Between the earliest and the latest of the works included here, we have two hundred and fifty years of vigorous
and adventurous philosophizing," Monroe Beardsley writes in his Introduction to this collection. "If
the modern period can be only vaguely or arbitrarily bounded, it can at least be studied, and we can ask whether
any dominant themes, overall patterns of movement, or notable achievements can be found within it. This question
is one that is best asked by the reader after he has read, or read around in, these works.