Includes bibliographical references and index.

This is the remarkable story of the birth of philosophy, its flourishing in the ancient Mediterranean world, and the development of ideas which have shaped the course of Western thought and society. Sir Anthony Kenny's stimulating account begins with Pythagoras and Thales, and ends with St Augustine, who handed on the torch of philosophy to the Christian age. At the centre of the narrative are the two great figures of Plato and Aristotle, who between them set the agenda for philosophy for the next two millennia, and whose influence is as profound today as ever. The fruit of a lifetime's scholarship and insight, Ancient Philosophy sets the philosophers and their ideas in historical context, and explains the significance and impact of each wave of new ideas. It is the first volume in a magisterial new series, which brings the history of philosophy alive to anyone who wants to understand the roots of Western civilization. Book jacket.