Classic Surveys on Greek Philosophy (5 vols.)

Originally published as a multivolume work in 1882, Alfred Benn’s The Greek Philosophers begins by asking how Greek society, on the heels of the Peloponnesian War and in social and political disarray, “developed all the highest human faculties to an extent possibly rivalled but certainly not surpassed by the collective efforts of that vastly greater population which now wields the accumulated resources of modern Europe.”

Benn documents Greece’s rise in the post war years, the development of Athenian intellectual life, and the significance of Socrates’ life, and then spends several chapters examining the life and thought of Plato and Aristotle. Benn teases out the differences between Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy, an analysis that includes a fascinating chapter on the systematization of Aristotle’s thought. Benn also examines groups such as the Stoics, and Sceptics, and individual philosophers including Plotinus, Epicurus, and Lucretius.

The Philosophy of Greece considers how the prephilosophical culture and geography of Greece contributed to its fourth-century-BC intellectual and philosophical climate. Benn focuses on the nation as a whole, and seeks to understand how the Greek experience in the physical world created what many believe was the world’s most intellectually oriented society.

Greek philosophy established the central questions that perplex philosophers to this day. In The Fathers of Greek Philosophy Renn Hampden studies philosophy’s three foundational figures: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Examining each figure’s historical context, life, and work, Hampden addresses questions such as the historicity of Socrates’ life and his unique student-pupil relationship with Plato. It also delineates the specific areas of philosophy in which each thinker contributed most significantly.

Providing a succinct but informative historical sketch of Greek philosophy, B. C. Burt’s work introduces readers to all of the major figures in Greek philosophy and includes preeminent figures such as Plato and Aristotle, and other figures such as Diogenes Laertius, Zeno, and Epictetus.

With a warm introduction by William Rounseville Alger, Ellen Mitchell’s A Study of Greek Philosophy presents a thorough review of Greek philosophy’s history, character, and significance. Mitchell covers every major figure and movement comprehensively, and aims to entice readers to deeper study of philosophy. Accessible and clear, Mitchell’s book is ideal for those unfamiliar with philosophy or those who wish to study philosophy for personal enrichment.