The Essentials of Philosophy (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Essentials of Philosophy<br><br>Preliminary Definition. - Speaking in general terms, we may say that philosophy is a persistent attempt to understand the world in which we live and of which we are a part. This preliminary definition stresses the broadness of aim characteristic of philosophy. It is an effort of the intellect of man to answer fundamental problems and gain a comprehensive view of the universe.<br><br>The conception of the exact nature of philosophy has varied from period to period as man's view of the world and of his place in it has changed. Hence the history of philosophy has usually been the best index of those gradual alterations in the dominant interpretation of man and reality in which science and religion find their focus. Plato believed that a supersensible realm of ideas existed apart from the world of perceptual appearance, and his philosophy was at once a cause and an effect of this outlook. It explained what reality was and how the human mind obtained valid glimpses of it. During the Middle Ages, man was prone to consider earthly things the creation of a supernatural deity, and his philosophy was simply the earnest search for a systematic and consistent answer to such riddles as forced themselves upon his attention.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.