Classical philosophy : a history of philosophy without any gaps. Volume 1

Classical philosophy A history of philosophy without any gaps. Volume 1 Volume 1 /

Peter Adamson, 1972-

Book - 2014

Peter Adamson aims ultimately to present a complete history of philosophy, more thoroughly but also more enjoyably than ever before. He offers an accessible, humorous, and detailed look at the emergence of philosophy with the Presocratics, the probing questions of Socrates, and the first full flowering of philosophy with the dialogues of Plato and the treatises of Aristotle. The story is told 'without any gaps', discussing not only such major figures but also less commonly discussed topics like the Hippocratic Corpus, the Platonic Academy, and the role of women in ancient philosophy. Within the thought of Plato and Aristotle, the reader will find in-depth introductions to major works, such as the Republic and the Nicomachean Ethic...s, which are treated in detail that is unusual in an introduction to ancient philosophy. Adamson looks at fascinating but less frequently read Platonic dialogues like the Charmides and Cratylus, and Aristotle's ideas in zoology and poetics. This full coverage allows him to tackle ancient discussions in all areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, ethics and politics. Attention is also given to the historical and literary context of classical philosophy, with exploration of how early Greek cosmology responded to the poets Homer and Hesiod, how Socrates was presented by the comic playwright Aristophanes and the historian Xenophon, and0how events in Greek history may have influenced Plato's thought.

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Subjects
Philosophy, Ancient.
Philosophy > History.
Published
Oxford : Oxford University Press 2014.
Language
English
Main Author
Peter Adamson, 1972- (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
xx, 346 pages : map ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9780199674534
  • Preface
  • Early Greek Philosophy
  • 1. Everything is Full of Gods: Thales
  • 2. Infinity and Beyond: Anaximander and Anaximines
  • 3. Created in Our Image: Xenophanes
  • 4. The Man with the Golden Thigh: Pythagoras
  • 5. Old Man River: Heraclitus
  • 6. The Road Less Traveled: Parmenides
  • 7. You Can't Get There From Here: the Eleatics
  • 8. The Final Cut: The Atomists
  • 9. Mind over mixture: Anaxagoras
  • 10. All You Need is Love, and Five Other Things: Empedocles
  • 11. Good Humor Men: the Hippocratic Corpus
  • 12. Making the Weaker Argument the Stronger: The Sophists
  • Socrates and Plato
  • 13. Socrates Without Plato: The Portrayals of Aristophanes and Xenophon
  • 14. Method Man: Plato's Socrates
  • 15. In Dialogue: The Life and Writings of Plato
  • 16. Know Thyself: Two Unloved Platonic Dialogues
  • 17. Virtue Meets its Match: Plato's Gorgias
  • 18. We Don't Need No Education: Plato's Meno
  • 19. I Know, Because the Caged Bird Sings: Plato's Theaetetus
  • 20. Famous Last Words: Plato's Phaedo
  • 21. Soul and the City: Justice in Plato's Republic
  • 22. Ain't No Sunshine: the Cave Allegory of Plato's Republic
  • 23. Second Thoughts: Plato's Parmenides and the Forms
  • 24. Untying the Not: Plato's Sophist
  • 25. What's in a Name?: Plato's Cratylus
  • 26. A Likely Story: Plato's Timaeus
  • 27. Wings of Desire: Plato's Erotic Dialogues
  • 28. Last Judgments: Plato, Poetry, and Myth
  • Aristotle
  • 29. Mr Know it All: Aristotle's Life and Works
  • 30. The Philosopher's Toolkit: Aristotle's Logical Works
  • 31. A Principled Stand: Aristotle's Epistemology
  • 32. Down to Earth: Aristotle on Substance
  • 33. Form and Function: Aristotle's Four Causes
  • 34. Let's Get Physical: Aristotle's Natural Philosophy
  • 35. Soul Power: Aristotle's De Anima
  • 36. Classified Information: Aristotle's Biology
  • 37. The Goldilocks Theory: Aristotle's Ethics
  • 38. The Second Self: Aristotle on Pleasure and Friendship
  • 39. God Only Knows: Aristotle on Mind and God
  • 40. Constitutional Conventions: Aristotle's Political Philosophy
  • 41. Stage Directions: Aristotle's Rhetoric and Poetics
  • 42. Anything You Can Do: Women and Ancient Philosophy
  • 43. The Next Generation: The Followers of Plato and Aristotle
  • Guide to Further Reading
Review by Choice Review

This is the first in what presumably will be a series of books based on Adamson's podcast, History of Philosophy without Any Gaps (http://historyofphilosophy.net). In the podcast, which is currently well into the Middle Ages, Adamson (Ludwig-Maximilians-Univ., Munich) audaciously attempts to present the entirety of philosophy. Admirably, this means that neglected philosophers in the Western philosophical tradition, as well as philosophers in the Islamic world, receive much more consideration than usual. Students have access to analyses of the key Pre-Socratics, the Sophists, and the Hippocratic corpus. Plato and Aristotle remain the main event, but Adamson's completist approach serves him well in these chapters too, for the book offers discussions of Platonic dialogues and Aristotelian texts that other introductions might miss. For example, in chapter 16, the author discusses Plato's Charmides and Euthydemus, placing these neglected dialogues within the context of Plato's project. In the Aristotle section, chapters are devoted to the key concepts in Aristotle's corpus. This book was written in the same lively style as the podcast and should appeal to both general readers and scholars of ancient philosophy. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. --Corey Randall McCall, Elmira College

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Adamson's (philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian Univ. of Munich) series opener is based on his podcasts of the same name. As the title suggests, the author takes on the respectable task of using the series to tell the entire history of philosophy as completely as possible. By complete, he explains, his work covers not only the philosophers themselves but also the prevailing political, social, and religious beliefs that might have influenced their theories. In this volume, Adamson addresses the pre-Socratics, Sophists, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Chapters are connected by Adamson's ability to explain the influences philosophers had on their later counterparts. This is especially apparent in the last section on the followers of Plato and Aristotle. VERDICT Adamson does a wonderful job of creating an enlightening history of classical philosophy. This reviewer couldn't help but think of the podcasts when reading each segment because they're written in such a casual yet engaging way. Any reader with an interest in philosophy will enjoy this work.-Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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