History of Western Philosophy (Routledge Classics)

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First published in 1946, History of Western Philosophy went on to become the best-selling philosophy book of the twentieth century. I would have liked to see more about how contemporary (to Russell) issues like the Worlds Wars were connected to eighteenth century European thinkers such as Hegel. I just chose the one I did since I am a Christian, and his biases stood out especially in his criticisms of Christianity. Many of the refugees are now well into the third decade of their precarious existence in temporary settlements.

Written late in life by one of the great contributors to philosophy and logic, who was also a man of deep and abiding liberal principles, it is a unique book.exactly the kind of philosophy that most people would like to read, but which only Russell could possibly have written. In 1945 Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher and logician, published an amazing and impressive (if not in quality, at least in size) tome: A History of Western Philosophy.

The book is structured into three parts (Ancient Philosophy - Catholic Philosophy - Modern Philosophy) with its philosophy going right back to before Socrates, through the Middle Ages and into the twentieth-century. It is worth quoting his view at length, since it is the most concise and strongest advocacy of liberalism (philosophical, as well as political) that I know. I also found the care he takes in placing these individuals, and their thought, into the flow of the historical timeline, and the current events of their day, to be quite helpful.All in all a very fascinating read which flows along nicely, spiced with Russell's wit and opinions. Providing a sophisticated overview of the ideas that have perplexed people from time immemorial, it is 'long on wit, intelligence and curmudgeonly scepticism', as the New York Times noted, and it is this, coupled with the sheer brilliance of its scholarship, that has made Russell's History of Western Philosophy one of the most important philosophical works of all time. In 1947 in the Journal of the History of Ideas, the philosopher George Boas wrote that, " A History of Western Philosophy errs consistently in this respect.