A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 1, The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans

Rating:
Summary: Readable study of 1/2 the Platonic dialogs
Review: Guthrie covers all of the earlier Platonic dialogs in this volume, up to and including THE REPUBLIC. The next volume in the series (THE LATER PLATO AND THE ACADEMY) covers the rest. Each chapter covers one or two dialogs. Guthrie mentions work published by previous philosophers, and indicates where he agrees and disagrees. The book has a particular emphasis on the development of Plato's theory of the Forms and the influence of the Pythagoreans and Parmenides on Plato's thought. It's very reader-friendly yet packed with information. I can recommend both volumes to casual Plato fans.

Rating:
Summary: A word on the Pre- Socratics
Review: My review relates to the one volume of it I have read on the pre- Socratics. It is a clearly written and richly informative work. It was also when I read it as an undergraduate many years ago inspiring. I remember the description of philosophy's beginning in the ' wonder of anything that it is '. i.e. the wonder of how there is anything , and everything at all. I too remember the Heraclitus - Parmenides division and how they anticipate the Platonean synthesis. I am not an expert in the field and can say nothing about the work's scholarship, but as an ordinary reader I can say it is a work that interests and enhances interest in the subject it covers.

Rating:
Summary: The Achievement of a Lifetime's Work
Review: This five-volume set is the most comprehensive treatment of the spectrum of Greek philosophy ever written; this is a man's life-work, a distillation of decades of scholarship. Necessarily, it's written in a rather academic style, and Professor Guthrie expected the reader to already be versed in the basics. But that is not an insurmountable obstacle. The section on the Pythagoreans in this first volume is a self-contained book unto itself and a terrific source of information on the minor adherents to Pythagoreanism, which I haven't been able to find anywhere else. Guthrie also thoroughly works over the competing interpretations of the oracular pronouncements of Heraclitus, and delves in depth into the ontologies of the Milesians. Although most of the footnotes contain information on dusty battles between (mostly German) scholars about etymological and ascriptive concerns, they are rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: This six-volume history of Greek philosophy, which Guthrie unfortunately left unfinished, is a monument of scholarship. His knowledge of Greek is staggering, his treatments are thorough, and he is generally careful to let you know where the facts leave off and interpretations begin. My one reservation is that he sometimes betrays more interest in historical minutiae than in philosophy; for instance, his treatment of Plato (vols. 4-5) attaches far too much importance to the order in which the dialogues were written (as if we could be really sure of that!). And there's no question that these books are expensive and meant only for the serious student. But if Greek philosophy is your passion, you can't overlook these volumes.