Synopses & Reviews
Esteemed for providing the best available translations, Philosophic Classics: From Plato to Derrida, features complete works or complete sections of the most important works by the major thinkers, as well as shorter samples from transitional thinkers.
First published in 1961, Forrest E. Baird's revision of Philosophic Classics, Pearson Education's long-standing anthology (available in split volumes), continues the tradition of providing generations of students with high quality course material. Using the complete works, or where appropriate, complete sections of works, this anthology allows philosophers to speak directly to students.
For more information on the period volumes that are available please see below:
Philosophicl Classics, Volume I: Ancient Philosophy, 6/E ISBN-10: 0205783856
Philosophicl Classics, Volume II: Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy, 6/E ISBN-10: 0205783902
Philosophic Classics, Volume III: Modern Philosophy, 6/E ISBN-10: 0205783899
Review
"Students with little or no background in philosophy would likely find it difficult—if not impossible—to comprehend the works of many of the philosophers addressed in [each] volume on their own. However, this text's informative introductions and careful selection of readings make it possible for students to get a foothold in their primary texts....[S]tudents are afforded the opportunity to engage with the works of these illustrious but often inscrutable thinkers." — Jennifer McMahon, Centre College
"This collection is by far the best I have seen in this area....And I certainly prefer having all of my material together in one text rather than having students purchase half a dozen books, which then still require supplementation. I cannot imagine a better format or selection of materials that would tempt me away from this collection for another." — Ted Toadvine, Emporia State University
Synopsis
This anthology of readings in Western philosophy-from the Ancient Greeks to the 20th Century-is designed to be readable and accessible. Striking a balance between major and minor figures in philosophy, it features the best available translations of texts, while still being faithful to the original works. This anthology uses the best translations, drawings, diagrams, photographs, and a timeline to cover philosophy throughout the ages; and includes works by Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Epictetus, Plotinus, Augustine, Boethius, Anselm, Maimonides, Aquinas, William of Ockham, Descartes, Hobbes, Pascal, Spinoza, Locke, Leibniz, Berkeley, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Kiegegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, Husserl, Russell, Heidegger, Wittgenstein, Sartre, and Derrida. For anyone wishing to own a fabulous, readable collection of some of the greatest philosophical works throughout the ages.
Synopsis
First published in 1961, Forrest E. Baird's revision of Philosophic Classics continues the tradition of providing generations of students with high quality course material. Using the complete works, or where appropriate, complete sections of works, this anthology allows philosophers to speak directly to students. Esteemed for providing the best available translations, Philosophic Classics: From Plato to Derrida, features complete works or complete sections of the most important works by the major thinkers, as well as shorter samples from transitional thinkers.
About the Author
Forrest Baird has taught at Whitworth since 1978. In addition to teaching a variety of courses in philosophy, most summers he teaches for Fuller Theological Seminary in extension programs throughout the West. Dr. Baird has a B.A. from Westmont, an M.Div. From Fuller, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from Claremont Graduate University. In his time at Whitworth, Dr. Baird has been selected by five graduating classes as the "Most Influential Professor" and has also been voted "Teacher of the Year" by his colleagues. Dr. Baird has studied the problem of evil while a Resident Fellow at the Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research at St. John's University and Abbey in Collegeville, MN, and more recently has been studying Chinese philosophy. Dr. Baird's most recent scholarly work has been editing the six-volume Philosophic Classics series for Prentice Hall. His other works include editing the book, Human Thought and Action: Readings in Western Intellectual History, and co-authoring (with Jack Rogers) the HarperCollins textbook, Introduction to Philosophy: A Case Study Approach.
Table of Contents
Contents
PREFACE ix
ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY 1
SOCRATES AND PLATO 3
Euthyphro 8
Apology 21
Crito 38
Phaedo (72c—83c, 114e—118b) 47
Republic (Book I, 336b—342e, 347b—e; Book II, 357a—362c, 368a—376e; Book III, 412b—417b; Book IV, 427c—445e; Book V, 449—462e, 473b—e; and Books VI—VII, 502c—521b) 59
ARISTOTLE 125
Physics (Book II, complete) 129
Metaphysics (Book I, 1—4, 6, 9; and Book XII, 6—9) 140
On the Soul (Book II, Chapters 1—3; and Book III, 4—5) 157
Nicomachean Ethics (Books I—II; Book IV, 3; Books VI—VII; and Book X, 6—8) 164
HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN PHILOSOPHY 227
EPICURUS 230
Letter to Menoeceus 232
Principal Doctrines 236
EPICTETUS 239
Handbook (Enchiridion) 241
PYRRHO AND SEXTUS EMPIRICUS 252
Outlines of Pyrrhonism (Book I, 1—13) 253
PLOTINUS 258
Enneads (Ennead I, Tractate 6) 260
CHRISTIANITY AND MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY 267
AUGUSTINE 272
Confessions (Book VIII, 5, 8—12; and Book XI, 14—28) 275
City of God (Book XI, Chapter 26; and Book XII, Chapters 1—9) 290
BOETHIUS 300
The Consolation of Philosophy (Book V, Chapter 6) 302
ANSELM (AND GUANILO) 306
Proslogion (Preface; Chapters 1—4) 308
Gaunilo and Anselm: Debate (selections) 310
HILDEGARD OF BINGEN 314
Scivias (Book I, Vision 4, 16—26) 316
MOSES MAIMONIDES 321
The Guide for the Perplexed (Part II, Introduction) 323
THOMAS AQUINAS 327
Summa Theologica (selections) 331
WILLIAM OF OCKHAM 358
Summa Logicae (On Universals Part I, Chapters 14—16) 361
GIOVANNI PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA 366
Oration on the Dignity of Man (in part) 368
MODERN PHILOSOPHY 371
RENÉ DESCARTES 373
Meditations on the First Philosophy 377
Correspondence with Princess Elizabeth (selections) 417
THOMAS HOBBES 421
Leviathan (selections from Chapters 1—3, 6, 9, 12—15, 17—18, 21) 424
BLAISE PASCAL 461
Pensées (selections) 464
BARUCH SPINOZA 470
Ethics (Sections I and II) 472
JOHN LOCKE 523
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (abridged) 526
GOTTFRIED LEIBNIZ 578
Discourse on Metaphysics 582
The Monadology 610
GEORGE BERKELEY 619
Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous 622
DAVID HUME 681
An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding 684
JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU 762
The Social Contract (Book I) 765
IMMANUEL KANT 775
Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics 779
Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals 851
On a Supposed Right to Lie From Altruistic Motives 894
MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT 898
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Chapter 6) 900
NINETEENTH-CENTURY PHILOSOPHY 905
G.W.F. HEGEL 907
Phenomenology of Spirit (B, IV, A: “Independence and Dependence of Self-Consciousness: Relations of Master and Servant”)
920
Lectures on the History of Philosophy (“The Final Result”) 916
JOHN STUART MILL 920
Utilitarianism 923
SØREN KIERKEGAARD 962
Fear and Trembling (Problema I: “Teleological Suspension of the Ethical”) 966
Concluding Unscientific Postscript (Section II, Chapter 2, “Subjective Truth, Inwardness; Truth Is Subjectivity”) 974
KARL MARX 983
Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 (“Alienated Labor”) 986
Manifesto of the Communist Party (Chapters 1 and 2) 995
A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (Preface) 1004
Notes on Bakunin’s Statehood and Anarchy (selections) 1005
CHARLES SANDERS PEIRCE 1007
The Fixation of Belief 1009
WILLIAM JAMES 1019
Pragmatism (Lecture II: What Pragmatism Means) 1021
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE 1033
The Birth of Tragedy (Chapters 1—3) 1037
The Gay Science (selections) 1043
Twilight of the Idols (selections) 1045
The Anti-Christ (First Book, 2—7, 62) 1057
TWENTIETH-CENTURY PHILOSOPHY 1061
EDMUND HUSSERL 1065
Phenomenology (Encyclopaedia Brittanica article) 1068
W.E.B. DU BOIS 1076
The Souls of Black Folks (Chapter 1) 1079
BERTRAND RUSSELL 1085
The Problems of Philosophy (Chapters 1 & 15) 1088
MARTIN HEIDEGGER 1096
Introduction to Metaphysics (Chapter 1: “The Fundamental Question of Metaphysics”) 1101
LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN 1127
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Preface Sections 1—3.1431,4, 4.06, 4.1, 5, 5.6, 6.4—7) 1131
Philosophical Investigations (Paragraphs 1—47, 65—71, 241, 257—258, 305, 309) 1139
JEAN-PAUL SARTRE 1156
Existentialism Is a Humanism 1160
SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR 1174
The Second Sex (Introduction) 1177
WILLARD VAN ORMAN QUINE 1189
Two Dogmas of Empiricism 1192
JACQUES DERRIDA 1207
Of Grammatology (“The Written Being/The Being Written”) 1210