The Fragments of Heraclitus
Product ID: 18988553
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Heraclitus of Ephesus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived a lonely life earning him the moniker of the "Weeping Philosopher." His principal philosophy is embodied in the following statement "No man ever steps in the same river twice," in other words man faces an ever-present change in the universe. He believed in the unity of opposites, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same." According to Diogenes, Heraclitus worked on "a continuous treatise On Nature," which "was divided into three discourses, one on the universe, another on politics, and a third on theology." Only fragments of this work remain today many of which are quoted from other authors. Those fragments are presented here in a translation and with critical commentary by G. T. W. Patrick. Review: Good despite being dated - A scholarly translation even if it's dated, the notes are linked to each fragment and easy to access and close again. The Greek text is at the end. I didn't read the whole introduction which is doubtless a bit dated by now; nonetheless this translation of the text itself is fine and helpful, and as others have said, all you need. It's only a small text (of fragments) after all. Review: Not a pleasure read - This will fall on many as unreadable or not understandable. BUT, for those willing to put in the time, there are many pearls of wisdom within.
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 97 Reviews |
K**R
Good despite being dated
A scholarly translation even if it's dated, the notes are linked to each fragment and easy to access and close again. The Greek text is at the end. I didn't read the whole introduction which is doubtless a bit dated by now; nonetheless this translation of the text itself is fine and helpful, and as others have said, all you need. It's only a small text (of fragments) after all.
J**E
Not a pleasure read
This will fall on many as unreadable or not understandable. BUT, for those willing to put in the time, there are many pearls of wisdom within.
G**K
Philosophy
Enjoy reading old quotes from the ancient Greeks. You can certainly apply some of the quotes to today's world. Not all quotes are interpreted the same, read the book and see what you may come up with.
B**.
Don't buy a more expensive copy
It's the fragments. Even here they've packed it with filler and footnotes. If it's not on Libby get the cheap copy.
D**N
Really not much here
This book lives up to the title. It's just fragments. If you want a philosophical discourse that might be life changing, go to The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius or the works of Epictetus.
D**N
Five Stars
Best.
A**R
Where are the fragments
Bought this looking for fragments from Heraclitus. Inside is a bunch of stuff written by other people. Looked in the table of contents for “here are the fragments of Heraclitus we promised.” I would have preferred just having the fragments personally.
R**T
Ugh awful final product
Font is small, bunched up, not well thought out on how to put this book together.
A**L
Ancient Fragments
This edition is translated by GTW Patrick and published by Digireads.com. It opens with a poem by Tennyson and includes the original preface to this translation, dated 1888. This is followed by a lengthy introduction that reviews the work of other scholars of Heraclitus. So there is quite a lot of writing about Heraclitus before you even get to the writings of Heraclitus. The material is helpful, even if it’s not the most up to date scholarship. The introductory material takes up a bit over half the length of the book. Footnotes are well organized. And when you do get to the actual works of Heraclitus, these are very good, readable translations. But given the fragmentary state of the material, it can be hard to make sense of, or understand what larger work this may have been a part of. Many of the pieces have a lyrical quality and an air of ancient wisdom that makes the promise of these fragments seem greater than their actuality. Some are so fragmentary they consist only of a few words. Some seem quite insightful, but their meaning can seem obscure to the modern reader with limited context. The notes and other material are very helpful. And you could do an immense amount of further research on your own, based on the notes. This edition also contains the original Greek texts (especially useful if you know ancient Greek).
D**R
Purity with a upper case and a lower case
should be a interesting read
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