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A History of Philosophy: The Condensed Copleston
A history of philosophy from the origins of reason in Ancient Greece to the most influential philosophers working today, this long-awaited single volume companion to Frederick Copleston's historic 11-volume series is a must-have for any aspiring philosopher.
Frederick Copleston's 11-volume A History of Philosophy has been the go-to reference for philosophers and students for decades. It is universally recognized as a classic and sits on the shelf of countless leading thinkers today. This companion to Copleston's landmark work contains clear and succinct analyses of the major events and texts in philosophy, exploring the foundational principles and ideals that drove the development of Western thought. It grapples with the sometimes complex views and teachings of the greatest minds in philosophy, explaining their work with clarity and elegance.
An accessible journey through this epic and deeply human history, Carroll succinctly condenses Copleston's thought while expanding on contemporary and world philosophy. From the early teachings of Socrates to the medieval philosophies of Christian Europe, the Enlightenment and the radical arguments of the Existentialists, Carroll adeptly explores the common threads and themes that have united all rational enquiries into the fundamental nature of reality.
Frederick Copleston's 11-volume A History of Philosophy has been the go-to reference for philosophers and students for decades. It is universally recognized as a classic and sits on the shelf of countless leading thinkers today. This companion to Copleston's landmark work contains clear and succinct analyses of the major events and texts in philosophy, exploring the foundational principles and ideals that drove the development of Western thought. It grapples with the sometimes complex views and teachings of the greatest minds in philosophy, explaining their work with clarity and elegance.
An accessible journey through this epic and deeply human history, Carroll succinctly condenses Copleston's thought while expanding on contemporary and world philosophy. From the early teachings of Socrates to the medieval philosophies of Christian Europe, the Enlightenment and the radical arguments of the Existentialists, Carroll adeptly explores the common threads and themes that have united all rational enquiries into the fundamental nature of reality.
- GenresPhilosophy
496 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 26, 2025
Before you pick up this book you have to keep in mind that Copleston was a Thomist writing between 1946 and 1974, and that really shapes the book. There’s a strong focus on metaphysical thinkers and religious philosophy, especially the theological kind.
Personally, I’m more used to 20th-century philosophy and beyond, where a lot of the metaphysical questions (such as “what is being?” or “is reality one or many?”) has already been moved past. So I found big parts of this book quite heavy-going. And honestly, theological philosophy just doesn’t do it for me, it just feels like a bunch of old men drawing absurd conclusions from nothing much.
That said, dense or not, it gave me exactly what I was after: a broad sweep through the history of Western philosophy. On top of that, it’s left me with loads of ideas and a long list of books and thinkers I actually want to read now, which I really appreciate and proves that however dense at times, the book it hasn’t put me off, quite the opposite.
I’m giving it 3 stars because I don’t think it’s as accessible as it claims to be. You really do need some prior grounding in philosophy to get the most out of it. And while I admire the effort, A. Carroll touches on so many thinkers just in passing that at times I wished the Anthony Carroll had just listed them briefly and gone deeper into a smaller selection instead.
Personally, I’m more used to 20th-century philosophy and beyond, where a lot of the metaphysical questions (such as “what is being?” or “is reality one or many?”) has already been moved past. So I found big parts of this book quite heavy-going. And honestly, theological philosophy just doesn’t do it for me, it just feels like a bunch of old men drawing absurd conclusions from nothing much.
That said, dense or not, it gave me exactly what I was after: a broad sweep through the history of Western philosophy. On top of that, it’s left me with loads of ideas and a long list of books and thinkers I actually want to read now, which I really appreciate and proves that however dense at times, the book it hasn’t put me off, quite the opposite.
I’m giving it 3 stars because I don’t think it’s as accessible as it claims to be. You really do need some prior grounding in philosophy to get the most out of it. And while I admire the effort, A. Carroll touches on so many thinkers just in passing that at times I wished the Anthony Carroll had just listed them briefly and gone deeper into a smaller selection instead.
May 29, 2025
I found this a pretty comprehensive summary, which I enjoyed as a nice exploration a few years after I read Bertrand Russel's history. I would say Russel's was written in a slightly more fun way (imagining conversations between Nietzche, the Buddah, and God) but that is a natural consequence of Copleston's style.
I found the recurring motifs of the Many and the One throughout the centuries a helpful framework, as well as the Transcedent vs the Immanent. These dualities and dialectics are insightful, but perhaps this approach restricts some exploration of philosophers' thinking outside of these questions. Although that is just in comparison to Russel's work, and any history of philosophy naturally requires cutting and focusing on a few key threads to run through.
I found the recurring motifs of the Many and the One throughout the centuries a helpful framework, as well as the Transcedent vs the Immanent. These dualities and dialectics are insightful, but perhaps this approach restricts some exploration of philosophers' thinking outside of these questions. Although that is just in comparison to Russel's work, and any history of philosophy naturally requires cutting and focusing on a few key threads to run through.
May 9, 2026
This is not what Catholics make it out to be. So much for being a “Catholic version” of Russell’s history of Philosophy, it’s basically just as modernist as Russell but with a longer emphasis of medieval Philosophy.
Carroll and Copleston, are both way too sympathetic to the modernists and it honestly seems like they have their feet in two camps (which makes sense given that Copleston went entirely with the Vatican 2 revolution). If you’re going to write a History of Philosophy for seminarians, then do it the proper way and call a spade a spade. Don’t speak softly about error to try to please the Protestants and Atheists, any history of Philosophy is going to be biased so atleast make it biased from the perspective of Catholic truth, don’t try and hide the truth to appeal to the world.
The writer states multiple times that St Thomas Aquinas sowed the seeds for the nominalist revolution and the resulting separation of faith and reason in Philosophy. Now that either implies that nominalism was inevitable after St Thomas, or that nominalism, and the separation of faith and reason, is somehow a good thing. Both of which are equally wrong! So what’s going on there? It’s like he’s trying to be sympathetic to Thomism whilst praising modernism, and he does seem to like Kant.
Also, the writer uses “BCE” and “CE” instead of “BC” and “AD”, what a betrayal! If you call yourself Catholic, then use the Catholic abbreviations, don’t use the secular modernist ones, what a coward.
I only read the first three chapters on ancient Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy and then read the few pages on the scholastic revival in the Renaissance and I had to stop after that. You will get a far better understanding of the true Catholic history of Philosophy by just reading Archbishop Lefebvre’s “They have uncrowned him”.
Carroll and Copleston, are both way too sympathetic to the modernists and it honestly seems like they have their feet in two camps (which makes sense given that Copleston went entirely with the Vatican 2 revolution). If you’re going to write a History of Philosophy for seminarians, then do it the proper way and call a spade a spade. Don’t speak softly about error to try to please the Protestants and Atheists, any history of Philosophy is going to be biased so atleast make it biased from the perspective of Catholic truth, don’t try and hide the truth to appeal to the world.
The writer states multiple times that St Thomas Aquinas sowed the seeds for the nominalist revolution and the resulting separation of faith and reason in Philosophy. Now that either implies that nominalism was inevitable after St Thomas, or that nominalism, and the separation of faith and reason, is somehow a good thing. Both of which are equally wrong! So what’s going on there? It’s like he’s trying to be sympathetic to Thomism whilst praising modernism, and he does seem to like Kant.
Also, the writer uses “BCE” and “CE” instead of “BC” and “AD”, what a betrayal! If you call yourself Catholic, then use the Catholic abbreviations, don’t use the secular modernist ones, what a coward.
I only read the first three chapters on ancient Philosophy and Medieval Philosophy and then read the few pages on the scholastic revival in the Renaissance and I had to stop after that. You will get a far better understanding of the true Catholic history of Philosophy by just reading Archbishop Lefebvre’s “They have uncrowned him”.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews