The Rationalists: History of Western Philosophy 4

by John Cottingham

Book Overview

The seventeenth century saw a major revolution in our ways of thinking about such issues as the method appropriate to philosophy and science, the relation between mind and body, the nature of substance, and the place of humanity in nature. While not neglecting the lesser but still influential figures, such as Arnauld and Malebranche, John Cottingham focuses primarily on the three great "rationalists" Descartes, Spinoza, and Leibniz. He examines how they approached central problems of philosophy, and shows how closely their ideas are related, despite the radically different philosophical systems they produced. He not only places the major thinkers in their historical and philosophical contexts, but engages their ideas in a vigorously critical way, revealing their capacity to throw light on major philosophical topics that are still very much alive today.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0192891901
• ISBN13: 9780192891907
• Release Date: September 1988
• Publisher: OUP Oxford
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

best introduction

This work appears to be the best introduction to rationalism as a 17th century school of thought. Beside presenting in a lucid and not oversimplified way the ideas of Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz, Cottingham situates them both in historical context and in the context of contemporary debates like those of philosophy of mind (certainly so far as we can expect from an introductory work). Oversimplification often harms books like those of the Opus series, so that it often ends up in a book without much content. Cottingham's might be the best in the series. There are some weaknesses in the Leibniz part. Otherwise best introduction.