Description
Book SynopsisA comprehensive yet accessible account of the major figures and movements of modern European philosophy Modern European Philosophers explores the great Western thinkers of the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Author Wayne Pomerleau presents a thorough historical treatment of the key ideas and arguments of twenty-one influential philosophers such as René Descartes, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill, Søren Kierkegaard, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Balancing depth and accessibility, topically organized chapters examine the work of a particular philosopher concerning epistemology, reality, the divine, human nature, freedom versus determinism, ethical theory, and various issues of society. Each chapter includes a brief topic overview and summary, biographical background, textual references, and direct quotations from primary sources. Examines early modern rationalism, early modern empiricism, German idealism, and anti-idealist alternativesCovers Rousseau, Hobbes, Leibniz, Schopenhauer, Hume, Hegel, Marx, and other major European thinkers Contains an introductory chapter with background information on ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, and renaissance thinkersIncludes integrated coverage of nine women philosophers of modern Europe to illustrate alternative perspectivesModern European Philosophers is an excellent primary or supplementary text for undergraduate and graduate courses on the history of modern philosophy and a useful resource for general readers looking to learn about the modern Western intellectual tradition.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
1 Background 4
1.1 Overview 4
1.2 Ancient Philosophy 4
1.3 Medieval Philosophy 12
1.4 Renaissance Thinkers 17
1.5 Review 20
2 René Descartes 21
2.1 Overview 21
2.2 Biography 22
2.3 Knowledge 23
2.4 Reality 25
2.5 God 26
2.6 Humanity 27
2.7 Freedom 30
2.8 Morality 31
2.9 Society 32
2.10 Review 33
2.11 Another Perspective 33
3 Thomas Hobbes 36
3.1 Overview 36
3.2 Biography 37
3.3 Knowledge 38
3.4 Reality 40
3.5 God 41
3.6 Humanity 43
3.7 Freedom 45
3.8 Morality 46
3.9 Society 47
3.10 Review 48
3.11 Another Perspective 49
4 Blaise Pascal 51
4.1 Overview 51
4.2 Biography 52
4.3 Knowledge 53
4.4 Reality 55
4.5 God 55
4.6 Humanity 57
4.7 Freedom 58
4.8 Morality 59
4.9 Society 60
4.10 Review 61
5 Baruch Spinoza 62
5.1 Overview 62
5.2zBiography 63
5.3 Knowledge 64
5.4 Reality 66
5.5 God 69
5.6 Humanity 71
5.7 Freedom 73
5.8 Morality 74
5.9 Society 74
5.10 Review 77
5.11 Another Perspective 77
6 Nicolas Malebranche 79
6.1 Overview 79
6.2 Biography 80
6.3 Knowledge 81
6.4 Reality 84
6.5 God 87
6.6 Humanity 89
6.7 Freedom 90
6.8 Morality 91
6.9 Society 92
6.10 Review 93
7 John Locke 94
7.1 Overview 94
7.2 Biography 95
7.3 Knowledge 97
7.4 Reality 101
7.5 God 103
7.6 Humanity 105
7.7 Freedom 106
7.8 Morality 107
7.9 Society 108
7.10 Review 111
7.11 Another Perspective 112
8 G.W. Leibniz 114
8.1 Overview 114
8.2 Biography 115
8.3 Knowledge 117
8.4 Reality 119
8.5 God 121
8.6 Humanity 124
8.7 Freedom 125
8.8 Morality 126
8.9 Society 126
8.10 Review 127
8.11 Another Perspective 127
9 George Berkeley 130
9.1 Overview 131
9.2 Biography 131
9.3 Knowledge 132
9.4 Reality 134
9.5 God 138
9.6 Humanity 140
9.7 Freedom 141
9.8 Morality 142
9.9 Society 143
9.10 Review 143
10 Joseph Butler 145
10.1 Overview 145
10.2 Biography 146
10.3 Knowledge 147
10.4 Reality 147
10.5 God 148
10.6 Humanity 149
10.7 Freedom 152
10.8 Morality 152
10.9 Society 153
10.10 Review 154
11 David Hume 155
11.1 Overview 155
11.2 Biography 156
11.3 Knowledge 159
11.4 Reality 161
11.5 God 163
11.6 Humanity 167
11.7 Freedom 170
11.8 Morality 171
11.9 Society 175
11.10 Review 176
11.11 Another Perspective 177
12 Jean-Jacques Rousseau 179
12.1 Overview 179
12.2 Biography 180
12.3 Knowledge 185
12.4 Reality 185
12.5 God 186
12.6 Humanity 187
12.7 Freedom 190
12.8 Morality 191
12.9 Society 192
12.10 Review 196
12.11 Another Perspective 196
13 Immanuel Kant 198
13.1 Overview 198
13.2 Biography 199
13.3 Knowledge 202
13.4 Reality 206
13.5 God 207
13.6 Humanity 209
13.7 Freedom 211
13.8 Morality 212
13.9 Society 216
13.10 Review 221
13.11 Another Perspective 222
14 Jeremy Bentham 224
14.1 Overview 224
14.2 Biography 225
14.3 Knowledge 226
14.4 Reality 227
14.5 God 228
14.6 Humanity 229
14.7 Freedom 230
14.8 Morality 231
14.9 Society 234
14.10 Review 236
15 Johann Gottlieb Fichte 237
15.1 Overview 237
15.2 Biography 238
15.3 Knowledge 239
15.4 Reality 242
15.5 God 244
15.6 Humanity 245
15.7 Freedom 246
15.8 Morality 247
15.9 Society 249
15.10 Review 251
16 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 252
16.1 Overview 253
16.2 Biography 253
16.3 Knowledge 256
16.4 Reality 259
16.5 God 260
16.6 Humanity 263
16.7 Freedom 265
16.8 Morality 266
16.9 Society 267
16.10 Review 270
17 Arthur Schopenhauer 271
17.1 Overview 271
17.2 Biography 272
17.3 Knowledge 274
17.4 Reality 276
17.5 God 278
17.6 Humanity 279
17.7 Freedom 280
17.8 Morality 282
17.9 Society 283
17.10 Review 284
18 Ludwig Feuerbach 285
18.1 Overview 285
18.2 Biography 286
18.3 Knowledge 287
18.4 Reality 289
18.5 God 289
18.6 Humanity 292
18.7 Freedom 293
18.8 Morality 293
18.9 Society 294
18.10 Review 295
19 Karl Marx 296
19.1 Overview 296
19.2 Biography 297
19.3 Knowledge 300
19.4 Reality 301
19.5 God 302
19.6 Humanity 303
19.7 Freedom 304
19.8 Morality 305
19.9 Society 307
19.10 Review 308
20 John Stuart Mill 310
20.1 Overview 310
20.2 Biography 311
20.3 Knowledge 314
20.4 Reality 316
20.5 God 317
20.6 Humanity 319
20.7 Freedom 320
20.8 Morality 321
20.9 Society 325
20.10 Review 330
20.11 Another Perspective 330
21 Søren Kierkegaard 333
21.1 Overview 333
21.2 Biography 334
21.3 Knowledge 337
21.4 Reality 339
21.5 God 340
21.6 Humanity 342
21.7 Freedom 345
21.8 Morality 346
21.9 Society 347
21.10 Review 348
22 Friedrich Nietzsche 349
22.1 Overview 349
22.2 Biography 350
22.3 Knowledge 352
22.4 Reality 353
22.5 God 354
22.6 Humanity 355
22.7 Freedom 357
22.8 Morality 357
22.9 Society 359
22.10 Review 360
Conclusion 362
Index 363
