Philosophy and Philosophers

"Philosophy and philosophers" is an introduction to Western philosophy aimed directly at those who are unfamiliar with the nature of philosophy and its history. As a survey of the ideas of history's major thinkers and of the central areas of philosophy, the book should be of value as a source of reference to both student and general reader alike. Organized around the main schools of thought, and ranging from ancient Greece through the explosion of ideas in the 17th century to the Enlightenment and the challenge of 20th-century philosophy, each chapter assesses the contribution of a philosopher with particular attention paid to the key areas of the theory of knowledge, the nature of reality and the nature of philosophy itself. An extensive annotated bibliography is included which serves as an invaluable guide to works by and about the philosophers discussed.