In this volume the authors have set out the lives and thoughts of over twenty famous Western philosophers from Socrates to Santayana in a simple and informal yet vivid manner. Each biography reads like an adventure story and the procession of thoughts appears as exciting as a pageant of famous deeds, it is as if we were plunging into the fascinating realm of new ideas in company with the pioneers of world thought; and not unlike Alice, our eyes widen, our imagination is enriched and life for us becomes more colourful and zestful. The intelligent reader, however, cannot fail to discover the silver thread that runs through the diversity of philosophical thought presented in this volume, namely, that unanimity on the fundamental purpose of human life, which is happiness through the co-operation of mankind