The History of Western Philosophy

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Hailed as “lucid and magisterial” by The Observer, this book is universally acclaimed as the outstanding one-volume work on Western philosophy. It is a unique exploration of the ideologies of significant philosophers throughout the ages—from Plato and Aristotle to Spinoza, Kant, and the twentieth century. Written by a pivotal figure in the history of philosophy, this account has remained unmatched since its first publication over sixty years ago. Since 1945, it has been unparalleled in comprehensiveness, clarity, erudition, grace, and wit. In seventy-six chapters, the work traces philosophy from the rise of Greek civilization to the emergence of logical analysis in the twentieth century. Among the philosophers considered are Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli, Bacon, Descartes, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and the Utilitarians, culminating with the philosophers closely associated with Lord Russell—Cantor, Frege, and Whitehead, coauthor of the monumental Principia Mathematica. This work remains a definitive resource for understanding the evolution of Western thought.