The Empiricists (A History of Western Philosophy, 5)

'one Of The Great Historic Controversies In Philosophy' Was How Bertrand Russell Described The Ideological Conflict Between Rationalists And Empiricists -- The Conflict Between Reason And Experience As Sources Of Knowledge And Ideas. Yet In This Study Of The Empiricists R.s. Woolhouse Is Not So Much Concerned To Justify These Conventional Labels As To Set Forth The Dominant Philosophical Ideas And Let Those Ideas Speak For Themselves. Setting The Empiricist Philosophers In Their Contemporary Cultural Context The Author Examines Their Various Approaches To Philosophy. He Concentrates Primarily On The Major Figures ...but Also Discusses The Unjustly Neglected French Philosopher Pierre Gassendi And Devotes A Chapter To The Royal Society Of London For The Improving Of Natural Knowledge, Which Was Founded In The 1660s. While Focusing On Their Contribution To The 'new Philosophy' Of The Seventeenth Century, Which Was Primarily Concerned With The Nature Of Knowledge And Science, He Also Highlights The Moral And Political Aspects Of Their Work And Emphasizes The Significance Of Their Ideas To Twentieth-century Thinking -- Back Cover. Introduction -- Francis Bacon -- Thomas Hobbes -- Pierre Gassendi -- The Royal Society Of London For The Improving Of Natural Knowledge -- John Locke -- George Berkeley -- David Hume. R.s. Woolhouse. Includes Bibliographies And Index. "'One of the great historic controversies in philosophy' was how Bertrand Russell described the ideological conflict between rationalists and empiricists - the conflict between reason and experience as sources of knowledge and ideas. Yet in this study of the empiricists R.S. Woolhouse is not so much concerned to justify these conventional labels as to set forth the dominant philosophical ideas and let those ideas speak for themselves. Setting the empiricist philosophers in their contemporary cultural context, the author examines their various approaches to philosophy. He concentrates primarily on the major figures - Bacon, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley and Hume - but also discusses the unjustly neglected French philosopher Pierre Gassendi and devotes a chapter to the Royal Society of London for the Improving of Natural Knowledge, which was founded in the 1660s. While focusing on their contribution to the new philosophy of the seventeenth century, which was primarily concerned with the nature of knowledge and science, he also highlights the moral and political aspects of their work and emphasises the significance of their ideas to twentieth-century thinking." -- Provided by publisher "One of the great historic controversies in philosophy," according to Bertrand Russell, is that between empiricists--"best represented by the British philosophers, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume"--and rationalists. This book sets the empiricists in their contemporary and cultural context, examines their various approaches to philosophy, and highlights the significance of their ideas to 20th-century thinking. By focusing on what the "empiricists" actually have to say, rather than on their classification as such, Woolhouse incidentally shows how unreliable these conventional labels can be.

One of the great historic controversies in philosophy, according to Bertrand Russell, is that between empiricists-best represented by the British philosophers, Locke, Berkeley, and Hume-and rationalists. This book sets the empiricists in their contemporary and cultural context, examines their various approaches to philosophy, and highlights the significance of their ideas to 20th-century thinking. By focusing on what the empiricists actually have to say, rather than on their classification as such, Woolhouse incidentally shows how unreliable these conventional labels can be.