The Problems of Philosophy

the problem...

(5 stars)

hbrakh

well read and, appropriately, inconclusive.

(5 stars)

Joseph Brown

Bertrand Russell is the 20th century's greatest philosopher. In this book he looks into the root problems of philosophy: is the universe just a concept in the mind of God, or does it exist a priori? Russell makes a strong case for the latter, exploring universal and particular truths, what is solvable and what is the role of philosophy with regard to math and physics. It is in this final question that his weakness is apparent: while acknowledging the existence of non-Euclidian math Russell still makes the fundamental error of assuming that a line can go on forever or a segment is infinitely divisible, two things we know to be false in the universe we live in; what he failed to explain was that concepts like infinite lines or infinite divisibility are merely constructs that are just as valid as their opposite. Still this is a great book that will get you up to speed with the state of philosophy and metaphysics as of the mid 20th century.

The Problems of Philosophy is one of Bertrand Russell's attempts

(3 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

The Problems of Philosophy is one of Bertrand Russell's attempts to create a brief and accessible guide to the problems of philosophy. Focusing on problems he believes will provoke positive and constructive discussion, Russell concentrates on knowledge rather than metaphysics. Russell guides the reader through his famous distinction between "knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description" and introduces important theories of Plato, Aristotle, René Descartes, David Hume, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, Georg Hegel and others to lay the foundation for philosophical inquiry by general readers and scholars alike. (Summary from Wikipedia) (4 hr 50 min)

Fantastic little introduction

(5 stars)

Strainedcounter

If you can accept the old-fashioned language and writing style, this is one of the best introductions to philosophy that I've read. Often, people imagine that philosophy is just clever people saying interesting things. This book really gets across the goals and problems of the project, as well as the reasons for bothering in the first place. The narration is very good.

Worth a listen

(4 stars)

Eric Sillers

An enlightening look into the man who molded his age as much as he was swept away in it. When we apply the Cartesian doubt (Socratic method) he recommends, he frequently overlooks his most basic assumptions/imperatives.

Very good

(5 stars)

Ruslan Vasylev

Very insightful, thank you to B.R. and the readers.

Great introduction to philosophy

(5 stars)

Michael Cutler

Great way to step into philosophy

(5 stars)

A LibriVox Listener

Very well read and understandable. 👍🏻