The Beginnings of Philosophy in Greece

One of my treasured books is Early Greek Philosophy, by John Burnet, which I bought in 1974 - it was inscribed in Latin by the author, who was Professor of Greek at St Andrews University in the 1890s. It is a measure of how far scholarship has progressed to read the subtle contextual analysis of this book and its understanding of the various currents of thought as well as intellectual diversity and geographical factors that led to the emergence of what we now call the pre-Socratic. Aristotle emerges as central in a classificatory and historical process, and the author draws on comprehensive scholarship pioneered by such figures as Francis Cornford and Walter Burkert. Readers will come away with a much more nuanced understanding of the origins of philosophy in Greece and the many contributing factors. The author discusses specific thinkers such as Thales, Hesiod, Anaximander, Parmenides, Empedocles and Heraclitus, as well as the development of the idea of the soul and its many interpretations. In every case, progress is made by critical thinking questioning traditional viewpoints, which is still true today.