# Introduction

***History of Western Philosophy*** <sup class="reference" id="bkmrk-"></sup>is a 1945 book by British philosopher [Bertrand Russell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russell) (1872–1970). A survey of [Western philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_philosophy "Western philosophy") from the [pre-Socratic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Socratic "Pre-Socratic") philosophers to the early 20th century, each major division of the book is prefaced by an account of the historical background necessary to understand the currents of thought it describes.<sup class="reference" id="bkmrk-%5B1%5D">[<span class="cite-bracket">\[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">\]</span>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Western_Philosophy#cite_note-2)</sup> When Russell was awarded the [Nobel Prize in Literature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobel_Prize_in_Literature "Nobel Prize in Literature") in 1950, *A History of Western Philosophy* was cited as one of the books that won him the award.

The book was written during the [Second World War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War "Second World War"), having its origins in a series of lectures on the [history of philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_philosophy "History of philosophy") that Russell gave at the [Barnes Foundation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnes_Foundation "Barnes Foundation") in [Philadelphia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia "Philadelphia") during 1941 and 1942. <sup class="reference" id="bkmrk--1"></sup>Much of the historical research was done by Russell's third wife [Patricia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Russell "Patricia Russell"). In 1943, Russell received an advance of $3000 from the publishers, and between 1940 and 1943 he wrote the book while living mainly in [Pennsylvania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania "Pennsylvania"). The book was published in 1945 in the US and a year later in the United Kingdom. It was reset as a 'new edition' in 1961, but no new material was added. Corrections and minor revisions were made to printings of the British first edition and for 1961's new edition; no corrections seem to have been transferred to the American edition (even Spinoza's birth year remains wrong).

The work is divided into three books, each of which is subdivided into chapters; each chapter generally deals with a single philosopher, school of philosophy, or period of time.

### Ancient Philosophy

- The [Pre-Socratics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Socratics "Pre-Socratics") (including [Thales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thales "Thales"), [Pythagoras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras "Pythagoras"), [Heraclitus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus "Heraclitus"), [Parmenides](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmenides "Parmenides"), [Empedocles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empedocles "Empedocles"), [Anaximander](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaximander "Anaximander"), [Anaximenes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaximenes_of_Miletus "Anaximenes of Miletus"), [Anaxagoras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaxagoras "Anaxagoras"), [Leucippus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucippus "Leucippus"), [Democritus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democritus "Democritus") and [Protagoras](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagoras "Protagoras"))
- [Socrates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates "Socrates"), [Plato](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato "Plato") and [Aristotle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle "Aristotle")
- Ancient Philosophy after Aristotle (including the [Cynics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynicism_(philosophy) "Cynicism (philosophy)"), [Sceptics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skepticism "Skepticism"), [Epicureans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureanism "Epicureanism"), [Stoics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism "Stoicism") and [Plotinus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plotinus "Plotinus"))

### Catholic Philosophy

- The Fathers (including developments in [Jewish philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_philosophy "Jewish philosophy"), [Islamic philosophy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_philosophy "Islamic philosophy") (which he calls Mohammedan throughout, after the fashion of his time), [St Ambrose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose "Ambrose"), [St Jerome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome "Jerome"), [St Augustine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo "Augustine of Hippo"), [St Benedict](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_of_Nursia "Benedict of Nursia") and [Pope Gregory the Great](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_I "Pope Gregory I"))
- The Schoolmen (including [John the Scot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Scotus_Eriugena "Johannes Scotus Eriugena") and [St Thomas Aquinas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas "Thomas Aquinas"))

### Modern Philosophy

- From the [Renaissance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance "Renaissance") to Hume (including [Machiavelli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli "Niccolò Machiavelli"), [Erasmus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmus "Erasmus"), [More](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_More "Thomas More"), [Bacon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon "Francis Bacon"), [Hobbes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hobbes "Thomas Hobbes"), [Descartes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes "René Descartes"), [Spinoza](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Spinoza "Baruch Spinoza"), [Leibniz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottfried_Leibniz "Gottfried Leibniz"), [Locke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke "John Locke"), [Berkeley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Berkeley "George Berkeley") and [Hume](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hume "David Hume"))
- From Rousseau to the Present Day (including [Rousseau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Jacques_Rousseau "Jean-Jacques Rousseau"), [Kant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immanuel_Kant "Immanuel Kant"), [Hegel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Wilhelm_Friedrich_Hegel "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel"), [Byron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gordon_Byron,_6th_Baron_Byron "George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron"), [Schopenhauer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer "Arthur Schopenhauer"), [Nietzsche](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche "Friedrich Nietzsche"), the [Utilitarians](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism "Utilitarianism"), [Marx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx "Karl Marx"), [Bergson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Bergson "Henri Bergson"), [William James](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James "William James") and [John Dewey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey "John Dewey"))
- The last chapter in this section, *The Philosophy of Logical Analysis*, is concerned with Russell's own philosophical views at the time.