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Rating: 
Summary: Loved it!
Review: An interesting look at the history of Ancient Greek and medieval philosophy. I agree with the other reviewers in that the cursory review of the medieval philosophers was appropriate, although perhaps the book would have been better if it had simply ended after discussing the Hellenistic philosophers. The chronological sense of the book left me with a feeling of anticlimax.I found the discussion of the Hellenistic philosophers fascinating and would have liked to see a further discussion of them. Overall, a very worthwhile read.
Rating: 
Summary: Readable, Comprehensible Philosophy
Review: Anthony Gottlieb delivers a readable, enjoyable history of philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance in The Dream of Reason, although the history is predominantly of the Greeks, particularly the big three, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (only the last two chapters cover the period after the death of Aristotle but the author makes a healthy, believable excuse for this). The book makes the ideas comprehensible and, often, funny which four years of medieval and classical studes at university often failed to do. Passing over the more scholastic medieval arguments now seems like a wise choice the author made. The history of philosophy, in this author's capable hands, seems important, relevant and, most suprising, quite interesting. At times he may seem a tad generous to each of the ancient philosophers but he cleverly backs up everything he states. A good book for those looking to plunge into this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Deep, Readable & Investigative
Review: I could not put it down. It hit me at some point that I was at the intersection of readability and scholarship. Clearly the value of this book lies beyond its readability: Gottlieb is both a philosopher and a journalist (in the good sense), not a journalist who writes about philosophy. He investigates and provides a fresh look at the material: For instance what we bemoan as the flaws of Aristotelianism during the scholastic period came 2000 years after his work. Aristotle had an empirical bent --his followers are the ones to blame.
I liked his constant questioning of the labels put on philosophers and philosophies by the second hand readers.
Clearly he missed a few authors who deserve real coverage like Algazali, but I take what I can get.
The only other readable history of philosophy is Russell's. This one was less hurriedly put together.
Someone should bug the author to hurry with the sequel on Locke, Hume, etc.
Rating:
Summary: Good for the uninitiated
Review: Ironically, what makes this book so impressive is exactly what makes it unimpressive- it's subject matter. The 'survey of early philosophy' shelf at the bookstore is crammed with such works but Gottlieb certainly excels at the job he sets forth for himself. Those of us, like myself, who enjoy reading and learning about philosophy but don't have the driving interest in the subject to go out and buy Plato in the original Greek will find Gottlieb's easy writing style and solid grasp of the subject highly enjoyable.
While I certainly found the book enjoyable (and as always am amazed by some of the philosophical grates) anyone who has given the area of philosophy any serious study or who has ready such a survey text recently probably wouldn't have much use for this book as it would just be a rehashing of what they already know.
Certainly left me wanting to read more philosophy though!
Rating:
Summary: 1,500 Years of Philosophy Made Fun and Smart
Review: The subtitle of this book is a history of philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, but that can be slightly misleading. It is in fact what it claims but it is also much more and a little less. The little less is that only the book's last two chapters cover the period after the death of Aristotle but anyone who has slogged through medieval philosophy will appreciate and understand the author's choices. The good news is how deftly the author, Anthony Gottlieb, covers the topics and philosophers selected. The Dream of Reason is a wonderfully comprehensible volume that glorifies the Greeks, certainly not for getting it precisely right, but for expanding the attempts to actually get it (it, of course, being a simple word covering a multitude of complex ideas.) This book is always intelligent and very entertaining. There is no better single place for a reader to go to cover this vast period of time.
Rating:
Summary: 1,500 Years of Philosophy Made Fun and Smart
Review: The subtitle of this book is a history of philosophy from the Greeks to the Renaissance, but that can be slightly misleading. It is in fact what it claims but it is also much more and a little less. The little less is that only the book's last two chapters cover the period after the death of Aristotle but anyone who has slogged through medieval philosophy will appreciate and understand the author's choices. The good news is how deftly the author, Anthony Gottlieb, covers the topics and philosophers selected. The Dream of Reason is a wonderfully comprehensible volume that glorifies the Greeks, certainly not for getting it precisely right, but for expanding the attempts to actually get it (it, of course, being a simple word covering a multitude of complex ideas.) This book is always intelligent and very entertaining. There is no better single place for a reader to go to cover this vast period of time.
Rating: 
Summary: No competition for Russell
Review: This is a nice, easy going book. However the claim which the book makes on the cover that it, "supplants all others, even the immensely successful 'History of Western Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell," is absurd. Russell has a deep understand of philosophy, Gottlieb does not. This book is a superficial (but enjoyable) account of philosophy up to the Renaissance. If you've already read Russell (or have otherwise studied philosophy), this book is of little value. If you have not, reading Gottlieb might encourage you to read the real thing.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful prose - incredibly clear & informative
Review: What a good introduction to the origins of Western philosophy! At the first, the author announces that he is working as much as possible from primary sources. It is not clear if he personally translated the Arabic, Greek or Latin writings or relied on the translation of others. Regardless, this book excels on three points: (1) It is imminently clear and free of technical jargon (2) It is highly entertaining and (3) It strives to present what the philosopher himself said and believed rather than what other critics or commentators said. In other words, he managed to separate the morass of commentary from actual works. The book is divided into three sections - Ancient Greek (pre-Socrates), the Trinity (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) and post-Aristotle (Middle Ages). He shows over and over the connection that originally existed between science and philosophy - from bizarre theories to modern familiar "facts". Aristotle, the ultimate "Man of Reason", is the main character and the author's evident admiration of this genius is both evident and understandable. Above all, Aristotle defined the essence of Philosophy - asking not only how but more importantly why? His focus on mankind and what it means to be human (reason) was a watershed in human thought. Yet even he was influenced by previous forerunners and many of his works were in response to them. The tragic decline of philosophy - of intellectism itself in the new post-Christian world - was sketchily but ably documented and perhaps the short shrift given to this time frame could be considered appropriate considering the dirth of philosophical output during that 1,000 years. The enormity of the fall from Aristotle's life of reason to the Inquisition has seldom been presented with such vivid evidence. This is a book for all thinkers.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful prose - incredibly clear & informative
Review: What a good introduction to the origins of Western philosophy! At the first, the author announces that he is working as much as possible from primary sources. It is not clear if he personally translated the Arabic, Greek or Latin writings or relied on the translation of others. Regardless, this book excels on three points: (1) It is imminently clear and free of technical jargon (2) It is highly entertaining and (3) It strives to present what the philosopher himself said and believed rather than what other critics or commentators said. In other words, he managed to separate the morass of commentary from actual works. The book is divided into three sections - Ancient Greek (pre-Socrates), the Trinity (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) and post-Aristotle (Middle Ages). He shows over and over the connection that originally existed between science and philosophy - from bizarre theories to modern familiar "facts". Aristotle, the ultimate "Man of Reason", is the main character and the author's evident admiration of this genius is both evident and understandable. Above all, Aristotle defined the essence of Philosophy - asking not only how but more importantly why? His focus on mankind and what it means to be human (reason) was a watershed in human thought. Yet even he was influenced by previous forerunners and many of his works were in response to them. The tragic decline of philosophy - of intellectism itself in the new post-Christian world - was sketchily but ably documented and perhaps the short shrift given to this time frame could be considered appropriate considering the dirth of philosophical output during that 1,000 years. The enormity of the fall from Aristotle's life of reason to the Inquisition has seldom been presented with such vivid evidence. This is a book for all thinkers.
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