A History of Western Philosophy: The Classical Mind, Volume I

by W.T. Jones and Robert J. Fogelin

Book Overview

A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY examines the nature of philosophical enterprise and philosophy's role in Western culture. Jones and Fogelin weave key passages from classic philosophy works into their... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0155383124
• ISBN13: 9780155383128
• Release Date: March 1969
• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Length: 378 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent point to start off at

I have been reading philosophy for a long time now and occasionally, when I talk about it to my friends, I get asked where one can start when it comes to a massive subject like philosophy. Before this book, I would have a hard time pinpointing a good source for a newcomer because most books out there are either boring and dull college books or books that are way too complicated and wordy for anyone without a background to enjoy them. This series turned out to be perfect for starting a journey in philosophy or brushing up on your ancient Greek philosophy - where it all started. It is a pity that it does not include some Eastern thought schools that are very important to explore but I suppose it had to limit itself on some scale. It is easy to comprehend, laid out rather nicely and often enough refers to former chapters so you don't lose the thread. Not only does it give paragraphs of good translations of the original texts from Plato and Aristotele etc, but it also enriches these thoughts with its own neat and current examples. I highly recommend it. It was a very pleasant read.

In the beginning...

This book, 'The Classical Mind', is the first volume of a five-volume series on the history of Western Philosophy by W.T. Jones, professor of philosophy in California. This series is a very strong, thorough introduction to the course of Western Philosophy, beginning at the dawn of the philosophical enterprise with the pre-Socratics in ancient Greece to the modern thinkers such as Wittgenstein and Sartre. It has grown, over the three decades or so of its publication, from one to four then to five volumes. It has remained a popular text, and could serve as the basis of a one-year survey of philosophy for undergraduates or a one-semester survey for graduate students. Even advanced students in philosophy will find this valuable, all major topics and most minor topics in the course of philosophy are covered in these volumes.Jones states that there are two possible ways for a writer to organise a history of philosophy -- either by addressing everyone who ever participated in philosophy (which could become rather cumbersome if one accepts the premise that anyone could be a philosopher), or to address the major topics and currents of thought, drawing in the key figures who address them, but leaving out the lesser thinkers for students to pursue on their own. Jones has chosen the latter tactic, making sure to provide bibliographic information for this task. This volume, 'The Classical mind', starts and ends in ancient Greece. Plato and Aristotle are well featured, to be sure, but the pre-Socratics and the post-Aristotilean thinkers are also discussed in great detail. The first chapter deals with a number of thinkers whose names are well-known to those who study the history of science as well as to philosophers -- Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras -- showing the interconnection of disciplines that recurs again and again throughout history, but never again so closely as in these opening days of Western thought.Jones gives a general history lesson along with the history of the development of thought so that the reader will understand the social and historical context in which ideas developed. Plato and Aristotle both came out a context in which Greece was a fairly violent place much of the time, with warring factions and city-states variously dependent upon and warring against each other. The discussion of Plato largely deals with his theories of knowledge and metaphysics, with an additional chapter on subsequent topics such as ethics, politics, religion and art. Similiarly, Aristotle is dealt with in two chapters, with the major topics of metaphysics, logic, ethics, politics, aesthetics, and other issues addressed. At the end of each of these sections, Jones gives a general critique of the philosopher's main ideas, and in the final chapter of the book, sets the stage for further developments, particularly in terms of the decline of the Golden Age in Greece. In some regards, all subsequent Western philosophy vacilates between Plato and Aristotle,

For the Truly Inquiring Mind

The history of ideas should be of interest to every person, but that is an ideal impossible to realize. But for the person who is reasonably interested in becoming acquainted with that history from someone who has told it in a comprehensive, critical, and clear manner, Dr. Jones is the best teller of that story I know of. Volume II of the first hardbound edition was an assigned text for a class I was taking at the University of California, Riverside. I immediately purchased the first volume because I found Dr. Jone's writing informative and clear. He uses original sources liberally, and his organization and elucidation of the topic at hand are superb.I once had the privilege of meeting the author when my daughter was in his class at CAL-TECH (He was at Pomona College when I first became acquainted with his work.) He expressed an interest in talking with me further, and I was delighted with the idea of going back and purusing that conversation, but I let the opportunity slip away. At the time I had completed a master's in psychology and was pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology while serving as a clergyman in a parish and teaching two classes in psychology in a community college. I regret not being able to squeeze out the time to folow up on his invitation.I have seen no other discussion of the history of Western Philosophy so worthwhile owning and reading.

Excellent overview

Agreed! This is by far the best general history of philosophy I know, making ample use of primary texts and thus providing much substance, but also bringing out main themes and establishing logical connections clearly for the reader. It was useful for me in college 20 years ago and is more useful now in rereading as I pursue my philosophy PhD.

1st volume is a superb series summarizing Western Philosophy

For the reader looking for a summary of Western philosophy there are only two outstanding choices -- Bertrand Russell's one volume history and the five volume series by Jones. I prefer Jones' because of his clear writing, the integration of philosophy with the culture and political events of the era, and the outline style in which he presents his ideas. I used the first edition as an undergraduate philosophy major. I have enjoyed reading the second edition several decades later to wipe away the cobwebs of my memory and to reacquaint myself with the greatest thinkers of our culture. Highly recommended to philosophy students and to general readers.