Philosophic Classics: Bacon to Kant by Walter Kaufmann, 1961 Prentice-Hall HC

Description: PREFACE I There is no better introduction to philosophy, whether one reads for oneself or takes a course, than to read some of the great philoso- phers. But few books are more difficult than Aristotle's Metaphysics or Spinoza's Ethics or Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. And even works that are less puzzling are sometimes like snippets of a conver- sation that one overhears on entering a room: what is said is clear, only one can't be sure one has got the point because one does not know just what has gone before. A slight point may be crucial to refute some earlier suggestion, and a seemingly pointless remark may contain a barbed allusion. Too often nonphilosophers despair: It does not occur to them that whenever they choose to begin, they can still get in at the beginning of the conversation. They need only to commence with Thales and the other pre-Socratics. Nobody should fear that going back so far will expose him to a tedious excursion. On the contrary, in quick succession one encounters some of the most fascinating thinkers of all time and finds oneself regretting that so little of their writings has survived Soon one comes to Socrates and Plato and becomes involved in philosophical discussions that continue to this day. In the early dia- logues of Plato, the most brilliant literary power is employed to introduce us to philosophy; but one gains ever so much more from one's reading if one knows the pre-Socratics. The later dialogues are much more difficult, and so is much of Aristotle, but no serious student will be satisfied to remain com- pletely innocent of all these classics, and most teachers will want to read at least some of this material with their students.

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