Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great Philosophers, Volume 8

Hubbard, Elbert, 1856-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.3
Word count
519K words
Chapters
52

Tags

English Originals Philosophy Readings Homes of ThinkersHeritage TravelPortrait GalleryPhilosophical BiographyHumanistic CareIntellectual EnlightenmentWestern ThoughtSage StoriesAcademic StudyIntellectual Commentary

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great Philosophers, Volume 8 by Elbert HubbardAuthor: Hubbard, Elbert, 1856-1915,Language: English, Class: B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Release Date: Nov 27, 2007

Editor's review

Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great Philosophers, Volume 8 is the eighth volume of Elbert Hubbard's "Little Journeys" series, a public-domain collection of essays on philosophers. Using visits to former residences as a thread, Hubbard sketches philosophers and their thought in a brisk, personally judgmental style; the focus is not systematic argument but the connection between personality, life details, and intellectual temperament. For Chinese readers its value is twofold: first, as an introductory profile of Western philosophers, building impressions of figures before deciding whom to read in depth; second, as a lesson in how essayistic writing turns biographical material into highly readable narrative. Read it as character sketches rather than a philosophy textbook; don't insist on conceptual analysis, but notice how the author selects details and uses scenes to bring out views. English difficulty is above intermediate, suited to slow reading, in sections before bed or on weekends; after reading, jot down the philosopher who interests you most, then find a more systematic introduction.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Read only one philosopher's chapter at a time, and after each write a three-line impression of the person.
  2. Compare Hubbard's judgments with encyclopedia entries to distinguish essay from historical fact.
  3. When encountering an unfamiliar philosopher, note the name first and look up introductions after finishing the book.
  4. Use the book as a "reading guide": pick the figure who interests you most and go read a systematic introduction.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52

FAQ

Is this book a philosophy history textbook? No. It is a collection of character essays Hubbard wrote using visits to philosophers' former homes as a thread, emphasizing personal temperament, life details, and the author's personal impressions; it does not undertake to systematically organize philosophical concepts and arguments. It suits introductory profiles, not course textbooks.
Can someone who has never read philosophy read it? Yes, but adjust expectations. Many philosophers in the book require basic background knowledge; complete beginners may find names and terms dense. Start with philosophers you know, or pair with encyclopedia entries, treating the book as character sketches rather than concept explanation.
Is the author's writing objective? Hubbard's essays carry obvious personal judgment and a literary tone, not neutral academic writing. Enjoy the narrative while reading, but on historical facts and evaluations, compare with more rigorous philosophy histories or biographies to avoid taking the author's views as final.
How difficult is the English? The essay sentences are flexible, with rhetoric and cultural background; difficulty is above intermediate, not for complete beginners. Read slowly in sections, grasp the main character story first, then handle unfamiliar expressions. If you only want to learn about the figures, read relevant Chinese introductions first, then return to the original.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Hubbard, Elbert, 1856-1915 Author

Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) was an American writer. Specific details of his life and nationality are limited in publicly available sources, and the library holds 21 of his works. He is best known for the Little Journeys series, which visits the homes of great figures and offers biographical sketches and essays. Representative works in the library include volumes 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 14 of that series, as well as Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great Philosophers, Volume 8. These works focus on biography, thought, and historical anecdote, written in a clear, accessible style that combines biographical narrative with the appeal of an essay, suitable for general readers interested in Western cultural figures. Hubbard's writing is known for its brevity and epigrammatic expression, a quality also evident in his travel essays. This introduction is based only on library facts and verifiable public knowledge.