Ancient Philosophy Essential Readings with Commentary

by Smith, Nick; Allhoff, Fritz; Vaidya, Anand Jayprakash

• ISBN13: 9781405135634
• ISBN10: 1405135638
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-04
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Part of The Blackwell Readings in Philosophy Series, this survey of ancient philosophy explores the scope of ancient philosophy, focusing on the key philosophers and their texts, examining how the foundations of philosophy as we know it were laid. Focuses on the key philosophers and their texts, from Pre-Socratic thinkers through to the Neo-Platonists Brings together the key primary writings of Thales, Xenophanes, Parmenides, Anaxagoras, Gorgias, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Lucretius, Seneca, Sextus Empiricus, Plotinus, and many others Is broken down into eight chronological sections for easy comprehension and comparison The readings are accompanied by expert commentary from the editors

Author Biography

Nicholas Smith is James F. Miller Professor of Humanities in the Department of Philosophy at Lewis & Clark College. He has been involved in the writing of several distinguished essays and over fifteen books, including Plato’s Socrates with T. C. Brickhouse, which won the Outstanding Academic Book for 1995 award from Choice.

Fritz Allhoff is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University.

Anand Jayprakash Vaidya is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at San José State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
List of Sources	p. viii
Chronology	p. xi
The Greek World (6th-5th centuries BCE)	p. xx
The Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE)	p. xxi
The Late Roman Empire	p. xxii
General Introduction	p. 1
The Presocratics and Sophists	p. 11
The Milesians: Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes	p. 13
Xenophanes of Colophon, Heracleitus of Ephesus, and Pythagoras of Samos	p. 20
The Eleatics: Parmenides and Zeno of Elea and Melissus of Samos	p. 30
The Pluralists: Empedocles of Acragas and Anaxagoras of Clazomenae	p. 41
The Atomists: Leucippus of Elea (or Miletus) and Democritus of Abdera	p. 47
The Sophists: Protagoras of Abdera, Gorgias of Leontini, and Antiphon	p. 51
Xenophon	p. 57
Introduction	p. 57
Memorabilia	p. 59
Plato	p. 65
Introduction	p. 65
Euthyphro	p. 69
Apology	p. 84
Crito	p. 103
Meno	p. 114
Phaedo	p. 123
Symposium	p. 139
Republic	p. 148
Parmenides	p. 198
Timaeus	p. 206
Aristotle	p. 211
Introduction	p. 211
Categories	p. 215
On Interpretation	p. 221
Physics	p. 224
On the Soul	p. 234
Metaphysics	p. 243
Nicomachean Ethics	p. 268
Politics	p. 287
Diogenes the Cynic	p. 301
Introduction	p. 301
Diogenes Laertius, Life of Diogenes	p. 303
Epicurus and Epicureanism	p. 307
Introduction	p. 307
Epicurus, Letter to Herodotus; Letter to Menoeceus; Principal Doctrines	p. 309
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things	p. 322
Stoics and Stoicism	p. 345
Introduction	p. 345
Diogenes Laertius on Stoicism	p. 347
Epictetus, Manual	p. 355
Skeptics and Skepticism	p. 367
Introduction	p. 367
Diogenes Laertius, Life of Pyrrho	p. 369
Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism	p. 377
Sextus Empiricus, Against the Professors	p. 385
Neoplatonism	p. 389
Introduction	p. 389
Plotinus, Enneads	p. 391
Proclus, On Evil	p. 418
Bibliography of Translations Used	p. 427
Recommended Further Reading (English-Language Sources)	p. 428
Index	p. 433
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