Philosophy in the Modern World: A New History of Western Philosophy, Volume 4

THE BOOK'S CONTENT IS PART OF A FOUR VOLUME SERIES (A NEW HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY) BY ANTHONY KENNY (BRITISH). THE BEST IN DEPTH WRITING ON THE MANY FACETS OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY IN PLAIN ENGLISH. MR. KENNY PULLS YOU IN WANTING MORE AND MORE AND MORE. MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT IS THAT MR. KENNY IS PASSING GREAT KNOWLEDGE TO THE READER AND LIKE A DIAMOND IT WILL NEVER DECAY. A GREAT TOME FROM COVER TO COVER!! ---THE SELLER (glenthebookseller) LISTED THE BOOK AS USED-GOOD. THE BOOK CAME IN LIKE NEW CONDITION. THANK YOU I AM VERY HAPPY ALL AROUND!

I rate this book with 5 stars because: Kenny writes well; he is a master of what he is writing about; the book is remarkably comprehensive, with startlingly good reviews of Quine and others that are brief and insightful. I write as someone who has done "history of philosophy" for over 50 years, have read and enjoyed many such summary books, (beginning with B.A.G. Fuller more than 50 years ago) and seek "enlightenment" wherever it may be found. This is a well-written summary of philosophy in the 20th century, a book with some shortcomings, but with the authority of Anthony Kenny, who has read and written widely, and consistently comments perceptively. If you want a great, easy to read summary of philosophy in the 20th century, this would be a good choice!

I'm never a fan of analytic philosophy. This contains a pretty good account of that area of philosophy, as well as other modern comments.

A very valuable guide to modern philosophy. Some curious omissions: no Foucault, no Habermas, a dismissive review of Derrida, but otherwise a very constructive overview of modern philosophical developments and an excellent structure that allows tracking of development of different ideas and philosophical approaches.

No problems

A good read; valuable for a newcomer to the discipline, or for anyone who is looking for a compact summary. Author's opinions at times overstated without full justification.

I WANT TO SEE THE TABLE CONTENTS OF AMAZON BOOKS!!!

This is another volume in Anthony Kenny’s comprehensive set of books covering philosophy from its beginning to the present. The two volumes that I have read state that they are written for understanding at the undergraduate level but warn that the material itself may at times be inherently difficult. I found this to be an accurate statement as most of the material is challenging but sufficiently accessible to grasp. There are, however, big bumps on the road when the reader hits certain material, like logic, for example. The series is organized with the initial chapters covering groups of philosophers, Bentham to Nietzsche for example, with the second set of chapter covering philosophical subjects, like metaphysics, philosophy of mind and ethics. Interestingly, Kenny’s presentation of Heidegger’s philosophy is the clearest that I have read, but he stunned me when he concluded by labeling it right-wing existentialism. I know that Heidegger joined the Nazi party and cooperated in expelling his Jewish mentor from the university to then take over his post, but his philosophy had nothing political in it. Quite a bizarre thing. The other area where I sometimes find philosophers lacking is in their understanding or exposition of religious doctrines and teachings. For example, Kenny errs twice: first in claiming that theologians believe sin is sexually derived, and second in distorting the teaching of papal infallibility. Not sure why this type of error seems to be a constant. Nevertheless this book is more than worthwhile in getting a challenging yet rewarding encounter with the most notable philosophers from the modern period and their thought.