A Hundred Years of Philosophy

One of the best histories of philosophy I've read, and I've read far too many of them. Passmore writes beautifully, and clearly, and, for the most part, sympathetically, about an enormous number of people you've never read, or never heard of, or never even really need to have heard of. But he also does a great job on the major figures of this time period (i.e., from Mill to Quine). I was already impressed with his ability to write about Wittgenstein, Collingwood, Austin and Russell as if he was a critical partisan of each. But then he does justice to Jaspers, Heidegger, Sartre and Merleau-Ponty!

I say he's even-handed, and he does justice, but by that I mean he isn't afraid to be critical, particularly where criticism is warranted (i.e., show more much of Jaspers and much of Sartre). He also has obvious biases. But in general, an amazing history of an occasionally obscure period. Highly recommended. show less