In this acclaimed book, Maria Michela Sassi reconstructs the intellectual world of the early Greek “Presocratics” to provide a richer understanding of the roots of what used to be called “the Greek miracle.” This unique study explores the full range of early Greek thinkers in the context of their worlds—from the Milesian natural thinkers, the rhapsode Xenophanes, and the mathematician and “shaman” Pythagoras, to the inspired Parmenides, the oracular Heraclitus, and the naturalist and seer Empedocles.
Maria Michela Sassi teaches the history of ancient philosophy at the University of Pisa. Her books include The Science of Man in Ancient Greece.
"[A] rich investigation of the origins of philosophical thought in Greek culture."—Peter Adamson, New York Review of Books
"This book is among the most illuminating contributions to the much-debated topic of how, why, and in what form the Greeks of the sixth and fifth centuries BC created philosophy. Its constructive blend of cultural history, anthropology, and philosophical analysis makes it particularly good to think with, and it is now finally available to a broader audience of Anglophone readers."—David Sedley, University of Cambridge
"This elegant study shows how a variety of historical, social, and cultural questions and factors eventually led to the formation of a new discipline called 'philosophy' in ancient Greece. Sassi displays an admirable blend of anthropological and philosophical sensitivity that is perfectly adapted to the subject and illuminates it in many new ways."—André Laks, author of The Concept of Presocratic Philosophy
"This impressively learned book contributes to longstanding debates about the beginnings of Greek philosophy, its connections to earlier Greek writings that address similar topics, the way Aristotle shapes our access to Presocratic philosophy, and more."—Katja Maria Vogt, Columbia University
