A Brief History of Western Philosophy: Unraveling the Secrets of Time, the Mind, and Existence

Why does humanity exist in the first place? It is the ultimate question that philosophers are attempting to answer.Beginning 2500 years ago in ancient Greece and culminating with the thoughts of Western philosophers of the twentieth century Dominic Haynes takes the reader through the movement of philosophical thought throughout the years. The book is very understandable and is about the right length as to not feel like we are reading a detailed text in an Introduction to Philosophy course.The language is understandable but the task is immense. Covering a multitude of theories Haynes attempts to connect them leaving we readers the task of remembering what we have learned in previous chapters in order to fully understand the connection.The author has asked for suggestions in reviews written so I would offer one. At the end of each chapter complete a brief one or two paragraph summary of what has been discussed. In this manner what we have just learned can be reinforced to be understood as the history of western world philosophy marches on.If the topic interests you this is a marvelous reference that is worth reading and reviewing. Highly recommended for those whom the ultimate questions of mankind's existence are of interest.

Ever wanted to get the background of why we Westerners think like we do? This book delivers that, in an almost perfect measure. The sentences in this book are never too wordy, nor are they to brief. The same is true with each introduced concept. Because of this you will get the information you want in the optimal amount of time. This is a short book, you'll finish it in a day easily. The author clearly knows what he is talking about, enough that he hit the notes you need, and avoids those that are unimportant. You'll learn the names and historical context of all the personalities that form the chain of Western Philosophy from the ancient Greeks to modern day. Their main contributing ideas are explained well. During the book I was expecting the author to start hammering whichever particular bent of philosophy he personally favorers. But he never really did, this book seems to be a fair and unbias representation of the history of Western Philosophy. If you are interested in understanding why you think like you do, or you want to get an overview of Western Philosophy before studying more deeply on the subject, then this is the book for you. I was very impressed.

Wow, if I ever doubted that humans have been trying to make sense of life since, like, ever - this book completely convinced me that deep thought and analysis have been around for countless ages, and that the wisdom of these thinkers is at the heart of all we currently believe or don’t believe.Origins of the Universe? Collective consciousness? Good v Evil? Body/Soul Connection/Separation? The basic nature of people? Who should govern whom? None of these questions are new to our current age.This book scratches the surface of all great Western philosophical thought - exactly what its title suggests - and certainly whet my appetite to learn more. This title is a really good place to start if you want to learn more about the history of humankind through thought and theory - not the events that were the result of disagreements about those ideas.Also - if you don’t quite understand life - join the club! The quest for understanding has been there for ages, and continues today. The philosophies here just might give you new things to think about, even if the people who wrote about them are long gone.At times, this was a bit dry: I would have preferred more stories about people to support the summaries of historical events. Still, you’ll find this a good introduction and invitation to learn more.Enjoy the brain stretch - and the context!

From the first Greek philosophers explaining the physical world with radical concepts like the atom to the materialists claiming that faith and belief are just neurological activity, I loved reading brief sketches of the thoughts of all the philosophers I knew very little about. This brief overview provides an excellent summary of the way mankind has thought about its own existence. The sections about the philosophers I knew more about, sun as Plato and Nietzsche, were not as interesting because I didn’t learn anything knew. This book is what it is, a fine brief summary of the major developments in Western philosophy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It was like taking a short tour through my undergrad years in philosophy. Haynes explains the most central movements in philosophy, starting with pre-Socratic philosophers like Pythagoras and ending with modern thinkers like Jacques Derrida. This is the perfect introduction to philosophy because Haynes introduces the reader to significant philosophers and philosophies from different eras.

I picked this up because I majored in philosophy (20+ years ago)... and wanted a refresher. I got not only that, but so much more. The book is well-paced and I didn't finish it feeling that anything was missed. I would also recommend this book to philosophy departments to get as supplemental reading. Very enriching!

I haven't had a crash course in philosophy since my college days. This book is an excellent reference for anyone needing a brush up on the finer aspects of philosophical ideology. This book will sharpen your mind, keen your senses and get you ready for the ultimate version of reality. The Western greats were truly masters. Five stars.