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The Life of Reason (World Philosophers and Their Works)

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In his autobiography, George Santayana says that The Life of Reason had its origin in a course he gave at Harvard University entitled “Philosophy of History.” It drew heavily from Plato and Aristotle, but also from Francis Bacon, John Locke, Montesquieu, and Hippolyte-Adolphe Taine. Other influences evident in the work are those of Arthur Schopenhauer, who was the subject of Santayana’s doctoral dissertation, and his professor William James, whose biologically oriented psychology left a strong impression on Santayana.

For Santayana, the philosophy of...

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