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This book is an introduction to the main representatives of presocratic philosophical thought, namely Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, atomists and sophists. The author sketches main issues concerning problems of being, appearance, perception and mind.

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This coursebook addresses key presocratics from Heraclitus to the sophists, who stand at the origin of philosophy as cornerstone of European spirituality. Readers might find that already at this point we encounter timeless and actual questions concerning the human condition in the world, limits of our knowledge, or the problem of adequate articulation of reality. Later thinkers did not philosophised from scratch, but criticised or were inspired by their predecessors. The coursebook thus provides an introduction to presocratic thought as an important field of our spiritual history.

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Contents: Heraclitus - Parmenides - Empedocles - Anaxagoras - Atomists - Sophists - Relation between physis and nomos - Presocratic philosophy.

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Michal Zvarík teaches ancient philosophy at Trnava University, Slovakia. He is also interested in phenomenology and the idea of university.

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