Includes bibliographical references (p. [205]-216) and index

Introduction : Why philosophy? -- The first Philosophers -- Plato : realist and idealist -- Aristotle : The philosopher -- Augustine : doctor of grace -- Thomas Aquinas : angelic doctor -- René Descartes : father of modern rationalism -- John Locke : father of modern empiricism -- David Hume : skeptic -- Immanuel Kant : revolutionary philosopher -- Karl Marx : utopian -- Søren Kierkegaard : Danish gadfly -- Fredrich Nietzsche : atheistic existentialist -- Jean-Paul Sartre : litterateur and philosopher -- Darwin and Freud : influential thinkers -- Conclusion : Gilson's choice

The greater our familiarity with the ideas that have shaped our culture over the centuries, the greater our ability to understand--and influence--that culture for Christ. From the ancient Greek thinkers Plato and Aristotle to the Christian philosophers Augustine and Aquinas to the molders of modern thought such as Kant and Nietszche, R. C. Sproul traces the contours of Western philosophy throughout history and demonstrates the massive consequences these ideas have had on world events, theology, the arts, and culture--as well as in our everyday lives