Classical Mind

A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY examines the nature of philosophical enterprise and philosophy's role in Western culture. Jones and Fogelin weave key passages from classic philosophy works into their comments and criticisms, giving A HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY the combined advantages of a source book and textbook. The text concentrates on major figures in each historical period, combining exposition with direct quotations from the philosophers themselves. The text places philosophers in appropriate cultural context and shows how their theories reflect the concerns of their times.

Customer Reviews:

1st volume is a superb series summarizing Western Philosophy

By smarmer "smarmer" - October 19, 1997

For the reader looking for a summary of Western philosophy there are only two outstanding choices -- Bertrand Russell's one volume history and the five volume series by Jones. I prefer Jones' because of his clear writing, the integration of philosophy with the culture and political events of the era, and the outline style in which he presents his ideas. I used the first edition as an undergraduate philosophy major. I have enjoyed reading the second edition several decades later to wipe away the cobwebs of my memory and to reacquaint myself with the greatest thinkers of our culture. Highly recommended to philosophy students and to general readers.

Excellent overview

By markyoung@aol.com - April 21, 1998

Agreed! This is by far the best general history of philosophy I know, making ample use of primary texts and thus providing much substance, but also bringing out main themes and establishing logical connections clearly for the reader. It was useful for me in college 20 years ago and is more useful now in rereading as I pursue my philosophy PhD.

In the beginning...

By FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" - December 29, 2003

This book, 'The Classical Mind', is the first volume of a five-volume series on the history of Western Philosophy by W.T. Jones, professor of philosophy in California. This series is a very strong, thorough introduction to the course of Western Philosophy, beginning at the dawn of the philosophical enterprise with the pre-Socratics in ancient Greece to the modern thinkers such as Wittgenstein and Sartre. It has grown, over the three decades or so of its publication, from one to four then to five volumes. It has remained a popular text, and could serve as the basis of a one-year survey of philosophy for undergraduates or a one-semester survey for graduate students. Even advanced students in philosophy will find this valuable, all major topics and most minor topics in the course of philosophy are covered in these volumes.Jones states that there are two possible ways for a writer to organise a history of philosophy -- either by addressing everyone who ever participated in... read more