The Spirit of Modern Philosophy [Paperback]

Josiah Royce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1983

Outstanding American philosopher’s 1892 series of lectures on Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, Hegel, et al. Marked by verve, precision, unusual readability.

Product Details

• Paperback: 519 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (February 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486244326
• ISBN-13: 978-0486244327
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,910,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Josiah Royce: underrated, but not forgotten., February 22, 2000

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spirit of Modern Philosophy (Paperback)

I'm delighted to see this work of Royce's in print; it wasn't, the last time I looked for it. Royce was one of the truly great American philosophers and I'm glad he hasn't been forgotten.

In this volume, originally published in 1892 and based on a series of lectures, Royce presents masterly critical overviews of such philosophers as Spinoza, Kant, and Hegel, rendering in clear language what those philosophers (especially Hegel) presented technically and with great complexity. This work will be of interest both to readers of those other philosophers and to those who want to trace their influence on Idealist philosophy.

There is also some of Royce's own thought here. William James once teased Royce that he was in the habit of writing long books and then sticking everything important that he _really_ wanted to say in an appendix. This volume is no exception; one of the later chapters presents what may be the clearest exposition of the Idealist thesis ever presented. Royce was a fine expositor, and whether you agree with his thesis or not, you will be hard pressed to find a better presentation of it.

Royce was an unusual Idealist -- rather too individualistic for the tastes of the block-universe fellows over in Great Britain, and thus something of a heretic. He was a highly original thinker whose influence is still felt today even when his name isn't mentioned. (His influence on pragmatism alone is worthy of mention, but he also made important critiques of Bradley and others that really should be taken up into the current renaissance of Idealist studies.)

Royce, in short, still very much deserves to be read. This volume is a fine place to start. (I see that _The World and the Individual_ is in print again too, so try that one next!)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Used it for school, May 2, 2007

By 

The Remedy (Greensboro, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spirit of Modern Philosophy (Paperback)

I'm new to philosophy, and in my 19th century philosophy class we had a lot of discussions that blew right over my head. I heard this book was good so I got it. I was very happy I did. Royce is very concise in his explanations about each philosopher. My biggest complaint is that sometimes philsophers try to use too many "big words" to explain things, Mr. Royce avoids this and sticks to english. I highly recommend the book for any person interested in philosophy, especially beginners.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Typical Victorian writer -- long winded, January 22, 2008

By 

M. Mason "bandzero" (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Spirit of Modern Philosophy (Paperback)

I am sorry to disagree with the other reviewers here. I found this book simply unreadable. Royce writes in the florid style typical of his time (think Bulwer-Lytton), and in his treatment of the philosophers mentions mostly his own reaction to them so that I could simply not hack through all the verbiage to get to what the philosophers actually said. It baffles me how anyone could rate this 5 stars. Variety is the spice of life, I guess. Look elsewhere for clearer, more terse exposition.