History of Western Philosophy (Abridged Color Illustration Edition)

Author: (English) Bertrand Russell
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: A History of Western Philosophy is a highly influential academic masterpiece in the global intellectual community, a foundational reading that introduces us to the ranks of profound thinkers, and a book that reducts philosophy to various cultural domains, enlightening readers. In the book, Russell recounts the fascinating dialogues of numerous great thinkers lost in history, not only serving as a general expression of various prevailing philosophical systems and thoughts throughout history but also featuring a clear and sharp writing style. The author, Russell, became the second philosopher after Sartre to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. A History of Western Philosophy is a highly influential academic masterpiece in the global intellectual community. Since its introduction to China in the early 1960s, it has had a widespread impact among intellectuals, with many people once reading it with incense and tranquility, treating it as a philosophical classic. The author, Russell, is the founder of modern analytic philosophy and one of the most renowned philosophers of the 20th century. In the book, the author traverses the three major fields of philosophy, history, and religion, examining the general history of philosophical development within the complex social relationships. From the beginning of the first philosophical school in the 6th century BC—the Milesian School—to the rise of modern philosophy, almost any important philosophical viewpoint can be found clearly discussed in this work. As Russell said: "My purpose is not to add another A History of Western Philosophy to the many existing ones. My purpose is to reveal that philosophy is a part of social life and political life. It is not the isolated thinking of an outstanding individual but the product of the social character of various systems that once prevailed." Russell's purpose makes the narrative of the general history of philosophy in A History of Western Philosophy more extensive and more specific than that of most other philosophers of philosophy. The history of human development shows that: to understand an era or a nation, one must understand its philosophy; and to understand its philosophy, one must first start with the history of philosophy.