The World Philosophy Made: From Plato to the Digital Age

by Scott Soames

Overview

How philosophy transformed human knowledge and the world we live in

Philosophical investigation is the root of all human knowledge. Developing new concepts, reinterpreting old truths, and reconceptualizing fundamental questions, philosophy has progressed—and driven human progress—for more than two millennia. In short, we live in a world philosophy made. In this concise history of philosophy's world-shaping impact, Scott Soames demonstrates that the modern world—including its science, technology, and politics—simply would not be possible without the accomplishments of philosophy.

Firmly rebutting the misconception of philosophy as ivory-tower thinking, Soames traces its essential contributions to fields as diverse as law and logic, psychology and economics, relativity and rational decision theory. Beginning with the giants of ancient Greek philosophy, The World Philosophy Made chronicles the achievements of the great thinkers, from the medieval and early modern eras to the present. It explores how philosophy has shaped our language, science, mathematics, religion, culture, morality, education, and politics, as well as our understanding of ourselves.

Philosophy's idea of rational inquiry as the key to theoretical knowledge and practical wisdom has transformed the world in which we live. From the laws that govern society to the digital technology that permeates modern life, philosophy has opened up new possibilities and set us on more productive paths. The World Philosophy Made explains and illuminates as never before the inexhaustible richness of philosophy and its influence on our individual and collective lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691229188
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	11/16/2021
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	1,077,146
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Scott Soames is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His many books include Philosophical Analysis in the Twentieth Century; The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy, volumes one and two; and Analytic Philosophy in America (all Princeton). He lives in Marina Del Rey, California.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Timeline xiv

1 The Dawn of Western Phiiosophy 1

2 A Truce between Faith and Reason 20

3 The Beginnings of Modern Science 40

4 Free Societies, Free Markets, and Free People 73

5 Modern Logic and the Foundations of Mathematics 92

6 Logic, Computation, and the Birth of the Digital Age 113

7 The Science of Language 133

8 The Science of Rational Choice 157

9 Mind, Body, and Cognitive Science 188

10 Phiiosophy and Physics 220

11 Liberty, Justice, and the Good Society 250

12 Laws, Constitutions, and the State 303

13 The Objectivity of Morality 341

14 Virtue, Happiness, and Meaning in the Face of Death 373

Appendix: The Noble Deaths of Socrates and David Hume 386

Bios of Leading Figures 397

Acknowledgments 405

Notes 407

References 425

Index 435

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Philosophy is everywhere, so much so that we don't always notice it, or how it affects us. Scott Soames makes a powerful case that philosophy has not devolved into abstractions suited only for the ivory tower. Rather, it continues to vibrantly and crucially interact with our intellectual concerns and our everyday lives. This is the story of philosophy that needed to be told."—Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself

"This is a fantastic book, very possibly one of the most important in many years. It is a paean to the philosophical enterprise that also brings precise philosophical thought to bear on the enduring questions of human existence. Few people, other than Scott Soames, could have written such a book."—Hans Halvorson, Princeton University

"A unique and very valuable book. As Soames shows, without philosophy our world would be utterly different."—Alex Byrne, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Editorial Reviews

"Soames's book is an excellent introduction to the relevance of philosophy in the contemporary world. . . . Highly recommended."

Choice

"An erudite riposte to the accusation that philosophy has little practical relevance."

Paradigm Explorer

"Soames demonstrates how philosophy shaped our world while at the same time developing a spectacular one-volume history of Western philosophy in the analytic tradition. On those grounds alone, that makes this work a profound achievement."—-Brendan Patrick Purdy, Law & Liberty

From the Publisher