The Consequences of Ideas (Redesign): Understanding the Concepts that Shaped Our World

by R.C. Sproul

Plato. Aquinas. Descartes. Kant. Freud. These great thinkers are still impacting the culture today―from public-policy decisions to world events, theology, the arts, education, and even everyday conversations. In this classic book, the late R. C. Sproul expertly surveys history’s most influential streams of thought, proving that ideas are not just passing fads―they have consequences for generations to come. Helping readers better understand how many of these ideas have shaped their own thinking, this book will empower Christians to be a Christlike influence in the world.

Genres: Philosophy, School, Nonfiction, Christianity

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 27, 2023

About the author

Dr. R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Ligonier Ministries began in 1971 as the Ligonier Valley Study Center in Ligonier, Pa. In an effort to respond more effectively to the growing demand for Dr. Sproul’s teachings and the ministry’s other educational resources, the general offices were moved to Orlando in 1984, and the ministry was renamed.

Dr. Sproul’s radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul produced hundreds of lecture series and recorded numerous video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living.

He contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, and academic institutions around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone’s a Theologian. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and wrote a commentary on that document. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible, previously known as the New Geneva Study Bible.

Dr. Sproul had a distinguished academic teaching career at various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and Jackson, Miss. He was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

Reviews

[jess h. · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this book for school under the subject of Philosophy. Sproul did a great job explaining the philosophies from a Christian standpoint. anyone who desires to learn the foundations of what this world has built their beliefs on should read this.

[Shay Redwine · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd read was just as good as the first. Such a great primer for philosophy!

[Myersandburnsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A required read for CC Ch3. This is my second time through. A very good basic introduction to philosophy, philosophers and their ideas.

[Cullen Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite part was Sproul’s case that Kant, with his distinction between phenomena/noumena, basically ruined metaphysics going forward — that being why following philosophers focused on anthropology and psychology.

I wish Sproul wrote more on philosophy.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! I must admit I’ve spent my life inside theology, but how clearly Sproul shows most of theology’s greatest assaults have been at the hands of philosophers. It’s hard to grasp how such a small group of men along with their ideas have swayed the world—swayed it away from our gracious Lord. After you read this book, you will be more diligent to dodge both the blatant and the subtle intrusions of these ideas into our lives.

Sproul is so well known that he needs no introduction in a review. I imagine most everyone who reads this review already has an assessment of Sproul in your mind. All I can give is a description of what kind of Sproul you’re getting here. As widely as he has been read, I suspect more have listened to him than even read him. This book doesn’t read like a textbook but like you’re listening to the engaging Sproul talk. In fact, I’ve tackled a few of the shorter overviews of philosophy from a Christian perspective over the years (I must confess I’ve always struggled more in grasping philosophy than theology), but this one moved the needle of my understanding farther than the others.

In my opinion after reading this book, after Augustine and Aquinas gave way to Descartes and Locke, philosophy starts slipping down a mountain. By Hume and Kant we are in a free fall. Marx, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, Darwin and Freud are merely rummaging through the corpses at the bottom of the hill. Read this book and see if you agree.

I know you and I can’t walk down to the university and teach a philosophy course after reading this book, but we can sure better understand the world around us.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Oscar Martinez II · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice brief survey of major philosophical figures and their theories with Christian commentary sprinkled in by the Author. This would be a good book for Christians looking to get into philosophy and familiarize themselves with some of the most impactful thinkers in this realm of thought.

[Szilard Kui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelent introduction to philosophy for laymen. Sproul demonstrates what he was always famous for - to explain complex concepts in simple terms. I recommend it to everyone.

[Timothy Crockett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this a five-star rating simply because of its simplicity. Sproul can be very deep when he wants to be, and considering the subject matter in this book, he could have easily done that. It is a great introduction to those who may wish to take a deep dive into philosophy or to simply get a taste of it.

He covers leading philosophers throughout history and their contributions to societal and religious thought. He covers how their thinking has impacted not only their generation but the generations that followed.

The conclusion was helpful as well, especially talking about the pragmatism of John Dewey and how his philosophy of education has affected education as we know it today.

The book is just over 200 pages, a full index, a list of books for further reading, and a notes section.

[Kirwan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful introduction to the history of Western philosophy. The last few words of the book are excellent:

"We need to reconstruct the classical sythesis by which natural theology bridges the special revelation of Scripture and the general revelation of nature. [You can see the theme of sola Scriptura here, where the Scriptures are the source of the idea and reality of general revelation.] Such a reconstruction could end the war between science and theology. The thinking person could embrace nature without embracing naturalism. All of life, in its unity and diversity, could be lived coram Deo, before the face of God, under his authority and to his glory."

[Paiten · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, this book focuses on one philosopher, his ideas, and who/what influenced his thinking per chapter. Each chapter is about 12-15 and is a thorough overview with lots of information without being too heavy.

This book is a great introduction to philosophy and to many of the most influential philosophers throughout history. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who doesn't know anything about philosophy like I was going into this book. And it would also be great if you have to study a specific philosopher and need resources.

[Heather]

An eye opening read that helped me understand some of the foundations of philosophy that have rocked our world…not always in a positive way.

Read as a Challenge III director for the second semester reasoning strand.

[Aubrey Dew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book but feels incomplete

[Annika Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for school and enjoyed it a ton.

[Haechan grace Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yo this book took me so long. Partially because I didn’t have the heart to finish it but also I lost my drive after like 2 weeks. But I finished it. Mostly because I don’t like leaving books unfinished and because it’s one of keys favorite books. I think it’s fascinating and it is really impactful but maybe I’m just not smart/cultured enough to understand it on a deeper level. I do think it’s a book I would revisit and try to understand more as I learn about these different philosophers but first read was difficult to get through.
The main takeaway was thinking through how religion and science/math used to not be at odds with each other. And many of the greatest thinkers of their time saw Gods glory and goodness in math and science. But we have been entrenched in a culture where if you believe in one it goes against the other but that should not be the case all things were made by God and these discoveries and complexity of life is from God.
It was also helpful for me as I want to more seriously reason through and understand my faith and not have doubt that I’m just a “product of my means”.

[Joseph Christian George · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book for free from Logos Bible software. As someone who was heralded as quite the historian, I expected good things from this book. Sadly that is not the case. This is a very soft, somewhat pigeon holed understanding of various philosophies throughout the ages without many (if any) conclusions as to how these ideas shape our world today.

The title, "The consequences of ideas" is never touched upon. This work would be better titled, "A Christian View of Various Western Philosophies and Their History". I read this shortly before learning about the various different angles through which moral relativism has plagued Western Civilization. I expected this book to cover some of those angles, ideas in the Enlightenment, in Radical Pietism, in Universalism.

Ultimately a woefully, inadequate work. As it would turn out, R.C Sproul is responsible for almost 600 books as per his GoodReads page, and so the quality in light of that is to be expected.

[Sarah Mills Galyean · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Sproul does a great job of going philosopher by philosopher and idea by idea to give a thorough and interesting history of philosophy. His Christian perspective is wonderful, because he refutes the arguments of the philosophers he disagrees with and points out holes in their arguments very well, while also acknowledging truths in other arguments. He dropped some savage lines lol. Great for anyone wanting to become knowledgeable on the basic history and prominent minds of philosophy!

[Anderson Rhom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, Sproul writes very conversationally, explaining ideas in the way any good professor should. He is also very fair to ideas even if he ultimately pushes back against them, which I appreciate. Not many people have the ability to think through other perspectives and suspend their disbelief before being critical.
Very good starting place for people wanting a survey of philosophical thought from the perspective of a Christian

[DeNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a delight of an experience to read and discuss this philosophy book with a class of 11th graders. It's approachable while requiring them to stretch their understandings, open or google a dictionary for new words, and try to apply the concepts to every day life. This book is a great introduction to many philosophers that affect our world still today.

[Lucia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I do not know much about philosophy, though I am very interested in the subject.

Read this for school and wasn't terribly impressed. The selection was fine and so was the writing, but the more I researched many of the philosophers, the more I found some of the information in the book to be a little misleading and very much cherry-picked.

[grace wiersma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to the most influential philosophers in the world. I learned so much about differing view points of society, religion, and nature. This has led to many great and profound discussions and I am hopeful to continue them in the future.

[Bennett Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

TCI is a brief and accessible introductory sketch of the leading voices in the history of Western thought. It is a good starting point for those who are interested (or might become interested) in studying philosophy.

[Kristin]

Pretty good. Pretty deep. Probably will reread again at some point.

[alec haden · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 school

[Karl Kranich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to the history of western philosophy from a Christian perspective. Now I'd love to dig deeper!

[Mia]

This was for bible class. Didnt finish reading the whole book but read more than half of it.

[Jenni Early · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this one. Good overview of a variety of philosophers. It doesn't have any primary sources in it (no words of philosophers themselves), but it is a good critique.

[mjflowerchild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I love philosophy now

[Terri Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really like this book… There is a YouTube video series that compliments the book excellently. It’s dated, and by the author.

[Cory Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Braxton Burcham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to various philosophies and ways of thinking throughout history. The Christian perspective is appreciated very much.