This newly written, brilliantly crafted history of philosophy at a glance provides a summary of the leading themes of philosophical thought from its beginnings to the present. It also fulfills the criterion that "it is also a task of philosophy to provide joy."

Contents:

• Introduction
• The Ionian Natural Philosophers
• Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans
• Xenophanes, Parmenides, and Heraclitus
• Empedocles, Anaxagoras, and Democritus
• The Sophists
• Socrates
• The Socratic Schools
• Plato
• Aristotle
• The Philosophy of Hellenism and the Romans
• The Stoics
• The Epicureans
• The Skeptics
• The Neopythagoreans
• The Middle Platonists
• The Neoplatonists
• The Commentators on Aristotle
• Bibliography.