A history of philosophy

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1. yesenadamFeb 2023
   > Russell's opinions of Nietzsche border on libel.

   Gee, Nietzsche's opinions of almost everyone go well past the libel border, and that's no exaggeration.

   Russell's History is a good read, lots of good jokes as usual, but there are much fairer and more accurate histories of philosophy. e.g. I like Copleston's multi-volume History of Philosophy, or reading in the Stanford encyc of philosophy on particular topics/people. https://plato.stanford.edu/

   My favourite historical philosophy book is Santayana's Egotism in German Philosophy[0], which covers from Leibniz to the Nazi philosophy - and was written in 1916! Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche etc. Santayana's sense of humour is much more gentle than Russell or Nietzsche's, more a wise twinkle in his eye. For example, Ch.2 The Protestant Heritage begins:

   "The German people, according to Fichte and Hegel, are called by the plan of Providence to occupy the supreme place in the history of the universe. A little consideration of this belief will perhaps lead us more surely to the heart of German philosophy than would the usual laborious approach to it through what is called the theory of knowledge."

   - comedic genius. He wrote other great historical surveys, e.g. Winds of Doctrine and Character and Opinion in the U.S. When I read him, on Emerson or Nietzsche, say, I'm always amazed how he puts his finger on the crux of the matter so elegantly, and describes so clearly what others can't even see.

   [0] https://archive.org/details/egotismingermanp48431gut

   (Am a huge fan of both Russell and Nietzsche, they're both among my favourite writers of prose.)

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2. michaelsbradleyApr 2018
   Copleston's A History of Philosophy series is a decent way to get one's feet wet:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Philosophy_%28Cop...

   There was a famous debate between Russell and Copleston broadcast over radio by the BBC (1948):

   http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/p20.htm

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3. brudgersOct 2016
   Copleston's History of Philosophy is a good read, but without much coverage of anything non-Occidental:

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Philosophy_(Cople...

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4. michaelsbradleyNov 2015
   "Some ask whether it is worth studying ancient philosophy at all."

   I'm one of those persons who thinks it is worthwhile to do so. Frederick Copleston's[1] A History of Philosophy series[2] (the early volumes in this case) is a good resource for getting one's feet wet.

   [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Copleston

   [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Philosophy_%28Cop...

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5. bartonfinkJul 2012
   For Western philosophy, you should read Copleston's History of Philosophy. It's probably the most comprehensive treatment of western philosophy out there.
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6. brainproxyOct 2010
   A highly accessible overview of Western philosophy, from the Greeks to present day, can be found in Frederick Copleston's 9-volume "A History of Philosophy" series.

   Vol 1, as sold on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/History-Philosophy-Vol-Pre-Socratics-P...

   A sharp person with a high school education, and a willingness to lookup terms or references s/he doesn't understand (with the help of Google, Wikipedia, etc.), would be able to readily digest these books, though even postdocs would find much in them that is challenging and intriguing.

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