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Presocratics, The
Preface
Introduction
Early Religious Thought
The Scientist-philosophers of Miletus
Heraclitus
The Eleatic School
Qualitative Pluralism
Atomism
Pythagoreanism
The Sophists
Hippocratic Medical Philosophy
Notes
Glossary
Index
Introduction
Early Religious Thought
The Scientist-philosophers of Miletus
Heraclitus
The Eleatic School
Qualitative Pluralism
Atomism
Pythagoreanism
The Sophists
Hippocratic Medical Philosophy
Notes
Glossary
Index
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
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315 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 31, 2019
A tough but valuable book to read, and another in the ongoing effort of my friend David to bring me up to speed on all his historical knowledge. This is one of those that would require repeat readings for me to really understand, and that is unlikely to happen given how many books there are out there. I should have been logging things in this review space as I read, because there were several quotes I wanted to call out, but of course now I can't remember which ones they were.
March 12, 2009
The grouping/historical period of the Presocratics remains very interesting to me still even years after first reading this book in the fall of 2003. I feel this way partly because they were some of the earliest philosophers known to history but also because many of their ideas were remarkably ahead of their time and happen to line up with methodological naturalism (AKA the foundation of natural science). They're generally known for positing the material source of the universe. Some thought fire, some thought water, some thought soil, etc.
Thales and his successor Democritus were the earliest atomists that I'm aware of. I find it fascinating that human beings so long ago--with so little at their disposal in terms of tools of scientific discovery--could hypothesize that everything is composed of atoms.
These are fascinating people and ideas to read about and mostly so when placed firmly in their historical context.
A few personal favorites are Thales, Heraclitus, Empedocles and Democritus.
Thales and his successor Democritus were the earliest atomists that I'm aware of. I find it fascinating that human beings so long ago--with so little at their disposal in terms of tools of scientific discovery--could hypothesize that everything is composed of atoms.
These are fascinating people and ideas to read about and mostly so when placed firmly in their historical context.
A few personal favorites are Thales, Heraclitus, Empedocles and Democritus.
November 26, 2013
This book was our introductory text for The History of Ancient Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. Wheelwright selected the fragments from the Pre-Socratics and they're pretty complete. He also did the explanatory and connecting text, putting the fragments in context.
June 4, 2024
A SUPERB COLLECTION OF THE EXTANT WRITINGS OF THE PRESOCRATICS
Editor Philip Wheelwright (1901-1970) was an American philosopher, classical scholar and literary theorist, who was Professor of Philosophy at Dartmouth College (1937-1953) and the University of California (1954-1966).
He wrote in the Preface to this 1966 book, “The present volume offers in English translation a critically full collection of quotations from, an ancient testimonies about, early Greek philosophical writings, principally of the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. … By ‘critically full’ is meant that the editor’s judgment has been exercised in attempting to include all such Fragments and Testimonia as are at once adequately authenticated and capable of throwing light on the doctrines in question.”
He says in the Introduction, “The early philosophers of Greece, whose writings have survived only in the form of fragments, which later Greek philosophers fortunately considered worth quoting, are of unique value for anyone interested in the intellectual history of mankind. The period of less than two hundred years between Thales and Democritus shows a development in the art of philosophical inquiry that is quite unparalleled in world history. Nowhere else… is there shown so striking a combination of conceptual imagination, attempted linguistic precision, and concern for intellectual consistency. Although … Plato and … Aristotle speak more comprehensively… neither … would have been possible without the two centuries of analysis and speculation that had gone before.”
He notes, “Xenophanes of Colophon was the first Greek thinker, so far as is known, to apply clear reasoning firmly and coherently to the central problems of religious theology, the problem of God’s nature; and he answers his question emphatically declaring that God is one and unique, utterly unlike human beings in all respects but one. Thus he is the first known critical theologian in ancient Greece.” He quotes fragments such as, “If oxen or lions had hands which enabled them to draw and paint pictures as men do, they would portray their gods as having bodies like their own: horses would portray them as horses, and oxen as oxen.” (Pg. 33)
He explains, “Thales, the founder of the Milesian school, ‘flourished’ in 585 B.C… he applied his knowledge to astronomy… predicting correctly the year … of a solar eclipse which occurred during a battle between the Medes and the Lydians throwing both armies into confusion and rout… there are no surviving quotations of his actual words… in its place is offered Aristotle’s version of the four most important propositions which he affirmed.” (Pg. 44)
He continues, “Anaximander… described by ancient writers as pupil and companion of Thales… was particularly noted for having constructed … a sundial, a map of the known world, and a celestial globe containing a chart of the stars… [He] declared that [the earth] hangs in the middle of the sky,” (Pg. 52) He adds, “Anaximenes is generally regarded as inferior to his two predecessors in philosophical stature… His main importance … lies… not in his choice of air as the prototype of reality but in his dawning conception … of serial order.” (Pg. 60)
He includes fragments from Heraclitus such as, “Although this Logos is eternally valid, yet men are unable to understand it---not only before hearing it, but even after they had heard it for the first time…. We should let ourselves be guided by what is common to all. Yet, although the Logos is common to all, most men live as if each of them had a private intelligence of his own.” (Pg. 69) “Everything flows and nothing abides… You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters and yet others go ever flowing on.” (Pg. 70-71) “It would not be better if things happened to men just as they wish.” (Pg. 73)
He observes, “The school of Elea is of unique historical importance. It represents the first all-out attempt in the western world to establish pure reason, with its demands of logical consistency and relatedness, as the sole criterion of truth. The main Eleatic position, established by Parmenides, reaffirmed and developed … by Zeno and Melissus, can be summarized in two propositions, (1) Being is one and (2) Being is unchanging.” (Pg. 90) He quotes a fragment of Parmenides, “Thinking and the object of thought are the same. For you will not find thought apart from being, nor either of them apart from utterance… Thought and being are the same.” (Pg. 98)
He states, “Zeno of Elea, the most eminent disciple of Parmenides… was a man who combined cleverness and fortitude to an unusual degree, the one virtue being shown by … his accepting death by torture rather than reveal the names of the friends who had conspired with him unsuccessfully to overthrow a local tyrant.” (Pg. 106) He quotes from Aristotle, “Zeno argues fallaciously that since a body is … at rest when it is in a place of the same size as itself, and since a … moving body would be at any instant in just such a place, it follows that the arrow in flight does not move at all…” (Pg. 109) “[E]ven the swiftest runner will never overtake the slowest, because the runner must first reach the point from which the pursued has set out [at which moment the latter will have reached a new point…] so that the slower runner will always be some distance ahead.” (Pg. 110)
He reports, “The strength of Parmenides’ influence … is shown… by thinkers and schools of thought that either rejected or seriously qualified his monism. One principle in particular---the cosmological axiom ‘Ex nihilo nihil fit,’ that nothing can be produced out of nothing, that Being cannot arise out of Not-Being---stands at the forefront of the Eleatic legacy.” (Pg. 120) He says, “Empedocles postulates four basic physical realities---fire, the air, water, and earth, the traditional ‘four elements’ of popular cosmology.” (Pg. 122)
He explains, “Anaxagoras conceives… the cosmos, as having been set in order by a mind which is somehow active in it… the creator-god in Anaxagoras’ theory is pure mind, characterized primarily by a power to distinguish and separate one quality or characteristic of thing from another, and thereby to create through the production of order.” (Pg. 159)
He points out “the atomism of Leucippus and Democritus is closer than any of the rival Greek views as to what we now identify as scientific thinking… their postulation of material entities with no distinguishing characteristics except the potentially measurable ones of size, shape, position, and locomotion, constituted a first step toward the conceptual formation of a measurable universe.” (Pg. 175-176)
He notes, “Pythagoras established a school of his own, distinguished by its pursuit of higher studies in mathematics, astronomy, music, metaphysics… by a disciplined community life… and the practice of non-possession by sharing unreservedly all the necessities of living; and by … for the first time in history… the admission of women as members.” (Pg. 200-201) He adds later, “The prohibition against killing animals and more especially against eating their flesh was based … in order to strengthen his followers’ power of will and accustom them to restrict their diet to what was easily procurable.” (Pg. 222)
He states, “The principal skill which the Sophists taught … was the ability to win debates and to influence public opinion through the art of persuasive speech.” (Pg. 238) He quotes Protagoras, “Man is the measure of all things; of things that are, that they are; of things that are not, that they are not.” (Pg. 239)
He observes, “Although Hippocrates never organized the philosophical principles of his thinking… we can best think of his philosophy as resting upon a pair of complementary propositions: (a) Health is the natural state, disease is unnatural; and (b) Disease, no less than health, is governed by natural causes, which it is the task of the physician to understand.” (Pg. 262) He quotes, “In the healing art, as in wisdom generally, use is not something that can be taught. Nature was at work before any teaching began, and it is the part of wisdom to make adjustments to the situation that nature has provided… The healing art is the noblest of all the arts; but nowadays, because of the ignorance both of those who practice it and of those who judge them uncritically, it has fallen into low repute.” (Pg. 274)
This is a marvelous collection, and Wheelwright’s introductions are very helpful. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to study these early philosophers.
Editor Philip Wheelwright (1901-1970) was an American philosopher, classical scholar and literary theorist, who was Professor of Philosophy at Dartmouth College (1937-1953) and the University of California (1954-1966).
He wrote in the Preface to this 1966 book, “The present volume offers in English translation a critically full collection of quotations from, an ancient testimonies about, early Greek philosophical writings, principally of the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. … By ‘critically full’ is meant that the editor’s judgment has been exercised in attempting to include all such Fragments and Testimonia as are at once adequately authenticated and capable of throwing light on the doctrines in question.”
He says in the Introduction, “The early philosophers of Greece, whose writings have survived only in the form of fragments, which later Greek philosophers fortunately considered worth quoting, are of unique value for anyone interested in the intellectual history of mankind. The period of less than two hundred years between Thales and Democritus shows a development in the art of philosophical inquiry that is quite unparalleled in world history. Nowhere else… is there shown so striking a combination of conceptual imagination, attempted linguistic precision, and concern for intellectual consistency. Although … Plato and … Aristotle speak more comprehensively… neither … would have been possible without the two centuries of analysis and speculation that had gone before.”
He notes, “Xenophanes of Colophon was the first Greek thinker, so far as is known, to apply clear reasoning firmly and coherently to the central problems of religious theology, the problem of God’s nature; and he answers his question emphatically declaring that God is one and unique, utterly unlike human beings in all respects but one. Thus he is the first known critical theologian in ancient Greece.” He quotes fragments such as, “If oxen or lions had hands which enabled them to draw and paint pictures as men do, they would portray their gods as having bodies like their own: horses would portray them as horses, and oxen as oxen.” (Pg. 33)
He explains, “Thales, the founder of the Milesian school, ‘flourished’ in 585 B.C… he applied his knowledge to astronomy… predicting correctly the year … of a solar eclipse which occurred during a battle between the Medes and the Lydians throwing both armies into confusion and rout… there are no surviving quotations of his actual words… in its place is offered Aristotle’s version of the four most important propositions which he affirmed.” (Pg. 44)
He continues, “Anaximander… described by ancient writers as pupil and companion of Thales… was particularly noted for having constructed … a sundial, a map of the known world, and a celestial globe containing a chart of the stars… [He] declared that [the earth] hangs in the middle of the sky,” (Pg. 52) He adds, “Anaximenes is generally regarded as inferior to his two predecessors in philosophical stature… His main importance … lies… not in his choice of air as the prototype of reality but in his dawning conception … of serial order.” (Pg. 60)
He includes fragments from Heraclitus such as, “Although this Logos is eternally valid, yet men are unable to understand it---not only before hearing it, but even after they had heard it for the first time…. We should let ourselves be guided by what is common to all. Yet, although the Logos is common to all, most men live as if each of them had a private intelligence of his own.” (Pg. 69) “Everything flows and nothing abides… You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters and yet others go ever flowing on.” (Pg. 70-71) “It would not be better if things happened to men just as they wish.” (Pg. 73)
He observes, “The school of Elea is of unique historical importance. It represents the first all-out attempt in the western world to establish pure reason, with its demands of logical consistency and relatedness, as the sole criterion of truth. The main Eleatic position, established by Parmenides, reaffirmed and developed … by Zeno and Melissus, can be summarized in two propositions, (1) Being is one and (2) Being is unchanging.” (Pg. 90) He quotes a fragment of Parmenides, “Thinking and the object of thought are the same. For you will not find thought apart from being, nor either of them apart from utterance… Thought and being are the same.” (Pg. 98)
He states, “Zeno of Elea, the most eminent disciple of Parmenides… was a man who combined cleverness and fortitude to an unusual degree, the one virtue being shown by … his accepting death by torture rather than reveal the names of the friends who had conspired with him unsuccessfully to overthrow a local tyrant.” (Pg. 106) He quotes from Aristotle, “Zeno argues fallaciously that since a body is … at rest when it is in a place of the same size as itself, and since a … moving body would be at any instant in just such a place, it follows that the arrow in flight does not move at all…” (Pg. 109) “[E]ven the swiftest runner will never overtake the slowest, because the runner must first reach the point from which the pursued has set out [at which moment the latter will have reached a new point…] so that the slower runner will always be some distance ahead.” (Pg. 110)
He reports, “The strength of Parmenides’ influence … is shown… by thinkers and schools of thought that either rejected or seriously qualified his monism. One principle in particular---the cosmological axiom ‘Ex nihilo nihil fit,’ that nothing can be produced out of nothing, that Being cannot arise out of Not-Being---stands at the forefront of the Eleatic legacy.” (Pg. 120) He says, “Empedocles postulates four basic physical realities---fire, the air, water, and earth, the traditional ‘four elements’ of popular cosmology.” (Pg. 122)
He explains, “Anaxagoras conceives… the cosmos, as having been set in order by a mind which is somehow active in it… the creator-god in Anaxagoras’ theory is pure mind, characterized primarily by a power to distinguish and separate one quality or characteristic of thing from another, and thereby to create through the production of order.” (Pg. 159)
He points out “the atomism of Leucippus and Democritus is closer than any of the rival Greek views as to what we now identify as scientific thinking… their postulation of material entities with no distinguishing characteristics except the potentially measurable ones of size, shape, position, and locomotion, constituted a first step toward the conceptual formation of a measurable universe.” (Pg. 175-176)
He notes, “Pythagoras established a school of his own, distinguished by its pursuit of higher studies in mathematics, astronomy, music, metaphysics… by a disciplined community life… and the practice of non-possession by sharing unreservedly all the necessities of living; and by … for the first time in history… the admission of women as members.” (Pg. 200-201) He adds later, “The prohibition against killing animals and more especially against eating their flesh was based … in order to strengthen his followers’ power of will and accustom them to restrict their diet to what was easily procurable.” (Pg. 222)
He states, “The principal skill which the Sophists taught … was the ability to win debates and to influence public opinion through the art of persuasive speech.” (Pg. 238) He quotes Protagoras, “Man is the measure of all things; of things that are, that they are; of things that are not, that they are not.” (Pg. 239)
He observes, “Although Hippocrates never organized the philosophical principles of his thinking… we can best think of his philosophy as resting upon a pair of complementary propositions: (a) Health is the natural state, disease is unnatural; and (b) Disease, no less than health, is governed by natural causes, which it is the task of the physician to understand.” (Pg. 262) He quotes, “In the healing art, as in wisdom generally, use is not something that can be taught. Nature was at work before any teaching began, and it is the part of wisdom to make adjustments to the situation that nature has provided… The healing art is the noblest of all the arts; but nowadays, because of the ignorance both of those who practice it and of those who judge them uncritically, it has fallen into low repute.” (Pg. 274)
This is a marvelous collection, and Wheelwright’s introductions are very helpful. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to study these early philosophers.
January 31, 2025
Excellent book if you’re interested in this subject! I feel like this met my expectations and hopes exactly, that is, it provided a great overview of pre-Socratic philosophy. I came away with greater appreciation and understanding of the major debates and theories within this era of philosophy, something about learning about what these ancient thinkers came up with (sometimes ridiculous and sometimes demonstrating unbelievable wisdom and foresight) just scratches an itch in my brain. Having read this, I feel like going through the platonic dialogues would be much more interesting. Will happily keep this one nearby to be consulted and referenced in the future.
September 22, 2017
For class.
October 30, 2023
Smart dudes
Interesting if you’re interested, a tough read otherwise
Interesting if you’re interested, a tough read otherwise
February 28, 2023
Amazing read!
The book sequentially addresses different topics that influenced more recent thoughts in Ancient Greece.
The book sequentially addresses different topics that influenced more recent thoughts in Ancient Greece.
August 16, 2009
Read about 2/3 and then left it on an airplane... I'm chalking it up anyway! A survey of pre-Socratic Greek thinkers, fragments of their extent writings, and commentary by successor philosophers. A good introduction, if you like that sort of thing. (Actually, I wrote rather than read during the nearly 20 hours I spent flying and hanging around airports in recent weeks...Unbelievably, I find it to be a productive writing environment for me).
Read
October 10, 2009I want you back. Come back. I'll beg.
You're under a bed out in Brooklyn.
Along with my other dear Bookleins.
I need you by me
For my pale memory
Is a hoppin like old moldy cripples
a hop a stop a ho no mo!
You're under a bed out in Brooklyn.
Along with my other dear Bookleins.
I need you by me
For my pale memory
Is a hoppin like old moldy cripples
a hop a stop a ho no mo!
September 4, 2008
I loved this book. It's probably a matter of taste.
July 19, 2010
Interesting collection if you're into that kind of thing. But the author's interpretations and commentary aren't always great.
January 4, 2016
Pretty good once you get the hang of their dialogue.
January 23, 2016
A favorite read I go back to often as an exercise for personal inquiry and a supplement to any natural sciences tangent I may be reading into at the time.
April 10, 2016
re-read, to enlighten Kenny's first chapters in his History
February 21, 2023
Some very big ideas here
Read
July 27, 2011A classic. Usually read by undergraduate philosophy majors.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews