13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easily the best short introduction to philosophy I have read, July 9, 2006
This review is from: A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy (Paperback)
This is a "concise version" of Solomon and Higgins's A Short History of Philosophy (1996) which wasn't all that short at 329 pages--well, for a history of philosophy actually it was kind of short. As the authors point out, a "short" history of philosophy (in German) by Hans Joachim Storig, runs to 750 pages, and Bertrand Russell's famous popular opus from 1945, A History of Philosophy was 895 pages long. What the authors have done here is to distill the essence of their larger book, mostly by judiciously pruning. The result is a witty, pithy and very well edited introduction for almost anybody interested in knowing what philosophy is all about.
Speaking of Russell, the authors's treatment of him is characteristically sly: Noting that Russell turned his attention to more worldly matters after his youth (and the Principia Mathematica), they add that "he wrote an elegant and impassioned autobiography, conclusively documenting his political commitments, his love of philosophy, and what we might politely call his love of love. He also declared--as the First World War had clearly shown--that 'the world is horrible.' Formal philosophy, by comparison, seemed both a refuge and a waste of time." (p. 115)
Solomon and Higgins cover Eastern philosophy (which many Western books do not), and they bring us up to the postmodern era, although they scrupulously avoid discussing philosophers still living--a wise decision no doubt since most of us are still trying to cope with what happen to philosophy after the logical positivists got a hold of it early in the 20th century. Solomon and Higgins also address religious philosophy, which again is right, especially when you consider that most of Western philosophy since the Greeks has been strongly influenced by Christian values and ideas--and of course, the Eastern "philosophies" from the Vedas, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, etc., cannot really be separated from religion.
It is good to compare this to Russell's best-selling opus since Solomon and Higgins do very well exactly what Russell did very well, that is make philosophy interesting and even exciting for the general reader; and like Russell they write with unusual clarity. Unlike Russell however they refrain (mostly) from taking sides in the various philosophic disputes and they don't reveal who their favorites are. I guess I could say that Russell's approach was a critical one as he found fault with many of the icons of philosophy, even--or perhaps especially--Plato, whereas Solomon and Higgins try for a more descriptive and informative approach. I love Russell. He was a delight to me when I first read him as a teenager, but I must say that the approach of Solomon and Higgins is the more judicious.
Philosophy is like history in this respect. We cannot adequately critique the ideas of today because we are so completely immersed in them that we have no real objectivity. As the authors put it so very well on page 113, "Philosophy is never isolated or immune from its time and place, no matter how abstract it may be or however 'eternal' or 'untimely' it may declare itself. Philosophy may be prophetic, it can be nostalgic, or it can act as a mirror, a reflection of a culture. But more often than not, it expresses in abstract terms the ideals and aspirations of society."
This follows their observation that Nietzsche had predicted the horrible wars of the 20th century. Their treatment of Nietzsche (and virtually all of the philosophers) is generous although there is just the slightest hint that his ideas may have been in some part responsible for the rise of the kind of mentality exhibited by the Nazis. They recall Nietzsche's "incredible suggestion that human beings...[are] nothing but a bridge between the ape and the Ubermensch ('superman')" Personally, I am not a big fan of Nietzsche; nonetheless it is striking to consider that he may be exactly right: the science of the 21st century may fuse us with our machines, and through genetic engineering allow us to become something "more" than human.
The book is in three parts, Part I: "Is There Ultimate Truth?"; Part II: "Faith and Reason"; and Part III: "From Modernity to Postmodernism." I think this is just perfect. The search for what is true and/or to what extent we can know what is true is at the very heart of the philosophic urge. And the struggle between faith and reason rages on today as it has since before the Greeks. And what we have experienced in our lifetimes is the rise of postmodernism which is a serious critique of the self-satisfied modernity that grew out of the Enlightenment.
I guess what I like best about this book is a sense that it is a return to the kind of philosophy that I loved as a young man. As the authors put it, while they are excited "by the bewildering variety of ideas" that we have today in philosophy, they are "at the same time...disturbed by the fact that the old ideal of philosophy, as a search for wisdom rather than a peculiar professional skill or a merely clever game, has gotten lost." (p. 128)
This book brings some of the excitement back.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Useful and Witty Guide, May 31, 2003
This review is from: A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy (Paperback)
Solomon/Higgins "A Passion for Wisdom" is a small but rich book outlining the history of philosophical ideas, including Chinese, Buddhist, Native American, Arab and other cultures. It is a useful reference and witty in writing style which encourages one's own philosophical or investigative studies. Philosophy is openness to the world. We are excited, yet disturbed. We need to be better listeners to be more open.
I recommend reading "A Passion for Wisdom" first and then a more in-depth study by reading Solomon/Higgins "A Short History of Philosophy" second. Other book recommendations following Solomon/Higgins: Durant's "The Story of Philosophy," T.Z. Lavine's "From Socrates to Sartre," and perhaps Russell's "A History of Western Philosophy."
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended for students of all ages, August 25, 2002
This review is from: A Passion for Wisdom: A Very Brief History of Philosophy (Paperback)
I am an engineering professor and have spent the last 30 years trying to compensate for my weak liberal arts education.
Robert Solomon has been a godsend in terms of providing clear, insightful teachings on philosophy. He's written overviews as well as some very nice books and tapes (The Teaching Company) focused on existentialism.
This particular book (written with his major collaborator Kathleen Higgins) is not a typical superficial survey. Rather, it is a distillation of their catholic knowledge gained through years of study and teaching philosophy. A real tour de force filled with the insights and connections that only great teachers can give. I highly recommend it for students of all ages.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
