Whereas his previous book began with Augustine, this volume gives significant space to the philosophical and theological predecessors of the Bishop of Hippo. This material is important in its own right and it is also crucial for understanding medieval as well as modern philosophy in terms of its larger stream of development. Just as one needs to understand something of Plato to read Augustine insightfully, and Aristotle to appreciate Aquinas, so one needs to read Hume against the background of ancient skepticism and Epicureanism. Brown s concise summaries of these figures and movements are most helpful for charting the connections between various philosophers. Brown s volume contains eighteen chapters, most of which deal with a number of thinkers and their ideas.
Exposition is nicely blended with philosophical criticism and theological assessment throughout.
Moreover, the philosophical analysis is typically preceded by biographical sketches of the various thinkers that not only place them in their cultural and historical setting, but also give us interesting, and sometimes, humorous glimpses into their lives and personalities. For instance, we are informed that Kant had no ear for music and intensely disliked noise. Of course, Kant is famous for more than his impatience with hymn singing. His massive and often obscure writings were of crucial importance for theology as well as for philosophy. Much of the history of theology since the eighteenth century can be understood as various attempts to come to terms with Kant s claims about the limits of human knowledge.