Ancient Mediterranean philosophy : an introduction / Stephen R.L. Clark.

Title from PDF title page (viewed on December 4, 2012).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1 Beginnings -- Pre-historical speculations -- Mythos and logos -- Gods of the Greeks and others -- Nature and spirit confounded -- 2 Influence from outside -- Tales from the East -- Tales from the South -- Tales from the North -- Tales from the past -- 3 Inspired thinkers -- Seeking the unseen -- Sicilians and Italians -- Philosophers and Jews -- 4 Travellers and stay-at-homes -- Custom, dictat and advantage -- Protagoras and Socrates -- Purity and the practice of death -- 5 Divine Plato -- Reading the dialogues -- Forms -- Two worlds or one -- Politics -- 6 The Aristotelian synthesis -- 'The master of them that know' -- Slaves and citizens -- Post-Aristotelian centuries -- 7 Living the philosophical life -- Stoics and Cynics -- Hebrews and Zoroastrians -- Epicureans and Buddhists -- 8 Ordinary and supernatural lives -- Abstract virtues and the Romans -- Sons of God -- Divination and technology -- Philosophy and foolosophies -- 9 Late antiquity -- Fixed stars and planets, and an escape from Fate -- Classical and Magian culture -- The way we didn't take -- 10 An end and a beginning.

Although the Greeks were responsible for the first systematic philosophy of which we have any record, they were not alone in the Mediterranean world and were happy to draw inspiration from other traditions; traditions that are now largely neglected by philosophers and scholars. This book tells the story of 'Greek Philosophy', paying due attention to its historical context and the contributions made by Egyptians, Hebrews, Persians and even barbarians from northern Europe. Stephen Clark provides a narrative history of the philosophical traditions that took shape over several centuries in the Mediterranean world and offers a comprehensive survey of this crucial period in the history of philosophy. The book includes a thorough historical and philosophical overview of all the key thinkers, events and ideas that characterized the period and explores in detail central themes such as the contest of gods and giants, the contrast between the reality and appearance, and the idea of the philosopher. Ideal for undergraduate students, this concise and accessible book provides a comprehensive guide to a fascinating period in the history of philosophy.

English.

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