Questions About A History of Western Philosophy

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Answered Questions (4)

Which one would you recommened for a beginner, A History of Western Philosophy or Will Durants The Story of Philosophy?

Fkrks I would say that The Story of Philosophy is more about the philosophers as persons and their life and the events shapning them.
A History of Western P…moreI would say that The Story of Philosophy is more about the philosophers as persons and their life and the events shapning them.
A History of Western Philosophy is a lot more in depth about the philosophy it self.
I would recommend A Brief History of Western Philosophy by Anthony Kenny since it feels more fresh and modern and i thought it was more easy to understand(less)

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Can a complete novice on this subject read this book and understand what the author is talking about, or will it go right over my head?

Tariq Start reading; Google what you don't understand. This is what I do and end up learning more than what is in a book. The process is a bit painful but r…moreStart reading; Google what you don't understand. This is what I do and end up learning more than what is in a book. The process is a bit painful but rewarding. (less)

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Does the reader need to have any substantial knowledge of philosophy to adequately follow along?

bubonic The reader is assumed to have no prior knowledge of the philosophies Russell examines. He provides a concise synopsis of the major theories of the lis…moreThe reader is assumed to have no prior knowledge of the philosophies Russell examines. He provides a concise synopsis of the major theories of the listed philosophers in the goodreads description. Although, he does assume that the reader is familiar with the history of the regions and times of these great philosophers. Also, a good dictionary with Latin phrases will be a big help in reading this fascinating book. Nothing that the wikipedia app can't fix. I ended up creating a wikipedia list of the major historical players and events during the times of the philosophers he outlines.(less)

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give its philosophical and educational theories?

Michael Russell doesn't engage in pedagical reflection in this book except to say that we need less religion and more science in our philosophy; instead he pr…moreRussell doesn't engage in pedagical reflection in this book except to say that we need less religion and more science in our philosophy; instead he presents a contextualized history of philosophy, though he wears his bias against religiously framed philosophy prominently on his shirtsleeve, and a banner on his forehead.

His theory can best be summed up as, philosophy is good when it cleaves to the scientific method in defining and answering the important questions, and bad when it veers into religious-based metaphysics to answer the same questions.(less)

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