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Bertrand RussellA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Book 1, Introductory
Book 1, Part 1
Book 1, Part 2, Chapters 11-18
Book 1, Part 2, Chapters 19-24
Book 1, Part 3
Book 2, Introduction and Part 1
Book 2, Part 2, Chapters 7-10
Book 2, Part 2, Chapters 11-15
Book 3, Part 1, Chapters 1-5
Book 3, Part 1, Chapters 6-11
Book 3, Part 1, Chapters 12-17
Book 3, Part 2
Key Figures
Index of Terms
Themes
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
A History of Western Philosophy has been both popular and controversial since its publication. It remains in print today as one of the most widely-read and respected surveys of philosophical history for lay readers, noted for its ability to encapsulate difficult ideas in a witty style. However, Russell’s book received very mixed reviews from both scholarly and popular journals when first published.
The History was reviewed in well-known journals of the era, such as the Journal of the History of Ideas, The Journal of Philosophy, American Historical Review, Commonweal, and New Republic. Influential commentators, such as the historian Isaiah Berlin and the philosopher Karl Popper, were among the book’s first reviewers. Popper’s review, given over the radio, was the most positive, praising Russell for presenting his opinions and biases honestly. However, the question of bias was the focal point of criticism in many of the other reviews.
In his lengthy review, Berlin faulted Russell for overgeneralizing events and ideas and for having an overall bias toward “liberal rationalism,” particularly in the section on the Middle Ages. Berlin pointed out that Russell’s promise to provide cultural and social background to the philosophers was fulfilled only in the first part of the book, and that the philosophers toward the end received little or no such background.
By Bertrand Russell
Principia Mathematica
Principia Mathematica
Alfred North Whitehead, Bertrand Russell
The Problems of Philosophy
The Problems of Philosophy
Bertrand Russell
Why I Am Not a Christian
Why I Am Not a Christian
Bertrand Russell
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