The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts That Shaped Our World

Rating:
Summary: Very Good History of Thought
Review: 'The Consequences of Ideas' by R.C. Sproul is a very well done book on the history of thought. I originally purchased this book to sharpen my apologetics in relation to philosophy, and I believe this book helped, though not in the way I thought it would. My perception was that Sproul would examine the major philosophies that affect the secular American worldview of today. I expected him to go through the ideas one by one, accepting those that are true and shooting down the ones that are inconsistent. Instead, this book walks through the major idea creators of the last few thousand years one by one and discusses what their ideas were. As I said above, I still feel that this book increased my apologetic knowledge of philosophy as it showed me where many ideas that are around today come from, and knowing where ideas come from helps to take their power away.

Again, I really liked this book, and especially appreciated the unexpected treat in that Sproul ventured off the beaten path of 'meaning of life' philosophy to look at the political ideas of John Locke and the economic ideas of Karl Marx.

If you were like I was when originally buying this book and want to find a book that is more of a survey and critique of the various worldviews and religions of today, I recommend 'The Universe Next Door' by James Sire. Both books are very good in their own right.

Rating:
Summary: Praise for Consequences
Review: 224 pages and every concept and idea made clear for beginners and experts. R.C. has written a masterpiece. He explains the main contours of the history of philosophy. He goes further by making philosophical thought come alive. Finally, I understand many ideas I heard before many times. Each main philosophical player is made crystal clear. Transitions are included so that R.C. can acknowledge pivotal contributions that he can't cover extensively. I recommend this book for a great general introduction to the history of philosophy. R.C. is know for being a teacher of reformed theology yet many of his students will appreciate his expertise in philosophy. He concludes with the challenge to choose between Aquinas or Kant. This is a very balanced view of Christian thought for a reformed theologian to acknowledge a Catholic thinker as Aquinas. I enjoyed every page of Sprouls' treatise. If you want to really grasp ideas for the first time, I recommend this for you. If you are a homeschooler and into the classical approach to education you will be delighted by the conclusion of the book. I hope R.C. writes another book, maybe on classical education?

Rating:
Summary: feel like a PHd in philosophy
Review: i througly enjoyed this book. Rc takes us on a brief tour of the major thoughts that have shaped our world. i love how RC breaks down lofty and complex ideas to show us the main thrust of the idea and teacher. Very well written, this is highly recommended for philosophy students.

Rating:
Summary: Great Primer On Complex Subject
Review: R.C. Sproul does an outstanding job of presenting a very complex subject matter in a comprehensible manner for those new to the subject. Great book for Christians who want an introduction to the fascinating world of ideas. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A Superb Introduction
Review: Sproul's work, The Consequences of Ideas: Understanding the Concepts That Shaped Our World, is probably one of the first works that I would recommend for beginners studying the history of philosophy. The writing is clear, the content is good, and the issues are not so complex that it would require outside research to follow the writing.

The content covers from Thales to Freud (he chose to not cover Dewey, as Gordon Clark's work on the history of philosophy does). To see who Sproul covers, you should use Amazon's page to view the table of contents. Basically, he covers the main figures and a number of not so popular people (such as with the greek philosophers).

The nice thing about this book is that it presents each view as is in non-philosophical jargon. That is not to say that latin phrases or important maxims are missing, but those who are not educated in philosophy could follow this book. Another good thing is that he often presents views without much criticism of the view, it is just an explication of what the person believed. However, Sproul is critical of certain people (especially Immanuel Kant, and Marx).

Another point that should be brought up is that Sproul writes from a Christian perspective. He occasionally looks at the Bible to compare what it says to other philosophies.

Concluding point: Sproul's book is a good introduction. I think its place is best fit for a christian high school philosophy class. But Sproul is not so much dealing with Christianity in relation to other philosophical theories, so others may benefit from reading this work as well. This is more of a good broad survey into how the world has moved into the ideas it currently has (hence the title)- a nice place to start!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Work for the Beginning Philosopher
Review: This is a great work for the person who is wanting a little better understanding of philosophy and its history. Sproul covers the major philosophers throughout history and describes what they taught/espoused. This book is an excellent beginning text. I also appreciate the fact that Sproul covers Aquinas (Sproul being a Thomist of sorts) especially since Aquinas is often forgotten or merely overlooked in the History of Philosophy. This is a pity since Aquinas had such a strong impact on the "Christianizing" of Aristotle's metaphysics/philosophy. Another wonderful aspect to this book is the very last section where Sproul delineates the problems that are occurring in the twentieth century in the area of metaphysics. This section is aptly called "Gilson's Choice." Here Sproul describes the metaphysical trends (and their demise so to speak) and then tells how Etienne Gilson attempted to correct these metaphysical ailments and describe how metaphysics has derailed over the centuries (beginning especially with Rene Descartes). Sproul also includes a nice bibliography for the reader to branch out into further study. Overall, this is a neat little book that is very informative and wonderful for the student who wants to gain a better understanding of the study of philosophy. Thank you Dr. Sproul!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Well written, but lacks influences of last 50 years.
Review: _Consequences_ covers great philosophers from Thales of Miletus, to the philosophers of modernism. The penultimate chapter before the conclusion covers Darwin and Freud. Sproul discussed how these 19th century thinkers have had great influence on the current secular worldview. As others have noted, the book ends rather abruptly after 200 pages.

Throughout this book R. C. Sproul does not hide his biases. He clearly states he is a Christian and a dedicated supporter of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas. He agrees with Roman Catholic philosopher Etienne Gilson, and concludes, "our choice is not between Immanuel Kant and René Descartes or between G. W. F. Hegel and Søren Kierkegaard. We must choose instead between Kant and Thomas Aquinas. Gilson insists that all other positions are mere halfway houses on the road to either absolute religious agnosticism or the natural theology of Christian metaphysics."

R. C. Sproul is a very good writer. He is both easy to read, and communicates many ideas in a few words. I gave _Consequences_ four stars because it is a very good introduction to ancient, medieval, and modern philosophy. Some of the discussions of how philosophies interacted with each other were very nice. Sproul also has an excellent skill in explaining such concepts as epistemology (knowledge), ontology (being), and teleology (purpose).

This book includes the best short introduction to the medieval scholastics I have ever read. The inclusion of proofs for the existence of God was very nicely done. Kierkegaard is also very good, although Sproul does not seem to go as far as he might to meet him on his own terms. As a fideist Kierkegaard has a different philosophical emphasis than Sproul. To judge Kierkegaard in purely rational way seems unfair; he was more concerned about matters of faith and heart and saw philosophy as a means to expression, rather than a way to find absolute truth. I respectfully disagree with Sproul who feels that fideism is one of the "mere byproducts born of the decomposition of the Christian living God." R. C. Sproul certainly is not as friendly to his philosophy as Calvin College's C. Stephen Evans is in _Faith Beyond Reason_.

The book claims to help the reader understand "the concepts that shaped our world." I felt that the book fell short of its purpose because it seems to ignore the influences to our culture in the last fifty years. There was little, if any, mention of postmodernism and eastern philosophy. I found myself checking the copyright date to make sure it wasn't written in the nineteen-fifties. In recent years, the influence of postmodernism has had a profound affect on our culture, and I see the omission as a flaw. In the introduction, Sproul states, "Philosophy forces us to think foundationally." The current voices of postmodern philosophers reject the foundationalism, and much of the rationalism of the modern era. Some people today go as far as saying "What is true for you, is true for you. What is true for me is true for me." That being said, this book and another such as Stanley J. Grentz's _A Primer on Postmodernism_ make a great pair.

The fact that R. C. Sproul is a Reformed Christian, and seems to be quite partial to Thomas Aquinas, does not detract from the fact that he is also a very competent historian of philosophy. I appreciate his ministry to promote thinking among evangelical Christians. After reading _Consequences_, I would highly recommend the highly acclaimed nine-volume series _A History of Philosophy_ by Thomist philosopher Frederick C. Copleston.