A History of Western Philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance

The Dream of Reason

A delight. It is written with both wit and scholarship, providing a wonderful overall picture of Western philosophy up to the Renaissance.

[Gottlieb] writes with fluency and lucidity, with a gift for making even difficult matters seem comprehensible.

Gottlieb is as enjoyable as he is intellectually stimulating.

Anthony Gottlieb is a former executive editor of the Economist and has held visiting fellowships at Harvard University and All Souls College, Oxford. His work has appeared in the New Yorker and The New York Times. He lives in New York.

Already a classic, this landmark account of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. The Dream of Reason takes a fresh look at the writings of the great thinkers of classic philosophy and questions many pieces of conventional wisdom. The book invites comparison with Bertrand Russell's monumental History of Western Philosophy, "but Gottlieb's book is less idiosyncratic and based on more recent scholarship" (Colin McGinn, Los Angeles Times). A New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Best Book, and a Times Literary Supplement Best Book of 2001.

Anthony Gottlieb

The Rise of Modern Philosophy

The Dream of Enlightenment

About us

About Us (Header 4)

john-le-carre-a-legacy-of-spies-960-2.jpg

Margaret Atwood

Richard Osman

Malorie Blackman

George Orwell

marian_keyes_mobile_320x200px.png

Elif Shafak

shonfaye

Authors (Header 3)

Books (Header 2)

Company

Features (Header 1)

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

prhuk-authors

It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide

Anthony Gottlieb

The Dream of Enlightenment

Select a format:

Retailers:

More books from this author