christian philosophy and theology. Even though Copleston has a seminary audience in mind, he does not attempt to "Christianize" those who were not Christian nor launch polemical attacks against those ideas at odds with the Christian faith. He presents the philosophical ideas thoroughly and fairly and gives both the supporting evidence cited by supporters and the critiques by opponents. Also pointed out in detail is how each philosopher's work influenced contemporaries and later thought with, of course, special consideration of the influence for good or bad on Christianity.

This volume covers the patristic period through to the golden age of medieval scholasticism. Many histories of philosophy ignore the importance of medieval thought and end up treating the birth of modern philosophy with Descartes as if it arose in an historical vacuum. Copleston skillfully brings to life this neglected period of philosophical activity and this serves to give greater understanding to the historical and intellectual context of later developments.

Those who dismiss all philosophy that serves to aid Christian theology are guilty of neglecting the theological underpinnings in much of classical Greek thought. Though Plato and Aristotle were certainly not deists in the Judeo-Christian sense, their concepts of the demiurge and the prime mover cetainly have implications of a decidedly theological nature. Many patistic writers began to defend the faith using this philosophical framework and demonstrated that which is true and good is no threat to Christianity and argued that philosophy in its most pure form leads has God as proper end.

Copleston divides this volume into five parts. The first begins with a discussion of some of the most philosophical of the earlier patristic writers before beginning a long discussion of the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Augustine would remain the dominant figure in the Western Church until the scholastic period and many reactions to scholasticism both in the Reformation and among Catholics would appeal to the great bishop of Hippo as their intellectual forebearer. Copleston gives an excellent and thorough exposition and sheds light on almost every aspect of his thinking. A shorter treatment of Western thinkers in the immediate post-Augustinian period closes this section.

The next few centuries were barren periods for learning in the West but the few lights that shown through are covered in the next two sections on the Carolingian Renaissance and the early scholastic period. John Scotus Eruigena and St. Anselm are the most notable figures, respectively, for these two periods and the development of thinking on universals that would become the focus of much debate in the coming centuries.

The focus is turned in the fourth section to the recovery of the Aristotelian corpus. The important commentators on Aristotle from Islamic and Jewish sources are covered as well as the beginning of the translation of Aristotle's works. The reaction - both supportive and not - of the Christian West to this "new" learning is explained.

The fifth and final section of the book is the longest and, for a Catholic philosopher like Copleston, the most important. Here is the truly "golden age" of scholasticism as a series of great thinkers would take the stage to use philosophy to aid the Catholic faith. The three great figures of this period - St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, and John Duns Scotus - are given extensive coverage. The interraction of these three contemporaries and their solutions to the complex questions of the day - particularly that of universals - is fully explained. Lesser figures are also covered including two (St. Albert the Great and Roger Bacon) whose work in a primitive form of what we would later call "science" was very far ahead of its time.

For those with an interest in the factors that would give rise to the development of modern Western thinking, this book is a godsend. Nowhere else is such complete coverage of Christian philosophy of the period available. The only thing one could hope for is if there had been a full treatment of the great thinkers of the Eastern Church such as the Cappadocians. However, given the unfamiliarity of the West with the Eastern tradition at the time this was written, it is an understandable though regrettable omission.

For a thorough investigation of the history of Western philosophical thought and a wrestling with the great thinkers of the Western philosophical tradition, there is no better choice than Copleston's A History of Philosophy. For the Christian, in particular, who wishes to understand the interaction of philsophy and Christian theology, this work is unparalleled.

The Best Introduction to Philosopher Ever Printed!
Copleston's series, "The History of Philosophy", is quite possibly the best introduction to the history of philosophical thought that has ever been published and certainly the best currently in print.

You will be hard pressed to find a better collection of solid philosophical surveys in one place.The beauty of the series is that Copleston has clearly done his research on each period and each thinker of Western philosophy.

I cannot recommend this series any more highly.It is a must-have collection for anyone who is a scholar (professional or casual) of philosophy, theology or any of the arts.

If this isn't on your bookshelf, it should be!

A Good Comprehensive History of Philosophy During a Thusand Years
Father Copleston, S.J. wrote a readable account of an important era in intellectual history.Father Copleston's book is well organized and well written.He is clear that the phrase Middle Ages is misguiding.The approximate era of A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, VOLUME 2:MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY deals with approximately a thousand years (c.500 AD-1500 AD).This time frame can be divided by the Dark Ages, the Early Middle Ages or Frankish history, a Second Dark Ages, the High Middle Ages, etc.

Father Copleston begins his study with the Partistic Period (Ancient Western Civilization thinking) and the impact of St. Augustine (446-520) and his great book titled THE CITY OF GOD. Chapters one through ten give the reader a comprehensive examination of ideas and European thought at a time when learning could have very well disappeared in Western Europe.Father Copleston includes some of the important figures in the Patristic Era such as Isodore (570-636), Boethius (480-524)Cassoidorus (577-665), etc.

Father Copleston does a credible job in describing what is known as the Carolingian Renaissance.He mentions the valuable contributions of Alcuin (730-804) and Eriugena (815-877).The fact that Alcuin established a school at Aachen and developed bookhand as the format for handwritten books and study materials is invaluable in the teaching and learning for posterity.Eruigena was probably the first speculative philosopher in Western Europe since the disintegration of the Ancient Roman Empire.His work cannot be overestimated.

Father Copleston deals with the problems of "Universals" in the early Medieval schools.He also explains the debate between the Nominalists and the Realists.Father Copleston's examination of the Medieval curriculum is useful.Undergraduate students studied the Trivium (Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic).Students were taught to read well, to think, to speak well, and the write well.Once these students mastered this curriculum, they could study the Quadrivium (Astronomy, Music, Arithmetic and Algerbra, and Plane Geometry).If these students pursued further studies, they could study Medicine, Canon Law, and Theology which was considered The Queen of the Sciences.

One should note that Medieval Catholic universities were centers of intellectual activity and spirited debate which has disappeared from the record.In other words, Father Copleston undermines that the Catholic Church authorities somehow undermined serious learning and thinking when in fact they encouraged it.

Father Copleston begins his treatment of Scholasticism with St. Anselm (1033-1109) whose PROLOGIAN was a serious study that at some point the Catholic Faith had to be reasonable to be accepted.This study began the fruitful development of Scholastic Philosophy.Mention should be made of Peter Abelard (1079-1142) whose SIC ET NON caused scandal until scholars realized that this was a "how to" book on solving complex philosophical and theological problems.One should know of Peter Lombard's (1100-160) FOUR BOOKS OF SENTENCES which became the standard text of Medieval theological studies.

Father Copleston does an outstanding job in presenting St. Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) and the Catholic Church's intellectual giant, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) whose SUMMA THEOLOGICAL and SUMMA CONTRAL GENTILES set the standard for subsequent theological and philosophical studies.St. Thomas Aquinas development an Aristotlian reasoned approach to Catholicism.The importance of the Angelic Doctor (St. Thomas Aquinas) was and is crucial to Catholcism and Catholic universities.Subsequent studies in Medieval theological studies were either defenses of crituques of the Angelic Doctor's work whose thinking became part of the permanent philosophy.

Father Copleston gives credit to Islamic scholars such as Avacena(980-1037) and Averroes(1126-1198) whom St. Thomas Aquinas called The Commentator-The Commentator on Aristotle.Father Copleston also gives serious mention of Jewish scholars such as Maimonides (1135-1204) who is mentioned by, among others, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Father Copleston tackeled a difficult historical task, and his book is one of the best this reviewer has read on Medieval Philosophy and theology.The book is comprehensive as well as a good introduction the History of Medieval Philosophy.A good companion volume is Father Duffy's THE QUEEN OF SCIENCES.This reviewer strongly recommends Father Copleston's HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, VOLUME 2. ... Read more

Product Description
This general history of philosophy, written in an accessible style, focuses on Western philosophy, but also discusses non-Western philosophical traditions. The authors cover major philosophers and movements as well as minor but interesting figures. They treat serious religious thought as philosophical, and include information about the Jewish, Christian, and other religious traditions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Robert Solomon intro to philosophy
Hard to go wrong with Robert Solomon and (his wife) Kathleen Higgins as your guides. This short history of philosophy can be wholeheartedly recommended to those looking for exactly what the title promises. Short maybe, but the book covers a lot of ground. It is up to the high standards of the authors.

It should be known to all students that Professor Solomon did excellent courses with an "adult education" company called The Teaching Company that offers the public college level courses on DVD, CD and audio download. His course on existentialism titled "No Excuses: Existentialism and the Meaning of Life" and his course on Nietzsche are both excellent. And no I don't work for the company but I am a customer and can strongly recommend Solomon's courses.

As an additional but interesting side note, Solomon appeared in "animated" form in the film "Waking Life" directed by Richard Linklater who is a former student. For his part Solomon discusses the continued relevancy of existential philosophy and contrasts it with the vacuity of postmodern thinkers whose work leaves out the 1st person perspective and essential agency of the individual. Anyway, fun little film.

Robert Solomon died in 2007 but his work will serve students well for years to come.

an engaging survey of the history of ideas

As engagingly written as is Russell's A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY (please see my review on this one), yet far more compelling as far as being less biased and covering much of the terrain not covered by Russell. Solomon and Higgins are thoroughly intimate with the history of world philosophies, and thus write with authority, fairness, and some well placed humor that keep the narrations lively.

This excellent book is meant to be a brief history of ideas, and it is certainly that; yet, it is also an engaging survey of the world's history of ideas as they are embedded in the life and times of the thinkers too. The tone of the writing is succinct and straightforward, punctuated with some sophisticated wit at the appropriate moments. You can tell both authors are very comfortable with their styles, and the reader is pulled along into the current of the book (they have written six books together, so the flow is excellent.)

I especially enjoyed the discussions of Socrates, Montaigne, Pragmatism, and the all-to-brief sketch of Postmodernism. Since the readability factor is high, the authors even bring life to such ponderous subjects as Immanuel Kant and the Scholastic philosophers. Even though this is a cursory survey of philosophical thought, these lively, condensed versions of the life and times of the philosophers provide a lucid and satisfying excursion into the former epochs of our intellectual history.

Most highly recommended.

Parataxis

The Cloud Reckoner

Extracts: A Field Guide for Iconoclasts

A Perfect Second or Third Survey
This is a much better-written book than one would expect from philosophers.Considering the number of philosophers and complexity of their thought, A Short History of Philosophy is marvelously clear and concise.

Another plus to the book is that is really does give you the *whole* story.Normal surveys just handpick a few of the authors' philosophical favorites, but Solomon and Higgins give us just about everybody.Further, they don't rule out a thinker just because s/he doesn't fit within the bounds of what some narrowly define as real philosophy -- Confucius, Jesus, and Muslim theologians all get a place at the table, so there is no bias toward the West or against 'religion.'

This inclusiveness is part of the book's goal to constructively redefine philosophy.Our authors want philosophy to be ultimately about the love of wisdom, which gives them a very different agenda than that which is most common in America today.Pervasive Enlightenment rationalism often dismisses issues of wisdom and morality and trumpets reason and proof, but in so doing it must both cover up its foundations (which are terribly un-Enlightened) and, worse, give up the very reason for rational inquiry.This book's vision of/for philosophy and its subsequent treatment of the various philosophers is truly admirable.

Unfortunately, the problem with talking about everybody is that, well, you end up talking about *everybody*.That means that after you've put the book down you will have been so inundated with individuals that you won't remember anything in particular.For this reason, I highly recommend coming to this book with a bit of a background in philosophy.Grab an overview that will introduce you to a few of the big names -- Plato, Aristotle, and so on -- and then use this book to fill in that story.

In sum:The writing is readable, its orientation is commendable, and its content is superb.You can learn a lot from this book, even if you won't come away from it remembering all the details of which philosopher said what.

Solomon Rocks!
This book is amazing and written extremely well. I would highly recommended it to anyone who loves philosophy!

Philosophy to Go
Authors Solomon and Higgins have written a very readable history of philosophy matching philosopher's names with a brief explanation of their pet concepts. They cover too much ground really; by the time I finished the book, I had been exposed to so many ideas and philosophers that I remembered hardly any of them. They should have just covered the major philosophers of one period in depth if they expected many readers to remember anything. But this is a good reference book; I wrote some philosophers down and maybe I may read a couple of their primary works over a lifetime. This is also a good book for the intellectually lazy but mildly curious people who want to be exposed to philosophy without having to go through the pain of reading the profound primary sources. Higgins and Solomon have already done that for you; they have allegedly read these philosophers' books and have reported back with bit-sized morsels of information about their different philosophies. Some of the philosophies seem important, others might leave you wondering why anyone would waste a lifetime worrying about such a subject.

Many different kinds of philosphers are covered whether they be boring, charismatic, bolshevik, dangerous, obfuscating, bloodless, blasphemous, godly, mathematical, humanistic, elitest, egalitarian, arrogant, irritable, humble, obscure, famous, rich, poor, establishment, anti-establishment, heretical, dogmatic, flexible, incomprehensible, annoying, pleasant, hypocritical, scientific, kooky, or intellectually dishonest. I don't really have time to explain all of them in depth. ... Read more

Product Description
Capoeira weaves fighting, music, dance, prayer, and ritual into an urgent strategy by which people live, struggle, celebrate, and survive together. In this book Bira Almeida--or Mestre Acordeon as he is respectfully called in capoeira circles--documents his own tradition with both the panoramic eye of the historian and the passionate heart of the capoeirista. He transports the reader from the damn of New World history in Brazil to the streets of twentieth-century Bahia (the spiritual home of capoeira) to the giant urban centers of North America (wher capoeira is now spreading in new lineages from the old masters). This book is valuable for anyone interested in ethnocultural traditions, martial arts, and music, as well as for those who want to listen to the words of an actual mestre dedicated to preserving his Afro-Brazilian legacy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Fascinating
Whether you're just thinking about getting into capoeira, or you've been in it for a while and would like to learn more about the culture of capoeira, this book is great. This book helps the reader to understand the "insides" of the art.

Amazing Capoeira Book
Amazing book, absolutely amazing.It is not for the person wanting to learn how to do capoeira, but for anyone, beginner or master, who wants to read a great history and personal journey.
It even travels into the spiritual, deeper significance of capoeira.
GREAT BOOK.

It's okay but you could do better
This book is just an "okay" introductory text on capoeira. A major draw back is the centeral focus on capoeira regional, a better text would be "Ring of Liberation" because it more comprehensivly covers capoeira.

Remains an Excellent Introduction to Capoeira
Mestre Acordeon's book has long been praised for its clear writing, for his thoughtful coverage of the history, philosophy, and artistic traditions surrounding this art-form.Other reviewers (see below) have noted that the book was among the first in English to introduce readers to these aspects of Capoeira, while also offering a glimpse into this one mestre's personal and life-long journey.Having assigned his book to students (both graduate and undergraduate alike), I have had ample opportunity to hear students' glowing reviews: most of these students had never heard of Capoeira, nor even seen it played, before having read his work.In retrospect, they (and I, too) consider this book an excellent way to delve into the topic.While there's recently been a flurry of new scholarship on Capoeira (at least 3 books in English have come out in 2005) that matches Capoeira's growing influence around the globe, Acordeon's book remains one of the best places to start one's exploration.Axe ASCAB!

100% Capoeira
Mestre Acordeon takes you on a journey through capoeira, sharing his experiences and inviting the reader to use his imagination.
A truely inspirational piece from a truely inspirational master. ... Read more

Product Description
An insightful, relevant, and comprehensive look at the relationship between history and philosophy and how they have impacted Christian education from the Old Testament to the present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

fine
Everything was fine. There are stickers on it I did not expect, but no big deal.

A Helpful Tool
The authors strive to make this book a very practical tool. They look upon the past to gather valuable insights to better equip the future servant. Having learned valuable lessons from those who have gone before them, the readers will be better prepared to meet the challenges that lay ahead.
Each chapter has three major emphases that are very helpful:
1.Historical context- Each chapter is introduced with a section titled "What in the World?" to introduce the reader to what else was happening in the world in the era being reviewed, beyond the scope of the particular chapter.
2.Frequent Summaries- The authors make frequent use of text boxes to provide a summary of the material being discussed. This is a very useful tool to refer back to in the future.
3.Contemporary relevance- Each chapter concludes with a section labeled "So What? Lessons from the past for 21st Century Christian Education" These sections draw out principles or lessons derived from the particular historical era.
In the final chapter the authors encourage the reader to develop a Personal Philosophy of Ministry divided up into seven categories and to support their view with scripture. The categories include the Role and Nature of the Teacher, Role and Nature of the Learner, Pupose and Goals of the Lesson, and Outcomes Assessment. This will help the servant to apply theory to practice.
The book ends with an Epilogue, which attempts to pull together the lessons learned from this study. It is broken down in seven summarizing points. It has an 8-page textbox titled "So What? Cumulative Lessons from the Past for 21st Century Education" which contains seven points. Among those summarizing points are that Ministry leaders should lead the way in demonstrating servant leadership (point 2),God's Word is preeminent (point3), and that change is necessary (point 7).
I definitely recommend the book as it is a very helpful tool in looking at the history and philosophy of Christian Education. As the authors state "The emphasis of this history book is the future." We will be able to learn from the lessons of the past and apply it to our future ministry.

Not the perfect one
It is always gratifying to see attention paid to the perennial ideas and ideals, the importance of understanding the events and lessons of history, and to the appreciation of the classics in any educational enterprise. Perhaps more so today, it is cause to celebrate when that attention happens in the context of theological education. An informal survey of courses of study in theological schools will reveal a diminishing opportunity for being introduced in any systematic way to the history and philosophy of educational thought and Christian education.

So it was with some anticipation that this reviewer read Anthony and Benson's volume on the history and philosophy of Christian education. While the organization and coverage of the text offers a traditional Western approach that is recognizable to those who appreciate "old school," sadly, it has little to contribute by way of new insight, interpretation, or challenge to the contemporary reader. The coverage of history and philosophies which impact Christian education extends up to the twentieth century, but ends with a cursory treatment of the very influential impact of existentialism, and almost no treatment of substance of postmodernism, a school of thought that, regardless of what extent one sees as relevant, should nevertheless be dealt with critically by any student of history, philosophy, and education.

This is at best an introductory college-level textbook. The coverage and treatment of the subject at hand is much too simplistic, at times understated to the point of inaccuracy, to allow for deep understanding of the subject.For example, the extent of the reference to the Odyssey is the statement that it is "the account of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, who makes an arduous journey home from the battlefield" (p. 47). There are too many oversimplifications like, "People worshiped Greek gods more out of fear for how the gods could hurt them than out of a genuine desire to express their appreciation and affection for the gods. They presented offerings more to avoid future punishment than to express heartfelt thanksgiving" (p. 48). The book also suffers from an over reliance on educational, theological, and philosophical dictionaries and general works as well as some puzzling sources like the All Color Book of Greek Mythology (Pattrick, London: Octopus, 1972).

The authors provide what they call "three major emphases" throughout the book. The first is the placing of the historical content under examination into a broader context through the use of a timeline list under the caption "What in the world?" This is a sidebar feature that is somewhat helpful. The second is the use of textboxes (sidebars) that provide an (overly) interpretive summary of the material under discussion. The third feature is a final chapter section labeled "So What?" in which the authors summarize and attempt to apply "principles or lessons" (hence the subtitle) from the material-a sort of whack on the side of the head for those who may have difficulty connecting the dots on their own. Unfortunately, the principles offered are not helpful generally. More often than not they seem disconnected from the content coverage and intended more to reaffirm a predisposed philosophical stance. For example, the "So What?" list for Chapter 1, Hebrew Origins of Christian Education includes, "1. God desires to use people to accomplish His purpose on earth," and "3. Ministry is about relationships." Likewise for Chapter 2, Greek Education and Philosophical Thought, the "So What?" list includes, "1. Christian education must be more than rote memory," "2. The curriculum of Christian education must be fully integrated," and "3. Scope and sequence of Bible-related curriculum must consider basic tenants of human development."

The book has a decidedly conservative evangelical perspective, including a lack of attention to inclusive language (God is always "He").This work may provide a good introductory text for Christian and parochial high schools or a college religion course. But we'll have to continue to wait for a more critical contemporary review treatment of the history and philosophy of Christian education for advanced programs of study.
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Product Description

In A History of Philosophy in the Twentieth Century, Christian Delacampagne reviews the discipline's divergent and dramatic course and shows that its greatest figures, even the most unworldly among them, were deeply affected by events of their time. From Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose famous Tractatus was actually composed in the trenches during World War I, to Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger -- one who found himself barred from public life with Hitler's coming to power, the other a member of the Nazi party who later refused to repudiate German war crimes. From Bertrand Russell, whose lifelong pacifism led him to turn from logic and mathematics to social and moral questions, and Jean-Paul Sartre, who made philosophy an occasion for direct and personal political engagement, to Rudolf Carnap, a committed socialist, and Karl Popper, a resolute opponent of Communism. From the Vienna Circle and the Frankfurt School to the contemporary work of philosophers as variously minded as Jacques Derrida, Jürgen Habermas, and Hilary Putnam. The thinking of these philosophers, and scores of others, cannot be understood without being placed in the context of the times in which they lived.

Customer Reviews (4)

History of Philosphy
This is a textbook for a philosophy class.It is full of very pertinent information , however, I found it an extremely difficult read.

A Useful History of (the politics) of 20th Century Philosophy
This is a useful history of 20th century philosophy but it has its flaws and limitations.

Delacampagne is not reliable about analytic philosophy.He makes several errors and misrepresentations (many minor ones like calling Russell's classic article "On Denotation" p.34--its title is "On Denoting"--but others are more serious) and omissions--e.g. there is almost no discussion of Quine and none of Davidson, Kripke, or David Lewis.He also makes errors about historical figures--e.g. he describes Berkeley as a solipsist (p. 31).Delacampagne's discussions of the Tractatus and Rorty were okay and useful.

Fortunately the main emphasis of the book is on 20th century Continental philosophy about which the author seems to be quite knowledgeable and actively familiar.He also seems to be very interested in and familiar with 20th century Jewish philosophy.

I found particularly valuable and useful Delacampagne's discussion of Heidegger, and especially his exposing Heidegger's Nazism and the reactionary aspects of his philosophy.I also found quite illuminating the author's discussions of structuralism, anti-structuralism, the ideas of Gadamer, Habermas, and Derrida.

Delacampagne's basic orientation is a sort of highly evolved Marxism and he devotes much of his book to describing infighting among various factions of French philosophy, both pro- and anti-Marxist.In a way this book could almost be titled:A History of the Politics of 20th Century Philosophy.

This book assumes some background in philosophy--there are many unexplained references.Also it is translated from the French and in places the English is a bit tough to follow.

Excellent survey
Delacampagne's survey of this century's major philosophical thinkers is impressive in its breadth. The author effectively integrates the ideas of each era and sometime sacrifices chronology to present threads of influence through the century. At times, the author seems oversympathetic to the left; he spends more space on them and is less critical of their ideas. He is not fawning towards the left, however, so he did not entirely lose credibility with me.

This book is specifically aimed at people who have already been introduced to the major themes of philosophy. Overall, I would recommend this book, since I know of no others that attempt to survey twentieth-century philosophy.

20th century philosophy
An unusually lucid exposition of 20th century events in philosophy, logic, and politically related events.Extremely wide scope - there is nothing significant that is not in the index. I read French and this is a flawlesstranslation. ... Read more

Product Description
Investigating key issues in English philosophical, political, and religious thought in the second half of the seventeenth century, this book presents a set of new and intriguing essays on the topics. Particular emphasis is given to the interaction between philosophy and religion among leading political thinkers of the period; connections between philosophical debate on personhood, certainty, and the foundations of faith; and new conceptions of biblical exegesis. ... Read more

Product Description
One would expect that so successful and controversial a philosophical school as analytic philosophy would have a clear platform of substantive philosophical views. However, this is not so. For at least 30 years, analytic philosophy has consisted in an increasingly loose and variable amalgam of philosophical topics, views and methods. This state of affairs has led some to claim that, despite its professional entrenchment, analytic philosophy is in a state of crisis. "Analytic Philosophy: The History of an Illusion" argues that this is so, and that the crisis is deeper and more longstanding than is usually recognized.Synthesizing data from early and recent studies on the historical and philosophical foundations of analytic philosophy as well as from canonical primary texts, it argues that analytic philosophy has never involved significant agreement on substantive philosophical views, and thus that it has always been in this state of crisis, that this fact was long hidden by the illusion that analytic philosophy was originally united in the metaphilosophical thesis that philosophy is linguistic analysis, and that both the rise of analytic philosophy under this illusion and the preservation of its privileged status since the illusion's demise have been facilitated by a scientistic 'stance' that minimizes the traditional philosophical duty to examine one's most fundamental assumptions. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Indispensable Read
Well documented, detailed, cogent, clear, fascinating, often convincing, and always fun to read. Preston argues that Analytical Philosophy not only has ceased to be a distinctive paradigm--it never was one. Its founding figures (Frege, Russell, and G. E. Moore--the argument can also be made, of course, for Wittgenstein) did not adhere to the conventional views of Analytical Philosophy, and indeed protested against them. Analytical Philosophy is thus a sociological, not a philosophical, phenomenon.

This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand philosophy's contemporary situation--and how to get out of it.
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Product Description
Thorough and lucid survey of Western philosophy from pre-Socratics to mid-20th century—major figures, currents, trends. Valuable section on contemporary philosophy—Brentano, Ortega, Heidegger, others. "...brevity and clarity of exposition..."—Ethics.
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Customer Reviews (7)

outstanding work
This is a magnificent history of philosophy, lucid throughout, and I would have only minor objections to the varying weight assigned to each of the figures. There's always Copleston, but Copleston is far too long. Marias, by contrast, is digestible as well as lucid. Read this book as a beginning philosophy student, and it could change your life.

A Fine History of Western Philosophy
Julián Marías's "Historia de la Filosofía," translated by Stanley Appelbaum and Clarence C. Strowbridge, is an excellent introduction to the history of Western philosophical thought. First published in Madrid in 1941, it has gone through 22 editions in Spanish and has become the standard classroom text on the subject throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The book covers virtually all the major philosophers and schools from the Pre-Socratics to mid-twentieth century. Influential secondary figures are treated extensively as well. As a one-volume reference to the history of philosophy, Marias's text succeeds admirably. The book has four parts: Greek Philosophy, Christianity, Medieval Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy, this last part being the largest in extent and broadest in thematic scope. Christianity, the shortest part, deals basically with Patristic speculation and Augustine, and serves as a prelude to Scholasticism. The narrative is consistently well-structured, clear and precise. A thorough bibliography and index are included. At times the author avoids delving too deeply into some topic when this reader felt that a more profound treatment would have been preferable. Perhaps this is inevitable in a work of this breadth intended for a general audience. Fortunately, it does not occur too often and certainly does not diminish the worth of the book as a whole. "History of Philosophy" rightfully earns a five-star rating.

Brilliant
The history of philosophy is a gigantic canvas.

There are books that masterfully describe this history such as Bertrand Russell's 'History of Western Philosophy' and then there are books that make you fall hopelessly in love with the subject.

Marias' book is written by someone having such a love affair and its effect on the reader is infectious.

Following his mentor, Ortega y Gasset's, advice that 'clarity is courtesy', Marias (and his translators) use language to effortlessly and comprehensively explain the most difficult of concepts. This is the exception rather than the rule in the annals of philosophy.

You feel swept along by the personalities as much as their theories in this gem of a book.

I cannot praise this work highly enough. It is brilliant.

A Study of little use Unless our own Reality Enters into it

"If philosophy is practice, a demand to know the manner in which its history is to be studied is entailed: a theoretical attitude toward it becomes real only in the living appropriation of its contents from the texts. ... the study of past philosophers is of little use unless our own reality enters into it." Karl Jaspers



History of philosophy:
The history of philosophy is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include;
- How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically?
- What drives the development of thought in its historical context?
- How can philosophical texts from prior historical eras even be understood today? (Wikipedia)

Traditions of Philosophy:
All cultures whether Eastern or Western, ancient, medieval, or modern;secular or religious have had their own unique traditions of philosophy, through cultural inheritance and by independent personal discovery. Those conceptual issues have grown from diverse premises and approaches, examples of which domains engulf rationalism (logic theories), empiricism (observational theories), and even through leaps of faith, hope, and inheritance (as religions and super naturalist philosophies).
History of philosophy seeks to categorize and describe such development in order to perceive the philosophical ideas developing through time. Egyptian philosophy was moral, influenced by seeking social justice that kept the Egyptian civilization going for more than three millennia. However, to say that "Greek philosophy originated quite independently of Oriental influences. The Greeks themselves believed their mathematical science to be of Egyptian origin, and they must have known something of Babylonian astronomy. It cannot be an accident that philosophy originated just at the time when communication with these two countries was easiest, and that the very man who was said to have introduced geometry from Egypt is also regarded as the first philosopher."John Burnett

Alexandria Reinventing Philosophy:
"Plotinus revived the influence of Plato and Aristotle, whose teachings were combined in an original and surprising fashion. Since in epistemology and metaphysics Plato and Aristotle in many ways were more sophisticated than the Hellenistic philosophers who followed them, Plotinus in effect picks up again the mainstream development of Western philosophy, preparing the way for Mediaeval thought." A contemporary of Simplicius and Damascius was the Christian John Philoponus ... Of particular importance is his treatment of Aristotle's Physics. It is now easy to forget how different ancient and mediaeval physics were from the modern physics that began with Galileo. Most important was the principle enunciated by Aristotle that an object will not move unless it is pushed... The impetus theory, however, was still not Galileo's theory of inertia. Although Philoponus realized that a medium resists motion, he still believed that the projectile loses its momentum because the impetus runs out. Thus, without actively being pushed, all things will slow down and stop, even in a vacuum. For the next thousand years, this is what would prevent the theory of Aristarchus, that the earth is a planet that rotates on its axis and revolves around the sun, from being taken seriously.Kelley L. Ross, Ph.D. Copyright (c) 2007.

Watch Over Mortality:
Pragmatism which is, in reality, an exported philosophy of Anglo Saxon origin was the only twenty's century philosophy to gain broad, national acceptance in the United States, and has been even considered the first genuinely and original American thought. The British, like pragmatic philosophers, share a horror for the absolute.
Harold Raley, author of Jose Ortega y Gasset, The Philosophy of Julian Marias, and Un siglo de Ortega, three of his books have been translated into Spanish and published in Madrid. His profuse writings are dealing with Hispanic thought and letters and the history of modern ideas.
In A Watch Over Mortality Harold Raley offers the English readers of philosophy Marias's compelling alternatives to impersonal austerity, charged with being a fig-leaf for philosophical bankruptcy or anorexia, in a dynamic style that reflects the humane spirit and verve of what may well prove to be the most innovative philosophy of modern times. "Here for the first time Marias's philosophy is revealed in its full historical depth, its many interrelated levels, its fascinating apercus, and its real or possible applicability to many humanistic disciplines. In order to do justice to Marias and his way of thinking, Raley narrates the evolution of this philosophy from early antecedents in Germanic and Ortegan phenomenology to Marias's own original contributions."

Evaluation of Marias:
Professor López-Morillas's investigations in Spanish intellectual history extend to twentieth-century writers who represent a new age, most prominent of these is José Ortega, and his disciple, a close friend of Morillas, is Julián Marías, he considers the most prolific philosopher of his generation.
Three decades later, a former student of Julian Marias is prompted to praise his teaching methods and talents as she respectfully remembers his wisdom and wit, his friendly and enthusiastic attitudes towards his students, and his perception and insights into society's problems--all qualities which have been absorbed and maintained by his students long after leaving the classroom.

Marias Lucid way to view Philosophy

"Thorough and lucid survey of Western philosophy from pre-Socratics to mid 20th century, major figures, currents, trends. Valuable section on contemporary philosophy;... Brevity and clarity of exposition..." -- Ethics.



History of Philosophy:
The idea of the Historiography of philosophy's history, its close relation to its history, according to Julian Marias is unlike that of science, where the subject and its history are distinct. Marias utilizes an engaging method of exploring philosophy, that proves indispensable to the reader.
In studying the history of philosophy, philosophical problems are confronted as they have first arisen. Philosophy gets refreshed, when restated by outstanding thinkers as Marias, a leading historian of philosophy and philosophy instructor who masters the practice of philosophical reason seeking and applies it in his own illuminating survey. His study demonstrates not only that philosophy is historical, but that the comparative study of philosophy has a better approach through the critical rendering of its history.

Historia de la Filosofia:
Marias' Historia de la Filosofia, translated by Appelbaum and Strowbridge, is a lucid introduction to the history of Western philosophy. The book published in Spanish, at Madrid in 1941, has gone through 22 editions. It is widely accepted as the greatest work written in Spanish on the subject, covering almost all major philosophers and their schools from the Pre-Socratics to mid-twentieth century. As a one-volume textbook, Marias' work is a success, in four parts: Greek, Christian, Medieval and Contemporary Philosophy, which representing the broadest in thematic issues. Christianity, the mainm part, deals with Patristic philosophic speculation, and represent Augustine as a logical prelude to Scholasticism. The narrative is well-structured, clear and precise, although at times not deeply engaged into a profound treatment of few topics, not diminishing its worth as a whole.

Marias life & Thought:
Marías moved to Madrid and went on to study philosophy at the University of Madrid. Within months of his graduation in 1936, the Spanish Civil War broke out. Marías sided with the Republicans, although with few contributions of articles and broadcasts. Marías returned to education at the end of the war in 1939. His doctoral thesis was rejected by the university, and handed over to the civil authorities, for his criticism of General Franco's rule. As a consequence of his writings Marías was briefly imprisoned and, upon his release, banned from teaching, but the proceeds from the sales of his book, which went through countless editions, saved his life. Marías taught at numerous institutions in the United States, including Harvard University, Yale University, Wellesley College, and UCLA.

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Product Description
This engaging and informative text will hold the attention of students and scholars as they take a journey through time to understand the role that history and philosophy have played in shaping the course of sport and physical education in Western and selected non-Western civilizations. From Mesoamerica and Ancient Greece to the 2008 Olympic Games, the book touches on religion, politics, social movements, and individuals as they contributed to the development of sport and physical education. An extensive array of pedagogical tools--including timelines, comprehensive lists of chapter objectives, suggested websites, and discussion questions--aids the learning experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Yep!
The description for this item was very accurate adn honest. There was minor wear on the corners, but still very useable. Well worth it.

Fine book with a notable exception
As an overview of the philosophy of sport from Egypt and Ancient Greece to the present time, this is a fine volume. But it is breathtaking that in a review of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich the author saw fit to recall "Notable" performances in track and field events, gymnastics, swimming and more and yet managed to leave out the most notable and historic contest of all: the gold medal basketball game between Russia and the United States. This was the United States' first "loss," since basketball's inclusion in 1936, though they were swindled out of their gold after officials put time back on the clock on three consecutive occasions.

In a spirit of solidarity and righteous indignation the American team refused to accept their silver medals.

How can this episode--which is arguably the greatest instance of official bias
in sports history--not be recognized in an objective history of this sort?

Ken Shouler ... Read more

Product Description
This two volume series introduces the fascinating story of philosophy in a lucid, readable style students enjoy reading. Incorporating the most current scholarship, Matson integrates philosophy into the scientific, political, religious, and social context of different periods. The two volumes can be used as a core text or as a supplement to primary source readings. ... Read more

Product Description
'An elegant and intelligent translation. The text provides a perfect solution to the problem of how to introduce students to Hegel in a survey course in the history of Western philosophy' - Graham Parkes, University of Hawaii. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A great philosopher on importance of history!
I read this book for a graduate class in history.Hegel's philosophy of history is perhaps the most fully developed philosophical theory of history that attempts to discover meaning or direction in history.Hegel incorporates a deeper historicism into his philosophical theories than his predecessors or successors. According to Hegel, the events whose story is told by political and legal history can be given a philosophical interpretation that will bring out its philosophical meaning.He does this himself in his lectures on the Philosophy of History.He views it to be a central task for philosophy to comprehend its place in the unfolding of history.History is for Hegel the development of Freedom, or rather, of the consciousness of Freedom.History is the process by which Spirit becomes conscious of itself.Individual thinkers, artists, and historical actors are primarily the means or instruments by which the collective spirit (God in the world) becomes conscious of truth.

Hegel constructs world history into a narrative of stages of human freedom, from the public freedom of the polis and the citizenship of the Roman Republic, to the individual freedom of the Protestant Reformation, to the civic freedom of the modern state.He attempts to incorporate the civilizations of India and China into his understanding of world history, though he regards those civilizations as static and therefore pre-historical.He constructs specific moments as "world-historical" events that were in the process of bringing about the final, full stage of history and human freedom.For example, Napoleon's conquest of much of Europe is portrayed as a world-historical event doing history's work by establishing the terms of the rational bureaucratic state.Hegel finds reason in history; but it is a latent reason, and one that can only be comprehended when the fullness of history's work is finished.

Many in Western Europe saw Europe or the Western European nations as the pinnacle of historical development, poised to carry their mission civilisatrice to Asia, Africa, Oceania.Yes, they could say, ancient civilizations had contributed to the eventual emergence of modern European civilization, but Europe had integrated what was valuable in those ancient insights into a higher form and it could now turn around and offer this higher form of culture to the rest of humanity who had remained "backward" and "underdeveloped."Hegel has very little to say about the New World.He acknowledges that the Native Americans have been overtaken by Europeans, thus the New World is a continuation of the Old World in its civilization and culture.He sees history progressing in America (populated by Englishmen), but finds that it has not matured yet.He sees America as a growing, prosperous, and industrious nation with a population that is a federation of people who love freedom.However, the nation is not politically fixed yet and he thinks, "a real state and a real government will arise only after a distinction of classes has arisen, when wealth and poverty become extreme."However, this can't happen as long as America has vast territory for people to expand and populate, he thinks these changes can't come about until America is as crowded as Europe so that people agitate each other and clamor for change.I think Hegel foresaw the Civil War.I think the America he ultimately envisioned is finally here today.Our country seems to be equally divided politically and I am not sure our present political institutions can hold us together.

Hegel once described Napoleon, whom he observed in the flesh just before or after one of Napoleon's major victories, as "the world spirit on horseback."Napoleon at that time was a major expression of the dynamic process which was transforming Europe in a certain direction.When Napoleon had served his purpose, he was discarded by the World Spirit, which then adopted other political leaders as its means.

It is worth observing that Hegel's philosophy of history is not the caricature of speculative philosophical reasoning that analytic philosophers sometimes paint it.His philosophical approach is not based solely on foundational a priori reasoning.Instead he proposes an "immanent" encounter between philosophical reason and the historical given.His prescription is that the philosopher should seek to discover the rational within the real--not to impose the rational upon the real."To comprehend what is, this is the task of philosophy, because what is, is reason."Hegel's approach is neither purely philosophical nor purely empirical; instead, he undertakes to discover within the best historical knowledge of his time, an underlying rational principle that can be philosophically articulated.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in philosophy, political science, and history.

A great philosopher on importance of history!
I read this book for a graduate class in history.Hegel's philosophy of history is perhaps the most fully developed philosophical theory of history that attempts to discover meaning or direction in history.Hegel incorporates a deeper historicism into his philosophical theories than his predecessors or successors. According to Hegel, the events whose story is told by political and legal history can be given a philosophical interpretation that will bring out its philosophical meaning.He does this himself in his lectures on the Philosophy of History.He views it to be a central task for philosophy to comprehend its place in the unfolding of history.History is for Hegel the development of Freedom, or rather, of the consciousness of Freedom.History is the process by which Spirit becomes conscious of itself.Individual thinkers, artists, and historical actors are primarily the means or instruments by which the collective spirit (God in the world) becomes conscious of truth.

Hegel constructs world history into a narrative of stages of human freedom, from the public freedom of the polis and the citizenship of the Roman Republic, to the individual freedom of the Protestant Reformation, to the civic freedom of the modern state.He attempts to incorporate the civilizations of India and China into his understanding of world history, though he regards those civilizations as static and therefore pre-historical.He constructs specific moments as "world-historical" events that were in the process of bringing about the final, full stage of history and human freedom.For example, Napoleon's conquest of much of Europe is portrayed as a world-historical event doing history's work by establishing the terms of the rational bureaucratic state.Hegel finds reason in history; but it is a latent reason, and one that can only be comprehended when the fullness of history's work is finished.

Many in Western Europe saw Europe or the Western European nations as the pinnacle of historical development, poised to carry their mission civilisatrice to Asia, Africa, Oceania.Yes, they could say, ancient civilizations had contributed to the eventual emergence of modern European civilization, but Europe had integrated what was valuable in those ancient insights into a higher form and it could now turn around and offer this higher form of culture to the rest of humanity who had remained "backward" and "underdeveloped."Hegel has very little to say about the New World.He acknowledges that the Native Americans have been overtaken by Europeans, thus the New World is a continuation of the Old World in its civilization and culture.He sees history progressing in America (populated by Englishmen), but finds that it has not matured yet.He sees America as a growing, prosperous, and industrious nation with a population that is a federation of people who love freedom.However, the nation is not politically fixed yet and he thinks, "a real state and a real government will arise only after a distinction of classes has arisen, when wealth and poverty become extreme."However, this can't happen as long as America has vast territory for people to expand and populate, he thinks these changes can't come about until America is as crowded as Europe so that people agitate each other and clamor for change.I think Hegel foresaw the Civil War.I think the America he ultimately envisioned is finally here today.Our country seems to be equally divided politically and I am not sure our present political institutions can hold us together.

Hegel once described Napoleon, whom he observed in the flesh just before or after one of Napoleon's major victories, as "the world spirit on horseback."Napoleon at that time was a major expression of the dynamic process which was transforming Europe in a certain direction.When Napoleon had served his purpose, he was discarded by the World Spirit, which then adopted other political leaders as its means.

It is worth observing that Hegel's philosophy of history is not the caricature of speculative philosophical reasoning that analytic philosophers sometimes paint it.His philosophical approach is not based solely on foundational a priori reasoning.Instead he proposes an "immanent" encounter between philosophical reason and the historical given.His prescription is that the philosopher should seek to discover the rational within the real--not to impose the rational upon the real."To comprehend what is, this is the task of philosophy, because what is, is reason."Hegel's approach is neither purely philosophical nor purely empirical; instead, he undertakes to discover within the best historical knowledge of his time, an underlying rational principle that can be philosophically articulated.

Recommended reading for anyone interested in philosophy, political science, and history.

Probably Only for True Hegel Enthusiasts
Introduction to the Philosophy of History is a short posthumous publication of Hegel's lecture notes pertaining to the nature of history (There are several similar publications of Hegel notes, e.g. The History of Philosophy, The Philosophy of Art.Georg Hegel was one of the most popular and influential German idealists of the ninetieth century.This short book (approximately 100 pages also includes an excerpt from the The Philosophy of the Right.I offer the following thoughts to potential readers.

Rauch's translation is readable and makes Hegel about as accessible as he gets.Generally, my view is that readers should interact with historic thinkers through their own work - with Hegel this can be frustrating given his style.His use of ambiguous metaphysical terminology such as "the World Spirit" and his teleological or progressive view of history may be difficult for the contemporary reader.As a result, an overview German idealism may be helpful before approaching Hegel directly.

Personally, German idealism has always struck me as a somewhat tedious and uninteresting aspect of modern philosophy.Reading this short work was an attempt on my part to re-examine this period and challenge my assumptions - unfortunately it has only reinforced my earlier impressions.Depending on one's perspective Hegel either represents the zenith or nadir of German idealism.While there is no doubt that Hegel was an able thinker much of his written work comes across as empty and highly speculative.Although I am not a positivist Hegel's type of sophistry likely contributed to the appeal of analytical philosophy in the early twentieth century. To be fair to Hegel, however, his work did influence some significant later thinkers such as Marx and may be worth a look for that reason alone.

Overall, probably only for readers well versed with Hegel.For those interested in a survey of German Idealism, Pinkard's German Philosophy 1760-1860 is a solid book.
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Product Description
Conceived originally as a serious presentatin of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's  nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English.



Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history's great thinkers  was reduced to simplistic caricatures.  Copleston set out to redress the wrong by writing a complete history of Western Philosophy, one crackling with incident an intellectual excitement - and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who went before and to those who came after him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Dawn of the Empiricists
The philosophers stated here were brilliant minds, no doubt about it.The scientific revolution created a new way of thinking about and carrying out solutions to problems that was attempted(poorly) by Descartes and their ilk.It's takes a while for good thinking to develop when one starts from a completely new framework.This starts the era when something substantial is said outside the school of classical greekthought that isn't completely idiotic.

The first empricist is Locke,who is really quite mind numbingly dull to read, but very important in how the empricists after him build off of(and subsequently demolish much of) what he said.His philosophy, even if not very agreeable, is straightforward and quite logically fleshed out.

Berkeley, in contrast, was a joy to read.The funny part about him is that he wanted to save philosophy from abstract notions that have no application to real life, then expounds a philosophy that denies the meterial world in its entirety!It must be said that his critique was phenomenal, and rightly states many of the things taken for granted such as substance have no empiricial basis, as well as rightfully stating objects have no qualities in themselves, but only what we perceive as qualities, thereby refuting much of Aristotle.

Hume goes even further than Berkeley in refuting spiritual substance, doubting cause and effect, in essence doubting everything.He does so with lucidity and style that makes for another enjoyable section.His views on morality is his main weakness, and essentially boils down to Pain=Bad, Happiness=Good.

There were a couple others also, but after those three guys I can't remember anything substantial they said.Reading this History was akin to watching a wrecking crew destroy an entire village, laughing gleefully as they do it.The problem is they left next to nothing to rebuild it with.For that we have to wait for Kant.

The Best Introduction to Philosophy out there!!!
Copleston's series, "The History of Philosophy", is quite possibly the best introduction to the history of philosophical thought that has ever been published and certainly the best currently in print.

You will be hard pressed to find a better collection of solid philosophical surveys in one place.The beauty of the series is that Copleston has clearly done his research on each period and each thinker of Western philosophy.

I cannot recommend this series any more highly.It is a must-have collection for anyone who is a scholar (professional or casual) of philosophy, theology or any of the arts.

If this isn't on your bookshelf, it should be!

Philosophy for All
"A History of Philosophy" by Frederick Copleston,S.J., is a very complete work. All volumes, including #5 - Modern Philosophy The British philosophers from Hobbes to Hume, are first class. I recomend with emphasis!

mgs

A good beginning series
This is series is a good way to get involved in the thought of the world. You'll want to go further than what is discussed in the book but it is a very good start.

This volume is facinating
At one point I went throught a British Empiricist phase. This book was an invaluable resource.I've never noticed any misinterpretations of the author's original texts in this volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Here at last is the only up-to-date history of American philosophy, an American counterpart to Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. In this fascinating volume, the eminent historian Bruce Kuklick tells the story of the growth of philosophical thinking in the United States, in the context of intellectual and social change. He sketches the genesis of these intellectual practices in New England Calvinism and the writing of Jonathan Edwards. He discusses theology in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the origins of collegiate philosophy in the early part of the nineteenth century. We see the development of secular preconceptions and the emergence, after Darwin's writings of the mid-late nineteenth century, of forms of thought hostile to religion. All of the great American thinkers are portrayed and their contributions to philosophy assessed--from Charles Peirce to William James, John Dewey to C. I. Lewis, and Wilfrid Sellars toW. V. Quine. The work brings us right up to date with the first historical treatment of the period after pragmatism, and the fragmentation of philosophy in the second half of the twentieth century. The author steers a controversial course between the divergent views that historians and philosophers take of the significance of philosophy in recent years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Book~
THIS IS A GREAT BOOK! I have been a member of the American Philosophical Association for over 50 years, and this book explained some of the "politics" of what was going on, when I was unaware that anything but "objective truth" ruled over what happened to philosophers. This book is erudite, easy to read, from my perspective very accurate in brief summaries of various philosophers and various movements in American philosophy. I learned a lot from this book!!!!!

An Overview of American Philosophy
Bruce Kuklick, a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania has written extensively about American philosophy and theology as well as about American social thoughtWhile his most recent book, "Intellectuals at War" deals with the impact of ideas on officials in high places, Professor Kuklick's "A History of Philosophy in America 1720 -- 2000"tells the story of American philosophy from the colonial era to the present. The book draws upon Professor Kuklick's earlier study of philosophy at Harvard, "The Rise of American Philosophy" and upon his study of American theology "Churchmen and Philosophers".

In his Introduction, Professor Kuklick defines the philosophical endeavor as a "more or less systematic writing about the point of our existence." Professor Kuklick finds that American thought remained under the sway of theology for a longer period than was the case in Europe. Again in his Introduction, Professor Kuklick locates the general direction of American thought in the "long circuitious march from a religious to a secular vision of the universe." He describes the long influence of idealism in America, followed by a closely-related pragmatism, to the current uneasily-prevailing materialistic and scientific philosophy.

Throughout the book, Professor Kuklick admirably draws parallels between American approaches to philosophy at different times.Thus, the book opens with a lengthy consideration of Puritan thought beginning with Jonathan Edwards and proceeding about through the time of the Civil War.For Professor Kuklick, this thought was dominated by the theology of Calvinism and focused on the individual and his relationship to God. The pragmatic thought which succeeded theologically-based philosophy tended, with exceptions, to be idealistic in character and viewed idealism as a means of reconciling Darwinism with a sense of human meaning. Peirce and James developed their distinctive pragmatisms while John Dewey developed his different, experimentally based form of instrumentalism.The pragmatic school represented the high-water mark of philsophy in the United States, and it was followed by an era of professionilization and fragmentation, under the influence of the growth of science and a variety of European thinkers, including Wittgenstein, the Frankfurt school, and existentialism. In the final portion of his book, Professor Kuklick gives substantial attention to the work of Quine, Kuhn, and Richard Rorty.

Professor Kuklick is critical of American philosophy for its relative neglect of social and political issues.He attributes this neglect to the initial questions posed by philosophers concerning the relationship of the individual to the Divine, with social philosophy relegated to an afterthought.He fears, as have many before him, that with its focus on analysis, professional philosophy has lost the ability to engage people's minds and hearts that it possessed during the time of James, Royce, and Dewey. A related theme of this book involves the various ways different universities pursued philosophy and the influence they exercised.Broadly speaking, Harvard and the philosophy departments under its orbit became predominant in the age of pragmatism and expanded this dominance as philosophy grew closer to the sciences in outlook.Yale was more heavily influenced by theology and struggled for many years to find an identity for its practice of philosophy different from the scientifically-oriented thinking of Harvard. These alternatives would include, among other things, traditional metaphysical idealism and phenomenology and existentialism.I found this discussion struck a personal note as it reminded me of the time, many years ago, when I applied for and was accepted into the graduate philosophy program at Yale, a course I did not pursue.

While philosophy remains a troubled endeavor, Professor Kuklick believes that "reflective people throughout American history have needed something like philosophy.They have wanted its synthesis of instruction and argumentation, and in all likelihood they will find a way of extracting this mix from the cultural vision in which they find themselves." (p.285)

Professor Kuklick has written a learned history which itself is a work of philosophy in that it shows deep insight into the nature of the discipline and into the thought of the many thinkers it considers.These thinkers include, besides those I have mentioned earlier, Ralph Barton Perry, Roy and Wilfred Sellars, C.I. Lewis, Arthur Lovejoy, Paul Weiss, Nelson Goodman, Saul Kripke, Hilary Putnam, and many others. It is a study that has remained fascinating to me over many years.Readers interested in philosophical thought and its development will benefit from this book.

Robin Friedman

Fine Survey
I'm the only human (or animal of any species) in a room, and I'm looking at a candle as it burns.It's a 9 inch tall candle.I leave the room to go about some business and, when I return, I see that the candle is still burning.It's now 7" tall.Few people outside of philosophy seminars have any difficulty with my inference that at some point there was an unobserved 8" candle in that room.

Indeed, I think that few philosophers have trouble with that, either.What they do argue about, though, is what it means to say that.What are we saying about ourselves and our relations to the rest of the world when we say we are sure there was an unobserved 8" candle (or one observed only by God, to include the Berkeleyans)?

The most interesting portion of this book traces the fate of that question in American philosophic history, subsequent to the death of William James in 1910.The problems break down, roughly, this way.Is one's initial perception of the 9" candle direct or mediated? If one perceives candles directly, how are illusions or possible?If one's perception is mediated, how is knowledge possible?On a related point, are we to think of the common-sense candle, with its definite color and odor, as primary?Or is the candle of a scientist, composed of electrons, protons, and a lot of empty space, more truly real?Can we say that the common-sense candle exists when we're in the room but only the scientist's candle continues when we aren't there? ... Read more

Product Description
This two volume series introduces the fascinating story of philosophy in a lucid, readable style students enjoy reading. Incorporating the most current scholarship, Matson integrates philosophy into the scientific, political, religious, and social context of different periods. The two volumes can be used as a core text or as a supplement to primary source readings. ... Read more

Product Description
This farsighted, humanizing volume celebrates "the supreme art of living" and the creative potential of exuberance and delight to spur developments in every realm, from biology to technology to politics.

Claiming that "we are given no escape from last questions," the esteemed Spanish thinker and teacher JosŽ Ortega y Gasset identifies two kinds of activity serving human advancement: on the one hand, a vital, creative profligacy that generates multiple possibilities; on the other, a utilitarian mechanization that trims this excess back to everyday use and habit. In this dialectic, Ortega locates the origin of the state as well as of evolution, which he describes as "a consequence of innumerable useless actions which a living being performs out of sheer exuberance."

Observing that "living means dealing with the world, turning to it, acting in it," Ortega warns against the dangers of intellectual isolation. "Alertness is what we require," he says. "We are not allowed to confine ourselves within our own professions, but must live in full view of the entire scene of life." Writing in the 1940s, he foresees the unification of the states of Europe, noting that "the unity of Europe as society is not an ideal but an ancient daily fact." He also discusses the advantages, the limitations, and the threat of technology, insisting that its illusory security imperils Western civilization.

Measuring true progress by humankind's capacity to retain its humanity, Toward a Philosophy of History bears the mark of Ortega's fine intelligence and his abiding faith in the redemptive power of engaged living and original thinking. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Historia como sistema
This is practically the same book as History as a System. This book and the aforementioned share the first 4 essays. Toward a Philosophy of History is the original issue of Historia como sistema in English and contains as a fifth essay, The Argentine State and the Argentinean. History as a System omits the fifth essay in Toward a Philosophy of History and replaces it with an afterword by John William Miller. Since the translators are common to both editions, I am guessing that The Argentine State and the Argentinean may have lost relevance in the 20 years between the 2 titles. Do yourself a favor and purchase one or the other. ... Read more

Product Description

With selections of philosophers from the earliest times to the present, this anthology provides significant learning support and historical context with biographical introductions, topic “Prologs,” reading introductions and “Philosophical Overviews,” “Philosophical Bridges” describing historical influences, study questions, and “Codas” placing major movements in contemporary context.

Customer Reviews (1)

Credible Philosophical Resource
This book contains a lot of great original-source philosophy. But I'm most impressed by the authors' perspective. Their writing is clear and expressive, the editing nearly perfect. I'm one hundred percent pleased with this purchase. Really, these authors are unbelievably good writers! I just feel I need to reiterate that. Not to mention the fact that they've carefully selected the philosophers and philosophy that's included. I've loved every one so far (except Parmenides is a little bit perplexing!)
... Read more

Product Description
Conceived originally as a serious presentation of  the development of philosophy for Catholic  seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume  A History Of Philosophy has  journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to  universal acclaim as the best history of  philosophy in English.

Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit  of immense erudition who once tangled with A. J.  Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God  and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that  seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet  of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity  with most of history's great thinkers was reduced  to simplistic caricatures. Copleston set out to  redress the wrong by writing a complete history of  Western philosophy, one crackling with incident and  intellectual excitement -- and one that gives full  place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a  beautifully rounded manner and showing his links  to those who went before and to those who came  after him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Detailed and Informative
The basic structure of the book is as follows: Frederick Copleston first gives us background by describing the intellectual life of the philosopher in question before proceeding to systematically analyze the various aspects of his thought, often referring, of course, to their major works. For example, the section on Plato is divided into ten parts: "The Life of Plato," "Plato's Works," "Theory of Knowledge," "The Doctrine of Forms," "The Psychology of Plato," "Moral Theory," "The State," "Physics of Plato," "Art," and "The Old Academy." As expected, most of the focus is on Plato and Aristotle, the sections devoted to them accounting for nearly 50% of this 506-page book. Copleston writes in clear and concise prose, occasionally using diagrams for further clarification.

It should be noted that the late Copleston was a Jesuit priest. In this and the other volumes he often juxtaposes his Roman Catholic Thomist view with the philosophies he examines. However, he treats all of them with fairness, sympathy, respect, and sometimes something approaching reverence, especially in the cases of the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle.

As Copleston had Catholic seminary students in mind when he wrote these histories, they assume a working knowledge of Latin and Greek, which are sprinkled throughout the text, mostly untranslated. However, even without any knowledge of these languages, one can still learn quite a bit from this detailed and informative presentation, though it would undoubtedly help to have a philosophical dictionary on hand while reading.

Simple like this
Copleston's History of Philosophy is a masterpiece. It is complete and simple, made for scholars and lay people. Usually it is very difficult to achieve such deep and academic investigation with no room for intricate and technical language. Sometimes the text turns on more complex, because the subject is complex as well. But this did not keep the fresh air of new and understandable knowledge that exists throughout the work.

An Engaging Introduction to Philosophy
Frederick Copleston wrote his A History of Philosophy with the original intent of instructing Catholic seminarians on the progress of philosophy through the ages.The nine volume work has gone onto wide acclaim and is heralded as one of the best on the topic of philosophical history.

This book is the first of the nine volume work and covers Western philosophy from its early beginnings on the Greek islands and onto the rest of the Mediterranean world, expanding into Egypt, Israel, and the Roman Empire.

Copleston divides the book into five sections: The Pre-Socratics, The Socratic Period, Plato, Aristotle, and the Post-Aristotelians.The vast majority of the book revolves around the three great classical philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.The author excels at noting that none of these philosophers was greater than the other, nor did they effectively cancel out each other, but rather built upon existing philosophy.Aristotle, while different in his philosophy, was both an admirer and critic of Plato.Copleston also succeeds in clarifying the philosophies of the Pre-Socratics, whose past can easily be overlooked by the magnitude of Socrates.In A History of Philosophy, the Pre-Socratics are equally as important as the next, each bearing importance to subsequent philosophy.The book is tied together by the referencing of philosophers back and forth throughout.

Some minor criticisms are in relation to the author's intent.Obviously, he would have changed the approach had he known the work would go onto greater things.The most obvious downfall of the book is that large sections of text are written in Greek and Latin.For the average Catholic seminarian, this would be no problem.For the layman, it is a challenge.The footnotes are in relation to sources and none of them offer translations.What is especially aggravating is that Copleston identifies specific terms that are key to understanding a philosophy, many written in Greek and never translated.Many of Aristotle's points were lost on me, since they were written in Greek.This could easily be fixed by a revised edition, providing footnotes and chapter references at the back of the book.One other criticism is the fact that Copleston inserts his own opinions of modern philosophers within the text.This detracts from the non-biased approach that philosophical history should be approached with.He succeeds in noting the successes and failures in philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, yet criticizes Nietsche and other modernists at the same time.Perhaps the smugness that accompanies his criticisms is due to the fact that many modernists were atheists, and he was writing for a non-atheist audience.

Overall, this book is a great introduction to philosophy and is a good springboard for further investigating the philosophers you find interesting.

The BEST History of Philosophy
I would like to say that Mr.Copleston did a great job writing his masterpiece. I am wondering how many years did it take him to read all the original works and write this set? I would like to emphasize that this history of philosophy does not have any undertone of any bias, and all accusations of the lack of impartiality do not have any basis. Frederick Copleston explicitly states that he is the Jesuit priest and the third volume of the set is his favorite. So what? Other volumes are not affected by this circumstance. Coplestone accurately describes the lives and theories of major philosophers. It should be noted that this set is a rather dry reading and beginners should find some other history of philosophy (like Russel's History of Western Philosophy, but be aware Russel's version is "slightly" biased). Back to Copleston's History: the book examines the history of philosophy from pre-Socratics to Aristotle(with concentrating on Socrates-Plato-Aristotle) to "footnotes":)
I recommend this book and the whole set to serious students of philosophy and other lesser mortals who want to understand the development and evolution of the Western philosophical thinking.

The academic standard, and undefeated champion
I originally picked up this book with the best of intentions: to read all nine (or eleven) volumes, in belated "revenge" for not having majored in philosophy.Those intentions are now being stretched over a longer period of time.

I have no doubt that this is the "academic standard" in the history of philosophy.You can tell, because Father Copleston makes a habit of citing foreign languages without translation.This used to be (and still may be) the distinguishing mark of an academic: just put it down in French, German, Latin, or Greek, and if the unwashed masses don't get it, tough.In particular, I would highly recommend that you learn the Greek alphabet before embarking on this adventure.Not the Greek language, mind you, but just enough of the alphabet to spell out all the Greek words which Copleston throws at you.

The book is a major accomplishment; the fruit of a titanic intellectual effort.Still, there is competition in this rather small niche, most obviously Bertrand Russell's "History of Western Philosophy" (in one volume!) and Anthony Gottlieb's "The Dream of Reason."Quite frankly, for readers who are not professional philosophers (or students of philosophy) I might recommend one of those two books.Bertrand Russell's book gives you a bonus, in including huge swathes of real history to put his philosophical history in context, while Gottlieb is smart, diverting, and original.

Father Copleston (a Jesuit) is smart as a tack, but had no intention of being diverting or original.It is really an advantage that Copleston's bias is openly declared: he is a Catholic who holds that the true philosophy is the Scholastic philosophy of the Middle Ages --- properly modernized, of course.So you won't expect him to dwell on people like Pseudo-Dionysius.And his essay on Plato's "Doctrine of the Forms" is, indeed, a major intellectual undertaking.It is so good that the acute reader can spot Plato's errors all over the place, such as Plato's assumption that the only real knowledge was of things that are eternally true and unchanging.That, if you stop to think about it, is a whale of an assumption. To take a trivial example, we all generalize from the frogs we have seen to an "Ideal Frog" --- it's part of recognizing reality.But it really plays havoc when we try to understand evolution, and must realize that there is no "Ideal Frog," or recognize that the "Ideal Frog" is constantly changing, over a period of time which we may not be able to comprehend.So Plato made it hard for humankind to understand evolution.

And then, later on, in the chapter on "The State," you understand it when Copleston enthusiastically joins Plato's demands for censorship of the arts, and the rule of the Philosopher-King.After all, I am not the first person to have seen the Catholic Index of Prohibited Books --- and the Papacy --- as attempts to bring Plato's ideas about the state to fruition.

I guess, in the end, I would like to describe a choice for the reader who is interested in the history of philosophy.

Choice A would be Lord Bertie, who squeezes it all into one magisterial volume: A History of Western Philosophy.

Choice B would be Anthony Gottlieb:The Dream of Reason: A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance.The drawback here is that Gottlieb is only half-done.

Choice C would be to go whole hog and get the entire set by Copleston.You are not required to read every word, but the whole vast and detailed panorama is at your fingertips.If you're on a budget, you could always buy one volume a month, or something like that.:-)

Good luck, and happy reading! ... Read more