The Routledge Guides to the Great Books
About the Book Series
The Routledge Guides to the Great Books provide ideal introductions to the texts which have shaped Western Civilization. The Guidebooks explore the arguments and ideas contained in the most influential works from some of the most brilliant thinkers who have ever lived, from Aristotle to Marx and Newton to Wollstonecraft. Each Guidebook opens with a short introduction to the author of the great book and the context within which they were working and concludes with an examination of the lasting significance of the book. The Routledge Guides to the Great Books will therefore provide students everywhere with complete introductions to the most significant books of all time.
The Routledge Guidebook to Aquinas' Summa Theologiae
1st Edition
By Jason Eberl
November 24, 2015
The Routledge Guidebook to Aquinas' Summa Theologiae introduces readers to a work which represents the pinnacle of medieval Western scholarship and which has inspired numerous commentaries, imitators, and opposing views. Outlining the main arguments Aquinas utilizes to support his conclusions on ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling
1st Edition
By John Lippitt
November 04, 2015
Søren Kierkegaard is one of the key figures of nineteenth century thought, whose influence on subsequent philosophy, theology and literature is both extensive and profound. Fear and Trembling, which investigates the nature of faith through an exploration of the story of Abraham and Isaac, is one of...
The Routledge Guidebook to Mill's On Liberty
1st Edition
By Jonathan Riley
July 07, 2015
John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty is widely regarded as one of the most influential and stirring pieces of political philosophy ever written. Ever relevant in our increasingly surveillance dominated culture, the essay argues strongly in favour of the moral rights of individuality, including rights of ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Einstein's Relativity
1st Edition
By James Trefil
February 25, 2015
Albert Einstein, one of the most prolific scientists of the twentieth century, developed the theory of relativity which was crucial for the advancement of modern physics. Young Einstein identified a paradox between Newtonian Mechanics and Maxwell’s equations which pointed to a flawed understanding ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Gramsci's Prison Notebooks
1st Edition
By John Schwarzmantel
January 22, 2015
Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks are one of the most important and original sources of modern political philosophy but the Prison Notebooks present great difficulties to the reader. Not originally intended for publication, their fragmentary character and their often cryptic language can mystify readers, ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Thoreau's Civil Disobedience
1st Edition
By Bob Pepperman Taylor
December 19, 2014
Since its publication in 1849, Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience has influenced protestors, activists and political thinkers all over the world. Including the full text of Thoreau’s essay, The Routledge Guidebook to Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience explores the context of his writing, analyses ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Descartes' Meditations
1st Edition
By Gary Hatfield
August 26, 2014
Descartes is widely regarded to be the father of modern philosophy and his Meditations is among the most important philosophical texts ever written. The Routledge Guidebook to Descartes’ Meditations introduces the major themes in Descartes’ great book and acts as a companion for reading this key ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Hobbes' Leviathan
1st Edition
By Glen Newey
April 23, 2014
Hobbes is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ideas and political thought, and his seminal text Leviathan is widely recognised as one of the greatest works of political philosophy ever written. The Routledge Guidebook to Hobbes’ Leviathan introduces the major ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Galileo's Dialogue
1st Edition
By Maurice A. Finocchiaro
September 18, 2013
The publication in 1632 of Galileo’s Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems, Ptolemaic and Copernican marked a crucial moment in the ‘scientific revolution’ and helped Galileo become the ‘father of modern science’. The Dialogue contains Galileo’s mature synthesis of astronomy, physics, and ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit
1st Edition
By Robert Stern
March 25, 2013
The Phenomenology of Spirit is arguably Hegel’s most influential and important work, and is considered to be essential in understanding Hegel’s philosophical system and his contribution to western philosophy. The Routledge Guidebook to Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit introduces the major themes in ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations
1st Edition
By Marie McGinn
March 22, 2013
Wittgenstein is one of the most important and influential twentieth-century philosophers in the western tradition. In his Philosophical Investigations he undertakes a radical critique of analytical philosophy's approach to both the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind. The Routledge ...
The Routledge Guidebook to Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics
1st Edition
By Gerard J Hughes
March 21, 2013
Written by one of the most important founding figures of Western philosophy, Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics represents a critical point in the study of ethics which has influenced the direction of modern philosophy. The Routledge Guidebook to Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics introduces the major ...