A History of Western Philosophy

Introduction

The book grew out of lectures Russell gave in 1941–43 at the Barnes Foundation in Pennsylvania, after he had been barred from teaching at the City College of New York; it appeared in New York in 1945 and in London in 1946. In three books – ancient, Catholic and modern philosophy – it runs from the Presocratics to logical analysis and tries to place each thinker in their social and political circumstances. Written with wit and open partisanship, it became a bestseller and gave Russell financial security for the rest of his life. Specialists criticised its errors and its dismissive treatment of figures such as Hegel and Nietzsche, but it introduced generations of readers to philosophy.

More works by Bertrand Russell

• 1905On Denoting
• 1910Principia Mathematica