Ancient Greek Philosophy, Philosophy, The Presocratics, Videos

Introduction to Empedocles

The following is a transcript of this video.

In this lecture we discuss Empedocles, the most colorful of all the Presocratics. While Empedocles wrestled with Parmenides’ law against becoming, he also harbored within himself a strong spiritual impulse, and died by hurling himself into the volcanic crater of Mt. Etna, convinced that upon his death he would return to divinity.

Further Resources

Good Places to Start One’s Study of the Presocratics
A History of Greek Philosophy Volume I (1979) – W.K.C Guthrie
A History of Greek Philosophy Volume II (1979) – W.K.C Guthrie
Retrieving the Ancients: An Introduction to Greek Philosophy (2004) – David Roochnik
Presocratics (2007) – James Warren
Greek Philosophers: From Thales to Aristotle (1960) – W.K.C Guthrie

Works on Individual Presocratics
The Art and Thought of Heraclitus (1981) – Charles Kahn
Heraclitus (1999) – Philip Wheelwright
Remembering Heraclitus (2000) – Richard Geldard
Parmenides and the Way of Truth (2007) – Richard Geldard
The Atomists: Leucippus and Democritus (2010) – C.C.W. Taylor

Further Readings