Hellenistic philosophy has historically not had as much attention as ancient Greek philosophy, especially Plato and Aristotle, whose dichotomous views of the world set the stage for the two “major sides” of almost every philosophical discourse since then, at least through the modern period (rationalist versus empiricist metaphysics). Nevertheless, it is important to study the traditionally less popular Hellenistic philosophers, in order to have a grasp on the mental life of the Greek culture at the time. It is also important to draw from that group of philosophers ideas and arguments that have the potential to shape the way contemporary thinkers—including those who have not yet established themselves as such—see and do philosophy both presently and historically. In order to effectively study the arguments of the Hellenistic philosophers, one must have a kind of compendium of their thoughts as such, a collection of their writings by which one can compare one movement to another, one thinker to another. It is in this that the second edition of Hellenistic Philosophy: Introductory Readings by Brad Inwood and L. P. Gerson succeeds tremendously. As an introductory anthology to the principle doctrines and arguments of the philosophers of Hellenistic Greece, it is robust, with only minor faults that the reader might wish to change about the book.
The book is split into three primary sections, with a thin introduction by the authors in the beginning of the book. Sections in the book include writings by Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics, with each of these lines of thought delimited by its own section heading. Each of the main sections contains English translations of the Greek texts. Because of the differing availability of writings on and differing focus within each train of thought, sections are represented differently. The book is intended to give an overview of Hellenistic thought through the mouths of the Greek thinkers themselves.
As a didactic work consisting almost entirely in original writings, the anthology is remarkably intuitive and well laid-out. There is also a consistency in the method of presentation for each section: the book begins with a selection from Diogenes Laertius discussing the biographical account of Epicurus, for example, but the Stoic section is laid out according to the primary sections in their doctrines—logic, ethics, physics, and so forth—while the account of the Skeptics treats of the progression and deepening of their methods. The glossary of key terms in the back of the book is helpful for pinpointing exactly what word is being used at any point in the translations, and the indices of names, sources, and translated fragments were highly useful, particularly where to the novice many of the names and concepts can seem to bleed together. The only things I personally missed in this anth0logy were persistent section headings and a cross-referencing system. By persistent section headings I mean the intermittent reminder of where the reader is in the hierarchy of readings: in long sections, it was easy for me to lose track of the author, particularly. I would liked to have seen more cross-referencing in the texts than merely the occasional footnote, also; since I realized numerous times that I had read of X concept before but could not pinpoint it, I would spend a good deal of time finding like passages to the one I was reading.
Overall, I would recommend this anthology to anyone who is interested in Hellenistic philosophy. As an anthology of original writings, this plain-English translation is very well put together and is as friendly to the novice as to the more seasoned Hellenistic investigator.
