A History of Western Philosophy

"This book represents the sophistication of the ancient beliefs discussed in my first choice. It shows how people have grappled with all kinds of questions relating to knowledge over the centuries going back to Thales and Pythagoras, and then through to John Locke and David Hume. It is fairly modern – although, because it was published in 1945, it doesn’t come up to the present day. It is a summary (although in some people’s eyes, an unreliable one) of a great deal of philosophical thought; it reviews how people have really grappled in a seemingly very intelligent way with very deep questions. Moral philosophy is useful; political philosophy is useful. They help solve those conundrums relating to deportment of individuals in societies. In terms of science, I think it has nothing to contribute. I think science goes out and looks at what the world is like. Philosophers sit around, either reflecting on what the world should be like or telling scientists that they can’t believe their own observations!"