Russell divides this period into two sections, with Part 1 covering the Renaissance to Hume and Part 2 covering Rousseau to the present day (1945). Thomas Aquinas as its major philosopher and theologian.īook 3: “Modern Philosophy” traces the evolution of thought from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, in which science became an increasingly prominent influence in Western thinking. The Dark Ages, one of the most difficult periods in Europe’s history, gradually gave way to a period of revival of learning and culture which counted St. Christianity and the Catholic Church were the main influences upon thinkers during this period, who often concentrated on creating a harmonious synthesis of secular and Christian teaching. Stoicism was the most enduring new philosophy developed during this period, which preceded the rise of Christianity.īook 2: “Catholic Philosophy” covers the thousand-year period from the Christian church fathers through the Schoolmen, or Scholastic philosophers. After Aristotle and Plato, philosophy took on a more otherworldly and mystical emphasis, influenced in part by religion. His treatise-style writings on ethics, metaphysics, and physical science emphasize the empirical observation of the world more than Plato had done.īoth Plato and Aristotle exerted a profound influence on later Western thought. Plato’s student Aristotle continued his teacher’s thought in some respects and departed from it in others. Although Socrates was executed for his beliefs, his thought lived on in the writings of his student Plato, whose dialogue-style works dealt with topics ranging from the theory of knowledge and cosmogony to political philosophy. In his teaching, Socrates combined mystical insights with an endless curiosity about the world as expressed in the Socratic method. Pythagoras was the main thinker in this school, and his thought influenced Socrates and Plato. Greek philosophy began with the Pre-Socratics, who were mainly concerned with explaining the physical universe. In Book 1: “Ancient Philosophy,” Russell traces the origins of philosophy in ancient Greek civilization, starting with the Mediterranean peoples that preceded the rise of Greece.
This guide refers to the Touchstone edition of A History of Western Philosophy. As Russell acknowledges in the Preface to the book, his wife Patricia Russell assisted in research, and she may have edited or even written portions of the book.
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