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A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps #1
Classical Philosophy
Classical Philosophy is the first of a series of books in which Peter Adamson aims ultimately to present a complete history of philosophy, more thoroughly but also more enjoyably than ever before. In short, lively chapters, based on the popular History of Philosophy podcast, he offers an accessible, humorous, and detailed look at the emergence of philosophy with the Presocratics, the probing questions of Socrates, and the first full flowering of philosophy with thedialogues of Plato and the treatises of Aristotle. The story is told 'without any gaps', discussing not only such major figures but also less commonly discussed topics like the Hippocratic Corpus, the Platonic Academy, and the role of women in ancient philosophy. Within the thought of Plato and Aristotle, the readerwill find in-depth introductions to major works, such as the Republic and the Nicomachean Ethics, which are treated in detail that is unusual in an introduction to ancient philosophy. Adamson looks at fascinating but less frequently read Platonic dialogues like the Charmides and Cratylus, and Aristotle's ideas in zoology and poetics. This full coverage allows him to tackle ancient discussions in all areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics,philosophy of language, philosophy of science, ethics and politics. Attention is also given to the historical and literary context of classical philosophy, with exploration of how early Greek cosmology responded to the poets Homer and Hesiod, how Socrates was presented by the comic playwright Aristophanes and the historian Xenophon, andhow events in Greek history may have influenced Plato's thought. This is a new kind of history which will bring philosophy to life for all readers, including those coming to the subject for the first time.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2014
290 people are currently reading
1975 people want to read
About the author
Peter S. Adamson
30 books122 followersPeter Scott Adamson is an American academic who is professor of philosophy in late antiquity and in the Islamic world at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as well as professor of ancient and medieval philosophy at Kings College London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
April 12, 2021
Antik Felsefe ile ilgili toplu ve sıkmadan okutan bir felsefe tarihi kitabı olduğu için keyifle okudum. Elbette böyle bir kitap okumak için ya bölüm öğrencisi olunmalı ya da dönemin felsefe yaklaşımlarını etraflıca öğrenme gibi bir şiarın olması gerekir. Eğer böyle bir durumdaysanız bu kitap ile klasik dönem filozoflarının fikirlerini keyiflice okuyarak anlayabilirsiniz.
November 19, 2015
I suppose you wouldn't even know this book existed unless you were the kind of person who hangs out in the philosophy section of the bookstore (which I do). And "the history of philosophy" may sound impressive to the point of being off-putting, and the book is from Oxford University Press, which adds to the whole why-would-you-read-this-unless-it-was-assigned-in-class feeling. Well, it's a lot more readable—and enjoyable—than that sounds. It's based on a series of podcasts, so it's written in a casual style, almost conversational. Each chapter is fairly short and self-contained, probably because of its podcast ancestry. But Adamson does an excellent job of linking each chapter to earlier ones so that you get the sense that this really is a continual, gap-less history.
Okay, minor quibble here: I would have liked a pronunciation guide for the unfamiliar Greek names that pepper this book. I'm not that familiar with this period in philosophic history beyond the big names of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and a pronunciation guide—obviously not needed with the original podcasts!—and maybe a short list of the lesser-known philosophers would have been helpful. But overall, I'd highly recommend this as a readable introduction to early philosophy, at least for readers who'd be interested in philosophy in the first place.
Okay, minor quibble here: I would have liked a pronunciation guide for the unfamiliar Greek names that pepper this book. I'm not that familiar with this period in philosophic history beyond the big names of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and a pronunciation guide—obviously not needed with the original podcasts!—and maybe a short list of the lesser-known philosophers would have been helpful. But overall, I'd highly recommend this as a readable introduction to early philosophy, at least for readers who'd be interested in philosophy in the first place.
May 31, 2025
This was a great audio listen that dives deep into the history of philosophy. On to the next!
April 13, 2023
I haven't read the book, but I have listened to the podcast episodes that are adapted to make up this book. I wonder if this book adds more content or has less than the podcast.
As far as a history of philosophy goes, this is the best one I've read (listened to). Adamson teaches philosophy at a university and I believe this podcast bridges the academic requirements and entertainment requirements that I demand.
I'd recommend the podcast to anyone with interest in the history of philosophy. The only issue is that he doesn't go into the philosophical issues themselves, but presents the historical context and gives brief synopsizes of each philosopher's major works. There are also a few podcasts where he interviews another professor with more direct expertise on the specific subject on hand.
As far as a history of philosophy goes, this is the best one I've read (listened to). Adamson teaches philosophy at a university and I believe this podcast bridges the academic requirements and entertainment requirements that I demand.
I'd recommend the podcast to anyone with interest in the history of philosophy. The only issue is that he doesn't go into the philosophical issues themselves, but presents the historical context and gives brief synopsizes of each philosopher's major works. There are also a few podcasts where he interviews another professor with more direct expertise on the specific subject on hand.
May 18, 2019
This is way, way better than the podcast. It's written on a level that a college graduate, particularly of NSA, would find easy, and it reminds me of why as a Christian I love philosophy and particularly Plato and Aristotle: that's because they ask the big questions and pretty much everybody else tends towards being some sort of inside baseball.
Adamson does his best work as a thoughtful reader of Plato and Aristotle, but probably his most valuable work will be covering the other guys that get neglected (I am really looking forward to the Islamic philosophy volume), but here he doesn't have much to work with as far as the Presocratics go. I was really glad, though, that Stokes made us learn about them. It's probably helpful to remember where Plato and Aristotle came from. Anyway, Adamson doesn't think of Plato and Aristotle as too opposed to each other, he denies that Plato really should be seen as a totalitarian (or at least not without extensive arguing), he denies that Aristotle's works are just lecture notes, and he is always willing to give them a fair hearing. He even gives Plato a fair hearing on the issue of sexuality, and the feminist he quotes at the end is the reasonable type who thinks philosophy has been misogynistic NOT because men and women are the same (wouldn't that be incoherent), but because they are different and philosophy has been conducted by men. I read this chapter with more composure than I have ever read someone talking about Greece and feminism, because he said it without any shrillness and with charitable reading and good humor. That's the dominant tone in the book: one gets that he's a normal dude who probably enjoys his glass of wine while making a chuckle-inducing joke (though not a belly-laugh, he's not really clever). Good man. Let's see, he's 46, so perhaps he'll make it to Descartes. I hope he does. Put this up there with Needham as fun history for the plebs.
This book made me want to read Plato and Aristotle deeply so that I could better understand the real world out there, which is a real triumph. On to the next book.
Adamson does his best work as a thoughtful reader of Plato and Aristotle, but probably his most valuable work will be covering the other guys that get neglected (I am really looking forward to the Islamic philosophy volume), but here he doesn't have much to work with as far as the Presocratics go. I was really glad, though, that Stokes made us learn about them. It's probably helpful to remember where Plato and Aristotle came from. Anyway, Adamson doesn't think of Plato and Aristotle as too opposed to each other, he denies that Plato really should be seen as a totalitarian (or at least not without extensive arguing), he denies that Aristotle's works are just lecture notes, and he is always willing to give them a fair hearing. He even gives Plato a fair hearing on the issue of sexuality, and the feminist he quotes at the end is the reasonable type who thinks philosophy has been misogynistic NOT because men and women are the same (wouldn't that be incoherent), but because they are different and philosophy has been conducted by men. I read this chapter with more composure than I have ever read someone talking about Greece and feminism, because he said it without any shrillness and with charitable reading and good humor. That's the dominant tone in the book: one gets that he's a normal dude who probably enjoys his glass of wine while making a chuckle-inducing joke (though not a belly-laugh, he's not really clever). Good man. Let's see, he's 46, so perhaps he'll make it to Descartes. I hope he does. Put this up there with Needham as fun history for the plebs.
This book made me want to read Plato and Aristotle deeply so that I could better understand the real world out there, which is a real triumph. On to the next book.
February 5, 2020
I absolutely adore listening to these on my way to and from uni. I'm finally getting a useful, holistic sense of the history of philosophy.
Read
May 30, 2022No rating because I had to do this for my course
May 20, 2022
If you are looking for a book that is a complete beginner's introduction to classical philosophy, Peter Adamson is your guy. I'm a hardcore fan of the podcast and I'm looking forward to more philosophy without any gaps.
June 15, 2022
4.5 out of 5 stars
This is a fun and easy to follow introduction to Classical Philosophy for those with a new-found interest in the field. Peter Adamson's cheeky giraffe references will have you chuckling while he explains concepts that range from Ethics to Metaphysics. Plato took forever to get through which is understandable if you don't like the guy, like me.
Happy reading!
P.S. I'm a big fan of the podcast too. You shoud definitely check t out. You can find it here.
This is a fun and easy to follow introduction to Classical Philosophy for those with a new-found interest in the field. Peter Adamson's cheeky giraffe references will have you chuckling while he explains concepts that range from Ethics to Metaphysics. Plato took forever to get through which is understandable if you don't like the guy, like me.
Happy reading!
P.S. I'm a big fan of the podcast too. You shoud definitely check t out. You can find it here.
March 6, 2024
The first in the series of books covering the history of Philosophy by Peter Adamson of King's College London, this started out in tandem with the "A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps" podcast. In fact, most of the chapters in this book replicate quite closely the scripts that Adamson wrote for that podcast, and if you wish, it's possibly to use those as a kind of audiobook version of this first volume.
In the last 10 years the podcast has greatly expanded to include Indian and African philosophy as well as the Western stuff, but here we are very much in the realm of Classical Greek Antiquity. We start off with Thales in Greek Asia Minor and go from there, through the pre-Socratics to multi chapter explorations of the two giants of that period, Plato and Aristotle.
Peterson's style is both informative but also informal, with a couple of jokes here and there that greatly aid to the book's readability, and it does have some advantages over the podcast, such as bibliographical references and further reading lists, as well as the simple fact that sometimes you need to read a concept a couple of times to have a firm grasp on it, which is harder to do with an audio file, there are also chapters here, such as the one on Classical Women Philosophers which are missing from the podcast. The disadvantage is the lack of some great interviews with philosophers about the time period, I would advise that even if you are only reading the book, you supplement the reading with the podcast episodes which have interviews and discussions which help shed light on the contents of this. All in all a great introduction to Classical Philosophy.
In the last 10 years the podcast has greatly expanded to include Indian and African philosophy as well as the Western stuff, but here we are very much in the realm of Classical Greek Antiquity. We start off with Thales in Greek Asia Minor and go from there, through the pre-Socratics to multi chapter explorations of the two giants of that period, Plato and Aristotle.
Peterson's style is both informative but also informal, with a couple of jokes here and there that greatly aid to the book's readability, and it does have some advantages over the podcast, such as bibliographical references and further reading lists, as well as the simple fact that sometimes you need to read a concept a couple of times to have a firm grasp on it, which is harder to do with an audio file, there are also chapters here, such as the one on Classical Women Philosophers which are missing from the podcast. The disadvantage is the lack of some great interviews with philosophers about the time period, I would advise that even if you are only reading the book, you supplement the reading with the podcast episodes which have interviews and discussions which help shed light on the contents of this. All in all a great introduction to Classical Philosophy.
March 11, 2020
I do think this book is quite excellent for its level of detail, and also it’s accessibility and readability. It was great to fill in the gaps of my knowledge about the Presocratics, Plato, and Aristotle. Some of the chapters felt a bit like “nothing” chapters, though I suppose that is inevitable in a history of philosophy that is endeavouring to avoid any gaps. I also have to say I preferred this medium to the podcast version. Somehow (strangely), his tone is conveyed much more effectively and enjoyably in his writing than in his voice. I loved the sense of humour throughout, and that seemed to come across much better in the book than the podcast, in my opinion.
September 23, 2017
Simple, thorough and consistent. Covers pretty much every philosopher from Presocratics, starting with Thales, to Aristotle with a readable language.
June 7, 2024
Muito fixe, acendeu um interesse por Física Antiga, entre outros
August 9, 2017
For decades I've been reading philosophy in in haphazard way. If the intent of the philosopher sometimes seemed nebulous, I blamed it on my own poor understanding. But thanks to PA's books I'm becoming aware that philosophers are often carrying on a debate with predecessors hundreds or thousands of years in the past, fully assuming that the reader has followed the course of the discussion. I was doing the equivalent of trying to make sense of a long going and vituperative family argument without knowing the background.
PA books are a remedy. They are engaging, readily graspable and fairly comprehensive history; in this volume covering Greek thought up through Aristotle. The volumes together are something like a more complete and adult version of Sophie's World.
PA books are a remedy. They are engaging, readily graspable and fairly comprehensive history; in this volume covering Greek thought up through Aristotle. The volumes together are something like a more complete and adult version of Sophie's World.
unfinished
September 24, 2022Combing several philosophy books together to keep topics together. On hold until I get back to this area.
November 21, 2017
What you might already know is that the author is attempting to tell the full story of Western philosophy without skipping over any of its significant practitioners. What you might not know is that this is a book (and by origin, a podcast) designed for the thoughtful layperson, in which no prior knowledge is needed. The chapters are bite-sized and the narrative is as glib and smooth as you'd expect from a work that began as a podcast. If you're used to that podcast, you'll be happy to know that the book contains a few chapters not available in the audio incarnation, though you might miss the scholarly interviews that are only available in the podcast.
In terms of substance, Adamson indicates that philosophy arose when people began offering rational arguments for the major questions of existence. Social forces, like the distribution of wealth and power, have an influence on philosophy, but philosophy is probably not simply reducible to a mere function of this distribution. The initial, classical stage of philosophy was punctuated by three eras. First were the pre-Socratics, who believe reality boils down to one or a just a few principles, and whose ideas gradually became more systematic over time (particularly via Parmenides and his supporters and opponents). To this endeavor, Plato added a sophisticated (Socratic) method of inquiry and an abiding ethical concern. Finally, Aristotle interacted critically with Plato, generating an entire curriculum of study across the range of human endeavor.
I've read a few complaints about the puns and giraffe references, but I think these are part and parcel of the author's attempt to reach the nonspecialist. The goofy comments are a form of encouragement, whereby Adamson is effectively saying, "You, too, can get this stuff" or even "You're not alone in thinking this or that philosopher has strange ideas".
In terms of substance, Adamson indicates that philosophy arose when people began offering rational arguments for the major questions of existence. Social forces, like the distribution of wealth and power, have an influence on philosophy, but philosophy is probably not simply reducible to a mere function of this distribution. The initial, classical stage of philosophy was punctuated by three eras. First were the pre-Socratics, who believe reality boils down to one or a just a few principles, and whose ideas gradually became more systematic over time (particularly via Parmenides and his supporters and opponents). To this endeavor, Plato added a sophisticated (Socratic) method of inquiry and an abiding ethical concern. Finally, Aristotle interacted critically with Plato, generating an entire curriculum of study across the range of human endeavor.
I've read a few complaints about the puns and giraffe references, but I think these are part and parcel of the author's attempt to reach the nonspecialist. The goofy comments are a form of encouragement, whereby Adamson is effectively saying, "You, too, can get this stuff" or even "You're not alone in thinking this or that philosopher has strange ideas".
June 17, 2025
A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, Classical Philosophy, by Peter Adamson – perhaps at the same level with The History of Philosophy http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/10/t... by Bertrand Russell
10 out of 10
Peter Adamson has a podcast that is wonderful, accesible and as promised, it gives you A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, it even has the acronym HOPWAG, and it is superbly effcient, if rather long.
One of the first, basic changes that would take place, once you take on this massive, and so rewarding, impressive work is that you see how wrong people are when they look back at ancestors and consdeir them so bacward.
This book shows human mind at its best (put this in perspective and consider the leaders we have in the wrold, from Putin to Trump, to Lula and other fools) and however wrong most of them were, it is still jaw dropping
Various presocratics attributed essential roles to water, fire, air, that is beacause they did not have the necessary tools, indeed, philosphy (which comes from Greek, what else) means love of wisdom, Sophia
Many of them had extraordinary contributions, if Pythagoras did not really work out the theorem that bears his name, he was nevertheless a most accomplished luminary, if a rather bizarre figurewith a penchant for the occult
We encounter the anecdotes about various thinkers in other books, such as the marvelous Being a Philosopher http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/03/b... by David Hamlyn
Thales is supposed to have been rather careless, stumbling in holes, but predicted an eclipse, had the foresight to anticipate a bumper crop of olives, and bought the prsses that would bring him a lot of money...
Or so the story goes, but Peter Adamson is careful to tell readers that most of these tales are just attirubuted to one or another of the big names of antiquity, just like Richard III was...what do you think about him, by the way?
The Daughter of Time http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/10/t... by Josephine Fey is plaed at number one, on the list of the Crime Writers Association, and a fablous detective work
It discovered that the idea of Richard III as the Absolute mosnter is just as perteinet as saying that Trump is sane, but joking aside, this is just one of the myths of history, and the monarch was a very good one...
There are other stories, one of the more intriguing and entertaining ones is that of Empedocles, who had some very ornate, spectacular sandals, believed in reincarnation and plunged into a volcano, to somehow demonstarte his theory, only one his sandals was found and this dismissed the notion that he disaperaed.
That is another case where it is difficult to know what has happened, Peter Adamson argues here that it is most likely one of those tales told about Empedocles, but not accuarte, still, one of the strong arguments for this History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps is that it captivates, it is not innacessible
The voice of the narrator of the podacast (well, that is not the word, it would be the creator, or what) is also pleasant, helping to catch the attention of the listeners, and he has guest of the highest caliber, one is a professor at Cambridge
One of my favorites is Protagoras, in the sense that i had known for a long time something he said ‚man is the measure of all things, of those that they are that they are, and of those that are not, that they are not’
Something to that effect, and reading this some forty years ago, maybe forty five, i thought wow, then it means that i dictate, the universe is mine, i say what goes and what is ostracized, acting like Chili Palmer
The latter is the main character in Get Shorty http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/g... by Elmore Leonard, the exquisite, stupendous, hilarious story of a...loan shark.
He has this line that might be a classic ‚i am the one telling you the way it is’, maybe he had read Protagoras, anyway, joking aside, Classic Philsophy told by Peter Adamson is much more enjoyable as he tells it
Which is not to say that the level is abysmal, which would be a ceratinty for anyone looking at this note and saying, really, is this all there is, just jokes with luminaries, but it is only one aspect, and the note has ended here, albeit, there are many more parts to the HOPWAG, and hence, there will be another three hundred notices about it here, stay tuned...
Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
From To The Heritage:
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
10 out of 10
Peter Adamson has a podcast that is wonderful, accesible and as promised, it gives you A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps, it even has the acronym HOPWAG, and it is superbly effcient, if rather long.
One of the first, basic changes that would take place, once you take on this massive, and so rewarding, impressive work is that you see how wrong people are when they look back at ancestors and consdeir them so bacward.
This book shows human mind at its best (put this in perspective and consider the leaders we have in the wrold, from Putin to Trump, to Lula and other fools) and however wrong most of them were, it is still jaw dropping
Various presocratics attributed essential roles to water, fire, air, that is beacause they did not have the necessary tools, indeed, philosphy (which comes from Greek, what else) means love of wisdom, Sophia
Many of them had extraordinary contributions, if Pythagoras did not really work out the theorem that bears his name, he was nevertheless a most accomplished luminary, if a rather bizarre figurewith a penchant for the occult
We encounter the anecdotes about various thinkers in other books, such as the marvelous Being a Philosopher http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/03/b... by David Hamlyn
Thales is supposed to have been rather careless, stumbling in holes, but predicted an eclipse, had the foresight to anticipate a bumper crop of olives, and bought the prsses that would bring him a lot of money...
Or so the story goes, but Peter Adamson is careful to tell readers that most of these tales are just attirubuted to one or another of the big names of antiquity, just like Richard III was...what do you think about him, by the way?
The Daughter of Time http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/10/t... by Josephine Fey is plaed at number one, on the list of the Crime Writers Association, and a fablous detective work
It discovered that the idea of Richard III as the Absolute mosnter is just as perteinet as saying that Trump is sane, but joking aside, this is just one of the myths of history, and the monarch was a very good one...
There are other stories, one of the more intriguing and entertaining ones is that of Empedocles, who had some very ornate, spectacular sandals, believed in reincarnation and plunged into a volcano, to somehow demonstarte his theory, only one his sandals was found and this dismissed the notion that he disaperaed.
That is another case where it is difficult to know what has happened, Peter Adamson argues here that it is most likely one of those tales told about Empedocles, but not accuarte, still, one of the strong arguments for this History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps is that it captivates, it is not innacessible
The voice of the narrator of the podacast (well, that is not the word, it would be the creator, or what) is also pleasant, helping to catch the attention of the listeners, and he has guest of the highest caliber, one is a professor at Cambridge
One of my favorites is Protagoras, in the sense that i had known for a long time something he said ‚man is the measure of all things, of those that they are that they are, and of those that are not, that they are not’
Something to that effect, and reading this some forty years ago, maybe forty five, i thought wow, then it means that i dictate, the universe is mine, i say what goes and what is ostracized, acting like Chili Palmer
The latter is the main character in Get Shorty http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/g... by Elmore Leonard, the exquisite, stupendous, hilarious story of a...loan shark.
He has this line that might be a classic ‚i am the one telling you the way it is’, maybe he had read Protagoras, anyway, joking aside, Classic Philsophy told by Peter Adamson is much more enjoyable as he tells it
Which is not to say that the level is abysmal, which would be a ceratinty for anyone looking at this note and saying, really, is this all there is, just jokes with luminaries, but it is only one aspect, and the note has ended here, albeit, there are many more parts to the HOPWAG, and hence, there will be another three hundred notices about it here, stay tuned...
Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
From To The Heritage:
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
November 16, 2019
I suppose it wasn't a great idea to listen to the podcast as I always knew audiobooks weren't my thing. Nevertheless, I think the idea of a podcast/book that gives a 5-10 page introduction of each philosopher and his work is good.
The book is split into 3 sections with Pre-Socratics, Socrates-Plato, and Aristotle. I followed the Pre-Socratics clearly but then things got a little too abstract. I am not giving up yet and I will read the second volume. The best way to go about this would be to read no more than one chapter per day. Yes, that would mean over a month per book but to make sense of the copious amount of information, this is most reasonable thing to do.
Why 4 stars and not 5?
Well, I expected more insights into the relationship between Aristotle and Alexander and how the former influenced the latter. There was no such mention except a passing comment. Also, I would have liked to know more about the life of Socrates and his relationship with Greek orthodoxy.
The book is split into 3 sections with Pre-Socratics, Socrates-Plato, and Aristotle. I followed the Pre-Socratics clearly but then things got a little too abstract. I am not giving up yet and I will read the second volume. The best way to go about this would be to read no more than one chapter per day. Yes, that would mean over a month per book but to make sense of the copious amount of information, this is most reasonable thing to do.
Why 4 stars and not 5?
Well, I expected more insights into the relationship between Aristotle and Alexander and how the former influenced the latter. There was no such mention except a passing comment. Also, I would have liked to know more about the life of Socrates and his relationship with Greek orthodoxy.
October 12, 2021
A solid read that I never found boring or over-simplified.
I'd recently started becoming (more) interested in Philosophy again and had been looking for something not quite full-on academic (I have plenty of books like those) to ease me back in. I had started off reading The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell but, Russell being Russell, he likes to claim that he's giving you an even-handed account but you can tell even when dealing with the pre-Socratics (which I knew little about) that he's got an agenda and the book feels more like his personal vanity project to show how history vindicates his own views.
So I thought about reading some of the authors as primary texts (translated of course) but this seemed to me like more work than I had planned on at this specific stage. So I looked around and noted that this series of books existed. I was already well aware of the podcast series from which the name is taken but podcasts are a sort of hypnotic or anaesthetic for me- I listen to them and once about 20-30 seconds have passed I suddenly realise that I've zoned out and so end up replaying the same sections over and over.
I attended lectures by Peter Adamson during my time at King's College (full-disclosure) and he was always one of my favourite and more engaging lecturers and so the chance to read something in his style but which didn't turn me into walking case-study for anterograde-amnesia seemed like just the ticket!
Structure:
The book is laid out logically enough (that is, chronologically) but I like the fact that he relentlessly focuses on linking the goals of the Philosophers rather than purely what they did and when (which is why many history books are a god-awful bore).
Of particular note is the excellent length of each chapter that always seemed to be just enough for me in terms of length.
The only unavoidable thing is that so much of the book is given over to Aristotle.
Content:
I'd say that this book is perfect for those who want a decent history of Philosophy (like me) and also a nice introduction to Philosophy for people new to the subject; that in-itself is high-praise given that many can't do that without trying too hard to appear modern or over-simplifying. Naturally, you aren't going to pass a university exam solely by reading this book but that isn't it's goal. However, reading this book will give you a springboard if you later wanted to study for such an exam. To that end there is a brilliant 'Further Reading' section at the end.
I am definitely looking to get more books in this series.
In view of balance... (also the disproportionately longer paragraph-length below does not indicate relative importance).
I did feel that chapter 42 on 'Women and Ancient Philosophy' was a mis-fire and felt tacked on. It really was pretty much a waste of time given that pretty much none of their work survives and that which does looks suspiciously like men writing pretending to be women (according to Adamson). As such, I felt that the feminist motivation of including this chapter was rather undone by the reality on the ground. It was rather more contradicted when Adamson mentions Luce Irigaray's Feminist views on Aristotle of which he says "this is not standard-issue history of Philosophy".
Adamson is right that this, however, does fit into a tradition of engaging with other thinkers; but imposing values and analyses from the last century to thinkers from well before the birth of Christ comes across as almost anachronistic and skates dangerously close to why Russell's book fails.
Prose:
Adamson is engaging at all times and extremely clear; both in terms of explaining the specific philosophers and also connecting them together. He also manages something very difficult given the paucity of information about these historic figures: he makes them seem real. Combined with his focus on conveying their goals this really helps you get a handle on what they were trying to achieve and what their mindset was rather than merely their doctrine at a given time.
Print:
I bought the hardback of this book on Amazon for about £17 new.
The quality is very good. The binding is of high quality and so are the pages; so much so that having read the book you would be hard-pressed to know that it had ever been handled.
The layout is very good and extremely easy to read.
The appearance of the book without the dust-jacket is also very pleasing and would make a quality addition to a discerning collector's shelf. I wish more books were printed like this and in this price-range!!
N.B. I liked the series title for a podcast but don't like it for a book series. There is something almost undignified about a quality hardback with that title/subtitle. I would have preferred something like "Continuum: the unbroken history of Philosophy". But then, this book does have one occurrence of the term "dude" and I'm the sort of person who cringes at translations of Plato in which characters talk about this or that "guy", so take that for what it's worth...
I'd recently started becoming (more) interested in Philosophy again and had been looking for something not quite full-on academic (I have plenty of books like those) to ease me back in. I had started off reading The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell but, Russell being Russell, he likes to claim that he's giving you an even-handed account but you can tell even when dealing with the pre-Socratics (which I knew little about) that he's got an agenda and the book feels more like his personal vanity project to show how history vindicates his own views.
So I thought about reading some of the authors as primary texts (translated of course) but this seemed to me like more work than I had planned on at this specific stage. So I looked around and noted that this series of books existed. I was already well aware of the podcast series from which the name is taken but podcasts are a sort of hypnotic or anaesthetic for me- I listen to them and once about 20-30 seconds have passed I suddenly realise that I've zoned out and so end up replaying the same sections over and over.
I attended lectures by Peter Adamson during my time at King's College (full-disclosure) and he was always one of my favourite and more engaging lecturers and so the chance to read something in his style but which didn't turn me into walking case-study for anterograde-amnesia seemed like just the ticket!
Structure:
The book is laid out logically enough (that is, chronologically) but I like the fact that he relentlessly focuses on linking the goals of the Philosophers rather than purely what they did and when (which is why many history books are a god-awful bore).
Of particular note is the excellent length of each chapter that always seemed to be just enough for me in terms of length.
The only unavoidable thing is that so much of the book is given over to Aristotle.
Content:
I'd say that this book is perfect for those who want a decent history of Philosophy (like me) and also a nice introduction to Philosophy for people new to the subject; that in-itself is high-praise given that many can't do that without trying too hard to appear modern or over-simplifying. Naturally, you aren't going to pass a university exam solely by reading this book but that isn't it's goal. However, reading this book will give you a springboard if you later wanted to study for such an exam. To that end there is a brilliant 'Further Reading' section at the end.
I am definitely looking to get more books in this series.
In view of balance... (also the disproportionately longer paragraph-length below does not indicate relative importance).
I did feel that chapter 42 on 'Women and Ancient Philosophy' was a mis-fire and felt tacked on. It really was pretty much a waste of time given that pretty much none of their work survives and that which does looks suspiciously like men writing pretending to be women (according to Adamson). As such, I felt that the feminist motivation of including this chapter was rather undone by the reality on the ground. It was rather more contradicted when Adamson mentions Luce Irigaray's Feminist views on Aristotle of which he says "this is not standard-issue history of Philosophy".
Adamson is right that this, however, does fit into a tradition of engaging with other thinkers; but imposing values and analyses from the last century to thinkers from well before the birth of Christ comes across as almost anachronistic and skates dangerously close to why Russell's book fails.
Prose:
Adamson is engaging at all times and extremely clear; both in terms of explaining the specific philosophers and also connecting them together. He also manages something very difficult given the paucity of information about these historic figures: he makes them seem real. Combined with his focus on conveying their goals this really helps you get a handle on what they were trying to achieve and what their mindset was rather than merely their doctrine at a given time.
Print:
I bought the hardback of this book on Amazon for about £17 new.
The quality is very good. The binding is of high quality and so are the pages; so much so that having read the book you would be hard-pressed to know that it had ever been handled.
The layout is very good and extremely easy to read.
The appearance of the book without the dust-jacket is also very pleasing and would make a quality addition to a discerning collector's shelf. I wish more books were printed like this and in this price-range!!
N.B. I liked the series title for a podcast but don't like it for a book series. There is something almost undignified about a quality hardback with that title/subtitle. I would have preferred something like "Continuum: the unbroken history of Philosophy". But then, this book does have one occurrence of the term "dude" and I'm the sort of person who cringes at translations of Plato in which characters talk about this or that "guy", so take that for what it's worth...
October 2, 2018
There really isn’t a better book on philosophy, for any purpose. If you have the slightest interest in ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, etc, then this series should be your main reading. Philosophy is a bit peculiar in that learning the history of it IS doing it, in a way. For example, in a history of science you may learn who discovered what when, but you most likely won’t learn how many orbitals a certain atom has or the anatomy of starfish. But if you read a history of philosophy, you WILL learn the subject matter itself. You will learn how Plato’s Theory of Forms works, how Aristotle’s political philosophy works, and so on. Other than digging deeper into these subjects by reading more in depth guides on them or the primary authors themselves, a history of philosophy pretty much gives you all you read if you only have a casual interest.
The problem I’ve found with most histories of philosophy is that they either leave out important thinkers, or don’t explain important thinkers well for the layman. For example, Antony Kenny’s history of philosophy gives only a few pages to Neoplatonism and does not explain it very well if you don’t already understand it. In his section on Kant, by contrast, he goes into extreme depth but I felt it’s too diffficult to understand.
Peter Adamson solves both these problems. As the subtitle of the podcast and book is “...without any gaps,” he doesn’t skip anything major of note. He also has a way of explaining philosophical theories in way anyone should be able to understand. I always revert back to him as a reference when trying to understand other writers.
As a result, I should stop my self from being distracted with other books on philosophy and read only this series, and I suggest you do the same.
The problem I’ve found with most histories of philosophy is that they either leave out important thinkers, or don’t explain important thinkers well for the layman. For example, Antony Kenny’s history of philosophy gives only a few pages to Neoplatonism and does not explain it very well if you don’t already understand it. In his section on Kant, by contrast, he goes into extreme depth but I felt it’s too diffficult to understand.
Peter Adamson solves both these problems. As the subtitle of the podcast and book is “...without any gaps,” he doesn’t skip anything major of note. He also has a way of explaining philosophical theories in way anyone should be able to understand. I always revert back to him as a reference when trying to understand other writers.
As a result, I should stop my self from being distracted with other books on philosophy and read only this series, and I suggest you do the same.
February 29, 2020
What makes this a great history of philosophy is precisely its “without any gaps approach”. This because, as Peter Adamson himself recognizes on the last section of this book, if you’re studying philosophy in, say, an undergraduate course, and you’re doing the usual flyover on the whole history of the great philosophers that are most of your classes, usually “you might reasonably expect to jump from Aristotle to, perhaps, Descartes, leaping over about 2,000 years of history in the process” (ADAMSON, 2014). Yes, time is short and there’s too much of the good stuff to cover without having to deal with what most histories deem the minor thinkers.
This is unfortunate, because with such huge gaps in the narrative, you get the impression that some of the thinkers, or their ideas, just come out of the blue, making them seem more extraordinary than they really were.
Well, not in Adamson’s History. The key feature here is really his “without any gaps” approach. This is what makes this a must-be companion for all who truly want to know how ideas came to be in the first place.
So, if you’re a history of philosophy buff like me and you really want to know as much as possible about the minor things leading to the great ones, this is definitely a must-read for you too.
From almost every conceivable minor thinker to the big, big ones, where you also get to see not only all the great, but also the smaller things they thought, said and done; from the great men (for they are usually only men) to the great women; from the usual great biographical moments to the tiniest details that make up the perfect conversation starters at parties, nothing here is left out. For this is truly A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps.
This is unfortunate, because with such huge gaps in the narrative, you get the impression that some of the thinkers, or their ideas, just come out of the blue, making them seem more extraordinary than they really were.
Well, not in Adamson’s History. The key feature here is really his “without any gaps” approach. This is what makes this a must-be companion for all who truly want to know how ideas came to be in the first place.
So, if you’re a history of philosophy buff like me and you really want to know as much as possible about the minor things leading to the great ones, this is definitely a must-read for you too.
From almost every conceivable minor thinker to the big, big ones, where you also get to see not only all the great, but also the smaller things they thought, said and done; from the great men (for they are usually only men) to the great women; from the usual great biographical moments to the tiniest details that make up the perfect conversation starters at parties, nothing here is left out. For this is truly A History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps.
February 23, 2021
[5]
Amazing introduction to the world of philosophy and the ancient Greek philosophers. The book is a product of a very famous podcast series, and so the writing style is very conversational, and full of dry humor and puns (which I love). It is a blend of a history book and a philosophy book, and in my opinion the perfect entry point to the world of philosophy for the newcomers.
As the title suggests, the author attempts to provide a history of philosophy without any gaps, which means at times talking about philosophers or certain works of philosophers which are not very well known. However, this helps connect the whole story through a single string, making it a really compelling history book. Even though at times it is painful to learn about philosophers with weird names that you will forget about in just 2 pages, the author connects all the chapters so well that you never feel lost.
Overall, one of the best books I have read in a long time. The book is first in the series 'History of Philosophy without any Gaps' and I definitely intend to continue with the next book in the series.
Amazing introduction to the world of philosophy and the ancient Greek philosophers. The book is a product of a very famous podcast series, and so the writing style is very conversational, and full of dry humor and puns (which I love). It is a blend of a history book and a philosophy book, and in my opinion the perfect entry point to the world of philosophy for the newcomers.
As the title suggests, the author attempts to provide a history of philosophy without any gaps, which means at times talking about philosophers or certain works of philosophers which are not very well known. However, this helps connect the whole story through a single string, making it a really compelling history book. Even though at times it is painful to learn about philosophers with weird names that you will forget about in just 2 pages, the author connects all the chapters so well that you never feel lost.
Overall, one of the best books I have read in a long time. The book is first in the series 'History of Philosophy without any Gaps' and I definitely intend to continue with the next book in the series.
April 7, 2023
Classical Philosophy covers the ancient Greeks. Peter Adamson is an able guide through the Pre-Socratics, Plato, and Aristotle.
The Pre-Socratics isn't a good title since some were concurrent with Socrates. The section covers Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Xenophanes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, The Eleatics, The Atomists, Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Hippocrates, and The Sophists. Each chapter discusses what we know about their beliefs and ideas.
The book covers Socrates but admits that Socrates left no writings. What we know of this ancient thinker comes from Plato and Aristophanes. Plato needs no introduction if you know anything about Philosophy. It helps that he was a great writer. All of his philosophy is in the form of a dialogue.
Aristotle is another philosopher who needs no introduction. He systemized and standardized so many different ideas that we take for granted. Aristotle was wrong in many cases, but that does not detract from his influence on Western Thought.
I enjoyed the book. If I can find the other entries in the series, I will give them a read. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
The Pre-Socratics isn't a good title since some were concurrent with Socrates. The section covers Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Xenophanes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, The Eleatics, The Atomists, Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Hippocrates, and The Sophists. Each chapter discusses what we know about their beliefs and ideas.
The book covers Socrates but admits that Socrates left no writings. What we know of this ancient thinker comes from Plato and Aristophanes. Plato needs no introduction if you know anything about Philosophy. It helps that he was a great writer. All of his philosophy is in the form of a dialogue.
Aristotle is another philosopher who needs no introduction. He systemized and standardized so many different ideas that we take for granted. Aristotle was wrong in many cases, but that does not detract from his influence on Western Thought.
I enjoyed the book. If I can find the other entries in the series, I will give them a read. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
November 11, 2017
Could I nitpick if I tried? Probably. But I'm not going to. The reason for this is simple, the book accomplishes what it sets out to do, it does it well and it does it in an entertaining way. The parts where I feel like I have something to say are the parts where Adamson actually gives his own opinions or interprets a belief in a way I would not necessarily agree with (even though he's the professor of philosophy, not me), but while in a bad book those parts could devolve into rants that feel out of place, here they are rational, take other views into consideration and offer a new perspective on ideas being discussed, explaining the legacy of ancient philosophers and how they are viewed by historians of philosophy. Things that I disagree with end up being informative and my initial hesitation only contributes to the positive overall impression of the book in the end. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the topic, I would definitely recommend the podcast as well and I am definitely going to keep reading the series.
September 20, 2021
pretty good
Seems to be a good introductory exposition of Ancient Greek philosophy, going into a bit of detail in a few spots. The author is I think unduly sympathetic and insufficiently critical. Plato was in fact a fascist elitist who would bind us all into rigidly controlled castes and carefully censor our thoughts and inputs. Aristotle would have us all enslaved since not being Greek this was our just and righteous fate. These were not ‘nice’ people. And this needs to be emphasised. They don’t get a free pass just because they’ve been studied by the privileged for thousands of years. Because they were supposedly 'great' thinkers. And as for their more ‘technical’ content. The Form of the Good. Substance, Essence and Accident, form and matter, the four causes. If you’re not nauseated by all this simplistic nonsense I don’t know what to say to you. It was an achievement 2400 years ago. But a lot has happened since. It is of value now mostly only because it has had enormous influence. Time to grow up.
Seems to be a good introductory exposition of Ancient Greek philosophy, going into a bit of detail in a few spots. The author is I think unduly sympathetic and insufficiently critical. Plato was in fact a fascist elitist who would bind us all into rigidly controlled castes and carefully censor our thoughts and inputs. Aristotle would have us all enslaved since not being Greek this was our just and righteous fate. These were not ‘nice’ people. And this needs to be emphasised. They don’t get a free pass just because they’ve been studied by the privileged for thousands of years. Because they were supposedly 'great' thinkers. And as for their more ‘technical’ content. The Form of the Good. Substance, Essence and Accident, form and matter, the four causes. If you’re not nauseated by all this simplistic nonsense I don’t know what to say to you. It was an achievement 2400 years ago. But a lot has happened since. It is of value now mostly only because it has had enormous influence. Time to grow up.
June 3, 2021
Can be at first intimidating when you see the title, but oh my goodness this couldn't be a more easily digestible and amazing book. Peter S. Adamson is a wonderful teacher to impart such a wide span of information to a wonderful book.
I admit this book is great, and I loved it, but by no means should the reader take it as a supplement to reading the texts and philosophical works that are discussed. Adamson rightly knows this and perhaps the ultimate goal is to get us to read these works.
In simpler words, he acts as Virgil to the reader on a journey to demystify the enormous history of philosophy. A wonderful guide. Incredibly laid out in a way where these concepts and ideas feel dialogue-like and compound/respond to one another.
Beautiful, Beautiful.
Definitely will have to use this book as a reference to the philosophical works included when I get to them.
I admit this book is great, and I loved it, but by no means should the reader take it as a supplement to reading the texts and philosophical works that are discussed. Adamson rightly knows this and perhaps the ultimate goal is to get us to read these works.
In simpler words, he acts as Virgil to the reader on a journey to demystify the enormous history of philosophy. A wonderful guide. Incredibly laid out in a way where these concepts and ideas feel dialogue-like and compound/respond to one another.
Beautiful, Beautiful.
Definitely will have to use this book as a reference to the philosophical works included when I get to them.
April 20, 2025
THIS is the kind of book on philosophy that I've been looking for. This is absolutely fantastic.
Faithful to the source material but also includes a lot of highly educated interpretations that I wouldn't be able to make on my own. Genuinely made me laugh out loud multiple times. Entertaining, even for someone who was absolute ass at history in school and hated it fiercely, especially ancient history.
I loved this book. I 100% intend to read more in this series and I'll probably pick up the podcast at some point too. The author is fantastic, if a little too forgiving of Aristotle and Plato in particular at times. The section on ancient women philosophers was extremely well done and thoughtfully written. I really appreciated the further reading section at the back and I will definitely be returning to that list.
Highly, highly recommend.
Faithful to the source material but also includes a lot of highly educated interpretations that I wouldn't be able to make on my own. Genuinely made me laugh out loud multiple times. Entertaining, even for someone who was absolute ass at history in school and hated it fiercely, especially ancient history.
I loved this book. I 100% intend to read more in this series and I'll probably pick up the podcast at some point too. The author is fantastic, if a little too forgiving of Aristotle and Plato in particular at times. The section on ancient women philosophers was extremely well done and thoughtfully written. I really appreciated the further reading section at the back and I will definitely be returning to that list.
Highly, highly recommend.
March 16, 2025
Well written and full of well placed puns to keep it fun. I particularly enjoyed his take on Plato. I've been hard on platonic thought, because of thinkers like Bertrand Russell or Karl Popper who have a particularly negative view on it. The view of Plato presented in this book was likely more realistic and had me rethinking some of my takes on Plato.
This book was very informative and gave a good account of the thinkers of ancient antiquity. Would recommend if you are interested in the history of thought.
This book was very informative and gave a good account of the thinkers of ancient antiquity. Would recommend if you are interested in the history of thought.
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May 23, 2024Halfway through, this is absolutely amaizing book.
Peter is like that older philosophy nerd brother who knows his topic very well, and also knows how to present the sophisticated in depth with all the intellectual jewels, jaw dropping aspects and interesting tidbits, but in a very intimate way as your own brother would tell you, the book seemed an intimate conversation about philosophy.
Very helpful to understand progression of Philosophy, and also how deriving history works.
Peter is like that older philosophy nerd brother who knows his topic very well, and also knows how to present the sophisticated in depth with all the intellectual jewels, jaw dropping aspects and interesting tidbits, but in a very intimate way as your own brother would tell you, the book seemed an intimate conversation about philosophy.
Very helpful to understand progression of Philosophy, and also how deriving history works.
October 6, 2025
Honestly, I very much wish this was my introduction to philosophy rather than the class I had to take in undergrad. I am actually interested in reading some of Plato's dialogues.
Thank you for writing about philosophers who came before Socrates, as all of those names were new to me (with the exception of Pythagoras). It was very interesting how different some of their ideas were, and how some were built off of or improved upon those that came before.
Thank you for writing about philosophers who came before Socrates, as all of those names were new to me (with the exception of Pythagoras). It was very interesting how different some of their ideas were, and how some were built off of or improved upon those that came before.
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