Certain ideas have thoughtful thinkers since ancient times. In this book, the author examines these ideas in the writings of thinkers from olden times to the present day. He argues for their importance not just as precursors of modern views but as ideas that are frequently better than the current ones.

The text offers breadth and depth, an engaging style and thorough scholarship, demonstrating the relevance of the great psychological thinkers.

“John Malone has written a splendid book! A lively, readable and vigorous defense of history. It covers a wide sweep from the early Greeks through Roman and Christian philosophy and the Enlightenment to modern developments such as cognitivism and behaviorism. It is both informative and critical, full of apercus that clobber their targets with force and grace. I hope that Malone’s book may do for psychology what Bertrand Russell’s historical opus did for philosophy. Read it.”

— J.E.R. Staddon
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Duke University

“This lucid book takes a fresh look at the individuals and ideas that comprise the history of psychology. Referring to the original theoretical and empirical sources, Malone questions many standard interpretations and received ideas, and provides enlightening ones of his own.”

— Howard Rachlin
Psychology Department
State University of New York, Stony Brook