In this exploration of the "very first utterance of philosophers," F. M. Cornford showed that the remarkable burst of abstract speculation among pre-Socratic thinkers of the sixth century B.C. emerged directly from the religious thought of the preceding era in Greece. Combining profound classical scholarship with striking anthropological and sociological insight, Cornford rejected the post-Darwinian rationalist assumption that religion and philosophy are fundamentally different from each other. His book supplies a needed reminder of the intricate connections between critical scientific thought and social and emotional experience. As he probes the mythic antecedents of such persistent metaphysical concepts as Destiny, God, Soul, Substance, Nature, and Immortality, Cornford warns us that "unless we have some grasp of that history [of myth], we are not likely to understand the speculation, which, however scientific its spirit may be, constantly operates with these religious ideas, and is to a large extent confined in its movement within the limits already traced by them." Classicists, historians of religion, students of ancient history, and everyone concerned with the subject of myth will find this lucid and highly original work to be a source of rich insights about the organic nature and continuity of Western thought.
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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An intellectual bargain,
By A Customer
This review is from: From Religion to Philosophy (Paperback)
Not simply an argument for the foundations of philosophy, this book contains sharp psychological and philosophical insights that help us understand who we are, and why. Much of Cornford's work here can stand beside that of Nietzsche and Freud. For those interested in the impact and subversivesness to the individual identity within hegemony, this book will answer many questions. It is a classic which can be read on many levels. At least as important today as the day it was published.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cornford's From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation,
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This review is from: From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation (Paperback)
It is commonly accepted that the first attempts at rational inquiry took place six centuries before our era. With the advent of Greek Science and Philosophy some of the traditional belief systems were reevaluated and reshaped. But is there a real separation, a borderline between the "scientific" (Ionian) and "mystical" (Italiote) systems of thought? Cornford's From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation argues that these two seemingly separate provinces of thought are two successive phases in the development of human feelings and beliefs. His vast knowledge of classical philosophy, mythology, anthropology and sociology allow him to examine the common ground between supernatural beliefs and rational speculations of pre-Socratic philosophers. A remarkable study indeed!!!
Anait Keuchguerian
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A classic!,
By Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation (Paperback)
Since its first release in 1912, this book became a classic. Widely acknowledged as one of the maxim authorities on the Greek philosophers, Cornford proposes that science and philosophy could be traced to religious roots through the mythic beginnings of metaphysical concepts. Its reading is absolutely indispensable.
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THE origin of Greek philosophy is a problem which not only is of extraordinary interest, but seems at first sight peculiarly hopeful of solution. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
elemental provinces, sympathetic continuum, limitless thing, religious representation, manifold world, fonctions mentales, scientific tendency, collective emotion, bodily elements Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Way of Opinion, Mystery God, Olympian God, Professor Burnet, Religion of the Chinese, Good Spirit, Plato's Phaedo, Threshold of Religion, History of the New World, Way of Righteousness New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
THE origin of Greek philosophy is a problem which not only is of extraordinary interest, but seems at first sight peculiarly hopeful of solution. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
elemental provinces, sympathetic continuum, limitless thing, religious representation, manifold world, fonctions mentales, scientific tendency, collective emotion, bodily elements Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Way of Opinion, Mystery God, Olympian God, Professor Burnet, Religion of the Chinese, Good Spirit, Plato's Phaedo, Threshold of Religion, History of the New World, Way of Righteousness New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 28
books:
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- Religion of the Chinese by Groot on 4 pages
- The Threshold of Religion by Robert R. Marett on page 25, page 81, and page 110
- Greek Religion: Belief and Experience by Thomas Harrison in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- VARIA SOCRATICA 1ST SERIES (Greek & Roman philosophy) by Taylor on page 37, and page 243
- Early Greek Philosophy by John Burnet in Front Matter, and page 184
See all 28 books this book cites
- The Myth and Ritual School: J.G. Frazer and the Cambridge Ritualists (Theorists of Myth) by Robert Ackerman on 7 pages
- The Invisible Origins of Legal Positivism: A Re-Reading of a Tradition (Law and Philosophy Library) by W.E. Conklin on 5 pages
- Theology and the Scientific Imagination from the Middle Ages to the Seventeenth Century by Amos Funkenstein on page 43, page 45, and Back Matter
- Religion and the Order of Nature by Seyyed Hossein Nasr on page 73, page 74, and page 114
- Medical Ethics in the Ancient World (Clinical Medical Ethics series) by Paul J. Carrick on page 52, page 66, and Back Matter
See all 100 books citing this book
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