The Presocratics and the Supernatural: Magic, Philosophy and Science in Early Greece

by Andrew Gregory

Overview

This book examines the relationship between magic, philosophy and the investigation of nature in presocratic Greece. Did the presocratic thinkers, often praised for their rejection of the supernatural, still believe in gods and the divine and the efficacy of magical practices? Did they use animism, astrology, numerology and mysticism in their explanations of the world? This book analyses the evidence in detail and argues that we need to look at each of these beliefs in context.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474234771
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/23/2015
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Andrew Gregory is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University College London, UK. He is the author of many books on the science of the ancient world, including Plato's Philosophy of Science (2000), Eureka! The Birth of Science (2001) and Ancient Greek Cosmogony (2008)

Table of Contents

Introduction
Natural and Supernatural
The Literary and Philosophical Background
Magic and Its Practice in Presocratic Greece
Milesian Pantheism
Xenophanes and the Drive Towards a Unitary God
The Hippocratics and the Sacred Disease
Empedocles
The Pythagoreans
Leucippus and Democritus
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Overall, Gregory provides a thorough introduction to the debates on Presocratic naturalism. He successfully shows that, in many instances, what may seem at first glance to be supernatural was actually carefully integrated into a naturalist conception of the world. His inclusive approach should be particularly invaluable for those who have not yet ventured beyond the confines of the standard philosophical canon.” —Stephanie Magowan, Royal Holloway, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

From the Publisher

Overall, Gregory provides a thorough introduction to the debates on Presocratic naturalism. He successfully shows that, in many instances, what may seem at first glance to be supernatural was actually carefully integrated into a naturalist conception of the world. His inclusive approach should be particularly invaluable for those who have not yet ventured beyond the confines of the standard philosophical canon.

Stephanie Magowan

Overall, Gregory provides a thorough introduction to the debates on Presocratic naturalism. He successfully shows that, in many instances, what may seem at first glance to be supernatural was actually carefully integrated into a naturalist conception of the world. His inclusive approach should be particularly invaluable for those who have not yet ventured beyond the confines of the standard philosophical canon.

Bryn Mawr Classical Review