THIS IS ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY A masterful introduction to ancient philosophy. Fitzpatrick knows
the contemporary scholarship on these authors so he can shift from summarizing their thought
to scrutinizing individual arguments. Meanwhile the writing remains so accessible that a reader
might not notice how much he covers. The prose is precise but relaxed with details that enrich
the texture: the Pythagoreans' harmonies the Stoic Horned Argument Antisthenes' daily walk to
Socrates. Students and instructors alike will benefit. --Nickolas Pappas Professor at City
College of New York (CUNY) This Is Ancient Philosophy is a fascinating introduction to the
major philosophers and foundational concepts of classical antiquity. Assuming no prior
knowledge the book uses an intuitive readable narrative style as it examines the ideas
influences and interconnections of philosophers such as Socrates the Sophists Plato and
Aristotle as well as philosophical schools of thought including Cynicism Epicureanism
Stoicism and Skepticism. Divided into three parts the book opens with an overview of early
Greek philosophy describing the turn from mythological thinking to philosophical analysis. The
second part focuses on the distinctions between the subjects of philosophy in both the Golden
Age and today followed by a survey of the Hellenistic period and a discussion of the relation
between fate and freedom of action. Throughout readers are aided by a wealth of instructive
and engaging charts grids figures and a detailed map illustrating the chronological
development of philosophy from Asia Minor to southern Italy and Athens. Part of the popular
This Is Philosophy series This Is Ancient Philosophy is an excellent text for students of
philosophy both introductory and advanced and general readers with interest in the philosophy
of the classical era.
