Gregory Vlastos Livres

The work showcases Gregory Vlastos's profound impact on the study of ancient philosophy, featuring nearly forty essays that span over five decades. Volume I focuses on Presocratic thinkers, exploring their connections to science, religion, and politics, while offering in-depth analyses of figures like Heraclitus and Parmenides. Volume II shifts to Socrates, Plato, and later philosophers, addressing ethical, social, and metaphysical themes. This comprehensive collection highlights Vlastos's unique blend of philosophical insight, linguistic expertise, and historical context.

This long-awaited study of the most enigmatic figure of Greek philosophy reclaims Socrates' ground-breaking originality. Written by a leading historian of Greek thought, it argues for a Socrates who, though long overshadowed by his successors Plato and Aristotle, marked the true turning point in Greek philosophy, religion and ethics. The quest for the historical figure focuses on the Socrates of Plato's earlier dialogues, setting him in sharp contrast to that other Socrates of later dialogues, where he is used as a mouthpiece for Plato's often anti-Socratic doctrine. At the heart of the book is the paradoxical nature of Socratic thought. But the paradoxes are explained, not explained away. The book highlights the tensions in the Socratic search for the answer to the question 'How should we live?' Conceived as a divine mandate, the search is carried out through elenctic argument, and dominated by an uncompromising rationalism. The magnetic quality of Socrates' personality is allowed to emerge throughout the book. Clearly and forcefully written, philosophically sophisticated but entirely accessible to non-specialists, this book will be of major importance and interest to all those studying ancient philosophy and the history of Western thought.

The book explores the transformative effect of the Greek discovery of the "cosmos" on humanity's understanding of its place in the universe. It highlights the challenges this new perspective created and examines Plato's philosophical responses. Beginning with the Presocratic thinkers like Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, it traces the intellectual evolution that led to the atomist theories of Leucippus and Democritus, showcasing a pivotal moment in philosophical thought.

Building on the insights of its predecessor, this companion delves deeper into the philosophical contributions of Socrates, exploring his methods and moral reasoning. It offers a comprehensive analysis of his dialogues, examining key themes and the impact of his ideas on Western thought. The text serves as both a scholarly resource and an accessible guide for those seeking to understand Socratic philosophy and its relevance today.

Gregory Vlastos, a pivotal figure in ancient philosophy, significantly advanced the standards of research and analysis in the field. His comprehensive two-volume collection, "Studies in Greek Philosophy," features nearly forty influential essays, many now regarded as classics. Volume I focuses on Presocratic thinkers, exploring their connections to science, religion, and politics, while providing in-depth studies on figures like Heraclitus and Zeno. Volume II shifts to Socrates, Plato, and later philosophers, addressing ethical, social, and metaphysical issues, showcasing Vlastos's unique blend of philosophical and historical insight.

Vlastos's new book begins from the conviction that Socrates strangeness is the key to his philosophy. It is a marvelous book, in which no major aspect of Socrates career is eclipsed. The rigor of his arguments, the depth of his moral commitment and understanding, his complex relationship to Athenian ethical traditions, his rational religion: all this comes to life in writing whose vigor and lucidity put the challenge of Socrates squarely before the reader.

This book consists of Gregory Vlastos' studies on a variety of themes in Plato's metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, and social philosophy. Although many of the essays have appeared in various philosophical and classical journals or symposia, new in the volume are two major studies. One is on Plato's theory of love, exploring its metaphysical dimension and its far-reaching implications for personal and political relations. The other centers on semantic and logical problems in the Sophist ; it offers solutions to crucial difficulties in this fundamental Platonic work. In these essays the author presents ideas which are likely to provoke comment and may be discussed as vigorously in scholarly journals as has some of his earlier work. The other papers, some of them extensively revised, comprise virtually all the author's published work on Plato, with the exception of a few papers easily accessible elsewhere. This second edition includes three additional essays and extensive notes that were not included in the original edition.