Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Death and Life of Philosophy, January 31, 2000
Those of us who place a high value on philosophy but find the modern version often pointlessly swamped in microscopic analytical concerns should read this book by Robert Greene. He analyses why philosophy is dying and what may be done to revive it. Greene's wit and erudition are formidable, while his clear layman's language is refreshing. He diagnoses why modern philosophy is such a frustrating experience for the many who consider it vital to a meaningful life, but now find it dysfunctional by ingrown professional pedantry.The author provisionally prescribes a radical restructuring of the discipline which among other remedies includes the spinning off of logic to mathematics, the history of philosophic ideas to the history department, and cognitive philosophy to the psychology department. Metaphysics, philosophy's core, remains. This cutting diagnosis and surgery comprise approximately the first third of the book. The next part presents a well reasoned remedy by revisiting Aristotle. The middle portion, in one long chapter, reconnects philosophy with its past by reverting to Aristotle's ideas on the psyche (soul) and mind which include his solution to the mind body problem. The modern disconnect, he argues, has caused the severing of philosophy with its past history of profoundly timeless ideas. Greene shows both scientifically and philosophically why Aristotle's position on the substantial unity of the mind and the underlying unity of the soul are a reasonable alternative to the centuries old problems modern philosophy, which separates mind and body and destroys the concept of soul. Thus, he rescues philosophy from the dilemmas posed by the modern schools of epistemology and analytic philosophy. The final third of the book advances another reason for the death of philosophy: academic careerism has mutilated it. The need to publish, to appear original, to puff the present at the expense of the past, to acquire tenure at all costs are all part of the tiresome litany. Also it would seem that academic philosphers are hopelessly fixated on philosphy's problems, while unfortunately the rest of mankind desire her solutions. Thus, Greene calls for sweeping academic reform. In the end, the author dissects the academy well, but the heart of the book is the middle section, and it is the best part. He instructs the plain truth as taught by Aristotle and which was illuminated through the centruies by his scientific and philosophic followers- and now very ably too by Robert Greene, his brilliant student.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To redeem philosophy, March 11, 2002
To Redeem PhilosophyRobert Greene has written a highly unique and admirably readable book, which accomplishes three main tasks. These are to: 1. give a summary of western philosophy from Plato to the present, 2. describe the sorry state of modern philosophy, particularly in the academic arena, and 3. to show how this situation might be redeemed. The book itself is divided into two parts. The first, called "The Death of Philosophy", consists of three chapters:
Attempts to Define the Discipline
A Brief History of Philosophy
The Breakup of Philosophy
which aptly describe their contents. This part of the book is very accessible and even entertaining as it contains some personal recollections of the author. The second part, consisting of seven chapters, is more challenging reading and has as its centerpiece the extended chapter, Putting Mind Back into Nature with the Aid of Aristotle. The ideas presented here are fundamental, and in no way utilitarian. I am generally well educated, but not especially trained or widely read in philosophy; still I can recommend this book to others like myself, who may be curious about philosophy or wish to review what one has studied long ago. In fact, it is so approachable that even if you do not care about the state of philosophy in academia or even that much about Aristotle, it is well worth reading. Greene's summary of the history of ideas is so lucid that that the book succeeds on this alone. The personal anecdotes illustrate, but also serve to set this apart from encyclopedia articles on Western Civilization. The potential readership for this volume is wider than one might at first surmise.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classroom use of THE DEATH AND LIFE OF PHILOSOPHY, March 8, 2000
I have used Robert Greene's THE DEATH AND LIFE OF PHILOSOPHY to provide an overview of philosophy for students in an introductory philosophy course. Greene is a very skilled writer and knowledgeable scholar who explains the ideas of major philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Kant, and Hume with insight and humor. While some students may find the text demanding, it should inspire them to delve more deeply into the subject matter than they would otherwise have been inclined. Not all readers will accept Greene's call for a return to a more Aristotelian perspective, but his presentation of his case for Aristotle gives the book an elegant unity. Several of my students have commented favorably on the book. One said that, once she started reading it, she could not put it down. Her comment is consistent with my own impression of the work.
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