G. Stamatellos, Introduction to Presocratics. a Thematic Approach to Early Greek Philosophy with Key Readings

Book Reviews / The International Journal of the Platonic Tradition 7 (2013) 121-143 127

G. Stamatellos, Introduction to Presocratics. A Thematic Approach to Early Greek Philosophy With Key Readings. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Pp. xiv, 162, EUR. 60-US$ 71.94.- (hb.) ISBN 9780470655023.

This libellus is executed with much erudition and vision. It is the third book of Giannis Stamatellos who entered the Neoplatonic publishing circle with Plotinus and the Presocratics. A Philosophical Study of Presocratic Influences in Plotinus’ Enneads (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2007), followed by Computer Ethics. A Global Perspective (Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2007). The latter shows the diversity of his expertise and, although outside of the scope of ancient philosophy, it deserves mention here for two reasons: fĳirst, it presents the broad spectrum of Stamatellos’ works in print; and secondly, it demonstrates his outreach commitment to the general public, to which point I will return at the end of this review. Anyone who has got his feet wet in the study of ancient philosophy knows that the later philosophical period one works in, the greater the need is for intimate familiarity with its earlier stages. Since Presocratic philosophy is standardly con- sidered the formative stage of ancient philosophy, Stamatellos’ Introduction to Pre- socratics offfers the best kind of “happy marriage” in which his expertise, as the author of the aforementioned programmatic study of Presocratic presence in Plotinus’ thought, places him in the auspicious position of sharing his knowledge of the earliest and latest stages of ancient philosophy. In such introduction, the stakes are high and the book meets them. The slim volume consists of preface, nine chapters (including introduction and conclusion), three appendices (presenting M.R. Wright’s translation of Presocrat- ics’ “main fragments,” a brief essay on the Presocratic sources, a longer sketch on the Presocratic legacy from the ancient playwrights to modern literature), two glos- saries (one of Greek terms, one of philosophical terms), a bibliography, and an index. All these are elements of a thoughtfully designed introductory text, meant to serve as a textbook. This impression is further solidifĳied by the typographical setting of the individual chapters which begin and end with summarizing para- graphs separated from the narrative in textboxes, by highlighting the major philosophical terms (translated or transliterated) in smaller textboxes adjacent to the main text, and by the highly synthesized exposition. These observations confĳirm Stamatellos’ declaration in the Preface that “this book does not address scholars and advanced students of ancient Greek philosophy; rather it targets non- experienced readers and people who are interested in Presocratic philosophy, hop- ing to motivate them into further reading and exploration of the early Greek philosophical tradition” (p. ix). The book succeeds in so doing and I will offfer further comments after presenting its thematic structure.

The Introduction begins with a sketch—chapter one—of the periods of ancient Greek philosophy, “the Presocratics as Pioneers,” and “Presocratic Historiography.” The presentation of these magisterial topics is shockingly brief, exceeding alto- gether a little over 6 pages. The outline schematically enumerates the major factors contributing to the origin of Presocratic thought: trade and travel, religion, lan- guage, society, education, competition, critical dialogue, and expression. Stamatel- los masterfully manages to impart much information in a minimal expanse and with a clear message about the “open-mindedness” of early Greek philosophy (p. 4). He also suggests, somewhat backhandedly, that “the phrase ‘early Greek philosophers’ might be more appropriate in the light of these philosophers’ intellectual innovation” (p. 6). This is an interesting idea and worth pursuing, especially in light of the latest scholarly trend of rethinking the conventional terms used to des- ignate the diffferent philosophical schools in antiquity. His decision not to pursue this idea further here, however, is judicious. This introduction is not the stage to fĳight that kind of battle. The introduction is followed by a laconic but informative chapter on the Preso- cratic philosophers introduced by name chronologically and grouped thematically by the standard division in Ionians, Pythagoreans, Eleatics, and Pluralists. Here Sta- matellos juxtaposes the material and the formal views about the origin and the nature of reality among the Presocratics. The chapter ends with a discussion of the development of the philosophical dichotomy between one and many in the Preso- cratic understanding of the universe. The Ionians are introduced fĳirst as supporters of “material monism.” While this term is usefully defĳined in a textbox (p. 10), the main philosophical tenets of the other schools are not. Instead, in such textboxes singled are the “tetractus” for the Pythagoreans (p. 13), the “antinomy” for the Eleat- ics (including Parmenides) (p. 14), and the “atomic theory” for the Pluralists from Empedocles to Leucippus (p.17). The criteria for the selection of these terms are not apparent and leave the impression of conceptual mismatch. The next 6 chapters, presenting six key philosophical themes (principles, the cosmos, being, soul, knowledge, ethics), form the core narrative of the exposition. The thematic organization of the material in lieu of a sequential onomastic presentation—so characteristic of the histories of philosophy—contains the greatest intellectual boon of the work. Even collections that are meant to showcase “the state of the art” of Presocratic philosophy such as, for example, The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999) do not completely succeed at keeping a strictly thematic focus. Andrew Smith’s accolade on the back-cover of Stamatellos’ Introduction deservedly praises “the thematic treatment” in the book as bringing “new perspectives and fresh philosophical insights.” This synoptic presentation of the Presocratics is fruitful and made me pause, more often than not, to ponder notions unnoticed before.