Synopses & Reviews
Forrest Baird's revisions of
Philosophic Classics, Prentice Hall's long-standing philosophy series, continue the tradition begun in 1961, to provide generations of students with anthologies of high quality in the history of Western philosophy. Using the complete works or, where appropriate, complete sections of works, this series allows philosophers to speak directly to students.
This series includes texts central to the thinker's own philosophy, using the best available translations. Introductions to each reading are divided into three sections:
- Biographical Provides a glimpse into the life of the philosopher;
- Philosophical Presents a résumé of the philosopher's thought; and
- Bibliographical Offers suggestions for further reading.
In addition, drawings, photographs, and time lines help put the readings into context. In short, every effort has been made to help the reader understand primary source materials.
Philosophic Classics is available in the following versions:
- Volume I: Ancient Philosophy Fourth Edition, c2003 (0-13-048556-X)
- Volume II: Medieval Philosophy, Fourth Edition, c2003 (0-13-048557-8)
- Volume III: Modern Philosophy, Fourth Edition, c2003 (0-13-048558-6)
- Volume IV: Nineteenth-Century Philosophy; Third Edition, c2003 (0-13-048550-0)
- Volume V: Twentieth-Century Philosophy Third Edition, c2003 (013-048563-2)
- From Plato to Derrida, Combined Edition, Fourth Edition, c2003 (0-13-048561-6)
Review
"Students with little or no background in philosophy would likely find it difficultif not impossibleto comprehend the works of many of the philosophers addressed in [each] volume on their own. However, this text's informative introductions and careful selection of readings make it possible for students to get a foothold in their primary texts....[S]tudents are afforded the opportunity to engage with the works of these illustrious but often inscrutable thinkers." Jennifer McMahon,
Centre College"This collection is by far the best I have seen in this area....And I certainly prefer having all of my material together in one text rather than having students purchase half a dozen books, which then still require supplementation. I cannot imagine a better format or selection of materials that would tempt me away from this collection for another." Ted Toadvine, Emporia State University
Synopsis
Designed to be accessible to today's readers, this anthology of readings in twentieth-century philosophical classics includes recent European and American philosophers and texts that are presently seen as classics or as emerging classics. It features the best available translations of texts--complete works or complete selections of works--which are both central to each philosopher's thought and are widely accepted as part of the "canon." The selections are readable and accessible, while still being faithful to the original. Includes Introductions to each philosopher, and an abundance of drawings, diagrams, photographs, and a timeline. KEY TOPICS: Husserl, Gadamer, Adorno, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Foucault, Derrida, Irigaray, Habermas, Whitehead, Du Bois, Russell, Moore, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Quine, Austin, Davidson, Rorty, Putnam, Taylor. MARKET: For anyone interested in 20th-century European and American philosophy.
Synopsis
' This anthology of accessible readings in 20th-century philosophical classics includes recent European and American philosophers and texts that are presently seen as classics or as emerging classics. It features the best available translations of texts-complete works or complete sections of works-which are both central to each philosopher\'s thought and specific doctrine. Using drawings, diagrams, photographs, and a timeline to help in historical perspective, this anthology covers 20th century philosophic classics that deal with such themes as logic, idealism, metaphysics, existentialism, and empiricism; and includes works by Husserl, Dewey, Du Bois, Russell, Moore, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Ayer, Gadamer, Sartre, de Beauvoir, Austin, Davidson, Foucault, Derrida, Rorty, Rawls, and MacIntyre. For anyone interested in owning a readable collection of 20th-century classic philosophical works. '
About the Author
Forrest E. Baird is Professor and Chair of Philosophy & Religion at Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington.
Table of Contents
Introduction: A Map of Twentieth-Century Philosophy by Hans Bynagle.
Edmund Husserl.
Phenomenology (from Encyclopaedia Brittanica). The Crisis of European Science and Transcendental Phenomenology (Part III, A, §33 and §34).
John Dewey.
The Quest for Certainty (Chapter 10).
W.E.B. Du Bois.
The Souls of Black Folks (Chapter 1).
Bertrand Russell.
The Problems of Philosophy (Chapters 1, 5, and 15). Logical Atomism.
G.E. Moore.
The Refutation of Idealism.
Martin Heidegger.
An Introduction to Metaphysics (Chapter 1). Building Dwelling Thinking.
Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (in part). Philosophical Investigations (À1-47, 65-71, 241, 257-258, 305, and 309).
A.J. Ayer.
Language, Truth and Logic, (Preface and Chapter 1).
Hans-Georg Gadamer.
Truth and Method (Selections from Part II).
Jean-Paul Sartre.
Being and Nothingness (Chapter 2). Existentialism Is a Humanism.
Simone De Beauvoir.
The Second Sex (Introduction).
Willard Van Orman Quine.
Two Dogmas of Empiricism.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty.
Phenomenology of Perception (Preface).
J.L. Austin.
How to Do Things with Words (Lectures 1 and 2).
Donald Davidson.
The Method of Truth in Metaphysics.
John Rawls.
A Theory of Justice (Chapter 1, Sections 1-4).
Michel Foucault.
What Is an Author? Truth and Power.
Jacques Derrida.
Signature, Event, Context.
Richard Rorty.
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature (Selections from Chapter 4).
The Conversation Continues: Emerging Classics Since 1980.
Luce Irigaray, The Sex Which Is Not One (Selections), Alasdair MacIntyre, After Virtue (Chapter 15), Jürgen Habermas, The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity (Lecture XI, Parts II and III), Charles Taylor, Overcoming Epistemology.