Presocratics and later

Abstract

First comes a substantial set of readings in Greek philosophy from the beginnings to Aristotle, compiled by Marc Cohen, Patricia Curd and C.D.C. Reeve.' This has a brief general introduction and maps, separate introductions to the three sections on 'The Presocratics and the Sophists', 'Plato' and 'Aristotle', with suggestions for further reading, a Diels-Kranz concordance for the Presocratics, and an Aristotelian glossary. The translations for the first sections are taken mainly from the recent anthology by R.D. McKirahan (for which see Phronesis 40:118-9), and then organised by Curd. She sets the Presocratic reaction to the Homeric and Hesiodic tradition in the wider context of philosophical pioneering, with considerable influence on Plato and Aristotle: 'The Presocratics saw and understood the importance and usefulness of rational inquiry and the critical evaluation of arguments and evidence. As we join them in this adventure, we become part of the intellectual tradition that began with Thales' prediction'. Despite the brevity of the introduction to the individual thinkers, Curd manages to signal the main problems of dating and interpretation, and judiciously combines part of the Diels-Kranz 'A' testimonia with the main 'B' fragments, inserting a note on the sources, and adding some short extracts from the Sophists. In the next section Reeve has over 400 pages of direct translations of Plato, with very little in the way of explanatory material. Dialogues given in their entirety are Euthyphro, Crito, Phaedo, Meno and Timaeus, with extracts from Protagoras, Gorgias (the 'Polus' episode), Symposium, Parmenides and well over half of Republic. Any selection is going to be controversial (nothing from Phaedrus for example), but this one would be a good start for undergraduate tirones. However, by the time the reader gets to the subsequent shorter section on Aristotle some hard thinking will be required, for here, under Marc Cohen's guidance, are sections from the Organon, Physics, De generatione, De caelo, Meteorologica, Metaphysics, De anima, Ethics and Politics, mostly in new translations provided by Fine and Irwin from their forthcoming Selections from Aristotle. The editors tell us at the beginning that 'The world of Greek philosophy is an argumentative world', and this whole