by A. A. Long
The following headings are used:
I Introductory:
(A) Comprehensive texts and translations
(B) Comprehensive studies
(C) Bibliographical resources
(D) Sources and source criticism [ch. 2]
(E) Intellectual and cultural context
(F) Collections of articles
II Individual philosophers, movements, and topics:
(A) The Milesians: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes. The beginnings of cosmology. [ch. 3; also chs. 1, 8, 16]
(B) Xenophanes. [chs. 1, 3, 10, 11, 16]
(C) Pythagoras, Philolaus and the Pythagorean tradition. [ch. 4]
(D) Heraclitus. [ch. 5; also chs. 1, 10–12, 16]
(E) The Eleatics: Parmenides and Melissus. [ch. 6; also chs. 7–12, 16]
(F) Zeno. [ch. 7; also chs. 6, 9]
(G) Empedocles. [ch. 8; also chs. 4, 10–13, 16]
(H) Anaxagoras. [ch. 8; also chs. 12–13, 16]
(I) The atomists: Leucippus and Democritus. [ch. 9; also chs. 10, 12–13]
(J) Diogenes of Apollonia, [chs. 10–11]
(K) The sophists: ethical and political thought. [ch. 14; also chs. 1, 15]
(L) Antiphon. [ch. 15; also ch. 9]
(M) Gorgias. [ch. 14; also ch. 16]
(N) Protagoras. [chs. 14–15; also chs. 9, 16]
(O) Rational theology. [ch. 10]
(P) Epistemology and psychology. [chs. 11–12]
(Q) Causality and medicine. [ch. 13]
(R) Philosophical poetics. [ch. 16]
JOURNAL ABBREVIATIONS
AGP Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie
AJP American Journal of Philology
ANRW Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt
AP Ancient Philosophy
BACAP Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy
CP Classical Philology
CQ Classical Quarterly
GRBS Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies
HSCP Harvard Studies in Classical Philology
ICS Illinois Classical Studies
JHP Journal of the History of Philosophy
JHS Journal of Hellenic Studies
JP Journal of Philosophy
OSAP Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy
PAS Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society
PR Philosophical Review
REG Revue des Études grecques
RM Rheinisches Museum
TAPA Transactions of the American Philological Association
I INTRODUCTORY
(A) Comprehensive texts and translations
The standard edition of the Greek material, which includes German translations of “B” fragments [see Mansfeld, ch. 2, p. 25], is
[1] Diels, H. Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 6th ed., rev. W. Kranz, 3 vols. (Berlin, 1952; first ed. 1903).
On the poet philosophers, see also
[2] Diels, H. Poetarum Philosophorum Fragmenta (Berlin, 1901).
The main doxographical texts are edited and discussed in
[3] Diels, H. Doxographi Graeci (Berlin, 1879).
For a generous selection of the Greek texts (omitting material on the sophists), together with translation and commentary, see
[4] Kirk, G. S., J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield. The Presocratic Philosophers, 2nd ed. [1st ed. by Kirk and Raven 1957] (Cambridge, 1982).
Further books giving translations of the primary texts include
[5] Barnes, J. Early Greek Philosophy, a translation of all the surviving fragments and selected doxographies (London, 1987).
[6] Burnet, J. Early Greek Philosophy, 4th ed. (London, 1930; 1st ed. 1892).
[7] Cohen, M., P. Curd, and C. Reeve. Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy from Thales to Aristotle (Indianapolis/Cambridge, 1995).
[8] Curd, P., and R. D., McKirahan, Jr. A Presocratics Reader (Indianapolis, 1996).
[9] Freeman, K. Ancilla to the Presocratic Philosophers. A Complete Translation of the [B] Fragments in Diels’ Fragmente der Vorsokratiker (Oxford, 1948).
[10] McKirahan, Jr, R. D. Philosophy Before Socrates (Indianapolis, 1994).
[11] Wright, M. R. The Presocratics. A selection of texts with introduction and commentary (Bristol, 1985).
For the primary Greek texts with German translation and commentary, see:
[12] Mansfeld, J. Die Vorsokratiker: Auswahl der Fragmente, Übersetzung und Erläuterungen (Stuttgart, 1987).
Editions of texts of individual philosophers (including sophists) and medical writers are listed under the appropriate headings in part II, “Individual philosophers and movements.”
(B) Comprehensive studies
These include Kirk, Raven, Schofield [4]; Burnet [6]; McKirahan [10]; and an excellent introduction by
[13] Hussey, E. The Presocratics (London, 1972; repr. Indianapolis, 1995).
On a much larger scale, two works, with excellent bibliographies, stand out
[14] Barnes, J. The Presocratic Philosophers, 2nd ed. [1st ed. 1979 in 2 vols.] (London, 1982).
and the first three volumes of W. K. C. Guthrie’s A History of Greek Philosophy.
[15] vol. 1, The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans (Cambridge, 1962).
[16] vol. 2, The Presocratic Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus (Cambridge, 1965).
[17] vol. 3, The Fifth-Century Enlightenment (Cambridge, 1969).
Of older histories, the best is
[18] Zeller, E. Die Philosophie der Griechen in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung, ed. W. Nestle, vol. I.1, 7th ed. (Leipzig, 1923) vol. 1.2, 6th ed. (Leipzig, 1920).
Zeller’s work has been translated, edited, and enlarged by
[19] Mondolfo, R. = Zeller-Mondolfo La filosofia dei Greci, vols. I.1, I.2 (Florence, 1932/1938).
See also
[20] Burnet, E. Greek Philosophy, part I: Thales to Plato (London, 1914).
On the sophists nothing has ever surpassed
[21] Grote, G. A History of Greece, 2nd ed. (London, 1869; 1st ed. 1846–56) ch. 67.
For philosophical stimulus (but not for scholarly accuracy), see
[22] Hegel, G. W. F. Lectures on the History of Philosophy, vol. 1 (London, 1892), trans. E. S. Haldane/F. H. Simson of Vorlesungen über die Geschichte der Philosophie (first publ. 1825/6).
(C) Bibliography
The most comprehensive bibliographic resource is
[23] Paquet, L., M. Roussel, and Y. Lafrance. Les Présocratiques: Bibliographie analytique (1879–1980), 2 vols., with suppl. 3rd vol. covering 1450–1879 (Montreal, 1988, 1989, and 1995).
which, for the period 1980–1989, can be supplemented by
[24] Navia, L. E. The Presocratic Philosophers: An Annotated Bibliography (New York/London, 1993).
For advice on the use of these tools, see
[25] Berryman, S., A. P. D. Mourelatos, and R. K. Sharma. “Two annotated bibliographies on the Presocratics: A critique and user’s Guide,” AP 15 (1995) 471–94.
See also
[26] Bell, Jr, G. G. and J. B. Allis. Resources in Ancient Philosophy: An Annotated Bibliography of Scholarship in English, 1965–1989, chs. 2–9 [with brief descriptive annotations of 500 books and articles] (Metuchen, N. J., 1991).
Other useful bibliographies can be found in Mourelatos [155] and Lloyd [111].
For new literature the following may be consulted: L’Année Philologique, The Philosopher’s Index, Ancient Philosophy, Elenchos, Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, Phronesis.
(D) Sources and source criticism
Modern scholarship begins with the classic work of Diels [3]. The best assessment and correction of this is
[27] Mansfeld, J. and D. T. Runia. Aetiana: The Method and Intellectual Context of a Doxographer vol. 1: The Sources (Leiden/New York/ Cologne, 1996).
See also
[28] Steinmetz, P. Die Physik des Theophrastos von Eresos (Bad Homburg/Berlin/Zürich, 1964).
Great illumination on doxography is provided in
[29] Mansfeld, J. �
��Aristotle, Plato and the Preplatonic doxography and chronography,” in G. Cambiano, ed. Storiografia e dossografia nella filosofia antica (Turin, 1986), 1–59 = Mansfeld [32] 22–83.
[30] Mansfeld, J. “Chrysippus and the Placita,” Phronesis 34 (1989) 311–42.
[31] Mansfeld, J. “Doxography and dialectic: The Sitz im Leben of the ‘Placita,’” ANRW II.36.4 (1990) 3056–3229.
[32] Mansfeld, J. Studies in the Historiography of Greek Philosophy (Assen/Maastricht, 1990).
[33] Mansfeld, J. Prolegomena: Questions to be Settled before the Study of an Author, or a Text (Leiden/New York/Cologne, 1994).
On Aristotle’s value as a source, the classic negative study is
[34] Cherniss, H. Aristotle’s Criticism of Presocratic Philosophy (Baltimore, 1935).
For more positive assessments of Aristotle, see
[35] Guthrie, W. K. C. “Aristotle as historian,” in Furley/Allen [148] 239–54, first publ. in JHS 77 (1957) 35–41.
and
[36] Stevenson, J. G. “Aristotle as historian of philosophy,” JHS 94 (1974) 138–43.
The Greek sources for Theophrastus, with translation, are collected in
[37] Fortenbaugh, W. W., P. M. Huby, R. W. Sharples, and D. Gutas. eds. Theophrastus of Eresus, Sources for his Life, Writings, Thought and Influence (Leiden, 1992; repr. 1994).
The Greek text of Theophrastus’ De sensibus, with translation, is included in
[38] Stratton, G. M. Theophrastus and the Greek Physiological Psychology before Aristotle (London/New York, 1917).
and discussed by
[39] Baltussen, H. Theophrastus on Theories of Perception: Argument and Purpose in the De sensibus (diss. Utrecht, 1993).
[40] Mansfeld, J. “Aristote et la structure du De sensibus de Théophraste,” Phronesis 41 (1996) 158–88.
For an important collection of articles on Theophrastus, see
[41] Fortenbaugh, W. W. and D. Gutas., eds. Theophrastus. His Psychological, Doxographical and Scientific Writings (New Brunswick/London, 1992).
Theophrastus’ accuracy as a source is impugned by
[42] McDiarmid, J. B. “Theophrastus on the Presocratic causes,” in Furley/ Allen [148] 178–238, first publ. more fully in HSCP 61 (1953) 85–156.
and to a lesser extent by
[43] Long, A. A. “Theophrastus De sensibus on Plato,” in Algra [139] (1996) 345–62.
For further assessment of Peripatetic doxography, see
[44] Mansfeld, J. “Physikai doxai and problemata physica from Aristotle to Aëtius (and beyond),” in Fortenbaugh/Gutas [41] (1992) 63–111.
On Aetius specifically, see
[45] Daiber, H., ed. Aetius Arabus. Die Vorsokratiker in arabischer Überlieferung (Wiesbaden, 1980).
[46] Lebedev, A. (1984) : neglected fragments of Democritus and Metrodorus of Chios,” in Benakis [398] vol. 2.
[47] Lebedev, A. “Did the doxographer Aetius ever exist?” in Philosophie et Culture. Actes du XVIIe Congrès mondial de philosophie, Montréal 1983. Actes/Proceedings (Montréal, 1988) 3.813–7 (microfilm).
[48] Runia, D. T. “Xenophanes on the moon: a doxographicum in Aëtius,” Phronesis 34 (1989) 245–69.
[49] Runia, D. T. “Xenophanes or Theophrastus? An Aëtian doxographicum on the sun,” in Fortenbaugh/Gutas [41] (1992) 112–40.
Much has recently been written on Hippolytus, see
[50] Hershbell, J. P. “Hippolytus’ Elenchos as a source for Empedocles reexamined,” Phronesis 18 (1973) 97–114 and 187–203.
[51] Mansfeld, J. Heresiography in Context: Hippolytus’ Elenchos as a Source for Greek Philosophy (Leiden/New York/Cologne, 1992).
[52] Osborne, C. Rethinking Early Greek Philosophy: Hippolytus of Rome and the Presocratics (London, 1987).
whose position is criticized by
[53] Mueller, I. “Hippolytus retractatus: a discussion of Catherine Osborne, Rethinking Early Greek Philosophy,” OSAP 7 (1989) 233–51.
[54] Mueller, I. “Heterodoxy and doxography in Hippolytus’, Refutation of All Heresies,” ANRW II.36.6 (1992) 4309–74.
Plutarch’s value as a source may be studied in
[55] Westman, R. Plutarch gegen Kolotes, Seine Schrift « Adversus Colotem » als philosophiegeschichtliche Quelle (Helsinki, 1955).
[56] Hershbell, J. P. “Plutarch as a source for Empedocles re-examined,” AJP 92 (1971) 156–84.
[57] Hershbell, J. P. “Plutarch and Parmenides,” GRBS 13 (1972) 193–207.
[58] Hershbell, J. P. “Plutarch and Democritus,” Quaderni Urbinati di Cultura Classica 10 (1982) 81–111.
[59] Hershbell, J. P. “Plutarch and Anaxagoras,” ICS 7 (1982) 141–58.
[60] Hershbell, J. P. “Plutarch and the Milesian philosophers,” Hermes 114 (1986) 172–85.
Useful studies of Diogenes Laertius include
[61] Mejer, J. Diogenes Laertius and his Hellenistic Background (Wiesbaden, 1978).
[62] Mejer, J. “Diogenes Laertius and the transmission of Greek philosophy,” ANRW II.36.5 (1992) 3556–3602.
[63] Rocca-Serra, G. “Parménide chez Diogene Laërce,” in Aubenque [279] (1987) 254–73.
For further study of particular sources, see
[64] Gelzer, Th. “Plotins Interesse an den Vorsokratikern,” Museum Helveticum 39 (1982) 101–31.
[65] Gutas, D. Greek Wisdom Literature in Arabic Translation: A Study of the Graeco-Arabic Gnomologia (New Haven, 1975).
[66] Hall, J. J. “Seneca as a source for earlier thought (especially meteorology),” CQ 27 (1977) 409–36.
[67] Hine, H. M. An Edition with Commentary of Seneca Natural Questions, Book Two (Salem, N.H., 1981; repr. 1984).
[68] Mansfeld, J. “Heraclitus, Empedocles and others in a Middle Platonist Cento in Philo of Alexandria,” Vigiliae Christianae 39 (1985) 131–56 = J. Mansfeld Studies in Later Greek Philosophy and Gnosticism (London, 1989) 218–33.
[69] Mansfeld, J. “Gibt es Spuren von Theophrasts Phys. op. bei Cicero?” in W. W. Fortenbaugh and P. Steinmetz, eds. Cicero’s Knowledge of the Peripatos (New Brunswick N.J./London, 1989) 133–58 = Mansfeld [32] 238–63.
[70] Méhat, A. Études sur les ‘Stromates’ de Clément d’Alexandrie (Paris, 1966).
[71] Mosshammer, A. A. The Chronicle of Eusebius and Greek Chronographic Tradition (Lewisburg, PA/London, 1979).
Questions about sources and their interpretative perspectives are also raised in
[72] Barnes, J. “The Presocratics in context,” Phronesis 33 (1988) 327–44.
[73] Burkert, W. “Plotin, Plutarch und die platonisierende Interpretation von Heraklit und Empedokles,” in J. Mansfeld and L. M. de Rijk, eds. Kephalaion: Studies in Greek Philosophy and its Continuation offered to Professor C. J. de Vogel (Assen, 1975) 137–46.
[74] Grant, R. M. “Early Christianity and Pre-Socratic philosophy,” in H. A. Wolfson Jubilee, vol. 1 (Jerusalem, 1965) 357–84, repr. in his After the New Testament (Philadelphia, 1967).
[75] Makin, S. “How can we find out what ancient philosophers said?” Phronesis 33 (1988) 121–32.
[76] O’Brien, D. “Problèmes d’établissement du texte: la transmission du poème dans l’antiquité,” in Aubenque [279] (1987) 314–50.
[77] Patzer, A. Der Sophist Hippias als Philosophiehistoriker (Munich, 1986).
[78] Rösler, W. “Lukrez und die Vorsokratiker,” Hermes 101 (1973) 48–64 = C. J. Classen, ed. Probleme der Lukrezforschung (Hildesheim, 1986) 57–73.
[79] Rudolph, U. Die Doxographie des Pseudo-Ammonios (Stuttgart, 1989).
[80] Whittaker, J. “The value of indirect tradition in the establishment of Greek philosophical texts or the art of misquotation,” in J. N. Grant, ed. Editing Greek and Latin Texts (New York, 1989) 63–95.
[81] Wildberg, C. “Simplicius und das Zitat. Zur Geschichte des Anführungszeichens,” in Symbolae Berolinenses, Festschrift für Dieter Harlfinger (Berlin, 1993) 187–99.
(E) Intellectual and cultural context
The works cited here offer a wid
e range of perspectives on matters pertaining to the antecedents, background or general character of early Greek philosophy:
[82] Adkins, A. W. H. Merit and Responsibility: A Study in Greek Values (Oxford, 1960; repr. Chicago. 1975).
[83] Bickerman, E. J. Chronology of the Ancient World (London, 1968).
[84] Boardman, J. The Greeks Overseas, 2nd ed. (London, 1980).
[85] Burkert, W. Greek Religion (Cambridge, Mass., 1985), trans. J. Raffan of Griechische Religion der archaischen und klassischen Epoche (Stuttgart, 1977).
[86] Cambiano, G. Il Ritorno degli Antichi (Rome, 1988), which includes useful assessments of the attitudes to early Greek philosophy adopted by Heidegger and Popper.
[87] Cherniss, H. “The characteristics and effects of Presocratic philosophy,” in Furley/Allen [148] 1–28, first publ. in Journal of the History of Ideas 12 (1951) 319–45.
[88] Cornford, F. M. From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation (London, 1912; repr. New York, 1957).
[89] Cornford, F. M. “Was the Ionian philosophy scientific?” in Furley/ Allen [148] 29–41, first publ. in JHS 62 (1942) 1–7.
[90] Cornford, F. M. Principium Sapientiae (Cambridge, 1952).
[91] Detienne, M. and J.-P. Vernant. Cunning Intelligence in Greek Culture and Society (Atlantic Highlands, NJ, 1978; repr. Chicago 1991), trans, J. Lloyd of Les ruses d’intelligence: la Mètis des grecs (Paris, 1974).
[92] Detienne, M. The Masters of Truth in Archaic Greece (New York, 1996), trans. J. Lloyd of Les Maîtres de vérité dans la grèce archaïque (Paris, 1965).
[93] Dicks, D. R. Early Greek Astronomy (Ithaca, 1970; repr. 1985).
[94] Dodds, E. R. The Greeks and the Irrational (Berkeley, 1951).
[95] Easterling, P. E. and B. M. W. Knox., eds. The Cambridge History of Classical Literature, vol. 1 Greek Literature (Cambridge, 1985).
[96] Farrar, C. The Origins of Democratic Thinking: The Invention of Politics in Classical Athens (Cambridge, 1988).