Main Currents of Western Thought: Readings in Western Europe Intellectual History from the Middle Ages to the Present

By Franklin L. Baumer

Book Overview

"Baumer's collection maps better than any other with which we are familiar the seminal and distinguishing ideological climates in western civilization."--Seventeenth Century News

Many disciplines create books of readings by the dozens; it is a rare event when a reader helps to create a discipline. On its initial publication in 1952, Main Currents of Western Thought did just that.

In the years since its first appearance, Main Currents has remained unquestionably the leading reader in its field. The illuminating short essays that introduce sections and subsections are well known, but the continuing usefulness of any reader depends upon the quality of its selections. Franklin Le Van Baumer has sought out passages that best represent and illuminate the ideas and preoccupations of each age. He has found them in the works of the great, including Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, Luther, Newton, Voltaire, Darwin, Whitehead, and Freud. But he has also discovered telling statements in writings less widely known: Ram n Lull on chivalry (13th century), Henry Peacham on "the complete gentleman" and Leonard Busher on religious liberty (both 17th century), Louis-Ren de la Chalotais on education (18th century), Samuel Smiles on "self-help" (19th century) and Virgil Gheorgiu on mechanization (20th century).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300022336
• ISBN13: 9780300022339
• Release Date: September 1978
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 808 Pages
• Weight: 2.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.2" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Interested in the Western Tradition - this is a must have!

My AP European History students are required to purchase this book - and we basically read it from cover to cover. I have looked at literally hundreds of primary source readers - and can honestly say, this book is the best. The great thing about this book is that it weaves together primary source material with outstanding commentary and interpretation.The selections are short but normally they contain the basic idea of each thinker. In here you can find all sorts of thinkers; philosophers, artists, scientists, theologians, and literary figures. If they impacted Western civilization - they will probably be included in this volume.Pretty inexpensive volume - just think about it, you get to converse with some of the greatests minds that have ever lived. Not a bad way to spend an evening. :o)

Great book -- like the rest of his work

Baumer crusades to teach us from a historical perspective why we think the way we do -- much as genealogies teach us about the way we look and act. While my interests lie in economics, Baumer's narratives on developments of western thought provide a relevant and thoughtful backdrop. Why not, of course, the study of economics is all about the study of human behavior.

An excellent historical resource

This anthology is a must-have for any student or teacher of Western history. Its impeccably selected collection of excerpts from all fields of study makes it an invaluable resource for capturing the essence of any era in modern history.