Reviews (6)

great introductions, great bargain
Of the two reprint volumes (Greek and German Philosophers) that Oxford has published of its Past Masters series, I think all of the individual essays (except the one on Plato) are reprinted currently in its 'Very Short Introduction to...' series. So these volumes are a good deal because i think the 'Very Short Introduction' series are 10 bucks each. As well as being very clear and concise introductions by world renowned scholars.

Profound ideas from some profound thinkers
I was already familiar with these philosophers after taking a course in philosophy, but the way in which these authors eluciate the ideas of these thinkers makes this a five-star book. In order of their greatness I'd have to place Nietzsche first, Scophenhauer second, Kant third, and while Hegel was profound, his worship of history was a little too much for me to swallow, so I place him last.

The best of the hardest
These are highly admirable overviews by some of the best of the current set of the philsophers examining past greats. Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Philosophy    4. Philosophy Of The 18th Century    5. Philosophy Of The 19th Century    6. Germany    7. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present    8. Philosophy / Modern    9. Philosophy | Feminist    10. Western philosophy, c 500 to c 1600   

Subjects:  1. 1596-1650    2. Descartes, Rene,    3. Descartes, Renâe,    4. General    5. History & Surveys - Modern    6. Philosophy    7. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (3)

Superb exigesis of the Meditations
This is the third of these Routledge Guidebooks that I've purchased, and they have all been extremely good. Hatfield has written extensively on Descartes and knows his work inside and out.He also provides the background and context that show what Descartes was up to, and what was at issue in those days that drove his agenda.Long story short, he was out to overthrow Aristotle in the interest of improving empirical science, not to establish some world-denying skepticism.The Meditations are an attempt to first wipe the slate of what we think we know and then, by the end of the 6th Meditation, to have trained the reader in an entirely new way of thinking about the world.The Meditations are a narrative meant to gradually bring you along on that project, which was a tricky and even dangerous one for Descartes, because Aristotle was the Church's intellectual saint.
Good Commentary, Bad Binding
This is an excellent introduction to Descartes' Meditations.Throughout the commentary, Hatfield presents and considers alternative interpretations to reading one of Descartes' seminal works.He also illuminates the background in which the text was written - Descartes' philosophical and scientific influences, as well as considering political circumstances at the time.Regardless, this book only receives 4 stars, but not for any reason on Hatfield's part or the content.The 4 stars is based on, what another reviewer said, the horrible binding of the book.Fortunately, my spine is still intact, but it is surely in poor condition (and I take great care of my books).They definitely could have done better with the binding.

comprehensive intro
This is a first rate introduction, not just to the "Meditations," but to Descartes work as a whole. Hatfield situates Descartes' most famous text in relation to his other works, arguing that the "Meditations" is most profitably read as a work on the foundations of physics. His Descartes is a "mathematician and natural philosopher" before he is a metaphysician or epistemologist. Hatfield offers illuminating discussions of the scientific and philosophical context in which Descartes wrote, stressing his contributions to both physics and metaphysics. We get a good account of the scholastic doctrines against which Descartes reacted. The "Meditations" emerges as a work on the "first principles" of our knowledge of god, the mind, and the natural world. Hatfield thus downplays the epistemolgoical side of Descartes' work, shifting the focus away from skepticism and concerns about the limits of knowledge. He also does a good job explaining how the literary form of the work contributes to its overall aims, clarifying the significance of the "meditative" first-person narrative and the "analytic" method it's designed to exemplify. The book concludes with a helpful, if brief, account of the Cartesian legacy. In general, the book presents a heavily contextualized reading of the "Meditations," one that will surely surprise readers familar only with the standard picture of Descartes and his work. Despite the emphasis on contexts unfamilar to most, readers will find this book very accessible. It's organized well, and Hatfield handles the techinical terminology adroitly, explaining things patiently, while, at the same time, avoiding a burdensome amount of detail. (I have only one complaint: the paper back edition is not put together very well. It's stiff as a board, and the spine cracked as soon as I got going. So I don't expect it to last very long.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1596-1650    2. Criticism    3. Descartes, Rene,    4. First philosophy    5. God    6. History & Surveys - Modern    7. Meditationes de prima philosop    8. Metaphysics    9. Philosophy    10. Proof, Ontological    11. Philosophy / General    12. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800    13. c 1600 to c 1700   

Reviews (3)

Great working translation of key works.
Hackett offers once again an inexpensive translation in lucid prose.This volume features the important shorter works of Leibniz's corpus, including the "Monadology," and "Discourse on Metaphysics," together with Leibniz's correspondence with his contemporaries.Each of the works is prefaced by a short introduction, helpful for placing it in context. Editorial footnotes helpfully point out the nuance of Leibniz's language.Overall, great working translation for philosophical study or research.

Useful, flawed
Garber and Ariew did us a great service in pulling these materials together in a single inexpensive volume in English. Their choices for inclusion are terrific. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for their translations. Especially in the translations from French there are dozens of errors, many of them fairly serious. If you would like a list of them - or of the ones I have noticed

A necessary compendium ofa formidable oeuvre
The greatness of Leibniz is undermined by the vastness of his oeuvre.It stands of no single definitive works.Like the monads that he espoused, Leibniz's writings are here, there and everywhere, each bit mirroring thewhole--the universe that Leibniz envisioned.Short of an encyclopedia ofLeibniz's oeuvre, this book can serve as a nearly-comprehensive collectionof the 'goods.'The major pieces are kept in their entirety.Includedwith the likes of 'Discourse on Metaphysics,' 'New System,' 'Specimen ofDynamics,' and 'The Monadology' are formidable chunks of Leibniz's lettersand occasional pieces.Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Philosophy    4. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present   

Subjects:  1. 1711-1776    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. History & Surveys - Modern    5. Hume, David,    6. Philosophers    7. Philosophy    8. Hume, David    9. Philosophy / General    10. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. Economic Conditions    3. Economics    4. Enlightenment    5. Europe - Italy    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Italy    10. Luxury    11. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    12. History / Italy    13. History, World | European | Italy    14. Political economy    15. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800    16. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. 1592-1655    2. 1596-1650    3. 17th century    4. Contingency (Philosophy)    5. Contributions in mechanical ph    6. Descartes, Rene,    7. Free Will & Determinism    8. Gassendi, Pierre,    9. God    10. History    11. History of doctrines    12. Philosophy    13. Philosophy Of The 16th And 17th Centuries    14. Providence and government of God    15. Science    16. Science/Mathematics    17. Will    18. Contributions in mechanical philosophy    19. Descartes, René    20. Gassendi, Pierre    21. Gassendi, Pierre,--1592-1655--Contributions in mechanical philosophy    22. Philosophy of science    23. Science / History   

Reviews (1)

Why was Spinoza Excommunicated?
Benedict (Baruch) Spinoza (1632 - 1677) was one of the most seminal philosophers in history.His work constitutes a crucial component of Enlightenment thought and of modern secularism.In 1656, at the age of 23, Spinoza was excommunicated from the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam in which he had grown up.Excommunication was not an uncommon occurence at that time and place, but the excommunicating document banning Spinoza is extremely and unusually harsh. There have been many theories over the years about why Spinoza was excommunicated and excommunicated with such uncompromising sternness.
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Subjects:  1. 1632-1677    2. Finite Mathematics    3. Future life    4. History & Surveys - Modern    5. Immortality    6. Judaism    7. Mathematics    8. Philosophy    9. Philosophy, Jewish    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Spinoza, Benedictus de,    12. Views on immortality    13. Blasphemy, heresy, apostasy    14. History of ideas, intellectual history    15. Netherlands    16. Non-Western philosophy    17. Philosophy / History, Criticism, Surveys    18. Philosophy of religion    19. Philosophy | History | 17th C    20. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. 1596-1650    2. Criticism    3. Descartes, Rene,    4. Descartes, Renâe,    5. General    6. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    7. Philosophy    8. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present    9. Philosophy / General   

Reviews (2)

Breazeale did a great job
I love the lectures on the Vocation of the Scholar in German. When I read Daniel's translation I was very pleased. I was concerned that Fichte's ideas, especially the ones in these essays, would be lost. In a world of cowardly academics Fichte's vision still stands as a plausible vocation for professors: the moral uplift of humanity to ever higher levels of spiritual and physical freedom. But then again in what sense could our current "academy" even understand itself to be of any use to the public at large.In any case, I really appreciated this book.

An Important Book In German Idealism
An Indispensable Book in understanding German Idealism, particulary Fichte's Idealism. This Book is a must for students of Fichte's thought and readers of his "Science of Knowledge" and "Foundations of Transcendental Philosophy". Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    2. Philosophy    3. Philosophy Of The 18th Century   

Reviews (3)

A stain on this series good reputation
As an introduction for the general reader this is pretty useless. Its actually an older work not intended for the very short introduction series. Its a brief but fairly in depth study of Hume's work with an initial chapter on his life tagged on at the start. It requires at least a basic familiarity with Hume and the reader would almost certainly benefit from having read the Enquiries or even an alternative introduction before engaging with this. Presenting Ayers' book in this way is disingenuous and does both him and the reader a disservice.

Not recommended for the general public.
I have read 13 Very Short Introduction titles up till now and have never written a review for this series. The reason I am writing a review now is to advice you not to buy this book. I have been reading philosophy for years, have read other books about Hume, and this is supposedly an introduction, and I understood only half of what is written (though the first and last chapters are fairly comprehensible). Of course I haven't spent much time trying to decipher what Ayer says here, because I'm used to reading a book like this in 2 or 3 days. I've also read the Very Short Introductions to Kant and Hegel, also from this series (Kant and Hegel are considered "difficult" philosophers, meaning that it's hard to understand what they're saying if you're not a professional philosopher yourself), and even then I have understood the Introductions perfectly.
too substantial to shoe-horn into this 'Very Short' series
Despite Ayer's lapidary style, this is a heavyweight critique of Hume's philosophy, not the bite-sized summary one would expect from the way the original 1980 book has been repackaged.
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Subjects:  1. 1711-1776    2. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    3. History & Surveys - General    4. History & Surveys - Modern    5. Hume, David,    6. Philosophy    7. Philosophy Of The 18th Century    8. Hume, David    9. Philosophy / Modern    10. Philosophy | History | 18th C    11. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (1)

Brilliant scholarly history, but a very dense read
Keith Michael Baker is a highly esteemed historian (previously at U. of Chicago, now at Stanford) of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution.This book is a collection of essays that are unified by their subject matter, which can be described as "the intellectual and ideological origins of the French Revolution".Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. Causes    3. Europe - France    4. France    5. History    6. History & Theory - General    7. History - General History    8. Political Science    9. Political culture    10. Politics and government    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Revolution, 1789-1799    13. Political Science / History & Theory    14. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (4)

The Ghost of Descartes is still with us
Descartes is one of the most influential Western philosophers, and this book is a useful first introduction to his life and ideas. The strength of the book is in positioning Descartes' writing primarily within the political and ideological currents of his time, and showing how exactly he's been forced to edit and finesse his writings in order to please the censorship and his critics. This helps explain why some of his works were not as straightforwardly written as one might have liked. The other reason has probably to do with the sheer ambition of Descartes' chief enterprise, to discover one sure method of arriving at explanations and solutions of the most pressing scientific and philosophical problems of the time. The enormity of this scope meant that some of these methods would necessarily be to vague to be of any practical use in mathematics or physics, and within a generation after Descartes' death Newtonian gravitation completely prevailed. However, in the realm of philosophy, Descarts' thought managed to be of interest until the present day.
Not the Descartes of the philosophy text- book
This work does not approach Descartes in the usual way: i.e. by showing his place in the Western philosophical tradition, and especially showing how the modern age in Thought began with his cogito. It tries instead to give a more complete picture of Descartes interests and activities, with focus on his mathematical physics, and scientific work. There is also a brief telling of the life of Descarteswho Sorrell believes was less isolated than he is usually made out to be. There is one painful detail. Descartes said that the greatest sorrow of his life was the loss when she was only five of his out-of- wedlock daughter. Descartes religious faith is also discussed. The suggestion however is that of all his work it is the famous 'I think therefore I am' which is most responsible for his continuing fame.

Useful for novices and advanced students alike.
Those who have not yet studied Descartes will enjoy this clearly written introduction to Descartes' life and thought. However, even seasoned philosophy students are also liable to find much of interest in Sorell's DESCARTES. For most philosophy students, Descartes is more or less synonymous with the DISCOURSE ON METHOD and the MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY, and Descartes' scientific and mathematical work tend to be regarded as almost irrelevant and disconnected afterthoughts. The brilliance of Sorell's book is to show how Descartes' work constitutes an integrated whole, where the DISCOURSE and the MEDITATIONS are more a preliminary step in Descartes' project than the endpoint of his philosophy that we often take it to be. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1596-1650    2. 17th century    3. Descartes, Rene,    4. Descartes, Renâe,    5. History    6. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    7. History & Surveys - Modern    8. Metaphysics    9. Philosophy    10. Philosophy Of The 16th And 17th Centuries    11. Science    12. Descartes, René    13. Philosophy / Modern    14. Philosophy | History | 18th C    15. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (4)

'To see with the eyes of Eternity'
Another Amazon reviewer has commented on the excellence of this edition, and the great convenience of having all of Spinoza's work in one volume. marvelous edition
I heartily recommend this edition to every true Spinozist, for several reasons.First, it contains every significant work by Spinoza, even his Hebrew grammar and his study of Descartes' philosophy.Second, it is a surprisingly compact book, considering that it is nearly 1,000 pages long.Finally, and most important, Samuel Shirley's translations are delightfully readable.The book is ably annotated, with a short introduction.
some remarks
I have not read this edition. But I think Curley's is more fit to scholars. Recently Parkinson published a new translation of Ethics which did not base on Gebhart's latin version and also suitable to students. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    2. History & Surveys - Modern    3. Philosophy    4. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. Apologetic works    2. Apologetics    3. Catholic Church    4. Christianity - Theology - Catholic    5. Doctrines    6. Early works to 1800    7. General    8. Philosophy    9. Religion - Classic Works    10. Religious    11. Christianity    12. Philosophy / General    13. Philosophy of religion    14. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (2)

Outstanding
A superbly readable commentary on Kant's 'Groundwork,' also drawing on Kant's other works to provide a thorough analysis of the famous Categorical Imperative. The more usual introduction to the 'Groundwork' is the much shorter book that contains Paton's much-praised translation, along with his very useful summary analysis of Kant's argument. The problem you may find is that while the first two parts of Kant's 'Groundwork' are not difficult to understand, the third part presents an argument that is hard to follow in detail. Freedom is the crucial concept, but you can end up going around in circles trying to figure out exactly what role it is supposed to be playing in Kant's account of the Categorical Imperative in relation to the actions of the perfectly rational agent or perfectly good will. To understand what's going on there, you really need to turn to this book. Here Paton explains why the line of argument in that third section is so difficult to follow, and why Kant fundamentally revised it in his 'Critique of Practical Reason.'

Mind-Grabbing, understanding, view on the Categorical I.
Not for those that can't sit down and read a chapter at a time.However, those that can, will find this book extremly informitive.It is stunning to see such detail by an author that merely translated the origionaldoctrine.Have fun with this book- you will learn so much.However itseems that you must re-read a chapter after you have already done so, justto grasp the ideals that are corperated into this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    2. General    3. Kant, Immanuel    4. Philosophy    5. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (4)

All other Atheistic works are mere footnotes!
This is the first and last Atheistic work. All other Atheistic treatises are mere footnotes to D' Holbach's, Good Sense and System Of Nature. While it can be very vitriolic and redundant at times, the arguments overturn every stone in the Theist/Atheist debate.
Enlightenment indeed
What impresses me the most is how firm, consistent, and bold d'Holbach was in holding certain opinions which at the time were shocking to (most of the) learned and unintelligible to (almost all the) unlearned.This guy was not just smart - he had guts, knew he was right, stuck to his guns, and never wavered.
Clear, rational and dissecting human fantasies on existance.
Baron d'Holbach shows us how remarkably far Enlightenment philosophy had reached in finding reasonable theories for the cause and the nature of existance. His rationalism demonstrates that the existance of a god is not necessary for the world's existance. It would be a clear example of circular reasoning is someone were to assert a god is indeed necessary for the existance of all things; a god would also need a first cause of existance. Exposing this flaw of reasoning (still in practice amongst relgious groups!) d'Holbach shows in his The System of Nature that existance, and thus the universe, is a combination of causes and consequences, of mechanics. Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - General    2. Philosophy    3. Metaphysics & ontology    4. Western philosophy, c 1600 to c 1800   

Reviews (2)

If only she would have included the rest of the letters!
I was so taken with the portions of the letters translated and available for the first time in English, that I wasn't particularly bothered by the perspective.It was actually quite thought provoking.
Garbage
Throughout this book one may find translations of important letters between Descartes and Princess Elizabeth that are otherwise unavailable in English.This is, however, the book's only merit.The"commentary" on the letters reduces Elizabeth's often insightfulobjections to concerns about suitors who only care to (actual quote fromthe book) "get into her pants."Conjectures about an affairbetween Elizabeth and Descartes, generalizations about the trials andtribulations of court life and pure incompetence regarding all substantivepoints raised in the correspondence pervade the entire work.An absoluteinsult. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1596-1650    2. 1618-1680    3. 17th century    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Correspondence    6. Countess Palatine,    7. Descartes, Rene    8. Descartes, Rene,    9. Descartes, Renâe,    10. Elisabeth,    11. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    12. History & Surveys - Modern    13. Letters    14. Philosophy    15. Philosophy, Modern    16. Biography: general    17. Ethics & moral philosophy    18. Modern Western philosophy, c 1600 to the present    19. Philosophy / Modern    20. Women's studies   

Reviews (2)

There is a wealth of knowledge here!
I've just about comlpleted my graduate study, and being the smart fellow that I am, am past the point of elevating the founders (or anyone else for that matter)to demagogue status. Still, Jefferson is certainly one of the most brilliant people who'se ever put pen to parchment, and this book will show you why. Great Compelation of Jefferson's Writings
This is a really a great collection of Thomas Jefferson's views on liberty, slavery,democratic government, social policy in a republic, education, etc. Forget all of the "interpretations" or "revisionist" histories by professional historians, instead pick up this book and read about one of the greatest philosophers of human liberty and democracy. Reading Jefferson in his original words without the personal views of the historical crowd really brings out his true vision for a great republic. A great buy. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. History & Surveys - 17th/18th Century    2. History & Theory - General    3. Political    4. Political Process - Leadership    5. Political Science    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics and government    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Sources    10. State, The    11. United States    12. History of ideas, intellectual history    13. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    14. Political Science / Reference    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. 17th century    2. Christianity    3. Christianity - Protestanism    4. Collegiants    5. Enlightenment    6. History    7. History of doctrines    8. History: World    9. Intellectual life    10. Netherlands    11. Philosophy Of The 16th And 17th Centuries    12. Protestantism    13. Religion - General    14. Religious aspects    15. Other Protestant & Nonconformist Churches