Abstract

Not even the subtitle of this work hints at its richness. Redpath begins with Descartes, making it clear that it is not without reason that Descartes is called “the father of modern philosophy.” Although Descartes is his starting point, Redpath quickly moves to an analysis of the work of Leibniz, Spinoza, and Malebranche. He contrasts these Cartesians with the “more hard-headed empiricists,” Hobbes, Newton, Locke, and Hume. Berkeley’s critique of Locke is examined in detail; so too is Rousseau’s Emile, but the bulk of the volume is devoted to Kant and Hegel.