内容简介
Dr.Durant'soutlineincludesnotonlylucidexplanationsofthegreatphilosophies,butthecareersofthephilosophersandinterpretationsbaseduponthetwo-foldview,togetherwithahostofgoodtalesandmerryquipsbyandaboutfamousscholarsfromSocratestoProfessorJohnDewey.
作者简介
AmericanhistorianandessayistWillDurantwasborninNorthAdams,Massachusetts.HeearnedhisundergraduatedegreeatSt.Peter'sCollegeinNewJerseyandwentontoearnaPh.D.inphilosophyin1917fromColumbiaUniversity.WhileteachingatthelibertarianFerrerModernSchoolinNewYork,hehadasapupilayoungwomannamedAdaKaufman,whomhelatercalledAriel.Shebecamehiswife---andhiscoauthor.In1917Durantpublishedhisfirstwork,hisdoctoraldissertation,PhilosophyandtheSocialProblem.In1926hepublishedanotherwork,TheStoryofPhilosophy.Thefollowingyear,hebeganwritingthecomprehensivehistoryofcivilizationonwhichhewastospendmuchofthenext30yearsofhislife,themassiveStoryofCivilization.Bythetimetheseventhvolumewaspublishedin1961,ArielDurant'sdiligentassistanceontheprojecthadearnedhertitle-pagerecognitionascoauthor.TheDurantsmadeseveralworldtourstovisitthecountriestheytreatedintheirhistoryandreceivedcountlesshonorarydegrees.In1968theyreceivedthePulitzerPrizeforRousseauandRevolution,thetenthandfinalvolumeoftheirstory.Explainingwhytheystoppedatthispointinhistory,theywrote:"WefindourselvesexhaustedonreachingtheFrenchRevolution.Weknowthatthiseventdidnotendhistory,butitendsus."TheDurantsbroughtpopularhistorytotheintelligentlayreader,afactthatOrvillePrescottnoted:"Tointroduceandtopopularizeisnotlessworthyanenterprisethantounearthsomehithertounknownfactsortopresentsomenewandcontroversialtheory.Manyprofessionalhistoriansbelievethatitis,andsomehavelookeddowntheirnosesattheDurants.Thetruthisthattheartofhistoryincludesbothkindsofwritingandneedsboth.Thescholarwhodelvesintoobscurearchivesisessential;withouthimignorancewouldprevail.Butthewriterwhocanmakehistoryavailabletothegeneralreaderisnecessarytoo.
