--- product_id: 7072234 title: "Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics)" price: "AED 103" currency: AED in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ae/products/7072234-early-greek-philosophy-penguin-classics store_origin: AE region: United Arab Emirates --- # Timeless intellectual legacy Classic wisdom distilled Launchpad for modern thought Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics) **Price:** AED 103 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Unlock the roots of modern thought—don’t just read history, own it! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics) - **How much does it cost?** AED 103 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ae](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/7072234-early-greek-philosophy-penguin-classics) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Risk-Free Purchase:** Guaranteed secure packaging and hassle-free returns ensure your satisfaction. - • **Trusted Scholarly Insights:** Includes notes and commentary from distinguished scholars for deeper understanding. - • **Mint Condition & Fast Dispatch:** NewMint quality with same-day shipping if ordered before noon. - • **Curated Penguin Classics Edition:** Authoritative text with expert introductions and award-winning translations. - • **Foundations of Western Philosophy:** Explore the original ideas that shaped Plato, Aristotle, and beyond. ## Overview Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics) compiles the pioneering works of Pre-Socratic thinkers whose groundbreaking ideas laid the intellectual groundwork for Western philosophy. This Penguin Classics edition offers a pristine, expertly translated text with scholarly introductions and notes, delivered in mint condition with fast, reliable shipping and a customer-friendly return policy. ## Description The works collected in this volume form the true foundation of Western philosophy—the base upon which Plato and Aristotle and their successors would eventually build. Yet the importance of the Pre-Socratics thinkers lies less in their influence—great though that was—than in their astonishing intellectual ambition and imaginative reach. Zeno's dizzying 'proofs' that motion is impossible; the extraordinary atomic theories of Democritus; the haunting and enigmatic epigrams of Heraclitus; and the maxims of Alcmaeon: fragmentary as they often are, the thoughts of these philosophers seem strikingly modern in their concern to forge a truly scientific vocabulary and way of reasoning. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Review: thinkers like Thales, Anaximander - The early Greek philosophers, thinkers like Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Zeno, Empedocles, Leucippus, are foundational for the Western intellectual tradition. I couldn't imagine a better book then this one on the subject. Below are a few quotes from Jonathan Barnes's excellent 40 page introduction along with my brief comments: "First and most simply, the Presocratics invented the very idea of science and philosophy. They hit upon that special way of looking at the world which is the scientific and rational way. They saw the world as something ordered and intelligible, its history following an explicable course and its different parts arranged in a comprehensible system. The world was not a random collection of bits, its history was not an arbitrary jumble of events." ---------- This is central to their spirit of inquiry, an approach compatible with a modern physicist or chemist. "Nor was the world a series of events determined by the will or the caprice of the gods. The Presocratics were not atheists: they allowed the god into their brave new world, and some of them attempted to produce an improved and rationalized theology in place of the anthropomorphic divinities of the Olympian pantheon. But their theology had little to do with religion, and they removed most of the traditional functions of the gods. Their thunder was no longer the growling of a minatory Zeus." ----------- Again, the Presocratics have kindred spirits in the science departments at modern universities. Jonathan Barnes goes on to write how the Presocratics explained the world in ways that were systematic and economical, that is, these early philosophers wanted to "explain as much as possible in terms of as little as possible." Some of their key concepts were order (kosmos), nature (phusis), origins (arche) , and reason (logos). --------- These Greek words are supercharged with meaning. I used one English word for simplicity sake. How supercharged? The author does a fine job elaborating. The words of the Presocratics have come down to us as fragments. Here are several of my favorites: Xenophanes "But if cows and horses or lions had hands and drew with their hands or made the things men make, then horses would draw the forms of gods like horses, cows like cows, and each would make their bodies similar in shape to their own." Heraclitus "The uncomprehending, when they hear, are like the deaf. To them applies the saying: though present they are absent." Democritus "To a wise man the whole earth is accessible; for the country of a great soul is the whole world." "The desire for more destroys what is present - like Aesop's dog." "One should tell the truth, not speak at length." Review: great book. - It was a lot to read. Was a lot of "the son of this, who was the son of that, and the son of this who... etc". Other than that, this book offered interesting and important info regarding philosophers and about philosohpy. ## Features - New - Mint Condition - Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon - Guaranteed packaging - No quibbles returns ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 173 Reviews | ## Images ![Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71CALuPBtPL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ thinkers like Thales, Anaximander *by G***L on January 10, 2015* The early Greek philosophers, thinkers like Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Zeno, Empedocles, Leucippus, are foundational for the Western intellectual tradition. I couldn't imagine a better book then this one on the subject. Below are a few quotes from Jonathan Barnes's excellent 40 page introduction along with my brief comments: "First and most simply, the Presocratics invented the very idea of science and philosophy. They hit upon that special way of looking at the world which is the scientific and rational way. They saw the world as something ordered and intelligible, its history following an explicable course and its different parts arranged in a comprehensible system. The world was not a random collection of bits, its history was not an arbitrary jumble of events." ---------- This is central to their spirit of inquiry, an approach compatible with a modern physicist or chemist. "Nor was the world a series of events determined by the will or the caprice of the gods. The Presocratics were not atheists: they allowed the god into their brave new world, and some of them attempted to produce an improved and rationalized theology in place of the anthropomorphic divinities of the Olympian pantheon. But their theology had little to do with religion, and they removed most of the traditional functions of the gods. Their thunder was no longer the growling of a minatory Zeus." ----------- Again, the Presocratics have kindred spirits in the science departments at modern universities. Jonathan Barnes goes on to write how the Presocratics explained the world in ways that were systematic and economical, that is, these early philosophers wanted to "explain as much as possible in terms of as little as possible." Some of their key concepts were order (kosmos), nature (phusis), origins (arche) , and reason (logos). --------- These Greek words are supercharged with meaning. I used one English word for simplicity sake. How supercharged? The author does a fine job elaborating. The words of the Presocratics have come down to us as fragments. Here are several of my favorites: Xenophanes "But if cows and horses or lions had hands and drew with their hands or made the things men make, then horses would draw the forms of gods like horses, cows like cows, and each would make their bodies similar in shape to their own." Heraclitus "The uncomprehending, when they hear, are like the deaf. To them applies the saying: though present they are absent." Democritus "To a wise man the whole earth is accessible; for the country of a great soul is the whole world." "The desire for more destroys what is present - like Aesop's dog." "One should tell the truth, not speak at length." ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ great book. *by A***R on May 23, 2013* It was a lot to read. Was a lot of "the son of this, who was the son of that, and the son of this who... etc". Other than that, this book offered interesting and important info regarding philosophers and about philosohpy. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pre-Socratics *by P***S on April 27, 2011* The book contains essentially the complete writings of the pre-socratics in readable translation. The actual texts are printed in bold, with commentary by both pagan and Christian writers up to the medieval period. The edotor's own comments are helpful and clear. ## Frequently Bought Together - Early Greek Philosophy (Penguin Classics) - The Republic (Penguin Classics) - Letters from a Stoic: An illuminating journey through Seneca's teachings and Stoic philosophy (Collins Classics) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ae/products/7072234-early-greek-philosophy-penguin-classics](https://www.desertcart.ae/products/7072234-early-greek-philosophy-penguin-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Arab Emirates* *Store origin: AE* *Last updated: 2026-07-09*