A History of Philosophy - by Anthony Carroll & Frederick Copleston (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A history of philosophy from the origins of reason in Ancient Greece to the most influential philosophers working today, this long-awaited single volume companion to Frederick Copleston's historic 11-volume series is a must-have for any aspiring philosopher.

Frederick Copleston's 11-volume A History of Philosophy has been the go-to reference for philosophers and students for decades. It is universally recognized as a classic and sits on the shelf of countless leading thinkers today. This companion to Copleston's landmark work contains clear and succinct analyses of the major events and texts in philosophy, exploring the foundational principles and ideals that drove the development of Western thought. It grapples with the sometimes complex views and teachings of the greatest minds in philosophy, explaining their work with clarity and elegance.

An accessible journey through this epic and deeply human history, Carroll succinctly condenses Copleston's thought while expanding on contemporary and world philosophy. From the early teachings of Socrates to the medieval philosophies of Christian Europe, the Enlightenment and the radical arguments of the Existentialists, Carroll adeptly explores the common threads and themes that have united all rational enquiries into the fundamental nature of reality.

Review Quotes

"If you're looking for wisdom, you need a sense of history. And a deeper sense of the history of the Western philosophical mind and its inbuilt patterned challenges is what you get from Tony Carroll's informative and insightful book on F.C. Copleston's legacy." --Paolo Costa, author of The Post-Secular City

"Anthony Carroll's reconstruction of the famous 11 volumes of A History of Philosophy is both a compelling introduction into Copleston's comprehensive studies of Philosophy in the West and the East as well as a convincing invitation into the search for truth through discursive reason in the humanist tradition of the Jesuit order. The strong systematic approach to the broad material allows Anthony Carroll to build an intellectual bridge from Copleston's work to modern philosophers like Jürgen Habermas, Alasdair MacIntrye and Charles Taylor. It is an extraordinary and excellent piece of philosophical work!" --Professor Dr Matthias Lutz-Bachmann, Professor for Philosophy at Goethe University, Frankfurt

"A bold new version of Frederick Copleston's magnificent history of philosophy condensed to a single volume. Carroll dedicates a chapter to each of the original 11 volumes and offers an introduction and conclusion which puts the original work in perspective and makes explicit its philosophical significance for our time. A wonderful opportunity for the general reader and the student of philosophy to become acquainted with this important work. It will be of interest to all those working and studying in the fields of history of philosophy and theology." --Professor Fiona Ellis, University of Nottingham.

"By engaging with Frederick Copleston's groundbreaking multi-volume A History of Philosophy, this book offers a stimulating overview of a philosophical conversation that spans several centuries and is still ongoing. It demonstrates how humanity has explored fundamental questions from various perspectives and how our present thinking and self-understanding depend on foundations laid down by previous generations. The book thus helps overcome the tendency to teach philosophy with little reference to its rich history. It will fit in wonderfully within the standard philosophical curriculum. Anthony Carroll has produced a thrilling account of the entire journey of human intellectual achievement, written in unusually clear and accessible language." --Louis Caruana SJ, Professor of Philosophy, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome

"Readers approaching Anthony Carroll's A History of Philosophy: The Condensed Copleston in the expectation of an authoritative, lucid, single-volume account of Copleston's multi-volume classic history will not be disappointed. The Condensed Copleston is, however, much more than this. Carroll deftly weaves into his exposition of Copleston's text much illuminating commentary that, among other things, encompasses developments in philosophy since the original was completed. The result is an incomparable backward glance through 2,500 years of Western philosophy. I cannot recommend it too highly." --Professor Raymond Tallis, author of The Kingdom of Infinite Space and Aping Mankind

"In the middle of the last (20th) Century, Father Copleston wrote a multi-volume history of Western philosophy which a wide range of students and researchers, well beyond the range of those who shared his Catholic faith and admiration for Aquinas, found extremely helpful. Anthony Carroll has written a condensed single-volume version which shares the same quality of clarity and comprehensiveness. A truly striking achievement." --Charles Taylor, author of The Secular Age and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at McGill University

"By offering a condensed reconstruction of Copleston's eleven-volume masterpiece within the confines of a single handy volume, Carroll has produced a useful and stimulating resource for a range of courses in the history of philosophy." --John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of Reading.

"Why study a history of philosophy? Why condense eleven volumes into one? Anthony Carroll's work answers, in a brilliant way, both questions. His reconstruction of the eleven volumes of Copleston's History of Philosophy offers the reader a clear and deep understanding of the history of philosophy from the Greeks until today (Habermas, McIntyre, Taylor...).
Anthony Carroll not only has the ability to systematize and condense Copleston's work without losing its depth, but he is also capable of providing keys to understanding Copleston's work and the history of philosophy. Lastly, the Ignatian humanism underlying Copleston's thought and perspective is taken up as a key to fundamental understanding in the search for truth and the deeper meaning of philosophy in Carroll's work." --Prof. Dr. Ignacio Sepúlveda del Río, Professor of Philosophy and Head of the Humanities Department, Loyola (Jesuit) University in Andalucía, Spain

"In an age of increasing cultural and political polarisation philosophy could be of great help - but only if it does not reproduce the deficiencies of many public debates. This condensed history of philosophy is a model of what reasonable, open-minded and fair argumentation can achieve." --Hans Joas, Humboldt University, Berlin

About the Author

Anthony J. Carroll is a philosopher, theologian and parish priest in Andalusia, Spain. His previous books include Protestant Modernity; Religion and Atheism: Beyond the Divide; and Modernity and Transcendence: A Dialogue with Charles Taylor.

Frederick Copleston (died 1994) was Professor of the History of Philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Theology at London University. His work A History of Philosophy is one of the most remarkable single-handed scholarly enterprises of modern times.