A History of Greek Philosophy, Volume 2: The Presocratic Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus

A History of Greek Philosophy #2

by W.K.C. Guthrie

All volumes of Professor Guthrie's great history of Greek philosophy have won their due acclaim. The most striking merits of Guthrie's work are his mastery of a tremendous range of ancient literature and modern scholarship, his fairness and balance of judgement and the lucidity and precision of his English prose. He has achieved clarity and comprehensiveness.

Genres: Philosophy, History, Nonfiction, Academic, Greece

576 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

William Keith Chambers Guthrie was a Scottish classical scholar, best known for his History of Greek Philosophy, published in six volumes between 1962 and his death.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for visiting professor Reginald Allen's course on Plato's Parmenides, taught at Loyola University Chicago during the first semester of 1981/82. For this class I wrote a paper on the fragments of Parmenides, concentrating on the Proem, which I tried to approach more from a religious than from a philosophical perspective, as something like a prayer.

[Matilde · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, what can I say about this history of greek philosophy?
Only that I confirm my formen opinion: Guthrie is without any doubt a great scholar when it comes to ancient philosophy.
Due to lack of (free) time I was forced to skipp several charapters, which is a shame, and hope to read as soon as possible together with other volumes of this work.
Beautifully written, detailed notes on crucial aspects of any texts and deep argumentation of each thinker, different interpretations of later philosophers (such as Plato, Aristotle, Proclus etc.) included (at least in the chapter I read). This latter feature was what I really enjoyed most, since when you usually start reading a history-of-book it looks as if every thinker is in a "separate box" from one another, and to me if this is useful for a beginner one one hand, on the other gives an unrealistic depiction of what philosophy was back in the ancient world.

[Dan DalMonte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guthrie’s survey of Greek philosophy is masterful. In this volume you will get an explanation of why Parmenides thought change was an illusion. Xeno challenged the atomic theory of time, the idea that it is broken up into discontinuous instants. Then we get the atomic theory of Democritus. Here Guthrie shows how Democritus distinguished between appearances and reason. Appearances are all relative to the subject but reality in itself is made of atoms. Democritus also offered a mechanical theory of development that did not include teleology. In between we get Empedocles with his competing forces of Love and Strife. Next comes Plato who united being and value with his Form of the Good.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The lack of documentation and the complete ignorance of the way people used to see things three millennia ago is of no concern for this bureaucrat and his self-importance.

[Umut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birinci baskisinda bir cok kelime ve yazim hatasi olsa da muhtesem bir kitap.