Philosophic Classics, Volume IV: Nineteenth-Century Philosophy

by Forrest Baird

Overview

This anthology of readings in contemporary Western philosophy focuses on 19th-century philosophers who represent a variety of responses to the issue of their day: whether or not there was a knowable, nonhuman rational order upon which thinking persons could willfully choose to act. The selections are readable and accessible, yet remain faithful to the original works. Accompanying the text are drawings, diagrams, photographs, and a timeline; all of which allow the reader to really study the major philosophical thinkers of the 19th-century: Bentham, Wollstonecraft, Fichte, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Feuerbach, Mill, Kierkegaard, Marx, Peirce, James, and Nietzche. For anyone interested in owning a collection of works from the greatest philosophical thinkers in the 19th-century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138373945
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/18/2020
Series:	Philosophic Classics
Edition description:	3rd ed.
Pages:	510
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Forrest E. Baird is Professor and Chair of Philosophy & Religion at Whitworth College, Spokane, Washington.

Read an Excerpt

Nineteenth-century European philosophy is characterized by a growing skepticism of the assumptions of earlier "modern philosophy." The pre-Kantian thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth century had believed there was a knowable, nonhuman rational order upon which thinking persons could willfully choose to act. The debates of these "modern philosophers" centered on where that order was to be found, how one was to know it, and what actions should follow. But following the monumental work of Immanuel Kant, a shift took place. Kant had concluded that while there is a rational nonhuman order (the "things-in-themselves" or "noumenal world"), it cannot be known or used as a basis for morality. The nineteenth-century thinkers who followed were dissatisfied with this conclusion. Some maintained that there was a knowable, rational order, but claimed that it constituted reality and hence one could not really choose to act upon it. Others concluded that there was a nonhuman order, but it was anything but rational. Still others denied that there is anything beyond the "space-time manifold" of phenomenal experience to direct human affairs.

The nineteenth-century philosophers included in this volume represent a variety of different responses to these issues. It is often commonplace to group nineteenth(and twentieth-) century philosophers into two groups: Continental thinkers and Anglo-American thinkers. In choosing readings for this volume, I have tried to provide a balance between these two approaches to philosophy. Accordingly, it is possible to trace the development of Continental thought beginning with Fichte and moving through Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Feuerbach, Kierkegaard, Marx, and Nietzsche. Likewise, one can follow the Anglo-American concerns beginning with Bentham and continuing on through Wollstonecraft, Mill, Peirce, and James. (Of course the development of nineteenth-century is hardly that neat and tidy. Comte's writing, for instance, had a major influence on several British and American thinkers and the later "Anglo-American" philosophy of Logical Positivism—a philosophy that began on the Continent of Europe in Vienna.)

For this new edition I have added a selection from Mary Wollstonecraft, changed the selections from James and the translation of Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, and made a number of other small changes. In choosing texts for this volume, I have tried wherever possible to follow three principles: (1) to use complete works or, where more appropriate, complete sections of works (2) in clear translations (3) of texts central to the thinker's philosophy or widely accepted as part of the "canon." To make the works more accessible to students, most footnotes treating textual matters (variant readings, etc.) have been omitted and all Greek words have been transliterated and put within angle brackets. In addition, each thinker is introduced by a brief essay composed of three sections: (1) biographical (a glimpse of the life), (2) philosophical (a résumé of the philosopher's thought), and (3) bibliographical (suggestions for further reading).

Table of Contents

Jeremy Bentham.

Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (Chapters 1-4).

Mary Wollstonecraft.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Chapter 6).

Johann Gottlieb Fichte.

On the Foundation of Our Belief in a Divine Government of the Universe. The Vocation of Man (Book III).

G.W.F. Hegel.

Phenomenology of Spirit (“Independence and Dependence of Self-Consciousness: Relations of Master and Servant”). Encyclopaedia (Introduction). Who Thinks Abstractly? Reason in History: A General Introduction to the Philosophy of History (Chapters 1-3). Lectures on the History of Philosophy (“The Final Result”).

Arthur Schopenhauer.

The World as Will and Idea (Chapter 19).

Auguste Comte.

Introduction to Positive Philosophy (“The Nature and Importance of the Positive Philosophy”).

Ludwig Feuerbach.

The Essence of Christianity (Chapter 1).

John Stuart Mill.

Utilitarianism. On Liberty. The Subjection of Women (Selections from Chapter 1).

Søren Kierkegaard.

Fear and Trembling (“Is There a Teleological Suspension of the Ethical?”). Concluding Unscientific Postscript (Section I, Chapter 2; Section II, Chapter 2). The Present Age (in part).

Karl Marx.

Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 (“Alienated Labor,” “Private and Communism Property,” and “Critique of Hegelian Dialectic and Philosophy in General”). Manifesto of the Communist Party (Chapters 1, 4). The German Ideology (“Ideology in General, German Ideology in Particular”). A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (Author's Preface and Introduction).

Charles Sanders Peirce.

The Fixation of Belief. How to Make Our Ideas Clear.

William James.

The Will to Believe. Pragmatism (Lectures, I, II, IV, VI).

Friedrich Nietzsche.

The Birth of Tragedy (Chapters I-III, XV, XXV). The Genealogy of Morality (“Good and Evil,” “Good and Bad”). Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Part I, Chapters 1-3). Twilight of the Idols (Selections). The Will to Power (§1067). The Anti-Christ (First Book, Chapters 2-7, 62).

Preface

Nineteenth-century European philosophy is characterized by a growing skepticism of the assumptions of earlier "modern philosophy." The pre-Kantian thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth century had believed there was a knowable, nonhuman rational order upon which thinking persons could willfully choose to act. The debates of these "modern philosophers" centered on where that order was to be found, how one was to know it, and what actions should follow. But following the monumental work of Immanuel Kant, a shift took place. Kant had concluded that while there is a rational nonhuman order (the "things-in-themselves" or "noumenal world"), it cannot be known or used as a basis for morality. The nineteenth-century thinkers who followed were dissatisfied with this conclusion. Some maintained that there was a knowable, rational order, but claimed that it constituted reality and hence one could not really choose to act upon it. Others concluded that there was a nonhuman order, but it was anything but rational. Still others denied that there is anything beyond the "space-time manifold" of phenomenal experience to direct human affairs.

The nineteenth-century philosophers included in this volume represent a variety of different responses to these issues. It is often commonplace to group nineteenth(and twentieth-) century philosophers into two groups: Continental thinkers and Anglo-American thinkers. In choosing readings for this volume, I have tried to provide a balance between these two approaches to philosophy. Accordingly, it is possible to trace the development of Continental thought beginning with Fichte and moving through Hegel, Schopenhauer, Comte, Feuerbach, Kierkegaard,Marx, and Nietzsche. Likewise, one can follow the Anglo-American concerns beginning with Bentham and continuing on through Wollstonecraft, Mill, Peirce, and James. (Of course the development of nineteenth-century is hardly that neat and tidy. Comte's writing, for instance, had a major influence on several British and American thinkers and the later "Anglo-American" philosophy of Logical Positivism—a philosophy that began on the Continent of Europe in Vienna.)

For this new edition I have added a selection from Mary Wollstonecraft, changed the selections from James and the translation of Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, and made a number of other small changes. In choosing texts for this volume, I have tried wherever possible to follow three principles: (1) to use complete works or, where more appropriate, complete sections of works (2) in clear translations (3) of texts central to the thinker's philosophy or widely accepted as part of the "canon." To make the works more accessible to students, most footnotes treating textual matters (variant readings, etc.) have been omitted and all Greek words have been transliterated and put within angle brackets. In addition, each thinker is introduced by a brief essay composed of three sections: (1) biographical (a glimpse of the life), (2) philosophical (a résumé of the philosopher's thought), and (3) bibliographical (suggestions for further reading).

Editorial Reviews

"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

From the Publisher