History of Philosophy

by Julián Marías

Book Overview

Thorough and lucid survey of Western philosophy from pre-Socratics to mid 20th century: major figures, currents, trends, literature, significance, and more. Valuable section on contemporary philosophy -- Brentano, Ortega, Heidegger, others. One of the best elementary history of philosophy available. "Brevity and clarity of exposition..." -- Ethics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486217396
• ISBN13: 9780486217390
• Release Date: June 1967
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A Fine History of Western Philosophy

Julián Marías's "Historia de la Filosofía," translated by Stanley Appelbaum and Clarence C. Strowbridge, is an excellent introduction to the history of Western philosophical thought. First published in Madrid in 1941, it has gone through 22 editions in Spanish and has become the standard classroom text on the subject throughout the Spanish-speaking world. The book covers virtually all the major philosophers and schools from the Pre-Socratics to mid-twentieth century. Influential secondary figures are treated extensively as well. As a one-volume reference to the history of philosophy, Marias's text succeeds admirably. The book has four parts: Greek Philosophy, Christianity, Medieval Philosophy, and Modern Philosophy, this last part being the largest in extent and broadest in thematic scope. Christianity, the shortest part, deals basically with Patristic speculation and Augustine, and serves as a prelude to Scholasticism. The narrative is consistently well-structured, clear and precise. A thorough bibliography and index are included. At times the author avoids delving too deeply into some topic when this reader felt that a more profound treatment would have been preferable. Perhaps this is inevitable in a work of this breadth intended for a general audience. Fortunately, it does not occur too often and certainly does not diminish the worth of the book as a whole. "History of Philosophy" rightfully earns a five-star rating.

Brilliant

The history of philosophy is a gigantic canvas. There are books that masterfully describe this history such as Bertrand Russell's 'History of Western Philosophy' and then there are books that make you fall hopelessly in love with the subject. Marias' book is written by someone having such a love affair and its effect on the reader is infectious. Following his mentor, Ortega y Gasset's, advice that 'clarity is courtesy', Marias (and his translators) use language to effortlessly and comprehensively explain the most difficult of concepts. This is the exception rather than the rule in the annals of philosophy. You feel swept along by the personalities as much as their theories in this gem of a book. I cannot praise this work highly enough. It is brilliant.

A Study of little use Unless our own Reality Enters into it

"If philosophy is practice, a demand to know the manner in which its history is to be studied is entailed: a theoretical attitude toward it becomes real only in the living appropriation of its contents from the texts. ... the study of past philosophers is of little use unless our own reality enters into it." Karl Jaspers History of philosophy: The history of philosophy is the study of philosophical ideas and concepts through time. Issues specifically related to history of philosophy might include; - How can changes in philosophy be accounted for historically? - What drives the development of thought in its historical context? - How can philosophical texts from prior historical eras even be understood today? (Wikipedia) Traditions of Philosophy: All cultures whether Eastern or Western, ancient, medieval, or modern; secular or religious have had their own unique traditions of philosophy, through cultural inheritance and by independent personal discovery. Those conceptual issues have grown from diverse premises and approaches, examples of which domains engulf rationalism (logic theories), empiricism (observational theories), and even through leaps of faith, hope, and inheritance (as religions and super naturalist philosophies). History of philosophy seeks to categorize and describe such development in order to perceive the philosophical ideas developing through time. Egyptian philosophy was moral, influenced by seeking social justice that kept the Egyptian civilization going for more than three millennia. However, to say that "Greek philosophy originated quite independently of Oriental influences. The Greeks themselves believed their mathematical science to be of Egyptian origin, and they must have known something of Babylonian astronomy. It cannot be an accident that philosophy originated just at the time when communication with these two countries was easiest, and that the very man who was said to have introduced geometry from Egypt is also regarded as the first philosopher." John Burnett Alexandria Reinventing Philosophy: "Plotinus revived the influence of Plato and Aristotle, whose teachings were combined in an original and surprising fashion. Since in epistemology and metaphysics Plato and Aristotle in many ways were more sophisticated than the Hellenistic philosophers who followed them, Plotinus in effect picks up again the mainstream development of Western philosophy, preparing the way for Mediaeval thought." A contemporary of Simplicius and Damascius was the Christian John Philoponus ... Of particular importance is his treatment of Aristotle's Physics. It is now easy to forget how different ancient and mediaeval physics were from the modern physics that began with Galileo. Most important was the principle enunciated by Aristotle that an object will not move unless it is pushed... The impetus theory, however, was still not Galileo's theory of inertia. Although Philoponus realized that a medium resists motion, he still beli

At times brilliant, but disappointing...

After reading this impressive work I come away with mixed feelings. Marias covers the major and many minor figures in the canon of Western Philosophical thought. At times his synthesis and intepretation of some rather difficult philosophical concepts was truly brilliant. The book does suffer from being a translation from a Spanish work. Marias seems to be actively trying to demonstrate the importance of Spain's 20th century philosophers. However, what I feel seriously detracts from the book are phrases and whole lines of Spanish, Latin, French and German which are used repeatedly and never translated. I feel that I missed many points because my Latin is not up to snuff. In one particularly egregious incident a French passage is translated into Spanish but not into English. With the polyglot requirement aside this is an excellent text and Marias is clearly a gifted thinker if not a gifted writer.

Great for Comps.

This is a fine overall history of philosophy. It is accurate and concise, and very helpful for anyone who has to take comprehensive exams for philosophy (this was the purpose of the book in the first place, compiled from his wife's class notes for a comp. review class he conducted). Besides covering the major trends and salient features of certain philosopher's positions, it also lists their major works and subsequent influence in the tradition.