The Six Great Themes of Western Metaphysics and the End of the Middle Ages

Heinz Heimsoeth (1886-1975) is one of the premier historians of philosophy of the 20th century. Although his life work focuses largely on modern European philosophy-especially Kant and German Idealism-he is perhaps best known for his early, most wide-ranging work, The Six Great Themes of Western Metaphysics and the End of the Middle Ages, written in 1922.

The Six Great Themes has fascinated students of philosophy and its history primarily for one obvious reason. It surveys and analyzes the evolutionary path of some 2,500 years of western reflection about six fundamental problem complexes in metaphysics. Heimsoeth employs the innovative problem-geschictliche Methode (history of problems method) which is still the exception and not the rule in histories of philosophy.