A history of philosophy without any gaps, Volume 1
Peter Adamson
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 the dialogues 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 reader will 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, and how 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.
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Audio again
Just a quick note to apologize about the noise in the background on this interview -- it's a fan that we couldn't figure out how to turn off!
The History of Philosophy...
The History of Philosophy... without any pants.
tragidians writing comedy?
Notice he wasn't making the case for the other way round and that the comic playw fell asleep before the tragedian
Tragedy and Comedy Puzzle
Hey Mr. Adamson,
Budding fan of the podcast.
I think the puzzle that socrates proposed at the end of the Symposium is an attempt by Socrates to explain that if you know what love is, you should be able to understand the entierty of its specturm. And that he uses the tragedy and comedy line as a metaphor to explain this. Like how a good debater is able to argue for and against both sides of an issue to show understanding, Socrates is comparing the total understanding of love to a writer's complete understanding of writing. If the writer can write a good tragedy and convey every elements of despair within the work, he/she should be able to understand the elements of laughter as well; because only then would the writer be rounded and a "good/virtuous writer".
In reply to Tragedy and Comedy Puzzle by CJ
Tragedy and comedy
Hi budding fan! I think you make a good point there - one might compare it to his suggestions elsewhere, like in the Charmides and maybe the Republic, that philosophy too should be systematic, so that if you know one thing you would also know other things and possibly even all things. Of course in this case if we want to know what Plato thinks of comedy and tragedy there is plenty of other evidence to consider, like the Republic and (a dialogue I didn't really touch on in the podcast) the Ion.
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