On Modern Origins: Essays in Early Modern Philosophy

by Richard Kennington, Pamela Kraus (Editor), Frank Hunt (Editor)

Richard Kennington (1921-1999), a professor for many years at Pennsylvania State University and the Catholic University of America, was renowned for his insight in reading and teaching early modern philosophy. Although he published articles and spoke widely, never before have his writings been collected in a book. On Modern Origins deftly shows how modern thinkers assessed the errors of the classical tradition and established in its place a philosophy that fuses a new meaning of nature and of theory with humanitarian goals. This volume is an essential source for scholars seeking to understand the contemporary significance of the dawning of the modern era.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[I-kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

especially liked his essays on Bacon (the connection between Bacon and Kant, the revolutionary implications of nature as laws, and Bacon's revision of Machiavelli are pretty lucidly and convincingly argued), his famous Olympica essay, and the penetrating (even though not a watertight case) analysis of Descartes' evil genius argument in Meditation I.