Yes, The History of Philosophy is 682 pages of insightful writing about dozens of philosophers. This is the best one-volume history of the subject that I’m aware of. Grayling writes clear, concise descriptions of each philosopher’s thought. If you’re interested in this subject, this is the go-to book. Do you have a favorite philosopher? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xii
Introduction xv
PART ONE: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy Before Plato 3
The Presocratic Philosophers 9
Thales 9
Anaximander 14
Pythagoras 16
Xenophanes 18
Heraclitus 24
Parmenides 27
Zeno of Elea 31
Empedocles 35
Anaxagoras 39
Leucippus and Democritus 43
The Sophists 47
Socrates 51
Plato 58
Aristotle 80
Greek and Roman Philosophy After Aristotle 98
Cynicism 100
Epicureanism 103
Stoicism 108
Skepticism 115
Neoplatonism 123
PART TWO: MEDIEVAL AND RENASISSANCE PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy of Medieval Times 137
Augustine 137
Boethius 142
Anselm 145
Abelard 148
Aquinas 150
Roger Bacon 158
Duns Scotus 161
William of Ockham 164
Philosophy of the Renaissance 168
Renaissance Platonism 171
Renaissance Humanism 175
Renaissance Political Thought 185
PART THREE: MODERN PHILOSOPHY
The Rise of Modern Thought 195
Francis Bacon 197
Descartes 200
Hobbes 209
Spinoza 211
Locke 217
Berkley 226
Leibniz 232
Hume 240
Rousseau 250
Kant 256
The Eighteenth-Century Enlightenment 268
Philosophy in the Nineteenth Century 279
Bentham 280
Hegel 287
Schopenhauer 297
Positivism 302
Mill 303
Marx 307
Nietzsche 314
Idealism 320
Pragmatism 328
PART FOUR: PHILOSOPHY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Analytic Philosophy 339
Russell 344
Frege 357
Moore 365
Wittgenstein: The Early Philosophy 370
Logical Positivism 377
Carnap 386
Quine 388
Popper 395
Wittgenstein: The Later Philosophy 400
Ordinary Language Philopshy 405
Ryle
Austin
Strawson
Philosophy of Language 417
Davidson
Dummett
Kripke
Philosophy of Mind 433
Ethics 444
Stevenson
Hare
Mackie
Virtue Ethics
Political Philosophy 457
Rawls
Nozick
Feminist Philosophy 466
Continental Philosophy 471
Husserl 473
Heidegger 476
Merleau-Ponty 484
Sartre 485
Gadamer 492
Ricoeur 497
Deleuze 500
Derrida 504
Continental Thought: Un Salon des Refuses 506
PART FIVE: INDIAN, CHINESE, ARABIC-PERSIAN, AND AFRICIAN PHILOSOPHY
Indian Philosophy 519
Vedas and Upanishads
Samkhya
Nyaya-Vaisheckika
Buddism
Jainism
Carvaka-Lokayata
Chinese Philosophy 534
Confusianism
Confusius
Menius
Xunzi
Mohism
Daoism
Daodejing
Yijing
Arabic-Persiam Philosophy 554
Falsafa and Kalam
Al-Kindi
Al-Farabi
Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
Al-Ghazali
Ibn Rushd (Averroes)
African Philosophy 579
Concluding Remarks 583
Appendix: A Sketch of Logic 585
Fallacies of Informal Logic 593
Timeline of Philosophers 596
Bibliogrpahy 599
Index 611
How did he miss that modern philosopher and humanitarian Lafayette Ronald Hubbard?
Bob, I’m sure that was just an oversight.
Can’t wait for Cap’n Bob & Rick to comment.
I did take a philosophy course but it was never an interest of mine. I can’t imagine a circumstance where I would voluntarily read a 682 page book about it.
Jeff, one of my majors at Marquette University was Philosophy. My interest in the subject persists despite the abstract and obscure writing styles of many of the philosophers especially Hegel.
This one is WAY out of my league.
I’ll take your word for it and wait for something more pedestrian.
Beth, I think you’ll feel more at home with my Friday Forgotten Book, tomorrow. You might enjoy a Nordic philosopher: Kierkegaard.
Beth, are you home? How was the cruise?
Still on the cruise, Jeff.
We get into Bergen tomorrow, home next week Monday.
I tend toward Heraclitus. Everyone after that ? Mere poseurs.
Jerry, Heraclitus set the standard for profundity early on. Nice choice!
Had a Philosophy class at Oakland University. Can’t say it took. Remember struggling through Kant. I’m sure I’ll pass on this one.
Steve, I struggled with Kant, too. And most of the German philosophers who seemed to find it impossible to write a clear, unabiguous sentence.
Steve, I’m surprised that no one has mentioned that you Kant take it.
Jerry, I Kant take obscure philosophy. I struggled through Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason . The most memorable phrase (for me) was: “Happiness is not an ideal of reason, but of imagination.”
I cough, therefore I am.
Favorite? Maybe Yogi Berra.
Rick, like L. Ron Hubbard, Yogi Berra was a popular philosopher. My favorite Yogi Berra line is: “The future ain’t what it used to be.”
“No one goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
And, of course, “It’s never over till it’s over. “
“It’s not so much the fall as the sudden drop.”—Kierkegaard
As someone who hates to fly, I can relate.
Deb, Kierkegaard is one of the more readable philosophers. Nice choice!
My two favorite pieces of philosophical wisdom:
“The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self-awareness.”—Annie in “Bull Durham
“Against stupidity, the very gods strive in vain.”—von Schiller
Deb, one of my friends says, “There’s no cure for stupid.”
I never profited much from reading Philosophy, but the lives of the Philosophers are sometimes interesting.
Dan, the life of Nietzsche is very tragic.
Where’s Ayn Rand?
Jeff, Ayn Rand is usually classed as a political thinker, not a philosopher.