Elements of Philosophy

Description: The author presents in this single volume a complete summary of philosophy and its history, specially designed for the student majoring in philosophy or the seminarian who needs philosophical knowledge for his work in theology. The book is keyed to the New Catholic Encyclopedia, where fuller expositions and bibliographies of the topics treated may be found. The work is divided into three parts, the first two being systematic and the third historical. Part I summarizes the basic content of what is called scholastic philosophy, logic, natural philosophy, psychology, metaphysics, epistemology, natural theology, and ethics. Part II surveys the more recent philosophies of the specialized disciplines, that is, the various humanities and sciences, from language and art to social and political thought. Part III gives a synoptic account of the history of philosophy, from the beginnings of the discipline to its most contemporary developments. The presentation is simple and clear, yet it is accurate and completely authoritative. About the Contributor(s): William A. Wallace, OP, author of sixteen books and over three hundred scholarly articles, taught at various Dominican Houses of Studies and then at Catholic University and the University of Maryland. In addition to doctorates in philosophy and theology, he holds degrees in physics and electrical engineering. He is an expert Latinist and paleographer and has worked extensively on Thomas's philosophy of nature as well as its foundations in Aristotle's Physics. His reputation among historians of science is based mainly on discoveries relating to Galileo's early Latin manuscripts.