Take a photo of a barcode or cover
oldmin 's review for:
The History of Western Philosophy
by Bertrand Russell
It doesn't pretend to be an "objective" account of philosophy and that, along with Russell's easy writing style, makes it a load of fun. Russell slags off pretty much every philosopher he talks about and his British aristocratic condescension comes through clarion-clear. Unfortunately, he also has some pretty out-dated ideas about "civilized peoples" and invokes ethnic stereotypes liberally, which sits uncomfortably by his Fabian socialist sensibilities. These parts, clearly, are not as fun.
I read another review of A History of Western Philosophy recently that suggested the best way to enjoy it is to out-condescend Russell himself, who spends most of the text condescending toward other philosophers. That made me laugh, because I had been doing that since the beginning, and it has made the read truly fun--Russell is no stranger to self-contradiction and casual bigotry himself.
And all the while I'm putting raised eyebrows and "lol" in the margins, I'm also learning quite a bit and refreshing my memory of things I have learned before. I really liked the Nietzsche chapter, because Russell dislikes Nietzsche, which is a feeling I mostly share (I believe that the post-WW2 rehabilitation of Nietzsche went way too far--the guy talks about blond beasts and the righteousness of war too much for me to buy it's all a metaphor for personal growth.)
All in all this book is one that you need to read with a critical eye but that's part of the puzzle: there is a lot of really interesting content and enlightening plausible answers to perennial questions, or at least clarification of the formulation of the questions themselves. Russell examines each philosopher in the context of their social circumstances as well as the content of their beliefs and their personal stories. He is critical of Marx though acknowledges debt to his historical method in his treatment of the history of philosophy. There is much to be gained from Russell's sharp intellect and moral wisdom, but he must not be treated as infallible or without contradiction--in fact, Russell contradicts himself fairly often in this text, sometimes within pages. But as long as the tome is handled carefully, it is a joy to read, and something that will probably change your thinking about numerous subjects.
I read another review of A History of Western Philosophy recently that suggested the best way to enjoy it is to out-condescend Russell himself, who spends most of the text condescending toward other philosophers. That made me laugh, because I had been doing that since the beginning, and it has made the read truly fun--Russell is no stranger to self-contradiction and casual bigotry himself.
And all the while I'm putting raised eyebrows and "lol" in the margins, I'm also learning quite a bit and refreshing my memory of things I have learned before. I really liked the Nietzsche chapter, because Russell dislikes Nietzsche, which is a feeling I mostly share (I believe that the post-WW2 rehabilitation of Nietzsche went way too far--the guy talks about blond beasts and the righteousness of war too much for me to buy it's all a metaphor for personal growth.)
All in all this book is one that you need to read with a critical eye but that's part of the puzzle: there is a lot of really interesting content and enlightening plausible answers to perennial questions, or at least clarification of the formulation of the questions themselves. Russell examines each philosopher in the context of their social circumstances as well as the content of their beliefs and their personal stories. He is critical of Marx though acknowledges debt to his historical method in his treatment of the history of philosophy. There is much to be gained from Russell's sharp intellect and moral wisdom, but he must not be treated as infallible or without contradiction--in fact, Russell contradicts himself fairly often in this text, sometimes within pages. But as long as the tome is handled carefully, it is a joy to read, and something that will probably change your thinking about numerous subjects.