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A History of Greek Philosophy

A History of Greek Philosophy

A History of Greek Philosophy

Volume 3: The Fifth Century Enlightenment, Part 1
W. K. C. Guthrie
April 1977
3. The Fifth Century Enlightenment
1. The Sophists
Paperback
9780521096669
£44.99
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Paperback
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eBook

    The third volume of Professor Guthrie's great history of Greek thought, entitled The Fifth-Century Enlightenment, deals in two parts with the Sophists and Socrates, the key figures in the dramatic and fundamental shift of philosophical interest from the physical universe to man. Each of these parts is now available as a paperback with the text, bibliography and indexes amended where necessary so that each part is self-contained. The Sophists assesses the contribution of individuals like Protagoras, Gorgias and Hippias to the extraordinary intellectual and moral fermant in fifth-century Athens. They questioned the bases of morality, religion and organized society itself and the nature of knowledge and language; they initiated a whole series of important and continuing debates, and they provoked Socrates and Plato to a major restatement and defence of traditional values.

    Reviews & endorsements

    'This book, like the age it reflects, is a brilliant achievement. Professor Guthrie's study combines remarkable erudition and inclusiveness of scope with a lucis and readable style … Professor Guthrie succeeds in giving us the most balanced and perceptive treatment of fifth-century thought that has yet been written.' The American Historical Review

    'Once again the qualities for which the first two volumes have justly been praised are in evidence. Chief among these qualities are the lucidity of the author's writing, the judiciousness of his opinions and the comprehensiveness of his treatment … Other historians of Greek philosophy have impressed their philosophical personality more firmly on their accounts. But for those who wish their guide above all to be sound, Professor Guthrie is incontestably their man.' The Times Literary Supplement

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    Product details

    April 1977
    Paperback
    9780521096669
    356 pages
    227 × 152 × 23 mm
    0.608kg
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • List of abbreviations
    • Preface
    • 1. Introduction
    • 2. Topics of the day
    • 3. What is a sophist?
    • 4. The 'Nomos' - 'Physis' antithesis in morals and politics
    • 5. The social compact
    • 6. Equality
    • 7. The relativity of values and its effects on ethical theory
    • 8. Rhetoric and philosophy
    • 9. Rationalist theories of religion: agnosticism and atheism
    • 10. Can virtue be taught?
    • 11. The men
    • Bibliography
    • Index of passages quoted or referred to
    • General index
    • Index of selected Greek words.