Western Philosophy: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies) - Softcover

4.11

208 ratings by Goodreads

9780631186274: Western Philosophy: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0631186271 ISBN 13: 9780631186274

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell, 1996

From ancient Greece to the leading philosophers of today, Western Philosophy: An Anthology provides the most comprehensive and authoritative survey of the Western philosophical tradition.

In 100 substantial and carefully chosen extracts, the volume covers all the main branches of philosophy - theory of knowledge and metaphysics, philosophy of mind, religion and science, moral philosophy (theoretical and applied), political theory and aesthetics. Chronologically and thematically arranged, the readings are introduced and linked together by a lucid philosophical commentary which guides the reader through the key arguments.

This outstanding text will support a wide variety of introductory courses in philosophy, as well as providing more advanced students with a handy collection of classic source materials.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

John Cottingham is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading. He is a leading authority on Descartes, and author of numerous articles and broadcast talks on early modern philosophy; he has also written extensively on ethics and the philosophy of law. He is the author of Rationalism (1984), Descartes (1986), The Rationalists (1988), and A Descartes Dictionary (1993), and is co-translator of The Philosophical Writings of Descartes. He was from 1991-5 Chairman of the British Society for the History of Philosophy, and is (since 1993) editor of Ratio, the international journal of analytic philosophy.

From Library Journal:

Introductory philosophy courses often present a dilemma for instructors: does one select a number of "classic" texts, and treat them in detail, or does one use a survey of such texts and attempt to touch briefly upon a variety of subject areas? Both methods have their deficiencies and advantages, but the present text should serve as an excellent choice for those electing to take the survey approach. Cottingham (philosophy, Univ. of Reading) has divided philosophical enquiry into ten broad categories and within each category chosen ten excerpts from major writers to illustrate the range of thinking within each category. This is far more than a "Greatest Hits of Philosophy," however. The selections have been carefully chosen from a broad range of writers that includes Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche, Strawson, Popper, Rawls, and Tolstoy. The texts have been updated where the editor felt the language to be archaic or unclear, and the selections appropriately illustrate the breadth and depth of each category of philosophical activity. At the end of the book are brief biographies of each philosopher excerpted. Together with a good survey history of philosophy such as The Oxford History of Western Philosophy (LJ 9/1/94), this text would be ideal for an introductory course or program. The one caveat is the price of the hardcover edition; libraries may opt for it, but students would be better off with the paperback. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.?Terry C. Skeats, Bishop's Univ. Lib., Lennoxville, Quebec
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.