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Early Greek philosophy

Chapter 3: PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
By John Burnet
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About This Book

The volume surveys the origins and development of early Greek thought, concentrating on cosmological inquiry that preceded formal logic and ethics. It opens with a discussion of primitive views and the Milesian school, then examines major pre-Socratic figures and movements—Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, the Pythagoreans, the Eleatics, Leucippus and atomism—and treats themes such as the tension between scientific explanation and traditional religion, the rise of logical methods, and problems of knowledge. Chapters combine critical commentary on fragmentary sources with comparative analysis of doctrines and an appendix summarises the ancient authorities used.

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION

No apology is needed for the appearance of a work dealing with Early Greek Philosophy. The want of one has long been felt; for there are few branches of philology in which more progress has been made in the last twenty years, and the results of that progress have not yet been made accessible to the English reader. My original intention was simply to report these results; but I soon found that I was obliged to dissent from some of them, and it seemed best to say so distinctly. Very likely I am wrong in most of these cases, but my mistakes may be of use in calling attention to unobserved points. In any case, I hope no one will think I have been wanting in the respect due to the great authority of Zeller, who was the first to recall the history of philosophy from the extravagances into which it had wandered earlier in the century. I am glad to find that all my divergences from his account have only led me a little further in the path that he struck out.

I am very sensible of the imperfect execution of some parts of this work; but the subject has become so large, and the number of authorities whose testimony must be weighed is so great, that it is not easy for any one writer to be equally at home in all parts of the field.

I have consulted the student’s convenience by giving references to the seventh edition of Ritter and Preller (ed. Schultess) throughout. The references to Zeller are to the fourth German edition, from which the English translation was made. I have been able to make some use also of the recently published fifth edition (1892), and all references to it are distinguished by the symbol Z5. I can only wish that it had appeared in time for me to incorporate its results more thoroughly.

I have to thank many friends for advice and suggestions, and, above all, Mr. Harold H. Joachim, Fellow of Merton College, who read most of the work before it went to press.

J. B.

Oxford, 1892.