15 Lectures on Western Philosophy

Author: Zhang Zhiwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: The "General Knowledge Lectures by Renowned Scholars" series was initiated by Peking University and co-authored by more than ten key universities across the country and several research institutions. This series is a major production of popular science books in various disciplines. The entire series plans to publish 100 titles, covering major fields such as literature, history, philosophy, art, social sciences, and natural sciences. To date, it is one of the most comprehensive, large-scale, and well-compiled book series in popular science and teaching materials in terms of disciplinary coverage. The positioning of this series is "general knowledge," a high-quality popular science book that meets the needs of readers from all walks of life to acquire knowledge and improve their literacy. It is also designed as a lecture series to support the advancement of quality education in universities, serving as teaching materials and extracurricular reading for undergraduate general knowledge courses.
There are two things that have conquered the history of the human spirit. The more we contemplate them, the more we are unable to suppress awe and reverence—the starry sky above us and the laws of the mind. From early times to the distant future, this love will firmly dominate a class of wise beings—philosophy. The content design of this series fully considers the reading preferences of general young readers and is suitable for self-study. At the same time, it meets the needs of general knowledge courses in universities. Each book has a certain knowledge system, a relatively independent disciplinary scope and professionalism, but it is different from professional textbooks—it is not a compression or simplification of professional courses. The key is to suit general university students and readers outside the major, conveying the knowledge of related disciplines in an accessible way, expanding academic horizons, and thereby enhancing personal literacy. Each topic in this series strives to be both deeply engaged and broadly insightful, bringing knowledge to life and making it accessible, which places high demands on the authors of this series.
The series pays attention to the relative stability of knowledge, emphasizes key points, and is easy to understand. At the same time, it appropriately touches on the forefront of disciplines, inspiring cross-disciplinary thinking and learning interest. Most of the books in this series adopt the style of academic lectures, intentionally retaining the tone and vivid writing style of a lecture, creating a sense of being present in the classroom, and being more approachable and engaging. The intended readers of this series are primarily young people, making it suitable as a popular science book for readers from all walks of life to improve their cultural literacy. If used as teaching materials for general knowledge courses in universities, instructors can refer to its framework and basic content and add supplementary material. Alternatively, students can be assigned specific chapters in advance, and class discussions can be organized. This series can also be used as a reference textbook.