Product Description
This book presents a concise, balanced overview of China's oldest and most revered philosophy. In clear, straightforward language, Paul R. Goldin explores how Confucianism was conceived and molded by its earliest masters, discusses its main tenets, and considers its history and relevance for the modern world. Goldin guides readers through the philosophies of the three major classical Confucians--Confucius, Mencius, and Xunzi--and their writings: Confucius' Analects, the Mencius, and the Xunzi, as well as two short anonymous treatises, the "Great Learning" and the "Classic of Filial Piety." He also discusses some of the main Neo-Confucian philosophers and outlines transformations Confucianism has undergone in the past century. ... Read more

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In this highly praised new translation of Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy, David R. Slavitt presents a graceful, accessible, and modern version for both longtime admirers of one of the great masterpieces of philosophical literature and those encountering it for the first time. Slavitt preserves the distinction between the alternating verse and prose sections in the Latin original, allowing us to appreciate the Menippian parallels between the discourses of literary and logical inquiry. His prose translations are lively and colloquial, conveying the argumentative, occasionally bantering tone of the original, while his verse translations restore the beauty and power of Boethius’s poetry. The result is a major contribution to the art of translation.

Those less familiar with Consolation may remember it was written under a death sentence. Boethius (c. 480–524), an Imperial official under Theodoric, Ostrogoth ruler of Rome, found himself, in a time of political paranoia, denounced, arrested, and then executed two years later without a trial. Composed while its author was imprisoned, cut off from family and friends, it remains one of Western literature’s most eloquent meditations on the transitory nature of earthly belongings, and the superiority of things of the mind. In an artful combination of verse and prose, Slavitt captures the energy and passion of the original. And in an introduction intended for the general reader, Seth Lerer places Boethius’s life and achievement in context.

Customer Reviews (3)

please reprint or put on kindle
This book is exactly the antidote to all the current attempts to rewrite history. I wish every person attending divinity school would have to read this, before they start lying about how Christians invented morality and ethics.

It's a Revealing Examination Pre-Logical Thinking
Pre-Logical is probably a little extreme but certainly formal logic was lacking in mythopoetic explanations. There was a sense of cause and effect operating in the world but this was expressed through the operation of personalities (deities) rather than natural forces. There apparently was little understanding of contradiction. The main technique used to explain the operations of natural phenomena seems to be association, explaining A with what you know about B, even if A and B are totally different. It's a revealing and fascinating little book that is a must for anyone who is interested in the pre-Socratic philosophers. These thinkers are the bridge between mythopoetic and philosophical explanation. I really don't understand why this this book has been allowed to go out of print. Thankfully there are a few copies left.

Answers to so many questions
This book explains how utterly different ancients were from us in how they saw the world and themselves in it. And how - without assistance by unnatural applications of reason and science - we're precisely the same if allowed to be. It raises questions of how we can possibly save our natural world and truly believe in a spiritual reality if we and the natural world are subjected to modern thinking found to be so successful.

Focusing on Sumer and Egypt we find the ancients didn't separate man from nature. Man was part of society embedded in nature, dependent on cosmic forces. Long before Old Testament declarations of conquest over nature, man was not in opposition. They obviously struggled "against" a "hostile" environment, but this account is our language describing their situation, not their state of mind. Reminiscent of Campbell's clarification between modern and ancient perspectives as "it" vs. "thou", our authors describe this difference as "subject" vs. "object". The ancients had one mode of expression, thought, speech - the personal. Everything had a will and personality revealing itself. They could reason logically but such intellectual detachment was hardly compatible with their experience of reality. Impersonal laws did not satisfy their understanding. When the river doesn't rise, it's not due to lack of rain - the river refused to rise. You'd not hurt yourself in a fall - the ground chose to hurt you, or not. Their view was qualitative and concrete, not quantitative and abstract.

In science we apply a procedure, progressively reducing phenomena until subjected to universal laws. We "de-complicate" systems to understand them. There's a hierarchy of complexity making planetary motions simpler systems than say, living cells, thus more or less complete theories of each, but we've proven since Galileo initiated modern science that we're so close to the truth of nature (the judge of our understanding) that our theories can earn our acceptance through success of their predictions and utility. We really did build Voyager to that understanding and it really did what we thought it would when released to nature's command - three billion miles from earth, still obeying our grasp of nature. Furthermore, accurate theories are able to predict things never dreamed possible when created. Relativity still yields such surprises. We see phenomena as manifestations of general laws, not by what makes them peculiar.

The ancient mind is termed "mythopoetic". Their perspective is why scriptures were written when they were and not anymore - writings imbibed with mystery and inflation of life one assumes we've lost to critical reason and economic forces. But the mythopoetic mind is still here, the natural mind we are born with. It's why we have palm readers, cults, astrologers, ghosts, UFOs, Creationists, pet psychics, TV conversations with the dead, best selling books on how to "know" God and beliefs that flying jets into buildings will send their pilots to heaven. All expanding lives otherwise sterilized by 9-to-5, traffic jams, ignorance, poverty. In Mexico women are advised to remain inside during a solar eclipse, least they become spontaneously pregnant. As my Aunt said of Columbia, "If God wanted us to be in space he'd given us wings." If God wanted us to drive cars he'd given us wheels, or to live under roofs, he'd have put shingles on our head. What some battle as absurd is also quite natural, dangerous and capable of elevating life, avoiding deconstruction and reductionism applied to humans made of more than carbon and water. A dilemma revealed by this book. And if Tattersall is correct, this behavior may have a lot to do with our messy brain structure, a condition we're stuck with. ... Read more

Product Description
Hatab's work is more than an interpretative study, inspired by Neitzsche and Heidegger of the historical relationship between myth and philosophy in ancient Greece. Its conclusions go beyond the historical case study, and amount to a defence of the intelligibility of myth against an exclusively rational or objective view of the world. Hatab pleads for a pluralistic notion of truth, one which permits different forms of understanding and surrenders the supposed need for a uniform or even hierarchical conception of truth. The historical displacement of myth by philosopy in ancient Greece is the point of departure. According to Hatab, rationality and science emerged as a revolutionary overthrow of myth - but that revolution is not beyond criticism, for myth presents a meaningful expression of the world, different from, and not always commensurate with, the kind of understanding sought by philosophers. The idea that philosophy has corrected the ignorance of the past is unwarranted; furthermore philosophy continues to exhibit elements of the mythic world from which it emerged. Hatab offers a general analysis of myth and a specific analysis of Greek myth.He distinguishes the different senses of truth found in mytho-poetic and rational-scientific disclosures, and presents an original treatment of Plato and Aristotle, challenging their criticisms of traditional myth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

myth and philosophy by l. hatab
Excellent, this book by Lawrence Hatab demonstrates a profound understanding of the topic, both from the standpoint of ancient philosophy and of ancient culture.Perhaps, equally as important the writing is extremely clear on a subject that might normally seem arcane for the non-specialist. Finally, and perhaps most of all, MYTH AND PHILOSOPHY combines two topics which should be, in fact, inseparably connected. As the author demonstrates, an understanding of one may be necessary for our understanding of the other. JPG ... Read more

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Conceived originally as a serious presentation of the development of philosophy for Catholic seminary students, Frederick Copleston's nine-volume A History Of Philosophy has journeyed far beyond the modest purpose of its author to universal acclaim as the best history of philosophy in English.



Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit of immense erudition who once tangled with A.J. Ayer in a fabled debate about the existence of God and the possibility of metaphysics, knew that seminary students were fed a woefully inadequate diet of theses and proofs, and that their familiarity with most of history's great thinkers was reduced to simplistic caricatures.  Copleston set out to redress the wrong by writing a complete history of Western Philosophy, one crackling with incident and intellectual excitement - and one that gives full place to each thinker, presenting his thought in a beautifully rounded manner and showing his links to those who went before and to those who came after him. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Many surprises
I have to begin by confessing that I have refused to even look at Medieval Philosophy for most of my fairly long life.When I was just a boy at St. John's College, I quit after one year.My boyish self thought that he had absorbed the Greeks and the Romans, and had no wish to waste time with...gack...Dark Age Idiots squabbling over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

Well.

I have now finished Vol. I of this history, and embarked on Vol. II, and I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying the tale so far!Is this because the philosophy is intrinsically interesting, or because of Frederick Copleston's sublime presentation and discussion of that philosophy?

Make no mistake here: Copleston was one of the best teaching-writers who ever lived.(Gosh!Those Jesuits!They seem to do this over and over again!!)

Big surprise #1: Augustine becomes my favorite philosopher!Well, at least for these points, which I will summarize from memory: "Many people doubt the evidence of the senses as inherently unreliable. Well, we have all seen an oar in the water, and are aware of optical illusions, but anyone who wants to throw out all of our information from the senses is making a terrible mistake.We learn everything from what we see and sense of the world.In the same way, we cannot trust the statements of other men; they are often unreliable.But anyone who insists on tossing all of the knowledge obtained from other men is an idiot: our human knowledge has grown great because of what we can see, and what we can hear from other men."

Somehow, I want to place this beside Immanuel Kant's love of the starry firmament.(How did Kant KNOW that the night sky was filled with stars, aside from opening his eyes and LOOKING?)

The second major surprise has been to discover that medieval philosophy was not just blind dogmatism and blinkered prejudice.The philosophers of pre-modern Europe were indeed groping in the dark, but they did have Plato and the Bible to help them, and they INSISTED on trying to discuss them rationally.

We should not spit on the graves of these men.They were devout, and sometimes wildly mistaken, but they were doing their very best to take Plato and Aristotle and make something BETTER.At the very least, it is a story with a compelling human interest.

Which is just about the last thing I expected from this book!

Have a look for yourself some day!Of course, you have to begin with Volume I to make sense of Volume II.Just 5-10 pages a day will get you there, if you are patient and persevering.:-)

Who ever said that Medieval philosophy was supposed to be exciting?
Other reviewers have complained about Copleston's style. They say that it's boring, dry or hard to read. This may be true to an extent, but consider the topic. It's Medieval Philosophy. I don't know who would ever be able to bring such a topic down to the level of most ADD Westerners today (including the previous reviewer who has a "bachelor's degree" in philosophy. [sarcasm] Thankfully he recommended a comic book introduction to philosophy in place of Copleston).

At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed the volume. If you are attempting to get an introductory grasp on Western Philosophy, then the Medieval period cannot be skipped. If we do skip this time period by jumping from Neoplatonism to Francis Bacon and Modern philosophy, then we will not completely understand what it was that Renassance and Modern philosophy were reacting against. I must admit that Copleston's work is not exciting to read for it's own sake. But, for me any dullness was overshadowed by the importance and necessity of the topic. I am almost finished with the the author's third volume and I am very glad that I had read this second one first. I have always read scattered references to Duns Scotus' thinking and Albert the Great, etc., but now I feel much more confident in evaluating what happened in the middle ages. Furthermore, I just read Jaroslav Pelikan's volume on the development of Medieval Theology. It was an excellent complement to Copleston.

The work was originally written for seminary students. I am one and I certainly believe that prior exposure to many of the theological topics and questions helped me through the book. However, anyone with a general philosophical/theological framework and enough motivation and patience will be delightfully pleased by the end of the book (and remember if you see a term or topic that you are unfamiliar with, then just look it up on Wikipedia!).

The bottom line is, if you are both motivated and interested, then buy and read it (and read it slowly). The content and concepts presented are not what we normally think and talk about. It took me three times as long as it would normally take me to read a book of this length! It's a helpful and concise introduction to the topic. Unfortunately, if you are a casual reader, then you'll probably fall asleep like Mr. "bachelor's degree".

(By the way, the reviewer who says that Copleston imposes Kantian ideas on Aquinas' thought aparently skipped page 388. Here Copleston explicitly argues that such a Kantian analysis of Aquinas would be wrongheaded. He writes "Thomist principles cannot be developed in such a way as to afford answers to subjective idealism and Kantianism; but one should not be guilty of the anachronism of making the historic Thomas answer questions with which he was not actually faced." And I don't think that very many people are in a hurry to read Etienne Gilson's detailed treatments unless they are already beyond an introductory work such as Copleston.)

Wrestling with the Great Thinkers - St. Augustine to the Great Scholastics
This is the second volume in Frederick Copleston's classic nine volume A History of Philosophy. Like all the volumes in this series, it is an exhaustive study of the period covered and presents the development of the philosophical thought of the period as an interrelated whole where trends ebb and flow as ideas are introduced and synthesized within the systems of the great thinkers of the time.

All of this is done within a framework where Copleston, as a professor in a Catholic seminary, is mindful of pointing out the elements that would become adopted within the framework of Christian philosophy and theology. Even though Copleston has a seminary audience in mind, he does not attempt to "Christianize" those who were not Christian nor launch polemical attacks against those ideas at odds with the Christian faith. He presents the philosophical ideas thoroughly and fairly and gives both the supporting evidence cited by supporters and the critiques by opponents. Also pointed out in detail is how each philosopher's work influenced contemporaries and later thought with, of course, special consideration of the influence for good or bad on Christianity.

This volume covers the patristic period through to the golden age of medieval scholasticism. Many histories of philosophy ignore the importance of medieval thought and end up treating the birth of modern philosophy with Descartes as if it arose in an historical vacuum. Copleston skillfully brings to life this neglected period of philosophical activity and this serves to give greater understanding to the historical and intellectual context of later developments.

Those who dismiss all philosophy that serves to aid Christian theology are guilty of neglecting the theological underpinnings in much of classical Greek thought. Though Plato and Aristotle were certainly not deists in the Judeo-Christian sense, their concepts of the demiurge and the prime mover cetainly have implications of a decidedly theological nature. Many patistic writers began to defend the faith using this philosophical framework and demonstrated that which is true and good is no threat to Christianity and argued that philosophy in its most pure form leads has God as proper end.

Copleston divides this volume into five parts. The first begins with a discussion of some of the most philosophical of the earlier patristic writers before beginning a long discussion of the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo. St. Augustine would remain the dominant figure in the Western Church until the scholastic period and many reactions to scholasticism both in the Reformation and among Catholics would appeal to the great bishop of Hippo as their intellectual forebearer. Copleston gives an excellent and thorough exposition and sheds light on almost every aspect of his thinking. A shorter treatment of Western thinkers in the immediate post-Augustinian period closes this section.

The next few centuries were barren periods for learning in the West but the few lights that shown through are covered in the next two sections on the Carolingian Renaissance and the early scholastic period. John Scotus Eruigena and St. Anselm are the most notable figures, respectively, for these two periods and the development of thinking on universals that would become the focus of much debate in the coming centuries.

The focus is turned in the fourth section to the recovery of the Aristotelian corpus. The important commentators on Aristotle from Islamic and Jewish sources are covered as well as the beginning of the translation of Aristotle's works. The reaction - both supportive and not - of the Christian West to this "new" learning is explained.

The fifth and final section of the book is the longest and, for a Catholic philosopher like Copleston, the most important. Here is the truly "golden age" of scholasticism as a series of great thinkers would take the stage to use philosophy to aid the Catholic faith. The three great figures of this period - St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas Aquinas, and John Duns Scotus - are given extensive coverage. The interraction of these three contemporaries and their solutions to the complex questions of the day - particularly that of universals - is fully explained. Lesser figures are also covered including two (St. Albert the Great and Roger Bacon) whose work in a primitive form of what we would later call "science" was very far ahead of its time.

For those with an interest in the factors that would give rise to the development of modern Western thinking, this book is a godsend. Nowhere else is such complete coverage of Christian philosophy of the period available. The only thing one could hope for is if there had been a full treatment of the great thinkers of the Eastern Church such as the Cappadocians. However, given the unfamiliarity of the West with the Eastern tradition at the time this was written, it is an understandable though regrettable omission.

For a thorough investigation of the history of Western philosophical thought and a wrestling with the great thinkers of the Western philosophical tradition, there is no better choice than Copleston's A History of Philosophy. For the Christian, in particular, who wishes to understand the interaction of philsophy and Christian theology, this work is unparalleled.

The Best Introduction to Philosopher Ever Printed!
Copleston's series, "The History of Philosophy", is quite possibly the best introduction to the history of philosophical thought that has ever been published and certainly the best currently in print.

You will be hard pressed to find a better collection of solid philosophical surveys in one place.The beauty of the series is that Copleston has clearly done his research on each period and each thinker of Western philosophy.

I cannot recommend this series any more highly.It is a must-have collection for anyone who is a scholar (professional or casual) of philosophy, theology or any of the arts.

If this isn't on your bookshelf, it should be!

A Good Comprehensive History of Philosophy During a Thusand Years
Father Copleston, S.J. wrote a readable account of an important era in intellectual history.Father Copleston's book is well organized and well written.He is clear that the phrase Middle Ages is misguiding.The approximate era of A HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, VOLUME 2:MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY deals with approximately a thousand years (c.500 AD-1500 AD).This time frame can be divided by the Dark Ages, the Early Middle Ages or Frankish history, a Second Dark Ages, the High Middle Ages, etc.

Father Copleston begins his study with the Partistic Period (Ancient Western Civilization thinking) and the impact of St. Augustine (446-520) and his great book titled THE CITY OF GOD. Chapters one through ten give the reader a comprehensive examination of ideas and European thought at a time when learning could have very well disappeared in Western Europe.Father Copleston includes some of the important figures in the Patristic Era such as Isodore (570-636), Boethius (480-524)Cassoidorus (577-665), etc.

Father Copleston does a credible job in describing what is known as the Carolingian Renaissance.He mentions the valuable contributions of Alcuin (730-804) and Eriugena (815-877).The fact that Alcuin established a school at Aachen and developed bookhand as the format for handwritten books and study materials is invaluable in the teaching and learning for posterity.Eruigena was probably the first speculative philosopher in Western Europe since the disintegration of the Ancient Roman Empire.His work cannot be overestimated.

Father Copleston deals with the problems of "Universals" in the early Medieval schools.He also explains the debate between the Nominalists and the Realists.Father Copleston's examination of the Medieval curriculum is useful.Undergraduate students studied the Trivium (Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic).Students were taught to read well, to think, to speak well, and the write well.Once these students mastered this curriculum, they could study the Quadrivium (Astronomy, Music, Arithmetic and Algerbra, and Plane Geometry).If these students pursued further studies, they could study Medicine, Canon Law, and Theology which was considered The Queen of the Sciences.

One should note that Medieval Catholic universities were centers of intellectual activity and spirited debate which has disappeared from the record.In other words, Father Copleston undermines that the Catholic Church authorities somehow undermined serious learning and thinking when in fact they encouraged it.

Father Copleston begins his treatment of Scholasticism with St. Anselm (1033-1109) whose PROLOGIAN was a serious study that at some point the Catholic Faith had to be reasonable to be accepted.This study began the fruitful development of Scholastic Philosophy.Mention should be made of Peter Abelard (1079-1142) whose SIC ET NON caused scandal until scholars realized that this was a "how to" book on solving complex philosophical and theological problems.One should know of Peter Lombard's (1100-160) FOUR BOOKS OF SENTENCES which became the standard text of Medieval theological studies.

Father Copleston does an outstanding job in presenting St. Albertus Magnus (1193-1280) and the Catholic Church's intellectual giant, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) whose SUMMA THEOLOGICAL and SUMMA CONTRAL GENTILES set the standard for subsequent theological and philosophical studies.St. Thomas Aquinas development an Aristotlian reasoned approach to Catholicism.The importance of the Angelic Doctor (St. Thomas Aquinas) was and is crucial to Catholcism and Catholic universities.Subsequent studies in Medieval theological studies were either defenses of crituques of the Angelic Doctor's work whose thinking became part of the permanent philosophy.

Father Copleston gives credit to Islamic scholars such as Avacena(980-1037) and Averroes(1126-1198) whom St. Thomas Aquinas called The Commentator-The Commentator on Aristotle.Father Copleston also gives serious mention of Jewish scholars such as Maimonides (1135-1204) who is mentioned by, among others, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Father Copleston tackeled a difficult historical task, and his book is one of the best this reviewer has read on Medieval Philosophy and theology.The book is comprehensive as well as a good introduction the History of Medieval Philosophy.A good companion volume is Father Duffy's THE QUEEN OF SCIENCES.This reviewer strongly recommends Father Copleston's HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY, VOLUME 2. ... Read more

Product Description
An Introduction to Chinese Philosophy unlocks the mystery of ancient Chinese philosophy and unravels the complexity of Chinese Buddhism by placing them in the contemporary context of discourse.

• Elucidates the central issues and debates in Chinese philosophy, its different schools of thought, and its major philosophers.
  
• Covers eight major philosophers in the ancient period, among them Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi.
  
• Illuminates the links between different schools of philosophy.
  
• Opens the door to further study of the relationship between Chinese and Western philosophy.

Customer Reviews (3)

excellent introductory text with ethical focus
This work fills a genuine need for a modern text of traditional Chinese philosophy that goes beyond the coverage of ancient (pre-220 BCE) philosophy but does not overwhelm the reader by attempting to cover the entire sweep of Chinese philosophy to the present in a single volume. Liu has chosen to cover the ancient period as well as the major systems of Chinese Buddhist philosophy. I regret that it does not include another chapter on neo-Confucianism, say limited to Chu Hsi's synthesis thereof, but the choice of coverage is, overall, an excellent one. My experience is that students are most interested in Buddhism, and that if one covers Chinese philosophy alone (as opposed to an overall superficial coverage of Asian philosophy, including Indian systems and Japanese Zen) then this coverage is an ideal one.Fung yu Lan's monumental two volume survey of all Chinese philosophy is too comprehensive, while his shorter version of it is dated in its interpretations. Graham, Hansen, and Schwartz limit themselves to ancient, pre-Han, Chinese philosophy. Liu's emphasis is on ethics, rather than on metaphysics or philosophy of nature, and this is a limitation. However, she does, in contrast to Hansen for instance, includean opening treatment of the I Ching. Liu used analytical methods and distinctions between metaphysical and semantic conceptions of truth, and between metaphysical and internal realism. One infelicity I noticed is that Liu makes some comparisons with Tian Tai Buddhism in her chapter on Hua Yan Buddhism, before she has given any exposition of Tian Tai. However, over all, if one wishes a single volume introduction to Chinese philosophy with an emphasis on ethics, it is the best thing available.

Chinese philosophy for Western philosophers
As a novice, I found Jeeloo Liu's "An introduction to Chinese Philosophy" an illuminating book. A survey of ancient Chinese philosophy and Buddhism, I found the narrative built upon is own history, so that the themes and emphasizes of Chinese philosophy fell into place. Her technique of using the Western argument form of premises and conclusion was helpful in making a first approach to a way of thinking that was initially very alien to me. I can readily see that using such an argument form has its limitation in the context of Chinese philosophy, but to the extent that it is possible, the analyzed arguments of the philosophers did help me to grasp something of what is at stake in the arguments presented. So as an introduction to Chinese philosophy for a relative beginner, the book succeeds very well.

A disappointing history of early Chinese philosophy and Buddhism
This is a review of JeeLoo Liu's An Introduction fo Chinese Philosophy.

As the subtitle of this book suggests, it covers Chinese philosophy in the ancient period (around 500 to 221 BC) and then skips ahead to Chinese Buddhism in the Tang and later dynasties (after AD 618).Liu announces that her approach is "analytic" (ix).This may require some explanation:philosophical styles in the West may broadly be divided into "analytic" and "continental."The former puts greater emphasis on conceptual clarity, giving definitions, and analyzing arguments.(I know it is tempting to say that we should simply use "the Chinese style" in explaining Chinese philosophy, but we have to "translate" pre-modern Chinese thought into some vocabulary that we understand today.And even contemporary Chinese thinkers are influenced by one or another Western school of thought.)

So Liu's approach is legitimate.In addition, there are some good insights in this book.Overall, though, there are too many errors in historical details and too many problems with her philosophical analysis for this book to be successful.

Here's an example of a historical error.One key concept in Chinese philosophy is QI ("vital energy").In explaining the etymology of this character, she announces that it "referred to the steam or vapor coming from boiling rice" and that it "contains the character for rice as a component" (p. 6).This is true of the modern form of the character, but not of the original ancient forms.Indeed, rice cultivation was not common in ancient China.

In conducting her philosophical analysis, Liu often rephrases the original Chinese texts into premise and conclusion form.(In other words, she takes the original prose and converts it into the form "Premise 1....Premise 2....Premise 3....Conclusion....")This can be a useful technique.However, Liu uses this format whether or not it helps clarify the original text.Her analyses are often clumsy and less clear than the original.

Overall, I cannot recommend this text.Much better choices for general history of ancient Chinese philosophy are A.C. Graham's Disputers of the Tao and Benjamin Schwartz's The World of Thought in Ancient China. ... Read more

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This question preoccupied the thoughts of many early Greek philosophers, not least Plato, who discussed it at length in the "Cratylus", the "Euthydemus", the "Theaetus" and the "Sophist". Nicholas Denyer's book places the problem of language, thought, and falsehood in the historical context of Plato and his contemporaries, and expounds the solution which Plato finally reached in the "Sophist". Its freedom from untranslated Greek, style, and its approach in bringing together all ancient material on falsehood in this way aim to make "Language, Thought and Falsehood in Ancient Greek Philosophy" accessible to all those studying Ancient Greek philosophy, as well as to philosophers generally. ... Read more

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Generations of philosophers, both ancient and modern, have traced their inspiration back to the Presocratics. Part of the fascination stems from the fact that little of what they wrote survives. Here Osborne invites her readers to dip their toes into the fragmentary remains of thinkers from Thales to Pythagoras, Heraclitus to Protagoras, and to try to reconstruct the moves that they were making, to support stories that Western philosophers and historians of philosophy like to tell about their past.This book covers the invention of western philosophy: introducing to us the first thinkers to explore ideas about the nature of reality, time, and the origin of the universe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A thought-provoking introduction to the Presocratics
If you want to understand the origins of Western thought, whether science, philosophy or theology, then you must start with the Presocratics.Something very remarkable happened in the Greek world 2,600 years ago; the emergence of speculative intellectual enquiry and reasoned argument.Catherine Osborne provides a readable and lively introduction to these pioneer thinkers.She starts with an account of a discovery of a fragment written by Empedocles, to give the reader an insight into how scholars investigate these early philosophers and the difficulties they face interpreting such scant evidence.Then she proceeds to specific, selected topics and thinkers.So it is not a conventional, chronological account, although she incidentally provides that along the way.To this end, the map, timeline and pronunciation guide at the beginning of the book are extremely useful.If you want a more conventional - and more thorough - introduction, then try Early Greek Philosophy, by J Barnes.

Osborne's tone is occasionally very didactic, and she will sometimes ask a question and leave the reader to think of an answer, so that it feels very much like being in class.Her account of the Sophists is rather partisan (she doesn't seem to like them very much) and the reader should take it as a point of view rather than the last word.But overall, this is a great book, with an informative text and well-chosen illustrations.For many readers, this short account will tell them all they want to know about the beginnings of the Western intellectual tradition.Your next step is Plato and Aristotle.

Approaching the Presocratics from a Different Angle
General Review of Book Series:I have to admit it: I am a fan of these little books. It's my dirty little secret. These short introductions provide one with a pocketsize, portable introduction to a wide variety of topics. With a light tone and a surface skim of the issues, these little guides provide one with the general overview one might expect in a small survey course. Naturally, there are downsides. Are these guides comprehensive? Heavens no! Do they take time to dig deeply into the issues? Not generally. But are they a good resource to use if you want to get your feet wet before you dive in? Yes. When used properly, these little guidebooks can allow what might start out as a casual curiosity to develop into a more in-depth research project. In fact, all of these introductions provide references and suggestions for further reading.

Catherine Osborne's _A Very Short Introduction to Presocratic Philosophy_ is another work, like Julia Annas's _Very Short Introduction to Ancient Philosophy_, that examines its subject matter topically rather than through a chronological account of the various thinkers who fall under this category.Osborne manages to pull it off splendidly, while still providing enough of a timeline in order to develop a sense for the history.Readers who were looking more for "thought summaries" in Annas's work will find it in this introduction, as her focused topic allows for this sort of interpretation.

Osborne's first chapter is dedicated to the process of finding fragmentary evidence and how it is assembled and interpreted by scholars.I found this chapter particularly helpful, especially since it manages to communicate the difficulties that surround Presocratic scholarship.Chapter two addresses what might be called the main thesis of her entire introduction.For a long time now, scholars have organized Presocratic thinkers into a timeline according to Aristotle's observation that they were all striving after first principles (early attempts at cosmology) until Parmenides.However, if we follow this line of reasoning, we become locked into only examining certain thinkers and dismissing much of what they have to say regarding their other philosophical interests.Thus, Osborne vows to chuck the "first principles story" out the window and to examine what other stories are lurking in the fragments of these ancient thinkers.

What follows are a series of topically based chapters, each essentially covering the diverse thought of various thinkers: Zeno; the examination of reality and appearance through Xenophanes, Melissus, and Anaxagoras; Heraclitus; Pythagora; and finally the sophists Protagoras and Gorgias.Osborne's writing is clear and she manages to provide engaging summaries of these thinkers and the wide range of their thought.Additionally, she has provided an excellent bibliography for anyone interested in following up on any one of these topics or thinkers.If you have an interest in Presocratic philosophy, or just want a refresher on what these thinkers had to say, you've come to the right place. ... Read more

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Handbook of Greek Philosophy is a real guide for anyone who wants to know about Ancient Greek philosophy, but he does not know how to start. Since there are thousands of writings about it, the one who is eager to be informed of Greek philosophy, is all at sea. With the present study one can be gradually initiated into the main principles of the great philosophers, whose thought is the basis of the modern philosophical thought.Due to chronological presentation of the fifteen Greek philosophical schools, the reader can gradually get to the understanding of the philosophical terms and concepts, beginning with the simple (of Thales, Anaximander etc..) and proceeding to the most complex ones (Plato, Aristotle etc..).The original fragments, which have been carefully selected out of thousands, along with their thorough analysis, can enable the reader to fathom the reasoning of the Greek thinkers, and acquire a deep comprehension of their Gnoseology, Ontology and Ethics.With this substantial work of scholarship, both the student and the teacher of philosophy alike can find useful concepts, ideas and quotations, so as to broaden their knowledge and views of philosophy. Apart from that, this essay can help them to make a further inquiry concerning Ontology and Ethics of Greek Philosophy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Brilliant interpretation
I find most of the reviews really enlightening on the qualities of the book; so to say ` an excellent guide and interpretation of Greek philosophy and not a mere collection of translated texts of the Greek thinkers'. However, I would not agree with such a discriminating proposal as `to rewrite the book in native speaking English', unless we mean to suggest that Leibniz and Beckett's excellent writings in French and Wittgenstein's works in English should be rewritten by a native language speaking person.

The author, by developing progressively the concepts and due to his brilliant interpretation of the different philosophical schools of thought, leads the reader to gradual comprehension of the Greek philosophical conceptions. The `Doric' style of the language (poor), following the Greek philosophical tradition, does not interfere with the reader's understanding, but on the contrary develops a feeling of immediacy and prompts the student to go on and to search through the original writings of the philosophers by himself. All that makes the book valuable as a guide and introduction to Greek philosophy, because it increases the reader's awareness of philosophical questions and consequently it is getting more people interested in philosophy.

Illuminating and useful tool for the student of classical philosophy
Although a philosophical work, I found this book immensely stimulating and made me want to read more and more. Its gradual development of the concepts, its clear and essential interpretation of the Greek philosophers' sayings, along with its references to their works helps the reader to achieve a great deal of understanding. To sum up, the references to the Greek philosophical terms, which are very well interpreted, make the book an illuminating and useful guide for any student of philosophy.

Excellent introduction to Ancient Greek philosophy
I am a student of philosophy and I have had many difficulties in understanding the Greek philosophical terms and concepts. This book with its countless citations enabled me to understand all these terms like logos, phronesis, doxa, episteme, nous, eudaimoniaetc. Due to its essential reference to the most of the Presocratics I could finally grasp the metaphysical and epistemological concepts of Plato and Aristotle. The author does not only show the way to discover the Greek wisdom through the innumerable fragments, but he also helps the student to do a further research into the enormous work of Plato and Aristotle, since he quotes the references of their work related to certain topics.
Really amazing and helpful work!!

Excellent book of ancient Greek philosophy
Finally I found the right book, which helped me to understand the main concepts of ancient Greek philosophy.

back to the origins in Greek philosophy
This little 'Handbook of Greek Philosophy' introduces the reader to all those authors who have become a staple of any history of European philosophy: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Democritus, the Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoics.

The author had the good idea to devote nearly half of the pages to the Pre-Socratics from Thales to Democritus. As a result of this, much of what we know from Plato becomes better understandable, and besides this reader's awareness of the wealth of thoughts debated before the rise of Socrates is much heightened.

The term 'handbook' is a bit misleading, since this is not a magisterial work bringing several pounds of heavy scholarship onto your desk. It is more aptly called 'a first guide to the origins of European philosophy for the uninitiated.' However, this should not devalue the book. The book radiates the charm of old diaries and notebooks. There are many valuable nuggets strewn throughout the text, so one gets hooked and reads on.

There are some minor technical weaknesses. Readers looking for a synoptic vision which puts all things in their proper context and builds a grandiose web of cross references will be disappointed. But the bottom-line is: Read this book and you will have not wasted your time but on the contrary gained a strong feeling of what philosophy is all about and how the Greeks did it.

From the countless citations an intense feeling of immediacy develops, of being near to the sources from where philosophy once sprang like from a well of fresh water. What looks like a weakness turns out to be a strength: The author is not standing in the way of getting at the sources of original insight but makes you go there yourself.

I have to admit that I am no specialist on Greek philosophy, while the author seems to be. Thus I cannot evaluate the quality of the selections. But this does not change my evaluation as a reader that the book deserves close reading and will repay study.

Because there remains much to be improved in technicalities as is cross-referencing and index etc. I gave only 4 stars this time. ... Read more

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Long neglected and unappreciated, the philosophy of the Greek and Roman worlds--from the last days of Aristotle (c. 320 BC) until 100 B.C.--has over the last decade received a considerable amount of renewed scholarly attention. This history is organized by subject, rather than chronologically or by philosophical school, with sections on logic, epistemology, physics and metaphysics, ethics and politics. Written by specialists, it is intended to be a reference for any student of ancient philosophy. Greek and Latin are used sparingly and always translated in the main text. ... Read more

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Cambridge History of Hellenistic Philosophy
An impressive volume in terms of the depth and scope.A "must have" for anybody interested in the subject, and based upon the surge of books on Hellenistic philosophy in the last decade there will be a goodnumber of people among those "must haves."Even though it isprimarily a reference book, many will want to read it from cover to cover. One disappointment, however: the editors seem to disply the usual academicprejudices against the more "wayward" Hellenistic thinkers, suchas those who gave serious consideration to astrology and magic. One wouldexpect a fuller accounting of Hellenistic astronomy, at least, if theastrology is too much for them. The volume is also surprisingly neglectful(a mere five pages) toward mathematics and its relationship to the amplytreated subjects of Logic, Ethics, and Physics. ... Read more

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What is the good life? How can we attain true happiness? How are we to understand the concepts of good, bad, right, wrong, virtue, and vice as they intermingle and pervade the human actions that make up society? In one of the earliest and most comprehensive attempts to offer a systematic treatment of ethics and the principles upon which it rests, the Greek philosopher Aristotle seeks to give substance and meaning to human action and to the manner in which we judge our own behaviour and that of others. Here Aristotle not only offers a discussion of morality that later culminated in a full-blown analysis of political life, but he also sets forth principles and advice that served as the touchstone for many subsequent moral philosophies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

We Reach Our Complete Perfection Through Habit
I read this book for a graduate seminar on Aristotle.I think Aristotle's ethics is his most seminal work in philosophy.In the early 1960's virtue ethics came to fore.It is a retrieval of Aristotle.It has very close parallels to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Confucius and the modern philosophy espoused in the 1970's called Communitarianism.

For Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, (EN) is about human life in an embodied state.Area of inquirery for EN is "good" this is his phenomenology.What does "good" mean?He suggests good means "a desired end."Something desirable.Means towards these ends.Such as money is good, so one can buy food to eat because "eating is good."In moral philosophy distinction between "intrinsic good" vs. "instrumental good."Instrumental good towards a desire is "instrumental good" like money.Thus, money is an "instrumental good" for another purpose because it produces something beyond itself.Instrumental good means because it further produces a good, "intrinsic good" is a good for itself, "for the sake of" an object like money."Intrinsic good" for him is "Eudemonia=happiness."This is what ethics and virtues are for the sake of the organizing principle.Eudemonia=happiness.Today we think of happiness as a feeling.It is not a feeling for Aristotle.Best translation for eudaimonia is "flourishing" or "living well."It is an active term and way of living for him thus, "excellence."Ultimate "intrinsic good" of "for the sake of."Eudaimonia is the last word for Aristotle.Can also mean fulfillment.Idea of nature was thought to be fixed in Greece convention is a variation.What he means is ethics is loose like "wealth is good but some people are ruined by wealth."EN isn't formula but a rough outline.Ethics is not precise; the nature of subject won't allow it.When you become a "good person" you don't think it out, you just do it out of habit!

You can have ethics without religion for Aristotle.Nothing in his EN is about the afterlife.He doesn't believe in the universal good for all people at all times like Plato and Socrates.The way he thought about character of agent, "thinking about the good."In addition, Aristotle talked about character traits.Good qualities of a person who would act well.Difference between benevolent acts and a benevolent person.If you have good character, you don't need to follow rules.Aretç=virtue, in Greek not religious connotation but anything across the board meaning "excellence" high level of functioning, a peak.Like a musical virtuoso.Ethical virtue is ethical excellence, which is the "good like."In Plato, ethics has to do with quality of soul defining what to do instead of body like desires and reason.For Aristotle these are not two separate entities.

To be good is how we live with other people, not just focus on one individual.Virtue can't be a separate or individual trait.Socrates said same the thing.Important concept for Aristotle, good upbringing for children is paramount if you don't have it, you are a lost cause.Being raised well is "good fortune" a child can't choose their upbringing.Happenstance is a matter of chance.

Pleasure cannot be an ultimate good.Part of the "good life" involves external goods like money, one can't attain "good life" if one is poor and always working.Socrates said material goods don't matter, then he always mooched off of his friends!Aristotle surmises that the highest form of happiness is contemplation.In Aristotle's Rhetoric, he lists several ingredients for attaining eudaimonia.Prosperity, self-sufficiency, etc., is important, thus, if you are not subject to other, competing needs.A long interesting list.It is common for the hoi polloi to say pleasure=happiness.Aristotle does not deny pleasure is good; however, it is part of a package of goods.Pleasure is a condition of the soul.In the animal world, biological beings react to pleasure and pain as usual.Humans as reasoning beings must pursue knowledge to fulfill human nature.It must be pleasurable to seek knowledge and other virtues and if it is not there is something wrong according to Aristotle.These are the higher pleasures and so you may have to put off lower pleasures for the sake of attaining "higher pleasures."

Phronçsis= "intelligence," really better to say "practical wisdom."The word practical helps here because the word Phronçsis for Aristotle is a term having to do with ethics, the choices that are made for the good.As a human being, you have to face choices about what to do and not to do.Phronçsis is going to be that capacity that power of the soul that when it is operating well will enable us to turn out well and that is why it is called practical wisdom.The practically wise person is somebody who knows how to live in such a way so that their life will turn out well, in a full package of "goods."For Aristotle, Phronçsis is not deductive or inductive knowledge like episteme; Phronçsis is not a kind of rational knowledge where you operate in either deduction or induction, you don't go thru "steps" to arrive at the conclusion.Therefore, Phronçsis is a special kind of capacity that Aristotle thinks operates in ethics.Only if you understand what Aristotle means by phronesis do you get a hold on the concept.My way of organizing it, it is Phronçsis that is a capacity that enables the virtues to manifest themselves.

What are the virtues?Phronçsis is the capacity of the soul that will enable the virtues to fulfill themselves.Virtue ethics is the characteristics of a person that will bring about a certain kind of moral living, and that is exactly what the virtues are.The virtues are capacities of a person to act well.All of the virtues can be organized by way of this basic power of the soul called Phronçsis.There are different virtues, but it is the capacity of Phronçsis that enables these virtues to become activated.Basic issue is to find the "mean" between extremes; this is how Aristotle defines virtues.

Humans are not born with the virtues; we learn them and practice them habitually."We reach our complete perfection through habit."Aristotle says we have a natural potential to be virtuous and through learning and habit, we attain them.Learn by doing according to Aristotle and John Dewey.Then it becomes habitual like playing a harp.Learning by doing is important for Aristotle.Hexis= "state," "having possession."Theoria= "study."The idea is not to know what virtue is but to become "good."Emphasis on finding the balance of the mean.Each virtue involves four basic points.

1. Action or circumstance.Such as risk of losing one's life.
2. Relevant emotion or capacity.Such as fear and pain.
3. Vices of excess and vices of deficiency in the emotions or the capacities.Such as cowardice is the excess vice of fear, recklessness is the excess deficiency.
4. Virtue as a "mean" between the vices and deficiencies.Such as courage as the "mean."

No formal rule or "mean" it depends on the situation and is different for different people as well.For example--one should eat 3,000 calories a day.Well depends on the health and girth of the person, and what activity they are engaged in.It is relative to us individually.
All Aristotle's qualifications are based on individual situations and done with knowledge of experience.Some things are not able to have a "mean" like murder and adultery because these are not "goods."
Akrasia= "incontinence" really "weakness of the will.Socrates thought that all virtues are instances of intelligence or Phronçsis.Aristotle criticizes Socrates idea of virtue, virtue is not caused by state of knowledge it is more complicated.Aristotle does not think you have to have a reasoned principle in the mind and then do what is right, they go together.

The distinctions between continent and incontinent persons, and moderate (virtue) and immoderate (not virtuous) persons is as follows:

1. Virtue.Truly virtuous people do not struggle to be virtuous, they do it effortlessly, very few people in this category, and most are in #2 and #3.
2. Ethical strength.Continence.We know what is right thing to do but struggle with our desires.
3. Ethical weakness.This is akrasia incontinence.Happens in real life.
4. Vice.The person acts without regret of his bad actions.

What does Aristotle mean by "fully virtuous"?Ethical strength is not virtue in the full sense of the term.Ethical weakness is not a full vice either.This is the critique against Socrates idea that "Knowledge equals virtue."No one can knowingly do the wrong thing.Thus, Socrates denies appetites and desires.Aristotle understands that people do things that they know are wrong, Socrates denies this.Socrates says if you know the right thing you will do it, Aristotle disagrees.The law is the social mechanism for numbers 2, 3, 4.A truly virtuous person is their own moral compass.

I recommend Aristotle's works to anyone interested in obtaining a classical education, and those interested in philosophy.Aristotle is one of the most important philosophers and the standard that all others must be judged by.

Doing the right thing
Aristotle was a philosopher in search of the chief good for human beings. This chief good is eudaimonia, which is often translated as 'happiness' (but can also be translated as 'thriving' or 'flourishing'). Aristotle sees pleasure, honour and virtue as significant 'wants' for people, and then argues that virtue is the most important of these.

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle makes the claim that happiness is something which is both precious and final. This seems to be so because it is a first principle or ultimate starting point. For, it is for the sake of happiness that we do everything else, and we regard the cause of all good things to be precious and divine. Moreover, since happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with complete and perfect virtue, it is necessary to consider virtue, as this will be the best way of studying happiness.

How many of us today speak of happiness and virtue in the same breath? Aristotle's work in the Nicomachean Ethics is considered one of his greatest achievements, and by extension, one of the greatest pieces of philosophy from the ancient world. When the framers of the American Declaration of Independence were thinking of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, there is little doubt they had an acquaintance with Aristotle's work connecting happiness, virtue, and ethics together.

When one thinks of ethical ideas such as an avoidance of extremes, of taking the tolerant or middle ground, or of taking all things in moderation, one is tapping into Aristotle's ideas. It is in the Nicomachean Ethics that Aristotle proposes the Doctrine of the Mean - he states that virtue is a 'mean state', that is, it aims for the mean or middle ground. However, Aristotle is often misquoted and misinterpreted here, for he very quickly in the text disallows the idea of the mean to be applied in all cases. There are things, actions and emotions, that do not allow the mean state. Thus, Aristotle tends to view virtue as a relative state, making the analogy with food - for some, two pounds of meat might be too much food, but for others, it might be too little. The mean exists between the state of deficiency, too little, and excessiveness, too much.

Aristotle proposes many different examples of virtues and vices, together with their mean states. With regard to money, being stingy and being illiberal with generosity are the extremes, the one deficient and the other excessive. The mean state here would be liberality and generosity, a willingness to buy and to give, but not to extremes. Anger, too, is highlighted as having a deficient state (too much passivity), an excessive state (too much passion) and a mean state (a gentleness but firmness with regard to emotions).

Aristotle states that one of the difficulties with leading a virtuous life is that it takes a person of science to find the mean between the extremes (or, in some cases, Aristotle uses the image of a circle, the scientist finding the centre). Many of us, being imperfect humans, err on one side or the other, choosing in Aristotle's words, the lesser of two evils. Aristotle's wording here, that a scientist is the only one fully capable of virtue, has a different meaning for scientist - this is a pre-modern, pre-Enlightenment view; for Aristotle, the person of science is one who is capable of observation and calculation, and this can take many different forms.

Aristotle uses different kinds of argumentation in the Nicomachean Ethics. He uses a dialectical method, as well as a functional method. In the dialectical method, there are opposing ideas held in tension, whose interactions against each other yield a result - this is often how the mean between extremes is derived. However, there are other times that Aristotle seems to prefer a more direct, functional approach. Both of these methods lead to the same understanding for Aristotle's sense of the rational - that humanity's highest or final good is happiness.

There is a discussion of the human soul (for this is where virtue and happiness reside). Aristotle argues that virtue is not a natural state; we are not born with nor do we acquire through any natural processes virtue, but rather through 'habitation', an embedding process or enculturation that makes these a part of our soul. However, it is not sufficient for Aristotle's virtue that one merely function as a virtuous person or that virtuous things be done. This is not a skill, but rather an art, and to be virtuous, one must live virtuously and act virtuously with intention as well as form.

Of course, one of the implications here is that virtue is a quantifiable thing, that periodically resurfaces in later philosophies. How do we calculate virtue?

This is a difficult question, and not one that Aristotle answers in any definitive way. However, more important than this is the key difference that Aristotle displayed setting himself apart from his tutor Plato; rather than seeing the possession of 'the good' or 'virtue' as the highest ideal, Aristotle is concerned with the practical aspects, the ethics of this. Based on Aristotle's lectures in Athens in the fourth century BCE, this remains one of the most important works on ethical and moral philosophy in history.

Many matters of life.
Aristotle provides observations on many facets of life. Taking into considerations that slavery was in place and that women were treated as second class citizens, some of the theroies fall short. ... Read more

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Comprised of readings from ancient to modern times, this volume offers a comprehensive introduction to the central questions of the philosophy of religion.

• Provides a history of the philosophy of religion, from antiquity up to the twentieth century
• Each section is preceded by extensive commentary written by the editors, followed by readings that are arranged chronologically
• Designed to be accessible to both undergraduate and graduate students

Customer Reviews (1)

good
Loved the price.Was a lot cheaper than other sites and the book was brand new.Disappointed a little bit with the time it took to arrive to me.For being only one state over, I thought it should have been a lot quicker. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Ayn Rand recommendation?
Many years ago I bought this book because it was recommended by some adherent of Ayn Rand. This person published a list of rational books to read.
I believe the persons name was "Kelly" but I could be wrong.
Anyhow this is a GREAT BOOK!!! Fantastic in understanding the evolution of human thought on the devine. [Irrational but great].

I would really like a referral to that list of books.

An examination into Mythopoeic truth
The collection of essays in this book are by far brilliant examinations with fit evidence. It is great for the reader interested in Ancient religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia, it provides fundamental views on ancient mans perspective of the world, gods, and himself from myth. This is not a text book, nor a history book but it does provide adequate literary evidence and footnotes. I wish I had read this before studying ancient philosophy, it would have greatly helped my understanding of the mind of these ancients. It's amazing to read about the development of mans theories through mythopoeic tales. Well worth it for the Philosophy-, religion- or ancient studies - student. Or if you really enjoy myths, find out how man came about with these stories. Covers Egyptian, Babylonian and Assyrian (in some detail) and Mesopotamian thought and myth.

Pretty Helpful
I used this as one of my references for a course in Jewish Studies.It was very helpful for a basic overview of some Near Eastern thought patterns. ... Read more

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The first edited volume in Sino-Hellenic Studies, this book compares early Chinese and ancient Greek thought and culture. ... Read more

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Pierre Hadot is arguably one of the most influential and wide-ranging historians of ancient philosophy writing today.As well as having an important influence on the work of Michel Foucault, Hadot's work has been pivotal in the development of contemporary French philosophy.His work is currently concerned with a redefinition of modern philosophy through a study of ancient life and ancient philosophical texts. This book presents a history of spiritual exercises from Socrates to early Christianity, an account of their decline in modern philosophy, and a discussion of the different conceptions of philosophy that have accompanied the trajectory and fate of the theory and practice of spiritual exercises.Hadot's book demonstrates the extent to which philosophy has been, and still is, above all else a way of seeing and of being in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Philosophy as a way of life
Noted intellectual Pierre Hadot offers many thought provoking dialogues in this book. His reference for example on holiness was and is perfect. This book required some thought so for me it took a while to complete as each dialogue requires thought and quiet reflection. A book which is a joy to read and have and adds persective to my study in non dual philosophy.

Chasing after that flirt, Wisdom.
I am not sure this is the best introduction to Hadot's approach to philosophy. "What is Ancient Philosophy?" is more of one piece. Which makes sense because what we have in this book is a collection of articles, addresses and an interview that have been loosely woven together.
But this volume has some particular strengths. Arnold Davidson's introduction is brilliant. He manages to introduces the main themes of investigation throughout Hadot's life (Hadot passed away just a few months ago). Davidson also makes it clear that Hadot's insights into ancient philosophy are based on his work as a translator of works from that period.
Another strength is that many of the articles collected here show off the extraordinary cultural learning of Hadot. I remarked in my review of "What is Ancient Philosophy?" that reading Hadot is to be introduced to the work of generations of French and German scholars of whom most Americans know nothing (would someone please translate Groethuyson's "Anthropologie philosophique" for me? Please?)
But in this book, Hadot also demonstrates his remarkable grasp of such diverse thinkers as Nietzsche, Montaigne, Goethe, Wittgenstein, Merleau-Ponty and Foucault. I always walk away from reading Hadot feeling as if I am both the Nitwit of Western Culture and exhilarated by some of the connections that he has made.

Hadot is particularly famous in France for his work as a translator/commentator of Plotinus and Marcus Aurelius. Early textual work on those two and other philosophers led Hadot to the realization that many of the works of the Hellenistic period were being misunderstood because today's interpreters were not seeing these works for what they were. Today's philosophers, for the most part, write dissertations that try to lay out exactly what the author wants to say. The work is usually directed toward a professional audience or, at least, toward expert amateurs. The intent is to inform and convince.
Hadot's central insight into Hellenistic philosophy is that, for most of the writings that we have
extant, the intent is to (re)form, not to inform. In other words, this is philosophy that is meant to change the way we live. More deeply, it is meant to change the way we see the world, the way we feel about our lives and the way we treat each other.
As such, the types of writings that we have from this period have to be understood for the literary types that they are; exhortations to oneself to remember the main dicta that one has learned or rhetorical works designed to convince the uninitiated to follow the path of a particular philosophical school, etc. What is so immediately convincing about this point is that it makes sense of all the repetitions, contradictions and eclecticism which is so evident in the writings of some of the ancients. The first article in this collection explores how the failure of recent interpreters to understand this aspect of ancient philosophical literature has led to many misinterpretations (although Hadot is careful to point out that some of the misreadings have been very fruitful).
The Second Part of this book may be the best. This contains Hadot's classic article on "Spiritual Exercises".In this article, Hadot first outlined his realization that many of the writings of the Hellenistic philosophers were really meant to be read as exercises that would help instill in the philosopher the teachings of that particular school. I have become convinced from my own readings that he is absolutely right about the necessity of this approach. If you want to understand your reading of Seneca, of Marcus Aurelius, of Cicero, Epictetus and even of the earlier Greeks (like, you know- that Plato guy), you simply have to read this article.

Hadot discusses one other idea in these articles that must be mentioned and that is his idea of the topos or topics of Western culture/philosophy. These are "formulae, images, and metaphors"(p.66) that have, over time, proved indispensable to many thinkers within a tradition or our culture. Hadot spent the last part of his life tracing the cultural history of some of these topics. His last book, "The Veil of Isis", is one such investigation. Several of the later articles in this collection are others. "The View from Above"is one of them and briefly traces some of the history of the exercise of learning to look down at humanity from a cosmic viewpoint.
I would also like to recommend the short article "The Sage and the World" wherein Hadot defends the relevance of the lessons he has learned from ancient philosophy to our own lived-in world.

It's funny. There are many similarities (as well as enormous differences) between Hadot and Leo Strauss.I think they would have found much to talk about with each other. One of the things they both emphasized was the idea of the difference between the sage and the philosopher. The sage was seen in Hellenistic times as the fully realized wise man. Let us just say there are few of those. The philosopher, on the other hand, was she who chased after wisdom as something loved. I like this idea. Among other things, it brings out the theme of the erotic which is so present in ancient philosophy. Well, my friends, Pierre Hadot was a philosopher. In his books, he not only chases after wisdom, he entices us to do so as well. In doing so, he makes this reader, at least, examine my own way of being in the world. For me, reading Hadot had been to hold up a mirror to my own life and to realize the need for a spiritual exercise program. I gots some work to do.

Interesting, different, and worthwhile
This is a very interesting and good book.Because his work has generally not been translated, we do not know Hadot.His knowledge of the philosophy of anitquity is much deeper and more probing than most.Very much worth reading.

Thought Provoking, Well Researched
This is one of the best books that I have read in quite some time.Focused mostly on the Hellenistic era but also going as far back as Socrates and as far forward as Nietzsche and Foucault.

The book seeks to elucidate philo-sophy (love of wisdom) not as a rarefied field of study but as a way of life consistent with making us one with the universe.

The book, originally in French, is not a light-weight self help book as its title may imply.But is instead a deep study of the origins of "spiritual exercises" from Socrates to the Hellenists (Stoicism, Epicureanism, and neo-Platonism) and onward to the early Christians.

Hadot's main thesis is that philosophy has been gutted in the modern era to focus on rarefied discourse and study at the expense of it serving as an aid in helping us to lead better lives.Using abundant examples from the likes of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, Hadot makes a significant and resounding case for a re-emergence of philosophy from the walls of academia, where it has been penned and chained for the last 1500 years.While knowledge of ancient philosophy is not strictly required for reading this book, those with this knowledge will get the most from it.

I have studied the Stoics and Epicureans about as much as is possible for a layman, and I found this book indispensable in making clear the teachings of Epicurus and Zeno, as well as the early Christian scholars.Hadot shows clearly that the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius are grounded in philosophy going back at least as far as Socrates.

I recommend this book in the most high fashion to anyone who seeks wisdom and loves a good mental workout.

A wonderful, thought provoking book
It is very rare that a scholar of classical philosophy writes a book that is so accessible to non-philosophers. This book (as I understood it) stresses the fact that early western philosophy was all about teaching people 'how to live'. I often leaf through this book to read passages that I have underlined during previous 'reads'. A great book. (Would have given the book 4 1/2 stars if I had the option.) ... Read more

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Offering a diversity of strategies and approaches to the philosophical issues involved in reading and thinking about the Presocratics in the wake of Martin Heidegger's thought, the authors explicate the thinking of key figures such as Homer, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Parmenides, Heraclitus, and Empedocles. The philosophical problems of logos, logic, truth, history, tradition, ethics, and tragedy are presented and re-thought in relation to Heidegger's thinking. Not only is the role of the Presocratics in Heidegger's reading re-thought but also, following a trajectory opened up by Heidegger, questions and readings of the Presocratics that he himself did not broach are pursued. These include: How does logos change in Heidegger's dialogue with the Presocratics? What is the place of the Presocratics in the "other inception" of thinking? How is Heidegger's reading of tragedy also a dialogue with Nietzsche and Holderlin? How do concealment and disclosure function in Homer's corpus? Do the pronouncements of Anaximander bring us to think the beginning of history and to question the need for ethics and justice? How does Anaximenes come to think and speak all that manifests itself? What is the role of presence in Parmenides' divine pedagogy? How does Heidegger come to remember Heraclitus and what is the disruptive nature of Heraclitus' sayings? ... Read more

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In Aristotle's Ethics as First Philosophy, Claudia Baracchi demonstrates the indissoluble links between practical and theoretical wisdom in Aristotle's thinking. Referring to a broad range of texts from the Aristoteliancorpus, Baracchi shows how the theoretical is alwaysinformed by a set of practices, and, specifically, how one's encounter with phenomena, the world, or nature in the broadest sense, is always a matter of ethos. ... Read more

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We Reach Our Complete Perfection Through Habit
I read this book for a graduate seminar on Aristotle.I think Aristotle's ethics is his most seminal work in philosophy.In the early 1960's virtue ethics came to fore.It is a retrieval of Aristotle.It has very close parallels to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Confucius and the modern philosophy espoused in the 1970's called Communitarianism.

For Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics, (EN) is about human life in an embodied state.Area of inquirery for EN is "good" this is his phenomenology.What does "good" mean?He suggests good means "a desired end."Something desirable.Means towards these ends.Such as money is good, so one can buy food to eat because "eating is good."In moral philosophy distinction between "intrinsic good" vs. "instrumental good."Instrumental good towards a desire is "instrumental good" like money.Thus, money is an "instrumental good" for another purpose because it produces something beyond itself.Instrumental good means because it further produces a good, "intrinsic good" is a good for itself, "for the sake of" an object like money."Intrinsic good" for him is "Eudemonia=happiness."This is what ethics and virtues are for the sake of the organizing principle.Eudemonia=happiness.Today we think of happiness as a feeling.It is not a feeling for Aristotle.Best translation for eudaimonia is "flourishing" or "living well."It is an active term and way of living for him thus, "excellence."Ultimate "intrinsic good" of "for the sake of."Eudaimonia is the last word for Aristotle.Can also mean fulfillment.Idea of nature was thought to be fixed in Greece convention is a variation.What he means is ethics is loose like "wealth is good but some people are ruined by wealth."EN isn't formula but a rough outline.Ethics is not precise; the nature of subject won't allow it.When you become a "good person" you don't think it out, you just do it out of habit!

You can have ethics without religion for Aristotle.Nothing in his EN is about the afterlife.He doesn't believe in the universal good for all people at all times like Plato and Socrates.The way he thought about character of agent, "thinking about the good."In addition, Aristotle talked about character traits.Good qualities of a person who would act well.Difference between benevolent acts and a benevolent person.If you have good character, you don't need to follow rules.Aretç=virtue, in Greek not religious connotation but anything across the board meaning "excellence" high level of functioning, a peak.Like a musical virtuoso.Ethical virtue is ethical excellence, which is the "good like."In Plato, ethics has to do with quality of soul defining what to do instead of body like desires and reason.For Aristotle these are not two separate entities.

To be good is how we live with other people, not just focus on one individual.Virtue can't be a separate or individual trait.Socrates said same the thing.Important concept for Aristotle, good upbringing for children is paramount if you don't have it, you are a lost cause.Being raised well is "good fortune" a child can't choose their upbringing.Happenstance is a matter of chance.

Pleasure cannot be an ultimate good.Part of the "good life" involves external goods like money, one can't attain "good life" if one is poor and always working.Socrates said material goods don't matter, then he always mooched off of his friends!Aristotle surmises that the highest form of happiness is contemplation.In Aristotle's Rhetoric, he lists several ingredients for attaining eudaimonia.Prosperity, self-sufficiency, etc., is important, thus, if you are not subject to other, competing needs.A long interesting list.It is common for the hoi polloi to say pleasure=happiness.Aristotle does not deny pleasure is good; however, it is part of a package of goods.Pleasure is a condition of the soul.In the animal world, biological beings react to pleasure and pain as usual.Humans as reasoning beings must pursue knowledge to fulfill human nature.It must be pleasurable to seek knowledge and other virtues and if it is not there is something wrong according to Aristotle.These are the higher pleasures and so you may have to put off lower pleasures for the sake of attaining "higher pleasures."

Phronçsis= "intelligence," really better to say "practical wisdom."The word practical helps here because the word Phronçsis for Aristotle is a term having to do with ethics, the choices that are made for the good.As a human being, you have to face choices about what to do and not to do.Phronçsis is going to be that capacity that power of the soul that when it is operating well will enable us to turn out well and that is why it is called practical wisdom.The practically wise person is somebody who knows how to live in such a way so that their life will turn out well, in a full package of "goods."For Aristotle, Phronçsis is not deductive or inductive knowledge like episteme; Phronçsis is not a kind of rational knowledge where you operate in either deduction or induction, you don't go thru "steps" to arrive at the conclusion.Therefore, Phronçsis is a special kind of capacity that Aristotle thinks operates in ethics.Only if you understand what Aristotle means by phronesis do you get a hold on the concept.My way of organizing it, it is Phronçsis that is a capacity that enables the virtues to manifest themselves.

What are the virtues?Phronçsis is the capacity of the soul that will enable the virtues to fulfill themselves.Virtue ethics is the characteristics of a person that will bring about a certain kind of moral living, and that is exactly what the virtues are.The virtues are capacities of a person to act well.All of the virtues can be organized by way of this basic power of the soul called Phronçsis.There are different virtues, but it is the capacity of Phronçsis that enables these virtues to become activated.Basic issue is to find the "mean" between extremes; this is how Aristotle defines virtues.

Humans are not born with the virtues; we learn them and practice them habitually."We reach our complete perfection through habit."Aristotle says we have a natural potential to be virtuous and through learning and habit, we attain them.Learn by doing according to Aristotle and John Dewey.Then it becomes habitual like playing a harp.Learning by doing is important for Aristotle.Hexis= "state," "having possession."Theoria= "study."The idea is not to know what virtue is but to become "good."Emphasis on finding the balance of the mean.Each virtue involves four basic points.

1. Action or circumstance.Such as risk of losing one's life.
2. Relevant emotion or capacity.Such as fear and pain.
3. Vices of excess and vices of deficiency in the emotions or the capacities.Such as cowardice is the excess vice of fear, recklessness is the excess deficiency.
4. Virtue as a "mean" between the vices and deficiencies.Such as courage as the "mean."

No formal rule or "mean" it depends on the situation and is different for different people as well.For example--one should eat 3,000 calories a day.Well depends on the health and girth of the person, and what activity they are engaged in.It is relative to us individually.
All Aristotle's qualifications are based on individual situations and done with knowledge of experience.Some things are not able to have a "mean" like murder and adultery because these are not "goods."
Akrasia= "incontinence" really "weakness of the will.Socrates thought that all virtues are instances of intelligence or Phronçsis.Aristotle criticizes Socrates idea of virtue, virtue is not caused by state of knowledge it is more complicated.Aristotle does not think you have to have a reasoned principle in the mind and then do what is right, they go together.

The distinctions between continent and incontinent persons, and moderate (virtue) and immoderate (not virtuous) persons is as follows:

1. Virtue.Truly virtuous people do not struggle to be virtuous, they do it effortlessly, very few people in this category, and most are in #2 and #3.
2. Ethical strength.Continence.We know what is right thing to do but struggle with our desires.
3. Ethical weakness.This is akrasia incontinence.Happens in real life.
4. Vice.The person acts without regret of his bad actions.

What does Aristotle mean by "fully virtuous"?Ethical strength is not virtue in the full sense of the term.Ethical weakness is not a full vice either.This is the critique against Socrates idea that "Knowledge equals virtue."No one can knowingly do the wrong thing.Thus, Socrates denies appetites and desires.Aristotle understands that people do things that they know are wrong, Socrates denies this.Socrates says if you know the right thing you will do it, Aristotle disagrees.The law is the social mechanism for numbers 2, 3, 4.A truly virtuous person is their own moral compass.

I recommend Aristotle's works to anyone interested in obtaining a classical education, and those interested in philosophy.Aristotle is one of the most important philosophers and the standard that all others must be judged by.
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Product Description
James Allen presents an original and penetrating investigation of the notion of inference from signs, which played a central role in ancient philosophical and scientific method. Inference from Signs examines an important chapter in ancient epistemology: the debates about the nature of evidence and of the inferences based on it--or signs and sign-inferences as they were called in antiquity.

Special attention is paid to three main issues. Firstly, the relation between sign-inference and explanation. At a minimum, sign-inferences permit us to draw a new conclusion, and they are used in this way in every sphere of life. But inferences must do more than this if they are to play the parts assigned to them by natural philosophers and medical theorists, who appeal to signs to support the theories they put forward to explain the phenomena in their domains. Allen examines the efforts made by Aristotle, the Stoics, the Epicureans, and in medicine to discover what further conditions must be satisfied by inferences if they are to advance explanatory purposes.

To speak of inference from signs presupposes that the use of signs is a form of reasoning from grounds to a conclusion. However, an alternative nonrational conception is explored, according to which the use of signs depends instead on acquired dispositions to be reminded by one thing or another. This view is traced to its probable origin in the Empirical school of medicine, whence it was taken by Pyrrhonian skeptics, who introduced it into philosophy.

Evidence sometimes supports conclusive arguments, but at other times it only makes a conclusion probable. Allen investigates Aristotle's path-breaking attempt to erect standards by which to evaluate non-conclusive but--in Aristotelian terms--reputable inferences.

Inference from Signs fills an important gap in the histories of science and philosophy and provides the first comprehensive treatment of this topic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The One and the Good
_Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.

_All happiness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.

_The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.

Providence, Fortune, and Fate.
This is an account of the ability of the human mind to rise above a man's material failures and the external evils that assault him. Boethius (c 480-524 AD), a Roman scholar and philosopher/statesman, has led a life of privilege and influence. He has taken a stand of conscience in support of the integrity of the Roman senate and, in doing so, has taken a stand contrary to the designs of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric. He is imprisoned (and eventually executed), presumably for subversion or treason, on the strength of perjured testimony against him.
Boethius laments his adverse 'fortunes' and has a vision in which a majestic woman appears to counsel him. She tells him "it is time for medicine rather than complaint," and that he suffers from "the common illness of deceived minds." Boethius recognizes her -- "I saw that she was Philosophy, my nurse, in whose house I had lived from my youth." The consolations that follow are structured in five books (i.e., chapters).
In Book Two, Lady Philosophy examines the nature of the gifts of Fortune. These gifts of Fortune cannot be "good in themselves; whatever goodness is associated with them is to be found in the personal probity of those who happen to possess them." In Book Three, evil is seen as merely the absence of the Good, as Augustine of Hippo had earlier argued. In Book Four, the question of whether virtue is rewarded and evil is punished is examined. At first look it certainly appears that evil often succeeds. Here Providence is contrasted to Fate. For this reader, books three and four were rather weakly argued and tedious, although I am always reluctant to say this about a classic work such as this. The strengths of The Consolation are books 1, 2, and 5.
Book Five is an excellent consideration of the determinism versus freedom problem. If goodness and evil are pre-assigned by Providence, then God cannot be omnibenevolent; in this view, God has willfully authored and imposed evil. There is no such thing as choice or judgment, no such thing as virtue, and all evil must be traced directly to a perverse divine evil. This is a pill that is almost impossible to swallow. It runs contrary to our ideas about God, it runs contrary to our common experiences for we do in fact exercise judgment, make choices, recognize virtue to be something quite at odds with vice. Goodness cannot be devoid of freedom, the Supreme Good cannot, by definition, deny the freedom of the human will. The problem is satisfactorily disposed by carefully considering the nature of Absolute knowledge and by not confusing it, as a flawed theology often does, with 'foreknowledge', a humanly impoverished idea not sufficient to describe the nature of knowledge for a temporally independent and omniscient Being. While the problematic idea of divine 'foreknowledge' suggests both temporal/spatial restraints ("fore") and fake choices, the idea of Absolute knowledge poses no obstacle for the freedom of the will or true omnipresence in both space and time. The general argument of this chapter is one of Boethius' best.

Philosophy as Religion
That Boethius was the "last of the Romans and the first of the scholastics", as has often been said of him, makes him a most unusual character in the history of thought. Serving as a bridge between two worlds, his writings, infused with the ideas of both Aristotle and Plato -- the two giants of ancient Greek philosophy -- allowed for the transmission of Neoplatonism into the emerging Christian intellectual tradition. Through the figure of Boethius the Latin West came to inherit many of the achievements of Greek learning.

The Consolation of Philosophy, Boethius's magnum opus, was one of the most widely read works in medieval Europe, especially in the twelfth century.No doubt, the dramatic context in which the work was written must have greatly accentuated its popularity. But there is more to the Consolation then simply a dramatic background, and this feature in itself would hardly explain the influence of the work on figures ranging from King Alfred to St.Thomas Aquinas.Boethius, being at once a Christian and a philosopher, was confident that reason and faith were reconcilable, and his entire literary enterprise can be summarised in his own words: fidem rationemque coniunge (show the harmony of reason and faith). An inheritor of the Greek tradition, he held that the world was a KOSMOS -- rationally structured, therefore rationally knowable. What makes the Consolation unique is that although it is a religious text, it doesn't make recourse to revealed religion; in Boethius's case, Christianity. That Boethius sought to answer religious questions without reference to Christianity, relying solely on natural philosophy, caused some later figures to question his religious allegiance prior to his death. But Boethius, as has been pointed out, believed in the harmony of faith and reason; being a Christian-Neoplatonic philosopher, for him to have found solace in philosophy does not imply that he left Christianity. For the truths found in Christianity would be no different than the truths found in philosophy, and whether consolation was found in the religion of Christ or Socrates would make no great difference. In the words of Henry Chadwick, "If the Consolation contains nothing distinctively Christian, it is also relevant that it contains nothing specifically pagan either...[it] is a work written by a Platonist who is also a Christian, but is not a Christianwork."

The Consolation begins with Boethius lamenting his plight. Dame Philosophy descends to provide consolance to his bereaved soul, cure him of the extreme melancholy, and rid him of his misfortune, not that of his imprisonment and loss of worldly goods and status, but the spiritual ailment clouding his intellectual vision.

Boethius's troubles, Lady Philosophy tells him, lie within himself. He has been driven into exile by himself. "For if you can remember your true country...'it has one ruler and one king'" and the "oldest law of your true city, [is] that the citizen who has chosen to establish his home there has a sacred right not to be driven away". Dame Philosophy is here referring to his self, the mind. For Boethius, being distracted by external matters, (both the fortunes of his luxurious life and the misfortunes of his political imprisonment), has forgotten his real source of happiness, whose fountain lies within.

In short, the Consolation examines the raison d'etre of philosophy, and its capacity to bring about true and complete happiness -- a happiness which can be acquired by unearthing the hidden treasures which dwell within. Hence philosophy is not an end in itself -- a fruitless game of mental acrobatics -- anymore than a shovel is for one in search of Sophia's treasures.

Boethius expresses the Socratic idea that all men seek the Good, and the Aristotelian idea that this Good is eudaimonia. The attainment of happiness is found through a return of the soul to its primordial state, since "You, too, who are creatures dream of your origin". By the end of the Consolation, Boethius, remembering who he truly is --a rational being endowed with a purpose, to actualise the good and fulfil his true nature -- recovers from his spiritual amnesia through a discovery of the remedy for his extreme sickness: philosophy.

Forgotten who you really are? So has Boethius...
This is the greatest self-help book of all time. It tells the story of Boethius, a prominent Roman who has been thrown in prison. There, he isvisited by Lady Philosophy, and begins to become free.

It is very movingstuff. If you ever wonder where The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Milecome from, this is it.

The language is very easy to read. And youwouldn't be doing yourself justice - to not read it in one sitting. It is arollercoaster that you won't want to get off. It is that good. ... Read more