Philosophy Before Socrates: An Introduction with Texts and Commentary

A new introduction and sourcebook in presocratic philosophy, Philosophy Before Socrates provides a wide survey, informed by the most recent scholarship, of Greek science, metaphysics, and moral and political philosophy, from their roots in myth to the philosophers and sophists of the fifth century. A comprehensive selection of fragments and testimonia, newly translated by the author, is presented in the context of a thorough and accessible discussion. An introductory chapter deals with the sources of presocratic and sophistic texts and the special problems of interpretation they present.