.
Here, you will find a short, convenient and friendly summary of the major and influential ideas of the modern philosophers. This, I admit, extends over a rather long stretch of time, from Machiavelli in the 15th century to the recent thinkers like Karl Popper, and any attempt to successfully cover such a lengthy period of history in a small volume, such as this, is bound to have certain weaknesses. For this I beg forgiveness, but I feel that choosing a more specific area [say, only the nineteenth and twentieth century philosophy] would not have given a complete picture of the philosophical thought required for a beginner. Furthermore, if I would recommend this book to you, it would not be because of the depth of its contents, but rather because of its simplicity. This book will provide you with a basic skeleton of comprehension of modern philosophy, and then you can study the areas which interest you in greater detail from professional resources like Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
This book in your hands is a result of a desire to share my understanding of the great philosophers of western tradition of the modern era with other people, especially of my own age group i.e. the college students. The reader is supposed to be a layman of reasonable intelligence, who has little or no previous knowledge of philosophy. Keeping in view the above mentioned audience, the book has been kept brief, simple and to the point. It is the not like the other weighty books of history of philosophy which so frighten the people by their very size and obscurity. I think that this brevity of approach will be of benefit to the people, especially those who do not have enough time to go through books like Russell’s History of Western Philosophy or sources like Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on internet. While this little book can never claim to be a substitute to the original works of the philosophers, or to the histories written by the professional philosophers, I hope that it will be helpful in bridging the gap between the young, curious minds and the great treasures of modern philosophy, by providing an entertaining and stimulating summary of the philosophical ideas of the leading philosophers of the world.
However, this book is not one of the ‘Philosophy for Dummies’ sort of book. At many points I have deliberately refrained from excessive elaboration, because I would like the reader to think on his own as he reads. The best way to learn any game is to play it again and again. The best way to learn philosophy is to think over the philosophical issues again and again. It would be useless if a person has learnt the history of philosophy but has failed to develop the philosophical spirit in his thought. It is the philosophical attitude that is most important, and if this book helps even a single person in developing that philosophical attitude, it would have achieved its purpose.
This book in your hands is a result of a desire to share my understanding of the great philosophers of western tradition of the modern era with other people, especially of my own age group i.e. the college students. The reader is supposed to be a layman of reasonable intelligence, who has little or no previous knowledge of philosophy. Keeping in view the above mentioned audience, the book has been kept brief, simple and to the point. It is the not like the other weighty books of history of philosophy which so frighten the people by their very size and obscurity. I think that this brevity of approach will be of benefit to the people, especially those who do not have enough time to go through books like Russell’s History of Western Philosophy or sources like Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on internet. While this little book can never claim to be a substitute to the original works of the philosophers, or to the histories written by the professional philosophers, I hope that it will be helpful in bridging the gap between the young, curious minds and the great treasures of modern philosophy, by providing an entertaining and stimulating summary of the philosophical ideas of the leading philosophers of the world.
However, this book is not one of the ‘Philosophy for Dummies’ sort of book. At many points I have deliberately refrained from excessive elaboration, because I would like the reader to think on his own as he reads. The best way to learn any game is to play it again and again. The best way to learn philosophy is to think over the philosophical issues again and again. It would be useless if a person has learnt the history of philosophy but has failed to develop the philosophical spirit in his thought. It is the philosophical attitude that is most important, and if this book helps even a single person in developing that philosophical attitude, it would have achieved its purpose.
When i started working on this book, it was meant more as a collection of personal philosophy notes for my own use, hence i was not as meticulous with keeping a record of my references as i should have been. The deficiency is particularly pronounced in the first half of the book. However, since the book is not meant to be an academic endeavour or a university assignment but rather a book meant to share my understanding with others, the lack of exhaustive references would not be a problem for most readers.
I am greatly indebted to the Vice Chancellor of Government College University, Dr. Khalid Aftab, for his kind encouragement. I am also grateful to the Chief Librarian of GCU Library Mr. Abdul Waheed, for allowing me to use the valuable resources of their library. A word of thanks to Prof. Athar Baig and Prof. Azam Khan of GCU Philosophy Department for their encouraging comments.
My strong feelings of gratitude for Dr. Ahmad Arsalan, who has guided and encouraged me like an elder brother, ever ready to share his wisdom and knowledge. Thanks to Umair Khan for his moral support and for lending me precious books of philosophy.
And my biggest thanks goes to my parents, especially my father, without whose constant support and encouragement, this book would not have been possible.
In the end, I can only say like Carl Sagan that when one is in love, one wants to shout out and tell the world about. This book is my attempt to reflect my love for philosophy and to passionately tell the world about it.
Any comments or suggestions are most welcome. And I earnestly hope that you enjoy this book!
M. Awais Aftab
I am greatly indebted to the Vice Chancellor of Government College University, Dr. Khalid Aftab, for his kind encouragement. I am also grateful to the Chief Librarian of GCU Library Mr. Abdul Waheed, for allowing me to use the valuable resources of their library. A word of thanks to Prof. Athar Baig and Prof. Azam Khan of GCU Philosophy Department for their encouraging comments.
My strong feelings of gratitude for Dr. Ahmad Arsalan, who has guided and encouraged me like an elder brother, ever ready to share his wisdom and knowledge. Thanks to Umair Khan for his moral support and for lending me precious books of philosophy.
And my biggest thanks goes to my parents, especially my father, without whose constant support and encouragement, this book would not have been possible.
In the end, I can only say like Carl Sagan that when one is in love, one wants to shout out and tell the world about. This book is my attempt to reflect my love for philosophy and to passionately tell the world about it.
Any comments or suggestions are most welcome. And I earnestly hope that you enjoy this book!
M. Awais Aftab
The author is currently a student of MBBS in King Edward Medical University, Lahore.
