Introduction

In this introduction I use Bertrand Russell’s (1945) The History of Western Philosophy (hereafter: History) to introduce the meta-philosophical themes that recur throughout the chapters of this book. In particular, I focus on the way the distinction or opposition between rustic thought, which is supposed to characterize barbarous societies, and the urbane thought that is purported to characterize civilized society can help explain some entrenched patterns of exclusion visible in contemporary philosophy. I embed these remarks in a larger, speculative historiography of the very idea of “Western philosophy.” Along the way, I provide an overview of the chapters of this volume.