{"word_count": 599, "character_count": 4147}
Classical Philosophy. A history of philosophy without any gaps, 1&#160;Peter Adamson, Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2014.Classical Philosophy is the first of a series of books in which Peter Adamson aims ultimately to present a complete history of philosophy, more thoroughly but also more enjoyable than ever before. In short, lively chapters, based on the popular History of Philosophy podcast, he offers an accessible, humorous, and detailed look at the emergence of philosophy with the Presocratics, the probing questions of Socrates, and the first full flowering of philosophy with the dialogues of Plato and the treatises of Aristotle. The story is told 'without any gaps', discussing not only such major figures but also less commonly discussed topics like the Hippocratic Corpus, the Platonic Academy, and the role of women in ancient philosophy. Within the thought of Plato and Aristotle, the reader will find in-depth introductions to major works, such as the Republic and the Nicomachean Ethics, which are treated in detail that is unusual in an introduction to ancient philosophy. Adamson looks at fascinating but less frequently read Platonic dialogues like the Charmides and Cratylus,  and Aristotle's ideas in zoology and poetics. This full coverage allows him to tackle ancient discussions in all areas of philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, ethics and politics. Attention is also given to the historical and literary context of classical philosophy, with an exploration of how early Greek cosmology responded to the poets Homer and Hesiod, how Socrates was presented by the comic playwright Aristophanes and the historian Xenophon, and how events in Greek history may have influenced Plato's thought. This is a new kind of history which will bring philosophy to life for all readers, including those coming to the subject for the first time.(Text by the author)&#160;Contents:PrefaceEarly Greek Philosophy 1. Everything is Full of Gods: Thales2. Infinity and Beyond: Anaximander and Anaximines3. Created in Our Image: Xenophanes4. The Man with the Golden Thigh: Pythagoras5. Old Man River: Heraclitus6. The Road Less Traveled: Parmenides7. You Can't Get There From Here: the Eleatics8. The Final Cut: The Atomists9. Mind over mixture: Anaxagoras10. All You Need is Love, and Five Other Things: Empedocles11. Good Humor Men: the Hippocratic Corpus12. Making the Weaker Argument the Stronger: The SophistsSocrates and Plato 13. Socrates Without Plato: The Portrayals of Aristophanes and Xenophon14. Method Man: Plato's Socrates15. In Dialogue: The Life and Writings of Plato16. Know Thyself: Two Unloved Platonic Dialogues17. Virtue Meets its Match: Plato's Gorgias18. We Don't Need No Education: Plato's Meno19. I Know, Because the Caged Bird Sings: Plato's Theaetetus20. Famous Last Words: Plato's Phaedo21. Soul and the City: Justice in Plato's Republic22. Ain't No Sunshine: the Cave Allegory of Plato's Republic23. Second Thoughts: Plato's Parmenides and the Forms24. Untying the Not: Plato's Sophist25. What's in a Name?: Plato's Cratylus26. A Likely Story: Plato's Timaeus27. Wings of Desire: Plato's Erotic Dialogues28. Last Judgments: Plato, Poetry, and MythAristotle 29. Mr Know it All: Aristotle's Life and Works30. The Philosopher's Toolkit: Aristotle's Logical Works31. A Principled Stand: Aristotle's Epistemology32. Down to Earth: Aristotle on Substance33. Form and Function: Aristotle's Four Causes34. Let's Get Physical: Aristotle's Natural Philosophy35. Soul Power: Aristotle's De Anima36. Classified Information: Aristotle's Biology37. The Goldilocks Theory: Aristotle's Ethics38. The Second Self: Aristotle on Pleasure and Friendship39. God Only Knows: Aristotle on Mind and God40. Constitutional Conventions: Aristotle's Political Philosophy41. Stage Directions: Aristotle's Rhetoric and Poetics42. Anything You Can Do: Women and Ancient Philosophy43. The Next Generation: The Followers of Plato and AristotleGuide to Further ReadingReviewed by Eve A. Browning, University of Texas at San Antonio (Eve.Browning@utsa.edu): Version at BMCR home site