Seven of the twentieth century's greatest thinkers describe how they arrived at the ideas for which they are known. In their own words, universally admired intellectuals such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Einstein. Bertrand Russell, and Martin Buber trace the paths that led to their contributions in the field: A.J. Ayer shares what led to the logical positivist manifesto Language, Truth, and Logic and his subsequent retreat from and criticism of those early ideas, analytic philosophy founder Bertrand Russell's acerbic wit and self-deprecating manner are omnipresent in his narrative describing his intellectual development from childhood on. These carefully selected personal stories provide readers with a broad survey of the intellectual achievements of the 20th century, through the words and reflections of the thinkers themselves. Of interest to any reader curious about the nature of genius and how great minds work, this book is a window into the private world of an intellectual working toward ideas that have defined our time. The seven great thinkers are: A.J. Ayer; Martin Buber; Albert Einstein; Hans-Georg Gadamer; Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan; Bertrand Russell; Jean-Paul Sartre

Foreword by: Arthur C. Danto