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A New History of Western Philosophy Revised ed. Edition

by
Anthony Kenny (Author)
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Anthony Kenny (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 19 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0199589883
ISBN-10: 0199589887
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Product Details

  • Series: New History of Western Philosophy
  • Hardcover: 1000 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press; Revised ed. edition (October 7, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0199589887
  • ISBN-13: 978-0199589883
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 2.4 x 6.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsBest Overall Survey of Western Philosophy: A New Classic
By Kevin Armistead on June 28, 2011
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
If any person is looking for just one book to give them an overview of every major western philosophical notion of the last 2500 years this is it. It does not go into as much detail on some specifics as other great classics such as Russell's not so new version of the same title, or Durant's beautiful Story of Philosophy, but it does cover far more ground than any other work in the sense of understanding the big picture of western philosophy.

In reading this book one will gain the best initial understanding of how a certain philosopher connects to another, or how a certain school of thought leads to the next. This book, it is true, does not go into great detail on any particular philosopher. But that is not what scaping histories are for. If that is what is being sought after, buy individual books on individual philosophers or philosophies.

As far as the authorship goes, it is highly readable. It is not quit as beautiful as Will Durant's prose scholarship (though of course no one's is) but it was about as close as a page-turner comes to non-fiction. I found myself highly fascinated and growing deeper in my understanding of overall philosophy - often going through dozens of pages without even noticing. Each chapter flows logically into the next and makes perfect sense. Kenny certainly mastered the art of high quality scholarship without being pedantic.

Basically, if one is anything less than an expert on western philosophy this book holds value. If one has absolutely no, or at least very little, understanding of philosophy then this book will open a whole new world to their mind.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsIf you like this one, you will like...
By Stephen Ferg on July 30, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Part of what Kenny is trying to do in this series of four volumes is to balance two different approaches to the history of philosophy: the historical and the philosophical. He describes his goal in the introduction to Volume 1, which is available via Amazon's "preview" feature.

He does it well. For example, in the historical section of volume 3 (early modern philosophy) he covers some interesting figures such as Suarez, who were historically important but are generally omitted in more "philosophical" histories of philosophy.

If you like Kenny's history of philosophy and/or are looking for a slightly more "philosophical" history of philosophy, I would also recommend W. T. Jones' 5-volume "History of Western Philosophy". Like Kenny's history, it is very readable and offers stimulating insights.
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5.0 out of 5 starsVery highly recommended as a key acquisition!
By Midwest Book Review on February 21, 2011
Format: Hardcover
A New History of Western Philosophy offers a fine definitive collection of philosophical history and ideas from ancient to modern times, and is a recommended pick for any library seeking writings on philosophy and its history, whether it be a general or school collection. Four fine books blend into one volume and come from a scholar who chronologically discusses works from Cicero to Freud, offering social, political, and philosophical history in the first major single-author narrative to appear in decades. Very highly recommended as a key acquisition!
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5.0 out of 5 starsnothing like it has ever been produced
By Joseph G Syverson on April 11, 2015
Format: Paperback
i rarely review books on Amazon. usually when i read a book i feel as though not much can be said that hasn't been already. however, i believe this one has historical importance for the practice of philosophy, for that to this date, nothing like it has ever been produced.

the title indicates that it is a "history," which seems to indicate that it belongs to a class of surveys designed to teach the reader something that would otherwise be scattered across a thousand other books. although it fulfills this capacity in the utmost, maybe it should be considered a work of philosophy in it's own right.

it is written from the lucid perspective of an analytical philosopher of the twentieth century, but without the haughty fantasy that the Analytical Philosophy represents the teleological purpose of what philosophy "should have always been." Kenny as a philosopher AND humanist gives us a vision that is sympathetic to the notion that "ignorance" is not a proper factor in judging the philosophers of the past. he gives notice to the shift of historical symbolism and how old contributions to methodology and mechanisms of understanding persist even to our current era. it is the concerns of a people in Time that orient their intellectual priorities, and we should hope that when the philosophers of the future write about our philosophical contributions, they are as charitable as Kenny has been to the giants upon whose shoulders we stand.

styled after the construction of Aquinas's Summa Theologiae (but much shorter!), he organizes the thinkers of the past into debates according to topic, while heading each paradigm of thought (Ancient, Medieval, Modern, Contemporary) with a narrative where he gets a chance to demonstrate his own wit, humor, and knowledge of history, literature and religion.

i wonder what he's going to do next.
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5.0 out of 5 starsComprehensive
By Gary Nagy on March 18, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I have over the years read several histories of Western Philosophy, and this is the best of the lot. Professor Kenny gives the reader a thorough, comprehensive, and readable account of philosophy from the ancient Greeks to the present, introducing the reader to the ideas of major thinkers and the themes that have preoccupied philosophers over time in the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, politics, religion, and aesthetics.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a wonderful overview of the whole of Western Philosophy...

This is a wonderful overview of the whole of Western Philosophy written by an excellent if somewhat unsung philosopher and historian, Anthony Kenny. Mr. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Stymie Seamore
3.0 out of 5 starsExcellent information and synthesis, but editing detracts from...

A vast amount of important material is covered in this book; I, however, found the author's style distracting. Read more

Published 13 months ago by Skidtz
5.0 out of 5 starsI bought the kindle version in order to read on ...

I bought the kindle version in order to read on my long commute. it keeps me awake and enlightened at the same time. ;-)

Published 13 months ago by Kay M
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Great book

Published 16 months ago by Jerrod Taylor
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent

Published 19 months ago by westwinds3
3.0 out of 5 starsI expected more from Kenny. As noted in other ...

I expected more from Kenny. As noted in other reviews he stops at Derrida around 1975. Not much new here on earlier philosophers We badly need a history of philosophy covering post... Read more

Published on August 25, 2014 by Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsA Marvelous History

This is a brilliantly written book that successfully balances the historical and philosophical detail of western thought since the early Greeks. Read more

Published on July 14, 2014 by Antipholous S
3.0 out of 5 starsA Challenge to read -- A greater challenge to SEE!

This is a challenging book. Kenny is a clear expounder of a difficult subject and a forceful critic. Read more

Published on February 15, 2014 by Michael A. Roberts

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