Ancient Philosophy

Philosophy in the ancient world began without technicalities, abstractions, or specialized vocabulary. Launching the earliest scientific inquires and proposing the earliest Western ideas about art, religion, politics, and society, Greek and Roman philosophers re-envisioned the world around them and their place in that world, seeking to impose intelligent order on chaos and to practice philosophy as a way of life. Eventually, Judeo-Christian thinkers merged these philosophical approaches with their own religious beliefs, generating new ideas about virtue, morality, human nature, theology, and metaphysics-ideas which would fundamentally shape the trajectory of Western thought and which still influence modern notions about the soul, the world, and the good life.

Ancient Philosophy: The Fundamentals covers the rich history of Western intellectual tradition from its beginnings in the sixth century BCE to its culmination in the fifth century CE, providing students with an accessible, reader-friendly survey of philosophy in antiquity. Assuming no prior familiarity with philosophy, Graham narrates the origin story of Western Philosophy, following the major movements while introducing ethods of philosophical analysis, including the logical analysis of arguments and the examination of thinkers' presuppositions. This book explores developing conceptions of the world and people's place in it, including questions of knowledge, reality, and ethics, and shows how the theories of ancient thinkers are relevant to today's world.