First published in 1950, The Western Philosophers presents the life of philosophical thought in the Western world. From Socrates to Spinoza, from John Locke to Nietzsche, the author gives a good introduction for anyone who is wondering what philosophy is about and provides an initiation into the subject. The author argues that philosophy is not simply the collective works of great philosophers. Philosophy is an attitude of mind; at bottom it is nothing but that irrepressible impulse towards enquiry, that itch to probe at the meaning of things, which is the spur behind science itself. This book is an essential read for students of Philosophy.