One Thousand Years of Philosophy - by Rom Harré (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Uniquely comparative and sweeping in scope, One Thousand Years of Philosophy covers the history of Western thought alongside the Vedic philosophies of India, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, as well as Islamic and Jewish contributions to philosophy.

From the Back Cover

This innovative survey explores the distinctive character of three traditions - Indian, Chinese and Western - that have dominated philosophical thought over the past thousand years. Uniquely comparative and sweeping in scope, One Thousand Years of Philosophy covers the history of Western thought alongside the Vedic philosophies of India, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, as well as Islamic and Jewish contributions to philosophy.

Engaging and accessible, One Thousand Years of Philosophy follows the transformation of the discipline over the course of the last millennium, from its religious origins to a largely secular enterprise. A wide range of philosophical fields and issues are covered, including metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, existentialism, philosophy of science, and social and political thought.

The essence and ingenuity of the arguments of the great philosophers are explained in the context of their historical developments, from the founding of the Sung Dynasty in 960 to the collapse of the Soviet Union. One Thousand Years of Philosophy offers readers a panoramic view of the ideas that have shaped the world, and prompts them to ponder their significance for the next thousand years.

Review Quotes

"Harre's work must rank as one of the most unique historical sources available: it provides an account of how particular philosophers and their works fit into the far broader context of a millennium's worth of thought without regard to hemisphere." Times Higher Education Supplement

"He engages readers with a clear style, periodic conclusions, and predictions of dominant philosophical themes in the future. Helpful aids include an events time line, historical chart, notes, bibliography, and index." D.A. Haney, Marywood University, Choice, June 2001

"A millennium of deep thought compressed in an utterly accessible volume. Rom Harré serves the interested reader well in this carefully, systematically organized work. This is a book that invites the earnest reader to join the Long Debate and to recognize its vital importantce." -- Daniel N. Robinson, Georgetown University

About the Author

Rom Harre became a Fellow of Linacre College, Oxford in 1962. Since 1978 he has held part-time positions at Binghamton, Georgetown and American University specializing in philosophy of science and linguistic aspects of psychology. His publications include The Discursive Mind (with G. Gillette, 1994), Varieties of Realism (with M. Krausz, 1995), and The Singular Self (1998). He holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Helsinki, Brussels, Aarhus, and Lima.