A History of Philosophy, Vol. 7: Modern Philosophy – From the Post-Kantian Idealists to Marx, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche by Frederick Copleston (PDF)

Description

Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston’s nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English.Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A. J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history’s great thinkers was reduced to simplistic caricatures. Copleston set out to redress the wrong by writing a complete history of Western philosophy, one crackling with incident and intellectual excitement — and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who went before and to those who came after him. The result of Copleston’s prodigious labors is a history of philosophy that is unlikely ever to be surpassed. Thought magazine summed up the general agreement among scholars and students alike when it reviewed Copleston’s A History of Philosophy as “broad-minded and objective, comprehensive and scholarly, unified and well proportioned… We cannot recommend [it] too highly.”

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: From the Publisher Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston’s nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English. From the Inside Flap Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston’s nine-volume “A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English. About the Author Frederick Copleston (1907-1994) grew up in England. He was raised in an Anglican home but converted to Catholicism while a student at Marlborough College. He later became a Jesuit and then pursued a career in academia. He studied and lectured at Heythrop College and wrote an eleven-volume History of Philosophy, which is highly respected. He also spent time teaching at Gregorian University in Rome and, after he retired, lectured at Santa Clara University in California. He was appointed a member of the British Academy in 1970. He is famouse for debating Betrand Russell over the existence of God in a 1948 BBC broadcast. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I first heard of this series about a year ago when I called one of our Florida Catholic seminaries to learn what texts they used for their course in St. Thomas Aquinas. I purchased Volume II on Medieval Philosophy as recommended and decided also to buy Volume I on Ancient Greek Philosophy. Due to the author Frederick Copleston’s wide yet deep knowledge and comprehensive, fair-minded treatment of each philosopher, I began to trust his views, and I decided to read the entire series, and am now on Volume IX. Volume 7 covers the period after Kant, up through Marx, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche. The coverage of Hegel is particularly splendid. I’m gaining a much better sense than I had before of persons, ideas, and trends, and am also building my reading list of individual philosophers. Highly recommended for the serious student.

⭐My Credentials:I’m merely a student of philosophy for the time being, not a teacher, so I’m no scholar. I have, however, read Copleston through the seventh volume, so I’m certainly a veteran of his History; I know its strengths and weaknesses.Review:The volume does a wonderful job of delineating the complex systems of metaphysical idealism, which I was somewhat intimated to approach. Copleston is esoterically extensive in his consideration of Fitche, Schelling and Hegel. Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard are well-treated.The volume is also strong in its covering of minor thinkers (as are ALL Copleston volumes).The volume is utterly pathetic in its examination of the twentieth-century German titans: Husserl and Hiedegger. I would also argue that it is weak in its examination of Nietzsche, but I may be over estimating this philosopher’s position in history.

⭐The post Kantian metaphysical idealists are perhaps impossible to understand if you are a realist like me (trained in the 50’s by the Jesuits and a former fighter pilot) Working on notes for a book I realized that modern philosophy from Descartes on is simply an exercise in “beings of reason” (entia rationis in Latin) creations or products of the mind alone and strictly mind dependent, inspired perhaps by other philosophers or traditional philosophy but NOT founded on the only reality which is the the order of Creation, real beings created and UNCREATED, substance, accident, cause etc.; the real contingency of created things lead with inevitable logic to the Creator, a non contingent being whose essence is to exist.

⭐Copleston is one of the best sources for history of philosophy. I would recommend it to anyone for a clear & informative source for any period of philosophy!

⭐Copleston’s history is a good introduction to the main currents of philosophy. It contains more solid information and less fluff than Will Durant’s books. Copleston covers almost every philosopher that a good student would need to know, and does so accurately. My only criticism is that he sometimes inserts a few sentences of vague generalizations into an otherwise content-rich chapter. Some editor should have removed those prior to publication. Nonetheless, an excellent book!

⭐Brother loved it. He is reading the whole series.

⭐love it

⭐The nineteenth century German philosophers were very diverse. Copleston identifies a few principal philosophers: Fichte, Schelling, Hegel (who Copleston suggests is among the greatest of philosophers), Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard (Danish, not German, but included with the Germans anyway) and Nietzsche (more a visionary than a philosopher, perhaps). Copleston’s work is accounted as a historian, where, despite the fact that he has his own views, he displays much open-mindedness and tries to see as these philosophers saw, through their eyes. He discusses the ideas of numerous philosophers, not just the luminaries. This was a time when metaphysics flourished, while science, mathematics, materialism, positivism and the beginnings of existentialism could be discerned. His discussions of twentieth century German philosophers were far too brief and cursory. I felt, overall, that he provides an excellent perspective on nineteenth century German philosophy, especially for novice philosophers like myself. He also tries to discuss the importance of philosophy, in an age when science and technology have usurped so much of the domains of knowledge of importance to human beings: What is really left for philosophy? I recommend the book to beginning students of philosophy: It is readable and discusses much that is worth considering, especially among the major philosophers.

⭐Very pleased with this book.

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