The philosophers who preceded Socrates (469 - 399 BC), the PreSocratics, were the first recorded individuals to reject mythological explanations for the unknown. Aristotle called the PreSocratics physikoi meaning physicists, after physis, nature, because they sought natural explanations for phenomena, as opposed to the earlier theologoi, theologians, whose philosophical basis was supernatural. The physikoi invented maps, an early time-keeping device in t...

(The) Apology (of Socrates) is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he defends himself against the charges of being a man "who corrupted the young, did not believe in the gods, and created new deities". "Apology" here has its earlier meaning (now usually expressed by the word "apologia") of speaking in defense of a cause or of one's beliefs or actions. Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding is a book by the Scottish empiricist and philosopher David Hume, published in 1748. It was a simplification of an earlier effort, Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature, published anonymously in London in 1739-1740. Hume was disappointed with the reception of the Treatise, which "fell dead-born from the press," as he put it, and so tried again to disseminate his ideas to the public by writing a shorter and more polemical work.The end product of his labo...

Sir Anthony Kenny tells the fascinating story of the birth of philosophy and its remarkable flourishing in the ancient Mediterranean world. This is the first of four volumes in which he will unfold a magisterial new history of Western philosophy. Specially written for a broad popular readership, but serious and deep enough to offer a genuine understanding of the great philosophers, Kenny's lucid and stimulating history will become the definitive work for anyone interested in the people and...

"The early philosophers as a rule formulated the originative principle (arche) of all things under some material expression. By the originative principle or element of things they meant that of which all existing things are composed, that which determines their coming into being, and into which they pass on ceasing to be. Where these philosophers differed from each other was simply in the answer which they gave to the question what was the nature of this principle, the differences of view ...

Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion is a philosophical work written by the Scottish philosopher David Hume. Through dialogue, three fictional characters named Demea, Philo, and Cleanthes debate the nature of God's existence. While all three agree that a god exists, they differ sharply in opinion on God's nature or attributes and how, or if, humankind can come to knowledge of a deity.In the Dialogues, Hume's characters debate a number of arguments for the existence of God, and arguments w...

The philosophers who preceded Socrates (469 - 399 BC), the PreSocratics, were the first recorded individuals to reject mythological explanations for the unknown. Aristotle called the PreSocratics physikoi meaning physicists, after physis, nature, because they sought natural explanations for phenomena, as opposed to the earlier theologoi, theologians, whose philosophical basis was supernatural. The physikoi invented maps, an early time-keeping device in the form of a sun-dial and they were ...

“The truth is hypothetical.”Scepticism (or skepticism), the belief that requires all information to be well supported by evidence, originated in the Skeptikoi, a first century BC Greek school who “asserted nothing.” The school was founded by Aenesidemus; our main source of the school’s teachings is Sextus Empiricus and the leader of the Sceptics was Pyrrho of Elis (365-275 BC) who had traveled to India and studied with the gymnosophists (naked lovers of wisdom). From India, Pyrrho ...

Hegel: Lectures on Philosophy gathers the mature reflections through which Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel elaborates philosophy as a systematic account of reality, history, spirit, and reason. Composed from the lecture hall rather than the polished treatise, the work combines conceptual rigor with expansive historical narration, moving dialectically from abstract principles to concrete cultural forms. It belongs to the great post-Kantian moment in German Idealism, where philosophy sought no...

An anthology of Pythagorean writings ranging from four biographies of the ancient philosopher to his influential teachings."The material in this book is indispensable for anyone who wishes to understand the real spiritual roots of Western civilization." —Jacob Needleman, Professor of Philosophy, San Francisco State University, author of The Heart of PhilosophyPythagoras (fl. 500 B.C.E.), the first man to call hims...

This antiquarian book contains Alfred Edward Taylor's fascinating account of the life and mind of Socrates. Within this text Taylor explores Socrates' life and thinking, as well as expounding his philosophy with relation to the understanding of the soul, ethics, and epistemology. It is a clear, concise, and accessible account of his subject, recommended for anyone studying ancient Greek philosophy - and those with an interest in Socrates. The contents of this text include: 'Alfred Edward T...

Plato's Symposium, written in the early part of the 4th century BC, is set at a drinking party (symposium) attended by some of the leading intellectuals of the day, including Aristophanes, the comic dramatist, Socrates, Plato's mentor, and Alcibiades, the brilliant but (eventually) treacherous politician. Each guest gives a speech in praise of the benefits of desire and its role in the good and happy human life. At the core of the work stands Socrates' praise of philosophical desire, and a...