A History of Western Philosophy - Softcover

Hamlyn, D. W.

2.8

10 ratings by Goodreads

9780140228632: A History of Western Philosophy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140228632 ISBN 13: 9780140228632

Publisher: Penguin Books, 1989

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

D.W. Hamlyn presents a history of the great philosophical thinkers and their responses to the profound problems involved in trying to understand the world and our place in it.

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

From Library Journal:

Not since Bertrand Russell's immensely popular (though highly opinionated) History of Western Philosophy (1945) have many philosophers attempted to cover the entire range of Western philosophical thought in one volume. In this new work Hamlyn (University of London) has succeeded not only in chronicling the lives of the greater philosophers from Thales to Merleau-Ponty but in showing the influence of their ideas within a wider social and historical context. The book thus serves as a concise general outline to the major trends of Western intellectual thought in addition to being an excellent resource on individual philosophers. A short but well-selected annotated bibliography is provided for those who wish to read further. Clearly written and up to date, this book is highly recommended for students and general readers. Raymond Frey, Drew Univ . Lib., Madison, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Hamlyn's survey is more than an academic history of ideas, for he attempts to weigh the achievements of the philosophers discussed and recreate their thought processes. His narrative is subtle and skeptical, as one would expect from someone who is himself a philosopher and editor of the journal Mind. Hamlyn stands Sartre on his head by arguing that existentialism is totally incompatible with Marxism. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who put the human body at the hub of phenomenal fields, is arguably the best French philosopher of this century, in the author's judgment. Another section explains why some people are repelled by Spinoza's monism (the belief that we are all modifications of the one substance, which is God). From the pre-Socratics of Asia Minor to Bertrand Russell and Michel Foucault, philosophers are challenged on their own turf by this succinct survey.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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