Category: Philosophy
-
The Purpose of the Past: Reflections on the Uses of History (2008) by Gordon S. Wood
Gordon S. Wood, who died a few months ago at the age of 92, is one of my all-time favorite academic historians. His work is so insightful and consistently well written that I try to read virtually everything he has published, even when the subject falls outside my immediate interests. It was primarily Wood’s name,…
-
On Liberty (1859) by John Stuart Mill (David Bromwich, Editor, 2003)
by John Stuart Mill (Author), David Bromwich (Editor), George Kateb (Editor) John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1859) remains one of the foundational texts of modern liberal thought, articulating a defense of individual freedom against the encroachment of state authority and, even more importantly, social conformity. It may be the single most influential piece of philosophy I’ve ever read. Its central argument…
-
The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise of Modern Philosophy (2016) by Anthony Gottlieb
Anthony Gottlieb claims that the foundations of western philosophy were created in two “staccoto bursts” of 150 years each separated by nearly two millenia. “The Dream of Reason” (2000) covered the first burst centered on Athens from the middle of the fifth century to the late fourth century BC. “The Dream of Enlightenment: The Rise…
-
Dream of Reason: A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance (2000) Anthony Gottlieb
Anthony Gottlieb’s “The Dream of Reason: A History of Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance” (2000) stands as a remarkable achievement in making the complex world of ancient philosophy accessible to modern readers, much the way Bertrand Russell’s seminal “The History of Western Philosophy” (1946) did for previous generations. Gottlieb’s group biography does for…
What's Tim Reading Now? 