Principium Sapientiae: The Origins of Greek Philosophical Thought

Extraordinary book of penetrating insight into the meaning of ancient Greek thought at the moment when ritual and myth were being forged into something brand new, Philosophy. Chapters on Plato's belief in anamnesis, shamanism, ritual, Anaximander. Cornford digs down, searching for the roots of rationality, the origin of the Western system of thought, with a lucid style. This is a writer whose questing mind never ceased to uncover fascinating insights into ancient Greek texts. Very engaging, a dream come true for a reader like me, who enjoys ideas clearly presented, a book that touches off a sense of wonder on nearly every page