Greek & Roman Books - Page 12

Philosophy Before Socrates: An Introduction With Text and Commentary

Richard D. McKirahan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

A tremendous introduction to the material, a great reference source, a page turner! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Here's what you get: An introduction regarding the history and or life stories of each source. 99% of the existing fragments in McKirahan's own translation. A brief but informative explanation from McKirahan's view of each Philosopher. Rinse, lather, repeat, one chapter for each Pre-Socratic.

I must disagree with the opinion that McKirahan's prose explanations of the fragments are somehow lacking or overly terse - I find he strikes just the right balance between offering theory and explanations for the fragments and going too far in pressing his view. Particularly deft is the way he frames the Milesian School, the "Eleatic Challenge," and the responses to the challenge thereafter. A very nice framework for understanding the evolution of the thought through time.

I was spellbound from start to finish. Not only is the source material interesting, engaging, perplexing, inspiring; but the scholarship offered in support of it by McKirahan is balanced, thoughtful, and never overbearing. Because of its logical layout, its brevity, and its clarity, this is the ultimate textbook for any survey of the Pre-Socratics.

Editorial Review:

A new introduction and sourcebook in presocratic philosophy, Philosophy Before Socrates provides a wide survey, informed by the most recent scholarship, of Greek science, metaphysics, and moral and political philosophy, from their roots in myth to the philosophers and sophists of the fifth century. A comprehensive selection of fragments and testimonia, newly translated by the author, is presented in the context of a thorough and accessible discussion. An introductory chapter deals with the sources of presocratic and sophistic texts and the special problems of interpretation they present.

The Development of Ethics: From Socrates to the Reformation Volume 1

Terence Irwin

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Editorial Review:

Terence Irwin presents a historical and critical study of the development of moral philosophy over two thousand years, from ancient Greece to the Reformation. Starting with the seminal ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, he guides the reader through the centuries that follow, introducing each of the thinkers he discusses with generous quotations from their works. He offers not only careful interpretation but critical evaluation of what they have to offer philosophically. This is the first of three volumes which will examine the history of ethics in the Socratic tradition, up to the late 20th century.

The Discourses of Epictetus

Epictetus

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Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Very Poor edition of this or any other ancient text. Avoid! 2 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

The only thing this edition of Epictetus' four Discourses is it's price, and if you buy it for the price, as another both I and another reviewer did, you may be exceedingly disappointed! The translation is fair, and matches well with the Loeb Classical Library edition by W. A. Oldfather, but it is missing absolutely everything which makes the book useful as a reference for ancient study. Like my copies of Plato, Aristotle, Homer, the Greek playwrights, and the historians, I rarely read them from start to finish. Virtually all my use is to look up references to Epictetus' writings cited in works on the Bible and commmentaries on other ancient Greek and Roman works. There is no introduction, no footnotes, no index, and worst of all, no numbering of the sections and lines within the sections. The Loeb Classical Library edition, unless you can get it on the cheap, may cost you four times as much, but it will be ten times more useful. I'm giving my copy away to a library!

Editorial Review:

Epictetus (c. A.D. 60-after 100) was a former slave exiled by the Emperor Domitian, who taught the most humane version of Stoic philosophy, the unofficial religion of the Roman world for centuries. The Discourses summarize the "Roman virtues"-the brotherhood of man, universal justice, and calm indifference in the face of pain. Offering a path of asceticism, endurance and emotional restraint, Stoicism still attracts literary and philosophic attention.

Panentheism: The Other God of the Philosophers--From Plato to the Present

John W. Cooper

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Finest work to-date on panentheism 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 16 people found this review helpful.

This is easily the finest work to-date concerning panentheism, its philosophical roots (and amazing pedigree, though often missed), and its appropriation into numerous Christian theologies over the past hundred years. I have no doubt that Cooper's work will become a staple volume on the bookshelves of specialists in Theology Proper and that his efforts will be drawn upon for years to come. This is the best addition to my own theological library in a long time. Though Cooper is a theological classicalist (and Reformed), he is entirely fair and thorough with the many works and ideas of the panentheists. Panentheists themselves will find the notable architects and differing versions of the view fairly and thoroughly presented. Toward the end, Cooper offers some concluding, though relatively brief, thoughts concerning why he rejects the panentheistic construct. His diligent work and perspicacious style are to be highly commended. My only regret is that the work was not released while I was engaged in doctoral work concerning 'open theism' and its quasi panentheistic substrata!

Editorial Review:

Panentheism has gained popularity among contemporary thinkers. This belief system explains that "all is in God"; as a soul is related to a body, so God is related to the world. In Panentheism--The Other God of the Philosophers, philosopher and theologian John Cooper traces the growth and evolution of this intricate theology from Plotinus to Alfred North Whitehead to the present. This landmark book--the first complete history of panentheism written in English--explores the subject through the lens of various thinkers, such as Plato, Jürgen Moltmann, Paul Tillich, Wolfhart Pannenberg, and Charles Hartshorne, and discusses how panentheism has influenced liberation, feminist, and ecological theologies. Cooper not only sketches the evolution of panentheism but also critiques it; ultimately, he offers a defense of classical theism. This book is for readers who care deeply about theology and think seriously about their faith.

The Epicurus Reader: Selected Writings and Testimonia (HPC Classics)

Epicurus, Brad Inwood

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A total philosophy of life, death, religion, science, ethics, and culture promising liberation from the obstacles that stand in the way of our happiness, the teachings of Epicurus claimed many thousand committed followers all over the ancient Mediterranean world and deeply influenced later European thought. From the first years of its development, however, Epicureanism faced hostile opposition, and, as a result, much of our evidence for the content of this teaching is unhelpful and even misleading. "The Epicurus Reader" fills the need for a reliable selection and translation of the main surviving evidence, some of it never previously translated into English.Included here, with the exception of "Lucretius De Rerum Natura", are the most important surviving ancient texts of a system of thought that even today remains a powerful living philosophy. "The Epicurus Reader" will be greatly welcomed by anybody who teaches Hellenistic Philosophy, or Epicureanism in particular, at any level. It offers a judicious and ample selection of texts, including the only extant writings by Epicurus. More importantly it provides a reliable, often admirably accurate translation of these sometimes difficult texts. Finally, there is an introduction the general reader or the undergraduate will find very helpful.

Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision

Pierre Hadot

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Since its original publication in France in 1963, Pierre Hadot's lively philosophical portrait of Plotinus remains the preeminent introduction to the man and his thought. Michael Chase's lucid translation—complete with a useful chronology and analytical bibliography—at last makes this book available to the English-speaking world.

Hadot carefully examines Plotinus's views on the self, existence, love, virtue, gentleness, and solitude. He shows that Plotinus, like other philosophers of his day, believed that Plato and Aristotle had already articulated the essential truths; for him, the purpose of practicing philosophy was not to profess new truths but to engage in spiritual exercises so as to live philosophically. Seen in this light, Plotinus's counsel against fixation on the body and all earthly matters stemmed not from disgust or fear, but rather from his awareness of the negative effect that bodily preoccupation and material concern could have on spiritual exercises.

Hippocratic Writings (Penguin Classics)

Various

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Taste of Ancient Western Medicine 4 out of 5 stars.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.

This work is a sampling of the Hippocratic Corpus, a collection of ancient Greek medical works. Hippocrates himself may have written some, but certainly not all, of the texts. The collection spans centuries and contains slightly differing views. This makes for a fuller picture of ancient Greek medicine. As one reads through the book, the reader gets a real sense of the medical theories and "facts" of the time. A majority of Hippocratic Writings is concerned with internal medicine and diseases. At the beginning, and interspersed throughout, there are discussions on the philosophy of being a physician. There is a large section about how to treat limb fractures, and the section called The Nature of Man describes the physiological theories of the time. The book ends with a discussion of embryology and a brief anatomical description of the heart. The work is not too difficult to read and seems to be very well translated. The large introduction to the book serves well to place the setting of the book and understand a bit of the translation. A Glossary of Names appears in the back. This seems to serve more as an academic reference as it is not necessary to refer to it as one reads the book. Along with the general index, there is the Supplementary Index to Medical Treatises. This index lists instances within Hippocratic Writings that, in the context of current medical knowledge, describes some now more commonly known medical conditions and diseases. Some knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and ancient Greek scientific philosophy are helpful in reading the book.

Editorial Review:

This work is a sampling of the Hippocratic Corpus, a collection of ancient Greek medical works. At the beginning, and interspersed throughout, there are discussions on the philosophy of being a physician. There is a large section about how to treat limb fractures, and the section called The Nature of Man describes the physiological theories of the time. The book ends with a discussion of embryology and a brief anatomical description of the heart.

Aristotle: Art of Rhetoric, Volume XXII (Loeb Classical Library No. 193)

Aristotle

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Editorial Review:

Aristotle, great Greek philosopher, researcher, reasoner, and writer, born at Stagirus in 384 BCE, was the son of Nicomachus, a physician, and Phaestis. He studied under Plato at Athens and taught there (367–347); subsequently he spent three years at the court of a former pupil, Hermeias, in Asia Minor and at this time married Pythias, one of Hermeias's relations. After some time at Mitylene, in 343–2 he was appointed by King Philip of Macedon to be tutor of his teen-aged son Alexander. After Philip's death in 336, Aristotle became head of his own school (of 'Peripatetics'), the Lyceum at Athens. Because of anti-Macedonian feeling there after Alexander's death in 323, he withdrew to Chalcis in Euboea, where he died in 322.

Nearly all the works Aristotle prepared for publication are lost; the priceless ones extant are lecture-materials, notes, and memoranda (some are spurious). They can be categorized as follows: I Practical: Nicomachean Ethics; Great Ethics (Magna Moralia); Eudemian Ethics; Politics; Economics (on the good of the family); On Virtues and Vices. II Logical: Categories; Analytics (Prior and Posterior); Interpretation; Refutations used by Sophists; Topica. III Physical: Twenty-six works (some suspect) including astronomy, generation and destruction, the senses, memory, sleep, dreams, life, facts about animals, etc. IV Metaphysics: on being as being. V Art: Rhetoric and Poetics. VI Other works including the Constitution of Athens; more works also of doubtful authorship. VII Fragments of various works such as dialogues on philosophy and literature; and of treatises on rhetoric, politics and metaphysics.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Aristotle is in twenty-three volumes.

Cicero: On Duties (Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought)

Marcus Tullius Cicero

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Fatherlove 4 out of 5 stars.
15 of 18 people found this review helpful.

I'm not sure why we ignore our ancient wisdom. We seem to be well-fed on eastern paradox and mysticism, but we have lost the tradition of reason and cross-examination that brought stability and technology to the world. We heard the cry, "If we can send a man to the moon, why can't we . . ." Part of the reason is that the nature of a moon-shot may be different than the nature of curing breast cancer, wining the war on terrorism within the time-frame of WWII, or solving social problems.

The other part of the reason is that we have abandoned the fundamental principles of Western Civilization that brought us Galileo, Newton, and Einstein. When we left theses core truths, we undid several thousand years of progress, and have returned to a faux primitive and savagery. Emotion has supplanted, reason, mercy has robbed justice, and catchphrases have replaced fundamental platitudes. In short, we have abandoned the mind, and are left with the stomach.

In "On Duties," Cicero drives a dagger in the heart of today's ills. This book's theme is justice as it related to social duties. It is essentially pedagogical, and like Aristotle's Ethics, is written as advice to his growing son. We speak of Motherlove, but this book embodies Fatherlove, or all the good and ideal aspects of paternalism.

As with all good philosophers, he is easy to understand, once you get the feel for philosophical banter. C. S. Lewis observed "The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire."

As you read "On Duties," you get the feel that Cicero is operating under a very different set of values. As I mentioned, the ancient world was founded upon justice and reason, and our post-modern world is founded upon mercy and emotion, with disastrous consequences. We need to be sensitive to these differences, since our assumptions are blind spots. As Lewis added, "It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones."

This book is good for understanding the ancient mind, and great for personal development. Clearly and logically, Cicero explains the interplay between duty, advantage and righteousness. You many not agree with him, but Cicero did do his homework, has a point, and when he is wrong, he is wrong for the right reasons.

Editorial Review:

De Officiis (On Duties) is Cicero's last theoretical work and contains his analysis, in a Greek theoretical framework, of the political and ethical values of the Roman governing class in the late Republic. It has often been treated merely as a key to the Greek philosophical works that Cicero used, but this volume aims to render De Officiis, which had a profound impact upon subsequent political thinkers, more intelligible by explaining its relation to its own time and place. All the standard series features are present, including a wholly new translation, a concise introduction by a leading scholar, select bibliography, chronology, notes on vocabulary and brief biographies of the most prominent individuals mentioned in the text.

Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy behind the Military Mind

Nancy Sherman

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Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

While few soldiers may have read the works of Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius, it is undoubtedly true that the ancient philosophy known as Stoicism guides the actions of many in the military. Soldiers and seamen learn early in their training "to suck it up," to endure, to put aside their feelings and to get on with the mission.
Stoic Warriors is the first book to delve deeply into the ancient legacy of this relationship, exploring what the Stoic philosophy actually is, the role it plays in the character of the military (both ancient and modern), and its powerful value as a philosophy of life. Marshalling anecdotes from military history--ranging from ancient Greek wars to World War II, Vietnam, and Iraq--Nancy Sherman illuminates the military mind and uses it as a window on the virtues of the Stoic philosophy, which are far richer and more interesting than our popularized notions. Sherman--a respected philosopher who taught at the US Naval Academy--explores the deep, lasting value that Stoicism can yield, in issues of military leadership and character; in the Stoic conception of anger and its control (does a warrior need anger to go to battle?); and in Stoic thinking about fear and resilience, grief and mourning, and the value of camaraderie and brotherhood. Sherman concludes by recommending a moderate Stoicism, where the task for the individual, both civilian and military, youth and adult, is to temper control with forgiveness, and warrior drive and achievement with humility and humor.
Here then is a perceptive investigation of what makes Stoicism so compelling not only as a guiding principle for the military, but as a philosophy for anyone facing the hardships of life.