Classical Philosophy: A history of philosophy without any gaps, Volume 1 1st Edition by Peter Adamson (PDF)

Description

Classical Philosophy is the first of a series of books in which Peter Adamson aims ultimately to present a complete history of philosophy, more thoroughly but also more enjoyably than ever before. In short, lively chapters, based on the popular History of Philosophy podcast, 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 ofphilosophy 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 andAristotle, the reader will find in-depth introductions to major works, such as the Republic and the Nicomachean Ethics, 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, includingepistemology, 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 thehistorian Xenophon, and how events in Greek history may have influenced Plato’s thought. This is a new kind of history which will bring philosophy to life for all readers, including those coming to the subject for the first time.

User’s Reviews

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⭐Only relatively recently, at least in cosmic time, did history of philosophy volumes become more inclusive. Way back in 1945, Bertrand Russell’s philosophical history, still in print today, serves as an early, if not the first, example of inserting the word “Western” into the phrase “History of Philosophy.” Frederick Copleston’s multi-volume historic magnum opus, written largely after Russell’s, did not do likewise, though anyone reading it today would instantly recognize its almost exclusively Western focus. Academic canons tend to die slowly, very slowly, and the subsumption of other philosophical traditions under the rubric of “philosophy” followed a similarly slow pattern. Thankfully, things have changed and anyone today who dared to write a book called “History of Philosophy” that focused solely on the Western tradition would likely find themselves lambasted for cultural exclusivity. To take one good example, A.C. Grayling’s extremely current “History of Philosophy” initially covers the usual Western ground, but then it takes up Indian, Chinese, Arabic-Persian and African philosophy in a final section. Even more surprisingly, it covers both analytic and continental perspectives. So where could a “history of philosophy” go from there? Could any history actually cover “everything?” Peter Adamson, a philosophy professor based in Munich and London, seems up to the task by releasing a series of books titled, perhaps somewhat cheekily, “A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps.” Really? Without “any” gaps? The quest seems downright Quixotic and the title insinuates a massive, possibly inhuman, commitment. Adamson probably wouldn’t retain his university positions if he came down with a bout of insanity, so scratch that theory.As Adamson himself explains in the first volume’s preface, the books originated from a series of podcasts initiated by what he saw as a lack of inclusive philosophical histories. These completely free and roughly half-hour podcasts began in late 2010 and continue to the present. In that time he and a slew of special guests have covered topics ranging from the Greek, Roman and Medieval periods, to Jewish, Islamic and Byzantine philosophy, along with over 60 podcasts on classical Indian philosophy and just over 50 on “Africana.” A “Renaissance” category has appeared and rapidly grown over the past year. The book series inspired by these podcasts currently includes five volumes: “Classical Philosophy,” “Philosophy in the Hellenistic & Roman Worlds,” “Philosophy in the Islamic World,” “Medieval Philosophy” and “Classical Indian Philosophy.” The books pretty much follow the order of the podcasts, so one can adequately prophesize the series’s upcoming books. Inside each volume, the chapters also follow the podcast format in that each one has a roughly similar length and they read like a serial, meaning that the end of one chapter often includes a “teaser” for the next. A real giveaway comes in the first volume’s 22nd chapter, possibly corrected in later editions, with an unintentional reference to “listeners.” Given this derived format, readers know the time commitment of each chapter, so the book easily conforms to a regular reading schedule, but this also means that more complex topics get segmented up into multiple chapters or that pieces of a topic appear in multiple places. For example, the first book doesn’t contain a single chapter dedicated to Aristotle’s difficult work “The Metaphysics,” but many of that book’s topics appear scattered throughout the section on Aristotle.Overall, the text remains accessible even to the uninitiated throughout. Though definitely not a relaxing beach read, the topics covered receive enough examples and explanations to allow even those without philosophy degrees to follow along. It should shock no one that the first volume of the series covers the foundation for just about everything that came after it, namely, Classical Greek philosophy. The vast majority of Western philosophical histories begin here, so this might appear to some as an overt Western bias right at the outset. Yet this era of philosophy also greatly influenced Islamic philosophical thought. One could also argue just how much the West has foisted the label of “Western Philosophy” onto ancient Greek philosophy. After all, the West discovered many ancient Greek texts through Arabic translations and only after the fact claimed them as “Western.” True, these texts heavily influenced subsequent Western thought, but it seems myopic to suggest that Greek thought somehow remains exclusively “Western.” It existed long before the concept of “Europe” existed. As such, ancient Greek thought makes for a natural starting point, especially for a series that will gradually branch out and cover multiple traditions.”Classical Philosophy” not only evokes Greek thought, but inevitably the “giants” of ancient philosophy, Plato and Aristotle. The majority of the first volume covers the thought and work of these immensely influential thinkers in some detail, but it also covers their “prequels,” those who often get crammed into the catch-all category of “Pre-Socratics.” Similar to many histories, it all begins with Thales in 6th Century BC Ionia (the book uses “BC” and “AD” throughout, instead of “BCE” and “CE”). It also provides some historical context, including the fact that philosophers typically emerge mainly from societies possessing some wealth and power, in this case “wealth” may also pertain to leisure or free-time. Not to mention that philosophy and science once intermingled in a single discipline. As a philosopher scientist, Thales predicted the 585 BC lunar eclipse, cornered the olive market and had a particular affinity for water as a cosmic substrate. His successors followed suit, but favored different elements. Everything known about this early era comes from fragments or work preserved by later authors, so this age stays somewhat in the shadows. Anaxmiander, and “infinity,” and Anaximenes became slightly more abstract, along with Xenophanes, the mystical bean-avoiding Pythagoras, Heraclitus, the metaphysical Parmenides (“to not not to be”), Zeno and his paradoxes, the Atomists, Anaxagoras, Empedocles and an interesting chapter on Hippocratic medicine, which histories of philosophy usually omit. The series also covers early medicine, definitely a part of science, as one of the “gaps” to fill. This section concludes with “The Sophists,” who would become a particular target for the Platonic Socrates.Though Socrates wrote nothing himself, many people wrote plenty about him and the book’s second part begins by discussing the Socratic works of Aristophanes and Xenophon before turning to Plato. The Platonic Socrates, of course, remains one of the most famous figures in philosophical and world history. Portrayed in numerous dialogues, Socrates, via Plato, introduced ethics into the discipline by asking “how should we live?” This section covers both famous dialogues, such as “The Republic,” “Theaetetus” and “Gorgias” and lesser known ones such as “Charmides,” “Cratylus” and “Phaedrus.” The Theory of Forms appears throughout, as well as the Socratic method and the feverish search for a definition of “The Good.” “The Parmenides,” considered a late dialogue, finds a young Socrates tongue-tied over the elder philosopher’s objections to the Theory of Forms. “Timeaus,” the only dialogue in Latin available until the 12th century, takes on cosmology, the Demiurge and the lost city of Atlantis. Some main themes of “The Republic” receive their own full chapters, such as the soul juxtaposed with the ideal city, including the “philosopher kings,” and the famous allegory of the cave. Another chapter discusses Plato’s “erotic” dialogues such as “The Symposium” and “Phaedrus,” while dealing with some matters considered very distasteful today. A final chapter on Plato wonders why he censored myth in “The Republic” but also created his own myths like “The Myth of Er.” Plato covered just about everything and became a standard by which subsequent philosophers would find themselves judged. Aristotle, perhaps Plato’s only rival in ancient philosophy comes next, with an equally thick section that covers even more material. It begins with an appropriately titled chapter “Mr. Know It All.”If Plato did it all then Aristotle did even more. People may not have quite as much fun reading Aristotle’s often difficult and sometimes turgid works, but, perhaps more than Plato, he arguably better represents the direction that philosophy and science would take. For example, in “The Prior Analytics,” he invented the logical syllogism and provided the basis for modern logic. As one of the world’s first known biologists, he analyzed, dissected and classified animals and recorded his observations in multiple massive volumes. He wrote about difficult concepts that would later become known as “Metaphysics,” such as form and matter, four kinds of causes (material, formal, efficient and final), how an immaterial soul relates to a material body, how things change and what in them changes, primary and secondary substance, knowledge and “the first mover” and “the unmoved mover” culminating in “thought thinking itself.” On ethics, he posited the happiest life as the life of reason and philosophical contemplation and conceived of the highest form of friendship as involving mutual admiration between “rational” people. On politics, he wrote that “excellent” cities create “excellent” men – he held quite misogynistic views – and that “excellence” remains the ultimate goal of cities. He has deep suspicions about democracy and thinks that, mostly due to climate, some people are born as “natural slaves,” but not his own people, of course. His views on tragedy and rhetoric, including his theory of “catharsis” and some very modern sounding ways to publicly trounce a rival, still influence thought today.In the spirit of inclusivity, the book also contains a chapter on “Women and Ancient Philosophy.” Though references to many ancient women philosophers exist, including some found on tombstones, unfortunately not many written and reliable or substantial records survive to really get a rigorous sense of what exactly ancient women philosophers thought or taught. Many consider a woman named Theano, who studied with Pythagoras, as the first woman philosopher. Similar to Aristotle, ancient Greece didn’t hold women as equal to men, so what little work survives from women philosophers usually seems tainted or rewritten by men in their own vision. Pythagoreans and Plato did allow a philosophical place for women, but few others did at the time. Things apparently look up for women, at least a little, in later ages.Plato and Aristotle loomed over their respective schools, the Academy and the Lyceum, for some time after their deaths. As the Classical Greek age drifted into the Hellenistic age, the followers of Plato apparently became more mathematical and a form of “Pythagorean Platonism” arose in the “Late Academy.” Aristotle’s successor Theophrastus would add botany to Aristotle’s body of work, raising such questions as why men have nipples since “nature does noting in vain,” as his teacher claimed. Yet the two “giants” of ancient philosophy would play only minor roles in the next few ages to come, since their works remained largely unavailable to the Latin speaking world for centuries. They would make quite a comeback much later, one that still reverberates to the present day.This first volume of “History of Philosophy Without any Gaps” gets the series off to a running start, though anyone who has already studied ancient Greek philosophy might find much of the material a review. Still, it sets the stage for the next volume, which will include more lesser known and lesser covered schools and figures from an era considered “fly-over” by many philosophy departments and histories. Given the format, reading volume two doesn’t actually require reading volume one, but it doesn’t hurt. Especially since the first volume’s lively and often humorous text makes its subject more accessible, appealing and comprehensible for many who might have qualms about reading philosophy. Down with qualms! Read! Or listen to the podcasts! Or listen to the podcasts and read! Look at these options! No excuses! If nothing else, read on to see if the series misses any “gaps.” From the vantage point of volume one, things look good so far.

⭐Wonderful fast paced review of foundational ancient philosophy. Short chapters. Easy and entertaining to read.

⭐Discovered Mr. Adamson’s podcasts ( A history of philosophy without any gaps) on Spotify. Mr. Adamson seems to have put alot of time and effort into his podcasts and renewed my interest in Philosophy. The books are based on his podcasts. Finally have found someone to pull the history of philosophy together. Entertaining, making learning easy and enjoyable is hard to do. I like opening up the book and reading along with the podcasts. Well worth the buy. Great books. I have bought 3 so far, gonna take a while but I learn something new everytime I open his books.

⭐I have started reading the full series of Peter Adamson’s “philosophy without gaps” (three volumes out at the moment of this writing, one more already announced), and it has won me over quickly. I have used the first and second volumes (the latter on Hellenistic and Christian philosophy) as companion books for an undergraduate class I have taught at City College, and they worked out beautifully. Adamson’s sense of humor and light touch make otherwise potentially monotonous readings a sheer pleasure. Despite (or is it because?) his obsessions with Buster Keaton and giraffes. Finally something has come along that beats the classic by Bertrand Russell. This first volume in particular is noticeable for its treatment of the Presocratics, as well as for the smart choice of the material to cover from both Plato and Aristotle. Highly recommended.

⭐Excellent content and quality made book. Peter Adamson is doing a great job with this series.

⭐I am one of those odd ducks that read books such as this for entertainment. Peter Adamson is a marvelous educator. The book is readable throughout and the author is so understanding of one’s limited ability to remember the difficult names of many Greek philosophers he reminds you what you read earlier when it pertains to the discussion later in the book. I wish I had had professors such as him when I tried to take philosophy in college, and just found it too dense and unrewarding. Anyone with the slightest interest in why we think about things the way we do today will appreciate having this foundation . . . and I am surely not alone in enjoying the mental and historical journey.

⭐Very nice addition to the podcast

⭐A GREAT BOOK for the beginner, or the interested outsider who just wants a readable and entertaining look at what the Ancient Greeks thought about their world. The section about the Presocratic philosophers (those who came before Socrates) is interesting as heck, as they reject traditional religious and myth-driven versions of the origins of the world, and each try to puzzle out what everything might actually be made of. From this line of thought, we eventually get our first early Atomic theories. The chapter of woman in philosophy was also enlightening.

⭐First things first: what Peter Adamson is doing with this collection is admirable and I respect him for it. With that said, your view on this book will depend vastly on who you are and your study goals. If you have no philosophical background and you just want to learn philosophy in a comprehensive way, this book is excellent; however, if you are a philosophy student who needs a good history of Ancient philosophy, it will disappoint you: it’s not fit for that purpose. It’s an easy reading and a fun way for the general public to get some important knowledge, not for scholars, students, etc.

⭐Many philosophy books can be quite dry and dense and perhaps off-putting to the general reader. Peter Adamson’s friendly, informal and humorous approach I found to be far more readable, helpful and informative. From the pre-socratics through to Plato and Aristotle and all of the relevant thinkers in between, this is a very enjoyable read and the perfect starting point for someone who wishes understand philosophy from its beginnings. I’m now about to start his second book in the series, on the philosophy of the Hellenistic and Roman era, which I’m sure will be just as interesting…

⭐Peter Adamson’s podcast series is a weekly pleasure. As I write this he is up to episode 181 which, with breaks for the occasional, holiday, is approaching four years of work.The success of the series is largely down to Peter’s style. He is a great communicator, humorous, affable and above all (for a subject that needs this) intelligible.This book version of the first series is most welcome. Reading can only reinforce what we have already listened to and Peter Adamson has retained his entertaining style in the lightly edited volume.One thing I missed here is the interviews that Peter conducted with other philosophers, I should have been glad to see these in print.The scope and ambition of the podcasts and associated books is so welcome. Anyone who has read Bertrand Russell’s or Father Copleston’s (also to be recommended) surveys of the history of philosophy will find the scope and readability of this book to be very welcome indeed.

⭐I bought this book along with the second volume (Philosophy in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds) and finding them both wonderful reads. Brilliant for getting a history of this period or, as I’m doing, simply dipping into them to learn about these great thinkers.I hope you find my review helpful.

⭐Absolutely brilliant. Witty, interesting, in depth explanations, way above many philosophy books. You will learn and understand a lot.Read it.

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