Buy new:
-33% $13.99
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$13.99 with 33 percent savings
List Price: $21.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, May 20 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
In Stock
$$13.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day easy returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
30-day easy returns
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$7.28
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Saturday, May 18 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 10 hrs 37 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$13.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$13.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Greek Philosophy: Thales to Aristotle (Readings in the History of Philosophy) Paperback – October 14, 1991

by Reginald E. Allen (Editor)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 110 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$13.99","priceAmount":13.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"13","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"NGpvQruaRmCPObUV%2F%2BRFwnA554AjXrNar8i%2FElrGE8gLZL0%2BmUKj6guZTvFLRWhqhazWvsflcZFMgpwbjmwOlW8%2FRw%2Fv%2BoJqwbhwiXdfrcn2M6wo53cI6e1qHgLOLVNBN%2Bhnd4%2Bkntk%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$7.28","priceAmount":7.28,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"7","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"28","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"NGpvQruaRmCPObUV%2F%2BRFwnA554AjXrNapRb2MfV9c1OgAPzUgGHCg%2BXXRZApWNVvB09fo6aW6ZxnyFEXvHuEJqZhkVJqkxltDueyFhuLYtVofCk28lpEiEPBJDyVJDKzjr9%2Be70zxOHCjitq9bVVzVIh8HKxz78iFCAtS0r%2F%2B9GqC3ZEMiBpLvHifyqc%2Bylo","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Widely praised for its accessibility and its concentration on the metaphysical issues that are most central to the history of Greek philosophy, Greek Philosophy: Thales to Aristotle offers a valuable introduction to the works of the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle.
For the Third Edition, Professor Allen has provided new translations of Socrates' speech in the Symposium and of the first five chapters of Aristotle's Categories, as well as new selections bearing on Aristotle's Theory of Infinity, Continuity, and Discreteness. The book also contains a general introduction which sets forth Professor Allen's distinctive and now widely accepted interpretation of the development of Greek philosophy and science, along with selective bibliography, and lists of suggested readings.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Readings in the History of Philosophy
  2. Print length
    446 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Free Press
  5. Publication date
    October 14, 1991
  6. Dimensions
    1.5 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0029004950
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0029004951
  9. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Frequently bought together

Greek Philosophy: Thales to Aristotle (Readings in the History of Philosophy)
$13.99
Get it as soon as Monday, May 20
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Self-Reliance and Other Essays
$3.95
Get it as soon as Saturday, May 18
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Reginald E. Allen is professor of classics and philosophy at Northwestern University. He is the author of Plato's Parmenides: Translation and Analysis, Socrates and Legal Obligation, and Plato's Symposium.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter I

THE SOURCES

No work of the Presocratics has come down in its entirety. We possess fragments preserved by later authors, and testimony. The major sources are as follows:

A. Philosophers

(i) Plato gives useful information about his predecessors. Since he himself was not a historian of philosophy, his remarks must be treated with caution.

(ii) Aristotle surveyed his predecessors' testimony on the philosophical problems with which he himself was concerned. The Presocratics are thus made parties to his argument, not left to speak for themselves, and this often introduces a cast into his interpretation. Nevertheless, he was not without a sense of history, and his work is, and will remain a major source of knowledge.

(iii) The Stoics' method of interpretation was syncretistic: they undertook to show that their predecessors agreed with Stoic doctrine, and with each other.

(iv) Sceptics, such as Sextus Empiricus, were concerned to exhibit the contradictions of earlier philosophy, but preserved valuable fragments.

(v) The Neo-Platonists, especially Proclus, Alexander, and Simplicius, commented on Plato and Aristotle; with the library of the Academy at their disposal, they too preserved many fragments.

B. The Doxographical Tradition

Theophrastus, Aristotle's successor in the Lyceum, continued the Peripatetic interest in history. As part of the encyclopedia of knowledge projected by the school, Theophrastus wrote On the Opinions of the Physical Philosophers, parts of which have come down to us. He consulted the original texts of the Presocratics, but his historical judgment was much influenced by Aristotle.

Theophrastus' work became the standard authority in the ancient world. The doxographers are those who derive their material, directly or indirectly, from the Opinions (doxai). The main sources in the doxographical tradition are Diogenes Laertius (probably third century A.D.), Plutarch (first-second century A.D.), and John Stobeaus (fifth century A.D.).

Copyright © 1966, 1985, 1991 by Reginald E. Allen

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Free Press; 3rd Revised and Expanded ed. edition (October 14, 1991)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 446 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0029004950
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0029004951
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.5 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 110 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
110 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

AFL
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!!!
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2014
Verified Purchase
From thales to aristotle
5 star rating.
it's an amazing book, I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in philosophical aspect of our reality. this book is so good it makes you wonder if life isn't just a dream within a dream. Thus far I've seen the lengths of my money and boy this book is worth every penny of it. This book gives you a profound understanding of life, and your role in life....
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
T. Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Selection!
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
Great selection from the ancient Greeks. Got this for a philosophy class and will keep it. There's been some fraying of the plastic overlay on front cover and spine, but I've not been gentle with this book. If yours never sees the inside of a backpack, it'll probably be fine.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Federic D Costilla
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Product
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2022
Verified Purchase
Well Written
Helpful
 Report
S B Witt
5.0 out of 5 stars Book Review
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great reference book
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Wheel Boy
3.0 out of 5 stars Trouble Sleeping?
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023
Verified Purchase
I thought it was time to read actual Greek Philosophy and not about Greek Philosophy.

Did it make me smarter? Nope. Can I frame an argument with better reasoning? Yup.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Timothy Rowe
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
Looked good.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kelli Raymond
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Condition
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2013
Verified Purchase
I appreciated the quality of the book and the price. It was definitely a good decision in ordering this book.
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars No complaints
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
Got this for a class, it's a good quality book
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

pugachev
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
Very good book.
Report
Mariel
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book and great delivery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Love this book, its an amazing way to start reading philosophy.
Delivery and product quality was excellent. Thank you
Report
J.W.
1.0 out of 5 stars Plato and Aristotle
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2022
Verified Purchase
25pages.. then Plato and Aristotle for the rest of the entire book which I didn't need since I have their entire collection but if you want some plato and Aristotle go for it I guess or just buy entire content of Aristotle or Plato available in amazon too. The back of the brand new book is not pretty.
Customer image
J.W.
1.0 out of 5 stars Plato and Aristotle
Reviewed in Canada on April 22, 2022
25pages.. then Plato and Aristotle for the rest of the entire book which I didn't need since I have their entire collection but if you want some plato and Aristotle go for it I guess or just buy entire content of Aristotle or Plato available in amazon too. The back of the brand new book is not pretty.
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
Report