A History of Western Philosophy

“To understand an age or a nation, we must understand its philosophy, and to understand its philosophy we must ourselves be in some degree philosophers.”

Russell emphasizes from the start of the book that philosophy and life are interrelated. In order to understand philosophical ideas, it is essential to actively engage with those ideas. The History will be not just a recitation of abstract ideas but the story of how those ideas interacted with society and helped shape Western civilization.

“To teach how to live without certainty, and yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy, in our age, can still do for those who study it.”

Philosophy is, in a sense, poised between science and theology. In Russell’s view, both are reminders that there is much that humans do not know, and thus humans must learn to live with the lack of certain knowledge. Philosophy teaches how to ask important questions and seek answers to them, yet always with the understanding that knowledge will always be limited.

“What they achieved in art and literature is familiar to everybody, but what they did in the purely intellectual realm is even more exceptional.”

This passage refers to the ancient Greeks, who have long been revered for their varied contributions to Western civilization. Russell suggests that their invention of philosophy around 500 BCE, as well as their development of mathematics and science, are the most significant of all their achievements. This is because they represented free speculation about the world and had no real precedents.