Is there value in reading the ideas of 19th century and earlier philosophers, economists, political scientists, etc

Great Debates
21

If you’ve heard of them then they were probably pretty good writers and there’s a lot to learn from them about communication. The details of their philosophies can be learned from summaries and comparisons with other’s works.

22

:roll_eyes:

Stranger

23

Recommended essay on Marx:

https://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2013/05/understanding-karl-marx-hoisted-from-the-archives-from-four-years-ago-may-day-weblogging.html

In lecture/slide form:

https://www.bradford-delong.com/2018/05/understanding-karl-marx.html

Generally speaking I would characterize works written before, say, 1900 as primary sources. There’s value in reading them. But if you are looking for a conceptual overview, I’d stick with secondary sources. Then you can decide whether you want to dive deeper.

24

Older philosophy books are often worth reading because they’re entertaining, even if you don’t agree with what they said, or know that points have been disproven. It’s also interesting to read about where some ideas came from, and how people were groping towards the truth.

I’ve read maybe 1/3 of Plato’s works, and I think they’re worth the reading. I’ve also read collections of the snippets from early Greek Philosophy (in books with titles like Early Greek Philosophy). Aristotle is interesting because he – or at least the writings attributed to him – are wrong about as often as they’re right.

I recommend the De Rerum Natura to Titus Lucretius Caro (“Lucretius”), because he had some awfully prescient beliefs (such as that all things fall at equal speed in a vacuum).

I’ve read random other philosphers. The only Marx I’ve read is The Communist Msnifesto (I could never work up the will to plunge into the ocean that is Das Kapital) . I’ve read Nietzsche, but don’t find anything profitable in it - he asserts rather than argues or proves. I’m unimpressed with Freud’s psychoanalysis, but I was blown away by his Moses and Monotheism. A lot of his ideas have been disproven or modified, but it’s worth the read.

If you want a good intro to what earlier philosophers wrote and believed, read Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy and Bertrand Russell’s History of Western Philosophy. And for good measure Henri Frankfort’s Before Philosophy , and, for dessert, Martin Gardner’s The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener