Ancient Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

How should you introduce a country? With an abstract map of its terrain? Or would it be better to show a beautiful picture (or several) to stand for the whole--say the Taj Majal for India--something to lure and enchant the would-be traveler?

Julia Annas chooses the latter strategy. Her introduction leads the reader right to the heart of some of the most important questions of early philosophy: the dichotomy between passion and reason; the nature of the self; whether or not there is a goal to life; what logic is and why it is desirable and necessary; whether knowing is possible; the ways in which we explore the nature and pattern of the universe through science.

Annas' strength is her ability to express the fundamental questions of early philosophy with great clarity and to follow-up with very succinct descriptions of how they were treated by Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and a range of other early philosophers.

Her treatment of The Republic (Penguin Classics) is especially strong. She shows us how from Jowett onwards it came te be regarded primarily as a political work. However, she shows that the work takes up a much broader question, the relation between virtue and happines. Plato sketches the structure of an ideal society as a model for the structure of the soul. Annas provides a good, quick overview of the work itself while demonstrating the ways in which interpretations have varied during different historical periods.

Readers looking for a broader survey might choose Frederick Copleston's History of Philosophy, Volume 1 (History of Philosophy). Those looking for an in-depth view showing how the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers elevated DOING philosophy (rather than studying it as an academic subject) specifically for the purpose of achieving happiness in this life should see Pierre Hadot's very interesting treatment What Is Ancient Philosophy?.

Even the non-beginner will find a very clear and interesting treatment of the major philosophic questions of the ancients in this compact 100-page book.

General Review of Book Series: I have to admit it: I am a fan of these little books. It's my dirty little secret. These short introductions provide one with a pocketsize, portable introduction to a wide variety of topics. With a light tone and a surface skim of the issues, these little guides provide one with the general overview one might expect in a small survey course. Naturally, there are downsides. Are these guides comprehensive? Heavens no! Do they take time to dig deeply into the issues? Not generally. But are they a good resource to use if you want to get your feet wet before you dive in? Yes. When used properly, these little guidebooks can allow what might start out as a casual curiosity to develop into a more in-depth research project. In fact, all of these introductions provide references and suggestions for further reading.

Julia Annas's _A Very Short Introduction to Ancient Philosophy_ is a very lively book that immerses the reader into the world of ancient philosophy without assuming any prior knowledge of the topic. Annas throws aside the standard "march through history" account of these thinkers and chooses instead to engage the reader with the problems and concerns these ancient thinkers puzzled over. Many readers have faulted her for this decision for she does not provide a quick & easy reference to names and ideas. But her point is that such a reference guide is, in many ways, impossible to construct. Therefore, we should be aware of how we "create" these thinkers according to our own interests and bias.

Chapter One concerns the battle between reason and emotion in our souls, a discussion that leads right into her treatment of Plato's _Republic_. What is interesting about Annas's account of the _Republic_ is that she chooses to focus upon the ways in which Plato's work has been received by generations of scholars instead of purely focusing on the philosophical merit of the work. While I would have liked a bit more philosophy in this chapter, her analysis helps to reveal the ways in which our understanding of the _Republic_ is influenced (and perhaps even dictated) by our own philosophical interests. Thus, perhaps Annas does not provide a thorough philosophical examination of the _Republic_ because her own interpretation would be hampered by such influence. However, I also suspect that, being a short introduction, there was simply no time to get too heavily involved in it.

Annas's remaining sections are devoted to eudaimonism and virtue, reason and scepticism, and logic and reality. It is the final chapter, however, that I found particularly interesting, perhaps because it deals a bit more with chronology than Annas has chosen to use in the rest of the book. In this chapter, Annas tries to provide some grounds for grouping "ancient philosophy" as a whole, and discusses the ways that thinkers reacted to one another, the dividing influence of Plato, and the status of ancient philosophy after Plato and Aristotle. In general, I enjoy chronological accounts of these thinkers, but Annas does a wonderful job keeping me interested and engaging these thinkers in a slightly different way than I am accustomed to. I would recommend this introduction to anyone thinking of exploring ancient philosophy further.

Every once in a great while comes a book that takes what can be a difficult subject matter and melts it into a coherent, readable whole that can be enjoyed by both student and intelligent reader alike, whether in the classroom or on the commuter train to work.

Unfortunately, this book is not one of them.

To be effective, a "short introduction" must not only be concise, but also reader friendly, keeping to the subject as close as possible in langauge terms designed to enlighten and entertain with an eye toward expanding the reader's interest in the subject covered.

Annas conveys none of the above, mainly because she hardly sticks to the subject matter at hand: philosophy. Instead we get a historical-political-sociological treatise that fails on every level to meet the expectations a reader has coming into the book.

Actually, when one applies common sense, this is too large a subject to fit into too small a format. For a couple of dollars more, there is an excellent title called "Greek Philosophy" by the same publisher. Also, for a few dollars more, are the works of popularizers Bryan Magee, Roger Scruton, and Robert Solomon, each of whom will give you way more than your money's worth. Try them; your wallet won't feel used and abused.