Day 204 — Classic Philosophy Books — A History of Western Philosophy
This particular book is an old favourite, and like many old favourites, might not stand the test of time for some!
A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell — a well-known philosopher in his own right — features a historical investigation of a number of philosophers, peppered with anecdotes and opinions, from the earliest ancient Greeks to Russell’s own contemporaries in the 20th century. He presents each person’s work in the context of its time, and how the era that the particular thinker lived in shaped their ideas. It’s an accessible work for that reason; well set out, not too dry and yet is clearly a work of passion by the author… and yet it is a book written in the 1940s.
As a gift, it’s probably going to be superseded by many of the ‘introduction’ guides to the subject that already exist out there, but I found this a useful reference text when I was first studying philosophy (Byron and Nietzsche are included, but not Freud or Tolstoy, interestingly enough) and still have a copy on my shelf.
Further Resources:
History of Western Philosophy — pdf
In defense of Russell’s The History of Western Philosophy
