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The Story of Philosophy
by Will Durant
The Story of Philosophy: the Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers is a book by Will Durant that profiles several prominent Western philosophers and their ideas, beginning with Plato and on through Friedrich Nietzsche. Durant attempts to show the interconnection of their ideas and how one philosopher’s ideas informed the next. There are nine chapters each focused on one philosopher, and two more chapters each containing briefer profiles of three early 20th century philosophers.
CONTENTS
EDITORS PREFACE
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION
INTRODUCTION: On the Uses of Philosophy
CHAPTER ONE: Plato
- The Context of Plato
- Socrates
- The Preparation of Plato
- The Ethical Problem
- The Political Problem
- The Psychological Problem
- The Psychological Solution
- The Political Solution
- The Ethical Solution
- Criticism
CHAPTER TWO: Aristotle and Greek Science
- The Historical Background
- The Work of Aristotle
- The Foundation of Logic
- The Organization of Science
- Metaphysics and the Nature of God
- Psychology and the Nature of Art
- Ethics and the Nature of Happiness
- Politics
- Criticism
- Later Life and Death
CHAPTER THREE: Francis Bacon
- From Aristotle to the Renaissance
- The Political Career of Francis Bacon
- The Essays
- The Great Reconstruction
- Criticism
- Epilogue
CHAPTER FOUR: Spinoza
- Historical and Biographical
- The Treatise on Religion and the State
- The Improvement of the Intellect
- The Ethics
- The Political Treatise
- The Influence of Spinoza
CHAPTER FIVE: Voltaire and the French Enlightenment
- Paris: Oedipe
- London: The Letters on the English
- Cirey: The Romances
- Potsdam and Frederick
- Les Délices: The Essay on Morals
- Ferney: Candide
- The Encyclopedia and the Philosophic Dictionary
- Écrasez l’lnfame
- Voltaire and Rousseau
- Dénouement
CHAPTER SIX: Immanuel Kant and German idealism
- Roads to Kant
- Kant Himself
- The Critique of Pure Reason
- The Critique: Transcendental Esthetic
- The Critique: Transcendental Analytic
- The Critique: Transcendental Dialectic
- The Critique of Practical Reason
- On Religion and Reason
- On Politics and Eternal Peace
- Criticism and Estimate
- A Note on Hegel
CHAPTER SEVEN: Schopenhauer
- The Age
- The Man
- The World as Idea
- The World as Will
- The World as Evil
- The Wisdom of Life
- The Wisdom of Death
- Criticism
CHAPTER EIGHT: Herbert Spencer
- Comte and Darwin
- The Development of Spencer
- First Principles
- Biology: The Evolution of Life
- Psychology: The Evolution of Mind
- Sociology: The Evolution of Society
- Ethics: The Evolution of Morals
- Criticism
- Conclusion
CHAPTER NINE: Friedrich Nietzsche
- The Lineage of Nietzsche
- Youth
- Nietzsche and Wagner
- The Song of Zarathustra
- Hero-morality
- The Superman
- Decadence
- Aristocracy
- Criticism
- Finale
CHAPTER TEN: Contemporary European Philosophers
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Contemporary American Philosophers