A New History of Western Philosophy is a 2010 book by the British philosopher and theologian Anthony Kenny, consisting of a history of Western philosophy from the ancient Greeks to the present day.[1] The book consists of four separate parts which were originally released separately during the period 2004–07.[2] The book is dedicated to the memory of Georg Henrik von Wright.[3][4]
Critics claim Kenny's account of philosophy, while generally good, is quite limited in the Islamic world, focusing only on those works that became important in the Latin tradition.[5]
Summary
The book is split into four parts, plus a general introduction and index/bibliography. Each part begins with an historical chapter outlining the major philosophers and schools of thought of the period in question, followed by several thematic chapters dealing with a particular branch of philosophy e.g. logic, theology, ethics etc.
Part 1: Ancient Philosophy
Originally published in 2004, this part covers the period from the earliest Greek philosophers to the conversion of St Augustine in 387 AD, including:
- The Pre-Socratics
- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
- Graeco-Roman and Roman philosophers (Cicero, Seneca, Plotinus, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine etc.)
- Graeco-Roman schools of thought (Cynics, Epicureans, Stoics etc.)
- Neo-Platonism
Part 2: Medieval Philosophy
Originally published in 2005, this part covers the post-Augustinian period up to the Lateran Council on 1512, including:
- Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, William Ockham, Duns Scotus
- Jewish and Islamic philosophy
- Medieval theology
- Scholasticism
Part 3: The Rise of Modern Philosophy
Originally published in 2006, this part covers the period of the 16th century - mid-19th century, including:
- The rise of science
- Empiricism
- Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Hobbes, David Hume, Kant, Hegel
Part 4: Philosophy in the Modern World
Originally published in 2007, this part covers the post-Hegelian period up to the present day, including:
- Materialism
- Utilitarianism
- Pragmatism
- Marxism
- Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Derrida, Sartre
Publication
- Kenny, Anthony (2004). Ancient philosophy. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-152497-4. OCLC 171039729.
See also
- Lectures on the History of Philosophy by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
- A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
- A History of Philosophy by Frederick Copleston
References
- ^ A New History of Western Philosophy. New History of Western Philosophy. Oxford University Press. 16 August 2012. ISBN 978-0-19-965649-3.
- ^ Kenny, Anthony (2010). A New History of Western Philosophy, Oxford University Press, p. xiv.
- ^ "The History of Western Philosophy – The Top 5 Books to Read". philosophybreak.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
- ^ Cerbone, David R. (2008-03-07). "Review of Philosophy in the Modern World: A New History of Western Philosophy, Volume 4". Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. ISSN 1538-1617.
- ^ Fraenkel, Carlos (29 July 2017). "Deprovincializing Philosophy". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved 2020-03-26.