The Dictionary of Philosophy can be used as a guidebook to the history of ideas, an immensely useful handbook for the student of philosophy - or of the many disciplines touching on philosophy - or for the general reader who needs clarification or definition of the many terms and names within its scope. From the classic thinkers, through Aquinas, Descartes, Spinoza, Kant and hundreds more who lead up to the modern age, this comprehensive dictionary spans the personalities, terminology and vocabulary of thousands of years of philosophical thought in addition to the more recent encroachment of social and psychological sciences.