Customer Reviews

History of Philosophy, Volume III: Ockham to Suarez

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Warning: this history of philosophy is neither for the faint-of-heart, nor the faint-of-mind! Frederick Copleston's monumental 9-volume history of western philosophy has never been equalled, nor is it ever likely to be. The life's work of this Jesuit scholar, the history is remarkable both for its breadth and its open partiality: Copleston believes in Thomas Aquinas, and in any issue that Aquinas made a decision on, he makes his bias clear, and then goes on to explain the opposing point of view fairly and honestly. This volume of the late middle ages and early renaissance concerns itself largely with Ockham and Suarez, with a smattering of philosophers between. I would have liked larger sections on Machiavelli and Francis Bacon, but those are easily available elsewhere. Because Copleston started with the Greeks in his first volume, and then obviously read all the primary and secondary texts for that and each succeeding volume, he brings a breadth of context to the history that still amazes me. For anyone seriously interested in philosophy, all nine volumes are to be acquired as soon as possible. It doesn't get much better than this.

Like all of the books in F.C. Copleston's nine-plus volume history, 'Ockham to Suarez' is first-class. It's balanced, encyclopedic, non-partisan, intellectually-honest, and thorough.

For more on Aquinas specifically, see Copleston's worthy 'Aquinas: An Introduction to the Life and Work of the Great Medieval Thinker' (ISBN: 0140136746).