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The Modern Intellectual Tradition: From Descartes to Derrida
What is reality? Ask yourself whether you can actually know the answer, much less be sure that you can know it, and you've begun to grapple with the metaphysical and epistemological quandaries that have occupied, teased, and tormented modern philosophy's greatest intellects since the dawn of modern science and a century before the Enlightenment.
These 36 lectures are the perfect introduction to the basics of modern and contemporary Western approaches to the philosophies of both reality (metaphysics) and knowledge (epistemology), right through the end of the 20th century. Led by Professor Cahoone, you'll partake in an engaging intellectual journey that encompasses prominent figures from all the major traditions of Western philosophy.
You'll explore the ideas behind modern philosophy's most important movements, including dualism, rationalism, empiricism, idealism, existentialism, and postmodernism. You'll plunge into the thought of some of philosophy's most important thinkers, including Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Peirce, Nietzsche, James, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Rorty, and Derrida, learning how many of them were in fact considered radicals, their views appreciated far less in their own era than in later ones.
And you'll gain a clear sense of how each of these movements and thinkers fits into philosophy's broader progression, often pushing philosophy in dramatically new directions right up to the present day, as well as how philosophy is intimately related to a multitude of other disciplines.
These 36 lectures are the perfect introduction to the basics of modern and contemporary Western approaches to the philosophies of both reality (metaphysics) and knowledge (epistemology), right through the end of the 20th century. Led by Professor Cahoone, you'll partake in an engaging intellectual journey that encompasses prominent figures from all the major traditions of Western philosophy.
You'll explore the ideas behind modern philosophy's most important movements, including dualism, rationalism, empiricism, idealism, existentialism, and postmodernism. You'll plunge into the thought of some of philosophy's most important thinkers, including Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Peirce, Nietzsche, James, Wittgenstein, Heidegger, Rorty, and Derrida, learning how many of them were in fact considered radicals, their views appreciated far less in their own era than in later ones.
And you'll gain a clear sense of how each of these movements and thinkers fits into philosophy's broader progression, often pushing philosophy in dramatically new directions right up to the present day, as well as how philosophy is intimately related to a multitude of other disciplines.
19 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2010
41 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
October 5, 2025
اگر انگلیسیتون به نسبت خوبه و میخواید یه دورۀ روشن و واضح در مورد فلسفۀ غرب گوش بدید، این بهترین گزینه است.
October 18, 2024
با ترجمه کاوه بهبهانی و گویندگی بینظیر رضا آفتابی شنیدمش.
February 15, 2014
This is an extremely dense but excellent series of 36 lectures on metaphysics and epistomology from Descartes to very recent philosophers such as Rorty and Putnam. Cohoone is extraordinarily articulate and coherent. Of course he’s selecting and to some extent simplifying to fit the time limitations, but the language is precise and he uses the terms that these philosophers themselves use. This is not dumbed down, but selective. I repeatedly rewound, sometimes three or four times, to try to understand the gist, let alone the fine points. This was not Cahoone’s fault, but rather his virtue, in presenting ideas in their full meaning. I think I could rewind a thousand times and still not understand Husserl and Heidigger, but for the most part Cahoone achieves a sweet spot of forcing the listener to really strain but not losing him/her entirely.
The range of philosophers covered is amazing. Over half of the time is spent on twentieth century philosophy, including Pierce, James, Dewey, Whitehead, Russell, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidigger, Derrida, Foucault,Saussure, Adorno and Horkheimer, Quine, Davidson, Habermas, Levi-Strauss, Arendt, Sartre, Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Popper, Putnam, and others. You could easily listen to this two or three times and still benefit from each review.
The range of philosophers covered is amazing. Over half of the time is spent on twentieth century philosophy, including Pierce, James, Dewey, Whitehead, Russell, Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidigger, Derrida, Foucault,Saussure, Adorno and Horkheimer, Quine, Davidson, Habermas, Levi-Strauss, Arendt, Sartre, Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Popper, Putnam, and others. You could easily listen to this two or three times and still benefit from each review.
September 12, 2016
This is by far one of the best lectures I've ever heard. I'm not a philosopher. I avoided thinking most of my life. I made a mistake about a year ago and read Heidegger's "Being and Time". That completely hooked me. Now, I just have to understand our universe and our place in it.
What is the order within the universe, what is our purpose and why are we here ('the three big questions"). These (or some variation of these) are the three questions that drive me and makes me want to stay alive. As for my reason for being it is to learn as much about the world as I can and this lecture series does that for me better than almost any book or Great Course has.
The professor makes the point that he is only going to look at the Modern Philosophers who added to the field by adding on or subtracting from the other philosophers who came before them and thought differently from the others. This lecture series is a constant exchange of ideas from brilliant thinkers from across a 400 year dialog among respectful friends who all had a unique perspective of some kind to add to the discussion.
He covered Heidegger over two lectures. He gave the best graphic I've come across in order to explain him (it's available on the attached pdf and I would recommend grabbing it while you can). He makes the point that Heidegger starts with things (Being) but will ultimately end with time (past, present, and future) as if he really all along meant to start with time. Cool stuff.
He does start the lecture series with Aristotle and the scholastic school of thought. The great battle that constantly roams the hallways of the world is the conflict between the sophisticated sophists and their putting humans as the "measure of all things" and the absolutist who have their universal, necessary and certain view point of the world. There is no right answer. The world is underdetermined. The facts we have are always adequately explainable by multiple theories. See his lecture on William Van Orman Quine for further explication.
The world is determined by our biological, historical and current context. The weight we impute to those three determine how we see the world. The focus of the lecture series is not the "philosophy of science", but those concepts lurk with in this lecture series.
I really loved this lecture series and would strongly recommend it to anyone, but be prepared to be overwhelmed by all the great thinkers covered and to be inspired to read some of the primary sources cited in this series. One needs to start some where with learning critical thinking and understanding why we are here, what our purpose is and what is the order (ontology, foundation, archetypes, forms, ideals, pick your favorite substitute for 'order') of the universe.
I'd even say that if one can master the ideas presented with in this lecture series (which I have not and know I'll have to listen to it multiple times before I even start to understand) one will be able to understand the "three big questions" and realize how most of what surrounds us is crap and only acts as a distraction against what our authentic selves should be learning and understanding. Our greatest virtue is our higher thought. Our distractions are necessary because we must survive, get along with others and enjoy life, but we should only use those distractions in order to re energize ourselves and learn to enjoy life more fully.
This professor is very good at explaining complicated ideas. Yes, complicated ideas are still complicated when they are explained as best as they can be and I won't lie sometimes I would get lost. Though, don't let that stand in the way of trying this lecture series.
(I had bought the audible before I had signed up for the reasonably priced Great Course Plus on line with video. I watched this course instead of listened to it. So technically this review is for the video version not the audio version. I'm glad I watched it instead of just listen to it. There were many visuals and the Professor did an incredibly good job with hand motions, facial expressions and the like. This is one of the few audible courses or book where I got a lot more out of it by watching instead of just listening. Let that be a warning and a recommendation to sign up to The Great Courses).
What is the order within the universe, what is our purpose and why are we here ('the three big questions"). These (or some variation of these) are the three questions that drive me and makes me want to stay alive. As for my reason for being it is to learn as much about the world as I can and this lecture series does that for me better than almost any book or Great Course has.
The professor makes the point that he is only going to look at the Modern Philosophers who added to the field by adding on or subtracting from the other philosophers who came before them and thought differently from the others. This lecture series is a constant exchange of ideas from brilliant thinkers from across a 400 year dialog among respectful friends who all had a unique perspective of some kind to add to the discussion.
He covered Heidegger over two lectures. He gave the best graphic I've come across in order to explain him (it's available on the attached pdf and I would recommend grabbing it while you can). He makes the point that Heidegger starts with things (Being) but will ultimately end with time (past, present, and future) as if he really all along meant to start with time. Cool stuff.
He does start the lecture series with Aristotle and the scholastic school of thought. The great battle that constantly roams the hallways of the world is the conflict between the sophisticated sophists and their putting humans as the "measure of all things" and the absolutist who have their universal, necessary and certain view point of the world. There is no right answer. The world is underdetermined. The facts we have are always adequately explainable by multiple theories. See his lecture on William Van Orman Quine for further explication.
The world is determined by our biological, historical and current context. The weight we impute to those three determine how we see the world. The focus of the lecture series is not the "philosophy of science", but those concepts lurk with in this lecture series.
I really loved this lecture series and would strongly recommend it to anyone, but be prepared to be overwhelmed by all the great thinkers covered and to be inspired to read some of the primary sources cited in this series. One needs to start some where with learning critical thinking and understanding why we are here, what our purpose is and what is the order (ontology, foundation, archetypes, forms, ideals, pick your favorite substitute for 'order') of the universe.
I'd even say that if one can master the ideas presented with in this lecture series (which I have not and know I'll have to listen to it multiple times before I even start to understand) one will be able to understand the "three big questions" and realize how most of what surrounds us is crap and only acts as a distraction against what our authentic selves should be learning and understanding. Our greatest virtue is our higher thought. Our distractions are necessary because we must survive, get along with others and enjoy life, but we should only use those distractions in order to re energize ourselves and learn to enjoy life more fully.
This professor is very good at explaining complicated ideas. Yes, complicated ideas are still complicated when they are explained as best as they can be and I won't lie sometimes I would get lost. Though, don't let that stand in the way of trying this lecture series.
(I had bought the audible before I had signed up for the reasonably priced Great Course Plus on line with video. I watched this course instead of listened to it. So technically this review is for the video version not the audio version. I'm glad I watched it instead of just listen to it. There were many visuals and the Professor did an incredibly good job with hand motions, facial expressions and the like. This is one of the few audible courses or book where I got a lot more out of it by watching instead of just listening. Let that be a warning and a recommendation to sign up to The Great Courses).
June 15, 2016
Another great course from The Teaching Company. There is so much to learn. Rather than closing doors, this course opens them: AKA there are more books I have to buy.
The thirty-third (albeit audio) book I have finished this year. I will have to listen to this one several more times to fully absorb it: fortunately I spend a great deal of time on the elliptical.
The thirty-third (albeit audio) book I have finished this year. I will have to listen to this one several more times to fully absorb it: fortunately I spend a great deal of time on the elliptical.
January 1, 2024
The Modern Intellectual Tradition: From Descartes to Derrida by Lawrence Cahoone is a tour de force for anyone who yearns for something more from the Teaching Company's philosophical surveys. Cahoone walks the student from the transition in Philosophy from the Middle Ages to the beginning of Modernity right on down to the near present day. All the usual suspects are named, but Cahoone has a marvelous way of contextualizing them and spends very little time overly examining a big figure for the sake of it. Some philosophers do get two lectures, but others that could have entire courses dedicated to them have only 10 minutes or less as part of a cluster of 2, 3, or more figures. The intellectual tradition is a story of thinkers, reactions, and counter reactions. A great deal of time is spent on the twentieth century, which other courses and surveys leave blank or barely touch upon. And when he teaches, he teaches. He assumes you know enough to keep up, and his lectures are dense with material to pick up on. Cahoone reminds me of what a Great Course can and should be. I wish he made more of them, as this is just one of two courses he's associated with.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
October 19, 2023
"ন্যুব আমার" জন্য এসব একটু জটিল জিনিসপত্র।
ঠিকঠাক বুঝতে হলে আরেকবার দেখতে হবে।
আপাতত আমি এতেই - "ক্লান্ত ও শ্রান্ত"।
Interesting course, but so dense...
বেশ কয়েকজন ফিলোসফারের দর্শনের সারসংক্ষেপ গভীরভাবে আলোচিত হয়েছে। 'ফিলোসফি' টপিকটা শুরু করার ক্ষেত্রে ভিত্তি হিসেবে এই অনলাইন কোর্সটা ভালো। (তবে অবশ্যই এ বিষয়ে "এক্সপার্টদের" জন্য না)
(Wondrium app ~ Online Course)
ঠিকঠাক বুঝতে হলে আরেকবার দেখতে হবে।
আপাতত আমি এতেই - "ক্লান্ত ও শ্রান্ত"।
Interesting course, but so dense...
বেশ কয়েকজন ফিলোসফারের দর্শনের সারসংক্ষেপ গভীরভাবে আলোচিত হয়েছে। 'ফিলোসফি' টপিকটা শুরু করার ক্ষেত্রে ভিত্তি হিসেবে এই অনলাইন কোর্সটা ভালো। (তবে অবশ্যই এ বিষয়ে "এক্সপার্টদের" জন্য না)
(Wondrium app ~ Online Course)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2020
Fantastic course—Cahoone does an excellent job not only breaking down complex ideas in order to introduce them, but also showing how those ideas are in conversation with each other over time.
December 17, 2014
This is an excellent series of lectures on the development of philosophical thinking from the beginning of modern thought in the 17th century through the multiple lines of inquiry in the 20th century. Professor Lawrence Cohoone is extremely well-organized and articulate in his discussions; he never dumbs down the material but focuses on clarification of terms, arguments, and simple, provocative applications. (From time to time he uses his lectern to illustrate the kinds of questions each philosopher poses.) it is possible for non-philosophy majors such as myself to follow him, although I had to re-listen to parts and refer to the internet for spelling. It is exciting to take in this content in such a palatable way when I consider how radical each major philosopher was in his time. (Cohoone is good at providing historical context.) Even when intellectual thought in the late 20th century becomes a little less accessible, Cohoone is quick to point this out...and, as always, tell why.
Here's a non-inclusive list of the major philosophers covered: Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Spinoza, Liebnitz, Rousseau, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Pierce, Husserl, Wittgenstein, Bergson, Heidegger, Quine, Derrida.
The various 20th century movements addressed include pragmatism, positivism, naturalism, existentialism, structuralism, post-modernism, and deconstructionism.
Here's a non-inclusive list of the major philosophers covered: Descartes, Locke, Berkeley, Spinoza, Liebnitz, Rousseau, Hume, Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Pierce, Husserl, Wittgenstein, Bergson, Heidegger, Quine, Derrida.
The various 20th century movements addressed include pragmatism, positivism, naturalism, existentialism, structuralism, post-modernism, and deconstructionism.
February 24, 2018
Okay so I'll comes straight out and admit it. Most of this went a bit over my head.
I did enjoy it. And I found out a lot. And Cahoone is good. But I think the subject matter, which is largely epistemological was fairly hard-core. And as an uneducated layman it was a little much.
I did hear about some new names that sounded interesting: Saussure, Dewey and Spinoza - who I previously knew nothing about, and now I know a little.
I also found out what Post-Modernism actually is - well sort of - it seems that no-one is entirely sure of that. And that was of interest as you see the the term used so loosely by certain popular pundits, nowadays.
Overall I would say if you're a layman buy The Big Questions of Philosophy instead. If you love this more headspinny angle, then Lawrence Cahoone is the man for you.
Look forward to more philosophy in the future.
I did enjoy it. And I found out a lot. And Cahoone is good. But I think the subject matter, which is largely epistemological was fairly hard-core. And as an uneducated layman it was a little much.
I did hear about some new names that sounded interesting: Saussure, Dewey and Spinoza - who I previously knew nothing about, and now I know a little.
I also found out what Post-Modernism actually is - well sort of - it seems that no-one is entirely sure of that. And that was of interest as you see the the term used so loosely by certain popular pundits, nowadays.
Overall I would say if you're a layman buy The Big Questions of Philosophy instead. If you love this more headspinny angle, then Lawrence Cahoone is the man for you.
Look forward to more philosophy in the future.
July 21, 2017
Short Review: This was useful and well presented. But also a bit of a firehose presentation. I don't know how you present the last several hundred years of philosophy without being a firehose though.
My philosophy background is fairly weak. Primarily I was listening for the big ideas. I did not retain who thought what for the most part. But I did get a lot of the big ideas. It is fascinating to hear a presentation of ideas that really have impacted modern thought. I heard all kinds of ideas that I have vaguely believed, but explained in context. Some of that context clarified, some did not.
I certainly need another run at the broad ideas. Probably in a print format.
My only slightly longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-modern-intellect...
My philosophy background is fairly weak. Primarily I was listening for the big ideas. I did not retain who thought what for the most part. But I did get a lot of the big ideas. It is fascinating to hear a presentation of ideas that really have impacted modern thought. I heard all kinds of ideas that I have vaguely believed, but explained in context. Some of that context clarified, some did not.
I certainly need another run at the broad ideas. Probably in a print format.
My only slightly longer review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-modern-intellect...
November 16, 2019
Actually, rather than the book, I watched the Great Courses video, which consists of 36 lectures of 30 minutes each. I really found it interesting and informative. Cahoone gives a very interesting lecture and the wide review of philosophy has my brain abuzz with ideas. Listening to the way in which philosophy has unfolded from Descartes to Derrida (and beyond) was quite interesting. The movement from attempts to find an underlying whole, a foundation for knowledge and truth, to our post-post-modern moment in which we have come to suspect that the center will never hold and that we exist now in separate realities, whether the hyperrealities of Baudrillard, the ethnocentrism of Rorty or the endless language games that Wittgenstein saw as encompassing our lives. Perhaps a new type of reality, a new way of existing is emerging. All of this just seemed academically interesting when I first encountered these writers in the 1980s, but truely the post-modern world they described has overrun us all. Definitely recommend this course if you can get it from your public library.
March 15, 2017
Helps one develop a unified picture of philosophy. Best one I have encountered.
March 16, 2017
Professor Cahoone does an exemplary job introducing and elucidating on these fine thinkers and their works. Would recommend to anyone with an interest in Intellectual History, Philosophy, understanding Modernity, or simply one who wants to learn about History and it's present impact more generally.
January 28, 2021
Lawrence Cahoone did a fantastic job at explaining the core ideas of many premodern and modern thinkers and to my delight, made the poststructuralist thinkers not to some devilish force, trying to rid the world of enlightenment thought but to give a radical critique of how our perceptions are modelled.
I found the ideas less disagreeable than I thought before, ofc caveat included. "A sufficiently radical critique leaves the world just as it stood before" as lawrence concluded comparing the postmodern/poststructuralist thinkers with the radical scepticism of david hume.
A challenge on the basis of thought itself is not something to be discarded but to be considered and answered, allowing to create a new level of self consciousness.
To sum up my memory of the derrida lecture: We perceive the world in wake of both the history of the words we use, both personal and cultural aswell as the words themself only being part of a language structure lending meaning to the particular in light of the difference to other particulars.
The methode of destructivism being a tool of literatury criticism showing the contradictions of language use in texts.
No surprise that accounts of ontological relativism like the one Quine gave followed suit.
The schema we are in is inescapable for our view of the world.
Great thing that these expositions were followed by contrary, or one might think dissolvingly explanatory lines of thought which tried to reastablish a pragmatic realist(Truth is irrelevant of our view of it and pragmatically true is what works) paradigm on top of these critiques.
Gadamers distinction between looking at language as a container we can't escape and looking at language as a medium to grasp the world with.
"We have worlded langauge and a langauged world".
Joseph Margolis emphasizing that truth is relative to the fields of evidence at our disposal and thus our need to look at human inquiry as continuous with and developing out of the precognitve(was in place before cognition) interaction beween organism and enviroment.
So much more of relevance in these 32 lecturers, I would recommend you to experience by yourself.
Suffice to say there is lots of thinking both in these thinkers as in the lectures that has both slipped my understanding and memory and even more so this review.
I will gladly listen to this again. Especially the last 8 lectures as I wasn't familiar with those thinkers as I was with most preceeding.
Before I conclude on this masterpiece of lecture course, I will appreciate Cahoone for giving the least convoluded even clear explaination of Kant and german idealists.
Good day to anyone passing by this text.
I found the ideas less disagreeable than I thought before, ofc caveat included. "A sufficiently radical critique leaves the world just as it stood before" as lawrence concluded comparing the postmodern/poststructuralist thinkers with the radical scepticism of david hume.
A challenge on the basis of thought itself is not something to be discarded but to be considered and answered, allowing to create a new level of self consciousness.
To sum up my memory of the derrida lecture: We perceive the world in wake of both the history of the words we use, both personal and cultural aswell as the words themself only being part of a language structure lending meaning to the particular in light of the difference to other particulars.
The methode of destructivism being a tool of literatury criticism showing the contradictions of language use in texts.
No surprise that accounts of ontological relativism like the one Quine gave followed suit.
The schema we are in is inescapable for our view of the world.
Great thing that these expositions were followed by contrary, or one might think dissolvingly explanatory lines of thought which tried to reastablish a pragmatic realist(Truth is irrelevant of our view of it and pragmatically true is what works) paradigm on top of these critiques.
Gadamers distinction between looking at language as a container we can't escape and looking at language as a medium to grasp the world with.
"We have worlded langauge and a langauged world".
Joseph Margolis emphasizing that truth is relative to the fields of evidence at our disposal and thus our need to look at human inquiry as continuous with and developing out of the precognitve(was in place before cognition) interaction beween organism and enviroment.
So much more of relevance in these 32 lecturers, I would recommend you to experience by yourself.
Suffice to say there is lots of thinking both in these thinkers as in the lectures that has both slipped my understanding and memory and even more so this review.
I will gladly listen to this again. Especially the last 8 lectures as I wasn't familiar with those thinkers as I was with most preceeding.
Before I conclude on this masterpiece of lecture course, I will appreciate Cahoone for giving the least convoluded even clear explaination of Kant and german idealists.
Good day to anyone passing by this text.
March 2, 2024
Big recommendation!! Really big, thorough, fairly bi-partisan, interesting and well presented summary of the key significant figures that have shaped dominant western philosophies and notable branches since ~end of medieval era. Great balance of including all the technical names of movements and theories and such, while still being accessible and well explained.
Caught me roughly up to date on all the dudes everyone always references and I feel dumb for not knowing 👍👍
Big caveat included in the introduction but I’ll mention here too: these are like all old white dudes, and these are all the like largely hegemonic philosophies presented through dominant western culture. Hence not like amazing for actually expanding your perspectives and philosophies, but interesting nonetheless, and for what this book is (basically a historical context for modern dominant ideologies), it’s really useful. Doesn’t critique some of these guys as much as I might, RE: racism, sexism, classism, etc, implicit in their works, but to be fair it’s all presented in a pretty fair bipartisan shallow presentation of their work objectively as itself. I liked his analysis of Marx :)
I’d love more context and depth on everything mentioned but obviously that would make this already super super long and dense anthology just infinitely longer, and this is not the place for depth, being so incredibly broad.
Caught me roughly up to date on all the dudes everyone always references and I feel dumb for not knowing 👍👍
Big caveat included in the introduction but I’ll mention here too: these are like all old white dudes, and these are all the like largely hegemonic philosophies presented through dominant western culture. Hence not like amazing for actually expanding your perspectives and philosophies, but interesting nonetheless, and for what this book is (basically a historical context for modern dominant ideologies), it’s really useful. Doesn’t critique some of these guys as much as I might, RE: racism, sexism, classism, etc, implicit in their works, but to be fair it’s all presented in a pretty fair bipartisan shallow presentation of their work objectively as itself. I liked his analysis of Marx :)
I’d love more context and depth on everything mentioned but obviously that would make this already super super long and dense anthology just infinitely longer, and this is not the place for depth, being so incredibly broad.
March 26, 2021
Cartea isi propune sa fie o trecere in revista si face lucrul asta foarte bine.
Este o carte pentru oameni care nu sunt deja familiarizati cu subiectul, pentru ca daca deja studiati filozofie, atunci cartea e subtire (in sensul de trecere in revista oarecum la nivel de baza).
Insa pentru cineva ca mine, fara cunostinte deosebite in filozofie, a fost o placere sa o citesc. Nu pentru ca acum stiu nu stiu ce chestiuni filozofice, ci pentru ca o trecere in revista a diferitelor paradigme de gandire, a intrebarilor si modului de a pune intrebari, de-a lungul timpul este in sine o trecere in revista a istorie omului (in cazul cartii, a omului din Europa si America, pt ca nu apare nimic din filozofia altor continente). Mi-ar placea mult sa citesc si o varianta care sa prezinte istoria filozofiei altor continente, pt ca modul in care noi, ca specie, ne-am modificat modul de a gandi si de a intelege lumea este absolut fascinant.
Pe langa asta, trecerea in revista a greilor filozofiei europene si americane este simpatica si din perspectiva observarii stilului acestor personalitati .... pt ca este, pana la urma, si istoria modului in care big brain men incercau sa arate "a cui e mai mare", dar in varianta de biblioteca, in loc de vestiar.
Este o carte pentru oameni care nu sunt deja familiarizati cu subiectul, pentru ca daca deja studiati filozofie, atunci cartea e subtire (in sensul de trecere in revista oarecum la nivel de baza).
Insa pentru cineva ca mine, fara cunostinte deosebite in filozofie, a fost o placere sa o citesc. Nu pentru ca acum stiu nu stiu ce chestiuni filozofice, ci pentru ca o trecere in revista a diferitelor paradigme de gandire, a intrebarilor si modului de a pune intrebari, de-a lungul timpul este in sine o trecere in revista a istorie omului (in cazul cartii, a omului din Europa si America, pt ca nu apare nimic din filozofia altor continente). Mi-ar placea mult sa citesc si o varianta care sa prezinte istoria filozofiei altor continente, pt ca modul in care noi, ca specie, ne-am modificat modul de a gandi si de a intelege lumea este absolut fascinant.
Pe langa asta, trecerea in revista a greilor filozofiei europene si americane este simpatica si din perspectiva observarii stilului acestor personalitati .... pt ca este, pana la urma, si istoria modului in care big brain men incercau sa arate "a cui e mai mare", dar in varianta de biblioteca, in loc de vestiar.
June 2, 2019
A superb collection of 36 lectures presented in an elegant accessible way, this book is a must and a guarantee delight for everyone having a genuine admiration for the true non-pretentious intellectual exercise, human brain and it's most precious product; reasoning.
Mathematicians, physicists, psychologist, professionals or just passionate about human thinking one will find real value and a well worth use of time and attention in attending these lectures.
It is also an answer to what philosophy usefulness is and a lesson on how to exact, concise, precise and elegant communicate ideas in a simple way despite the intricacies of the matters.
Whether you are interested in the body mind and realty relation, or you will want to find how philosophical thinking found application on more practical aspects like science (noting I.e. the link of Thaleb's Black Swan theory to Hume's philosophy), ethics, estethics, morale, sense have all a place in this book.
I believe the best way to experience it is the audio version. Each lecture can be taken as a stand alone exercise but it is best to follow them in the sequence intended by author.
Mathematicians, physicists, psychologist, professionals or just passionate about human thinking one will find real value and a well worth use of time and attention in attending these lectures.
It is also an answer to what philosophy usefulness is and a lesson on how to exact, concise, precise and elegant communicate ideas in a simple way despite the intricacies of the matters.
Whether you are interested in the body mind and realty relation, or you will want to find how philosophical thinking found application on more practical aspects like science (noting I.e. the link of Thaleb's Black Swan theory to Hume's philosophy), ethics, estethics, morale, sense have all a place in this book.
I believe the best way to experience it is the audio version. Each lecture can be taken as a stand alone exercise but it is best to follow them in the sequence intended by author.
December 1, 2024
Book Review: Modern Intellectual Tradition: From Descartes to Derrida by Lawrence E. Cahoone
I found Modern Intellectual Tradition by Lawrence Cahoone to be an overwhelming and frustrating read. While the book ambitiously traces the development of Western thought from Descartes to Derrida, it felt like drinking from a firehose—an endless barrage of complex ideas delivered too quickly to digest.
The sheer density of the material and philosophical jargon made it hard to follow, especially as it dove deeper into abstract thinkers like Hegel, Derrida, and Foucault. Instead of helping me understand these ideas, it left me feeling lost and exhausted. Even when Cahoone tried to make connections between thinkers, the pace and complexity overshadowed any clarity.
For someone new to philosophy or even moderately experienced, this book is more of a challenge than an enlightening guide. I didn’t enjoy it, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you already have a strong background in philosophy and are ready for an intellectual marathon.
I found Modern Intellectual Tradition by Lawrence Cahoone to be an overwhelming and frustrating read. While the book ambitiously traces the development of Western thought from Descartes to Derrida, it felt like drinking from a firehose—an endless barrage of complex ideas delivered too quickly to digest.
The sheer density of the material and philosophical jargon made it hard to follow, especially as it dove deeper into abstract thinkers like Hegel, Derrida, and Foucault. Instead of helping me understand these ideas, it left me feeling lost and exhausted. Even when Cahoone tried to make connections between thinkers, the pace and complexity overshadowed any clarity.
For someone new to philosophy or even moderately experienced, this book is more of a challenge than an enlightening guide. I didn’t enjoy it, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you already have a strong background in philosophy and are ready for an intellectual marathon.
June 3, 2019
I enjoyed the video series so much but realized there was so much information which I was missing since the ideas flow so quickly through the course that I purchased the transcript so I could go through it thoughtfully.
Dr. Cahoone presents each person and idea as if he were an ardent student of theirs but since they evolve and even contradict one another it was clear that he was merely being thorough with as little bias as possible.
Tracing the thought of the western world over some many centuries is a monumental task but I think this is one of the best attempts at it. I have and will continue to use these transcripts as a reference tool for further reading.
I also am planning on going through the transcripts of his course on Modern Political Tradition.
Dr. Cahoone presents each person and idea as if he were an ardent student of theirs but since they evolve and even contradict one another it was clear that he was merely being thorough with as little bias as possible.
Tracing the thought of the western world over some many centuries is a monumental task but I think this is one of the best attempts at it. I have and will continue to use these transcripts as a reference tool for further reading.
I also am planning on going through the transcripts of his course on Modern Political Tradition.
July 23, 2021
The author clearly loves this topic, you can hear it in his voice. I now have a much better understanding of how philosophy impacted human history. I also unfortunately now have a much lower view of Philosophy as an academic field. I am left feeling that most of the ideas these philosophers have pondered for thousands of years have been either wrong headed or utterly useless. (I'm looking at you, epistemology.) There are exceptions of course, and those exceptions seem to develop into their own branches of study, leaving philosophy behind. I like the idea of philosophy. I hope that people will go on pondering the big questions. But most of the ideas covered in this course, in my view, should be consigned to history.
November 15, 2018
Cahoone's lessons in this course are clear and well-illustrated, so that following along with complex ideas across the span of a single lecture and/or the whole course is not too difficult of a task. There are a lot of lectures in this course (36) so there is a lot of material to cover, but the organization facilitates memory well and the material is engaging at every turn. There are a few that feel a tad long, but this has more to do with the complexity or problems of the thinkers and not their presentation in these lectures. Overall I enjoyed this course quite a lot, and would love to spend more time thinking alongside Professor Cahoone in other contexts, for sure.
November 4, 2019
I didn't like this course, and decided to stop it after the end of the 6th lecture.
I found the delivery and contents of this lecture series to be uninteresting, boring and dry.
Professor Cahoone delivers monotonous lectures that fail to connect with the viewer.
He lists off historical figures, and explains their positions in a dry, disconnected manner. Paying particular attention to many of their beliefs that have been long disproven, ie; George Berkeley's denial of the existence of matter, and Descartes' "proof" of God's existence, among others.
Maybe this was just a personal thing, and others might find this course interesting and engaging.
I did not, however.
1 star.
I found the delivery and contents of this lecture series to be uninteresting, boring and dry.
Professor Cahoone delivers monotonous lectures that fail to connect with the viewer.
He lists off historical figures, and explains their positions in a dry, disconnected manner. Paying particular attention to many of their beliefs that have been long disproven, ie; George Berkeley's denial of the existence of matter, and Descartes' "proof" of God's existence, among others.
Maybe this was just a personal thing, and others might find this course interesting and engaging.
I did not, however.
1 star.
April 6, 2020
(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).
The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.
This was very helpful and I look forward to reading it rather than just listening to it.
The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.
This was very helpful and I look forward to reading it rather than just listening to it.
August 20, 2020
Excellent course. Covers the philosophical topics of metaphysics and epistemology from Descartes through modern thinkers. While I feel he left out a few key thinkers or gave them shortened time, he covers such a rich array of thinkers and topics in such an entertaining and concise way, I'm willing to give him a pass on that. Also, one of the few TTC titles that reaches deep into post-Heideggerian continental thibkers. So, it is also a deeper treatment than I expected.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in metaphysics or epistemology over the last five hundred years.
Highly recommend for anyone interested in metaphysics or epistemology over the last five hundred years.
April 17, 2022
Another good one from the Great Courses. To his credit, Cahoone does not shrink back from difficult topics. His initial focus on epistemology and ontology is relaxed along the way, with discussions on political and social philosophy. Refreshingly, he takes the continental tradition and postmodernism seriously, even when sensibly pointing out its problems. More advanced listeners will of course find lacunae and their favourite topics ignored, but that is to be expected in a survey like this. The author's enthusiasm and occasional humour make this a captivating listen despite the challenging
January 16, 2023
This is an excellent overview of modern philosophy, but "modern" in the historical sense, meaning starting with the 17th century. A typical Philosophy 101 course spends a good deal of time on the ancients, some medieval and renaissance thought, and only a cursory look at modern thought. Cahoone does an excellent job of encapsulating extremely complex ideas from Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and many others.
December 24, 2021
I don't know if the lectures became harder to understand or if the philosophers became more incomprehensible, but I understood everything from the first half of the book and almost nothing from the second half. I think it's because the philosophy became more nitpicky. Regardless this was a great overview of western philosophy, and I learnt a great deal.
March 1, 2022
Dense and compact but, ultimately, a wonderful overarching summary of centuries of modern philosophy. Will need to keep dipping back in to sort my naturalists from my idealists and my pragmatists. Cahoone is a careful, considerate guide, frequently pausing to explain and unpack the language of philosophy as he goes.
October 25, 2017
Excellent course, great overview of the Western intellectual tradition from the 1700s onwards to today. It did have a large focus on what would be called 'postmodernism' , of which lay critics seem to greatly misunderstand.
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