Classics of Western Philosophy

I'm a college student and was required to buy this book (among several) for my Intro to Philosophy class. As soon as the semester was over I did what I always do: sell the text books back to the campus book store. As I went on to other classes I began to regret selling back this book. I'm a few weeks into "Humanities in Western Tradition I, and I'm currently reading just fragments of what can be found in this book. After I get done with an assignment, I want to read further and if I had kept this book I could do that. So I'm buying it again...for the last time.

This anthology is by far the best anthology of its kind. If you love ancient and medieval philosophy the way I do, it is possible to teach an entire semester "intro. to phil." course out of Plato, Aristotle, Sextus, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Maimon, Ockham, Gerson, and the Stoa. This book could also support a whole early moderns course, as it features full texts of MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY, ETHICS, MONADOLOGY, AN ENQUIRY CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING, and DIALOGUES CONCERNING NATURAL RELIGION. This great text also contains a well-selected excerpt from Kant's KrV. If you are a philosophy instructor who loves great texts, and if you teach an historical approach to intro., this text is your choice. This servicable anthology is priced reasonably enough that it can also serve as a primary-source reference for thematic courses. Thanks to Hackett for this gem. This text is also ideal as the core text for a one-trimester course. I have even used this book once for a one-semester ethics course!

This book is definately worth the price and the weight. Cahn selects some of the greatest philosophers of all time! A must for any philosophy student or anyone interested in the subject.

An omnibus of great philosophical writings of the Western world, Cahn's "Classics" is required reading for the one who wants to discover the representative ideas of Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, Nietszche, and others. The writings have been chosen for their ability to present the essence of each great philosopher's thought. For the reader who wishes to bypass the interpreters and read the philosophers themselves, this volume is a must. With this collection, why should a philosophy student bother with another?

Is life fair? Possibly. Is this all one elaborate dream? There is a pretty good chance it is. Is there a god? Maybe; Maybe not. This book covers these as well as many other subjects for an interesting view of the world from Plato to Nietzsche.