Ancient Philosophy: A New History of Western Philosophy Volume 1 (New History of Western Philosophy)

Sir Anthony Kenny here tells the fascinating story of the birth of philosophy and its remarkable flourishing in the ancient Mediterranean world. This is the initial volume of a four-book set in which Kenny will unfold a magisterial new history of Western philosophy, the first major single-author history of philosophy to appear in decades. Ancient Philosophy spans over a thousand years and brings to life the great minds of the past, from Thales, Pythagoras, and Parmenides, to Socrates, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Augustine. The book's great virtue is that it is written by one of the world's leading authorities on the subject. Instead of an uncritical, straightforward recitation of known factsPlato and his cave of shadows, Aristotle's ethics, Augustine's City of Godwe see the major philosophers through the eyes of a man who has spent a lifetime contemplating their work. Thus we do not simply get an overview of Aristotle, for example, but a penetrating and insightful critique of his thought. Kenny offers an illuminating account of the various schools of thought, from the Pre-Socratics to the Epicureans. He examines the development of logic and reason, ancient ideas about physics ("how things happen"), metaphysics and ethics, and the earliest thinking about the soul and god. Vividly written, but serious and deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers, Kenny's lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and ideas that shaped the course of Western thought. Sir Anthony Kenny is one of Britain's most distinguished academic figures. He has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Master of Balliol College, Chairman of the Board of the British Library, and President of the British Academy. He has published more than forty books on philosophy and history. Ancient Philosophy (2006)......Page 1 A NEW HISTORY OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY - Volume 1......Page 4 ISBN: 9780198752721 (Pbk.)......Page 5 SUMMARY OF CONTENTS......Page 6 --> CONTENTS......Page 8 INTRODUCTION......Page 12 The Four Causes......Page 24 The Milesians......Page 27 The Pythagoreans......Page 32 Xenophanes......Page 34 Heraclitus......Page 35 Parmenides and the Eleatics......Page 40 Empedocles......Page 43 Anaxagoras......Page 47 The Atomists......Page 49 The Sophists......Page 51 Socrates......Page 55 The Socrates of Xenophon......Page 58 The Socrates of Plato......Page 60 Socrates’ Own Philosophy......Page 64 From Socrates to Plato......Page 68 The Theory of Ideas......Page 72 Plato’s Republic......Page 79 The Laws and the Timaeus......Page 83 Aristotle in the Academy......Page 88 Aristotle the Biologist......Page 92 The Lyceum and its Curriculum......Page 96 Aristotle on Rhetoric and Poetry......Page 98 Aristotle’s Ethical Treatises......Page 102 Aristotle’s Political Theory......Page 105 Aristotle’s Cosmology......Page 110 The Legacy of Aristotle and Plato......Page 112 Aristotle’s School......Page 114 Epicurus......Page 117 Stoicism......Page 119 Scepticism in the Academy......Page 123 Lucretius......Page 124 Judaism and Christianity......Page 127 The Imperial Stoa......Page 129 Early Christian Philosophy......Page 132 The Revival of Platonism and Aristotelianism......Page 134 Plotinus and Augustine......Page 135 3 - How to Argue: Logic......Page 139 Aristotle’s Syllogistic......Page 140 The de Interpretatione and the Categories......Page 146 Aristotle on Time and Modality......Page 152 Stoic Logic......Page 159 Presocratic Epistemology......Page 168 Socrates, Knowledge, and Ignorance......Page 171 Knowledge in the Theaetetus......Page 175 Knowledge and Ideas......Page 179 Aristotle on Science and Illusion......Page 184 Epicurean Epistemology......Page 189 Stoic Epistemology......Page 192 Academic Scepticism......Page 196 Pyrrhonian Scepticism......Page 198 The Continuum......Page 201 Aristotle on Place......Page 205 Aristotle on Motion......Page 207 Aristotle on Time......Page 209 Aristotle on Causation and Change......Page 212 The Stoics on Causality......Page 215 Causation and Determinism......Page 217 Determinism and Freedom......Page 219 6 - What There Is: Metaphysics......Page 222 Parmenides’ Ontology......Page 223 Plato’s Ideas and their Troubles......Page 228 Aristotelian Forms......Page 239 Essence and Quiddity......Page 241 Being and Existence......Page 246 Pythagoras’ Metempsychosis......Page 252 Perception and Thought......Page 255 Immortality in Plato’s Phaedo......Page 257 The Anatomy of the Soul......Page 260 Plato on Sense-Perception......Page 263 Aristotle’s Philosophical Psychology......Page 264 Hellenistic Philosophy of Mind......Page 271 Will, Mind, and Soul in Late Antiquity......Page 274 Democritus the Moralist......Page 280 Socrates on Virtue......Page 283 Plato on Justice and Pleasure......Page 287 Aristotle on Eudaimonia......Page 289 Aristotle on Moral and Intellectual Virtue......Page 292 Pleasure and Happiness......Page 297 The Hedonism of Epicurus......Page 300 Stoic Ethics......Page 303 Xenophanes’ Natural Theology......Page 312 Socrates and Plato on Piety......Page 313 Plato’s Evolving Theology......Page 316 Aristotle’s Unmoved Movers......Page 319 The Gods of Epicurus and the Stoics......Page 325 On Divination and Astrology......Page 331 The Trinity of Plotinus......Page 334 CHRONOLOGY......Page 340 ABBREVIATIONS AND CONVENTIONS......Page 342 Presocratic Philosophers (Chapter 1)......Page 346 Socrates and Plato (Chapter 1)......Page 347 Aristotle (Chapter 2)......Page 349 Hellenistic Philosophy (Chapter 2)......Page 350 Logic (Chapter 3)......Page 351 Philosophy of Mind (Chapter 7)......Page 352 Philosophy of Religion (Chapter 9)......Page 353 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 354 INDEX......Page 358

Sir Anthony Kenny here tells the fascinating story of the birth of philosophy and its remarkable flourishing in the ancient Mediterranean world. This is the initial volume of a four-book set in which Kenny will unfold a magisterial new history of Western philosophy, the first major single-author history of philosophy to appear in decades.
Ancient Philosophy spans over a thousand years and brings to life the great minds of the past, from Thales, Pythagoras, and Parmenides, to Socrates, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Augustine. The book's great virtue is that it is written by one of the world's leading authorities on the subject. Instead of an uncritical, straightforward recitation of known facts—Plato and his cave of shadows, Aristotle's ethics, Augustine's City of God—we see the major philosophers through the eyes of a man who has spent a lifetime contemplating their work. Thus we do not simply get an overview of Aristotle, for example, but a penetrating and insightful critique of his thought. Kenny offers an illuminating account of the various schools of thought, from the Pre-Socratics to the Epicureans. He examines the development of logic and reason, ancient ideas about physics ("how things happen"), metaphysics and ethics, and the earliest thinking about the soul and god.
Vividly written, but serious and deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers, Kenny's lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and ideas that shaped the course of Western thought.

"This is the remarkable story of the birth of philosophy, its flourishing in the ancient Mediterranean world, and the development of ideas which have shaped the course of Western thought and society. Sir Anthony Kenny's stimulating account begins with Pythagoras and Thales, and ends with St Augustine, who handed on the torch of philosophy to the Christian age. At the centre of the narrative are the two great figures of Plato and Aristotle, who between them set the agenda for philosophy for the next two millennia, and whose influence is as profound today as ever. The fruit of a lifetime's scholarship and insight, Ancient Philosophy sets the philosophers and their ideas in historical context, and explains the significance and impact of each wave of new ideas. It is the first volume in a magisterial new series, which brings the history of philosophy alive to anyone who wants to understand the roots of Western civilization. Book jacket."--Jacket Sir Anthony Kenny tells the fascinating story of the birth of philosophy and its remarkable flourishing in the ancient Mediterranean world. This is the first of four volumes in which he unfolds a magisterial new history of Western philosophy. Specially written for a broad popular readership, but serious and deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers, Kenny's lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and ideas that shaped the course of Western thought. Recounts the story of the birth of philosophy, spanning more than a thousand years and offering a genuine understanding and insightful critique of the work of philosophers including Thales, Socrates, Epictetus, Pythagoras, and Augustine, among others. Here readers will find not only an authoritative guide to the history of philosophy, but also a compelling introduction to every major area of philosophical inquiry v. 1. Ancient philosophy v. 2. Medieval philosophy v. 3. The rise of modern philosophy v. 4. Philosophy in the modern world