The Pre-Socratics: A Beginner's Guide to the First Philosophers of the Western World, Including Thales, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, and Their Quest to Understand the Cosmos

Before Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, a small group of thinkers dared to ask a radical question: What is the world made of? They looked at the shifting seasons, the stars in the night sky, and the diversity of life, and sought answers not in the whims of gods, but in the power of human reason. These were the Pre-Socratics—the brilliant, enigmatic, and audacious pioneers who ignited the flame of Western philosophy. From The Philosophy School, The Pre-Socratics: A Beginner's Guide is your essential journey to the very dawn of thought. Many of their writings are lost, surviving only in fragments. This guide pieces together the puzzle, explaining their profound and often challenging ideas in clear, accessible language. Inside, you will meet the first great minds of the West and explore their world-changing ideas: Thales, Anaximander, and the Milesians: Join the very first quest for a single, underlying substance (*arche*) from which everything originates. Heraclitus the Obscure: Grapple with a world of constant flux where "you cannot step into the same river twice." Parmenides the Unchanging: Confront the powerful logic that claims change is an illusion and reality is a single, eternal One. Zeno and His Paradoxes: Challenge your own common sense with maddeningly brilliant puzzles about motion, like Achilles and the Tortoise. The Atomists: Discover the surprisingly modern theory that the universe is nothing but atoms and the void. Pythagoras: Uncover the mystical belief that "all things are number" and that the cosmos is a structured, mathematical harmony. This book is more than a history lesson; it is an exploration of the momentous shift from *mythos* (myth) to *logos* (reason) that made science and philosophy possible. It is a story of wonder, logic, and the enduring human quest to understand the cosmos. Journey back to the beginning and discover the wonder that began philosophy.