"No comparable introductory work available in English has its virtues of spanning a wide chronological
range and being philosophically sophisticated and informed. It deserves to be widely used, because it is widely
useful....This is the best available history of ancient philosophy for beginners."
--Philosophical Review
"A readable and lucid introduction; this book can be used in both graduate and undergraduate surveys."
--David Larmour, Texas Tech University
"Offers the student a thoughtful and 'reasonable' overall look at the origins of Classical thought."
--James T. Svendsen, University of Utah
"This is an excellent introductory text for students with very little background in philosophy. The writing
is both engaging and lucid, the arguments are well formed, and the treatment of philosophers is both fairminded
and judicious. Especially helpful is the author's material on philosophical movements subsequent to Aristotle."
--William A. Sumruld College of the Southwest
"Exactly what I need as a background reader for the medieval philosophy course I'm preparing: very concise,
broad, and accurate."
--Alan Nelson, University of California, Irvine
Oxford University Press Web Site, March, 2001
Summary
Covering over 1000 years of classical philosophy from Homer to Saint Augustine, this accessible, comprehensive
study details the major philosophies and philosophers of the period--the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle,
Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Neoplatonism. Though the emphasis is on questions of philosophical interest, particularly
ethics, the theory of knowledge, philosophy of mind, and philosophical theology, Irwin includes discussions of
the literary and historical background to classical philosophy as well as the work of other important thinkers--Greek
tragedians, historians, medical writers, and early Christian writers. The most complete one-volume introduction
to ancient philosophy available, the book will be an invaluable survey for students of philosophy and classics
and general readers.
