Routledge History of Philosophy Volume IV
Routledge History of Philosophy Volume IV Routledge History of Philosophy Volume IV
element in learning about the nature of philosophy—in grasping how philosophy is intimately connected with and yet distinct from both history and science. The Routledge History of Philosophy provides a chronological survey of the history of Western philosophy, from its beginnings up to the present time. Its aim is to discuss all major philosophical developments in depth, and with this in mind, most space has been allocated to those individuals who, by common consent, are regarded as great philosophers. But lesser figures have not been neglected, and it is hoped that the reader will be able to find, in the ten volumes of the History, at least basic information about any significant philosopher of the past or present. Philosophical thinking does not occur in isolation from other human activities, and this History tries to situate philosophers within the cultural, and in particular the scientific, context of their time. Some philosophers, indeed, would regard philosophy as merely ancillary to the natural sciences; but even if this view is rejected, it can hardly be denied that the sciences have had a great influence on what is now regarded as philosophy, and it is important that this influence should be set forth clearly. Not that these volumes are intended to provide a mere record of the factors that influenced philosophical thinking; philosophy is a discipline with its own standards of argument, and the presentation of the ways in which these arguments have developed is the main concern of this History. In speaking of ‘what is now regarded as philosophy’, we may have given the impression that there now exists a single view of what philosophy is. This is certainly not the case; on the contrary, there exist serious differences of opinion, among those who call themselves philosophers, about the nature of their subject. These differences are reflected in the existence at the present time of two main schools of thought, usually described as ‘analytic’ and ‘continental’ philosophy. It is not our intention, as general editors of this History, to take sides in this dispute. Our attitude is one of tolerance, and our hope is that these volumes will contribute to an understanding of how philosophers have reached the positions which they now occupy. One final comment. Philosophy has long been a highly technical subject, with its own specialized vocabulary. This History is intended not only for the specialist but also for the general reader. To this end, we have tried to ensure that each chapter is written in an accessible style; and since technicalities are unavoidable, a glossary of technical terms is provided in each volume. In this way these volumes will, we hope, contribute to a wider understanding of a subject which is of the highest importance to all thinking people. G.H.R.Parkinson S.G.Shanker ix
Notes on contributors G.H.R.Parkinson is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading. His publications include Spinoza’s Theory of Knowledge (1954), Logic and Reality in Leibniz’s Metaphysics (1965) Georg Lukács (1977) and (as editor) Leibniz: Logical Papers (1966), The Theory of Meaning (1968), Leibniz: Philosophical Writings (1973) and The Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (1988). Jill Kraye is Lecturer in the History of Philosophy at the Warburg Institute, University of London. She is Associate Editor of The Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy (1988) and editor of The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Humanism (forthcoming). Stuart Brown is Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the Open University. He has edited several volumes of philosophical papers, including Reason and Religion (1977), Philosophical Disputes in the Social Sciences (1979), Philosophers of the Enlightenment (1979), Objectivity and Cultural Divergence (1984) and Nicolas Malebranche: His Philosophical Critics and Successors (1991), and he is the author of Leibniz (1984) in the ‘Philosophers in Perspective’ series. George Molland is Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Aberdeen; he is the author of several articles on medieval and early modern science and mathematics. Antonio Pérez-Ramos teaches philosophy at the University of Murcia, He is the author of Francis Bacon’s Idea of Science and the Maker’s Knowledge Tradition (1988). Stephen Gaukroger is Reader in Philosophy at the University of Sydney. He is author of Explanatory Structures: Concepts of Explanation in Early Physics and Philosophy (1978) and Cartesian Logic: An Essay on Descartes’ Conception of Inference (1989); editor of Descartes:Philosophy, Mathematics and Physics (1980) and The Uses of Antiquity: The Scientific Revolution and the Classical Tradition (1991); and translator of Arnauld, On True and False Ideas (1990).
- Page 2 and 3: Routledge History of Philosophy Vol
- Page 4 and 5: Routledge History of Philosophy Vol
- Page 6 and 7: v 1. Philosophy, Renaissance. 2. Ph
- Page 8 and 9: vii Glossary 389 Index of names 407
- Page 12 and 13: J.G.Cottingham is Professor of Phil
- Page 14 and 15: xiii Politics and Religion The Arts
- Page 16 and 17: xv Politics and Religion The Arts 1
- Page 18 and 19: xvii Politics and Religion The Arts
- Page 20 and 21: xix Politics and Religion The Arts
- Page 22 and 23: xxi Politics and Religion The Arts
- Page 24 and 25: xxiii Politics and Religion The Art
- Page 26 and 27: xxv Politics and Religion The Arts
- Page 28 and 29: xxvii Politics and Religion The Art
- Page 30 and 31: 2 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENTU
- Page 32 and 33: 4 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENTU
- Page 34 and 35: 6 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENTU
- Page 36 and 37: 8 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENTU
- Page 38 and 39: 10 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENT
- Page 40 and 41: 12 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENT
- Page 42 and 43: 14 RENAISSANCE AND SEVENTEENTH-CENT
- Page 44 and 45: 16 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 46 and 47: 18 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 48 and 49: 20 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 50 and 51: 22 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 52 and 53: 24 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 54 and 55: 26 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 56 and 57: 28 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
- Page 58 and 59: 30 THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ITALIAN RE
element in learning about the nature <strong>of</strong> philosophy—in grasping how philosophy<br />
is intimately connected with and yet distinct from both history and science.<br />
The <strong>Routledge</strong> <strong>History</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Philosophy</strong> provides a chronological survey <strong>of</strong> the<br />
history <strong>of</strong> Western philosophy, from its beginnings up to the present time. Its aim<br />
is to discuss all major philosophical developments in depth, and with this in<br />
mind, most space has been allocated to those individuals who, by common<br />
consent, are regarded as great philosophers. But lesser figures have not been<br />
neglected, and it is hoped that the reader will be able to find, in the ten volumes<br />
<strong>of</strong> the <strong>History</strong>, at least basic information about any significant philosopher <strong>of</strong> the<br />
past or present.<br />
Philosophical thinking does not occur in isolation from other human activities,<br />
and this <strong>History</strong> tries to situate philosophers within the cultural, and in particular<br />
the scientific, context <strong>of</strong> their time. Some philosophers, indeed, would regard<br />
philosophy as merely ancillary to the natural sciences; but even if this view is<br />
rejected, it can hardly be denied that the sciences have had a great influence on<br />
what is now regarded as philosophy, and it is important that this influence should<br />
be set forth clearly. Not that these volumes are intended to provide a mere record<br />
<strong>of</strong> the factors that influenced philosophical thinking; philosophy is a discipline<br />
with its own standards <strong>of</strong> argument, and the presentation <strong>of</strong> the ways in which<br />
these arguments have developed is the main concern <strong>of</strong> this <strong>History</strong>.<br />
In speaking <strong>of</strong> ‘what is now regarded as philosophy’, we may have given the<br />
impression that there now exists a single view <strong>of</strong> what philosophy is. This is<br />
certainly not the case; on the contrary, there exist serious differences <strong>of</strong> opinion,<br />
among those who call themselves philosophers, about the nature <strong>of</strong> their subject.<br />
These differences are reflected in the existence at the present time <strong>of</strong> two main<br />
schools <strong>of</strong> thought, usually described as ‘analytic’ and ‘continental’ philosophy.<br />
It is not our intention, as general editors <strong>of</strong> this <strong>History</strong>, to take sides in this<br />
dispute. Our attitude is one <strong>of</strong> tolerance, and our hope is that these volumes will<br />
contribute to an understanding <strong>of</strong> how philosophers have reached the positions<br />
which they now occupy.<br />
One final comment. <strong>Philosophy</strong> has long been a highly technical subject, with<br />
its own specialized vocabulary. This <strong>History</strong> is intended not only for the<br />
specialist but also for the general reader. To this end, we have tried to ensure that<br />
each chapter is written in an accessible style; and since technicalities are<br />
unavoidable, a glossary <strong>of</strong> technical terms is provided in each volume. In this<br />
way these volumes will, we hope, contribute to a wider understanding <strong>of</strong> a<br />
subject which is <strong>of</strong> the highest importance to all thinking people.<br />
G.H.R.Parkinson<br />
S.G.Shanker<br />
ix