Skip to main content

From Religion to Philosophy: A Study in the Origins of Western Speculation

by Francis Cornford

256 Members 1 Review (3.86)

On This Page

Recommendations

Author Information

Common Knowledge

Classifications

Description

In this exploration of the "very first utterance of philosophers," F. M. Cornford showed that the remarkable burst of abstract speculation among pre-Socratic thinkers of the sixth century B.C. emerged directly from the religious thought of the preceding era in Greece. Combining profound classical scholarship with striking anthropological and sociological insight, Cornford rejected the post-Darwinian rationalist assumption that religion and philosophy are fundamentally different from each show more other. His book supplies a needed reminder of the intricate connections between critical scientific thought and social and emotional experience. As he probes the mythic antecedents of such persistent metaphysical concepts as Destiny, God, Soul, Substance, Nature, and Immortality, Cornford warns us that "unless we have some grasp of that history [of myth], we are not likely to understand the speculation, which, however scientific its spirit may be, constantly operates with these religious ideas, and is to a large extent confined in its movement within the limits already traced by them." Classicists, historians of religion, students of ancient history, and everyone concerned with the subject of myth will find this lucid and highly original work to be a source of rich insights about the organic nature and continuity of Western thought. show less

Tags

Recommendations

The Presocratic Philosophers by G. S. Kirk

The Presocratic Philosophers

Plato's Theory of Knowledge by Plato

Plato's Theory of Knowledge

The Greeks and the Irrational by E. R. Dodds

The Greeks and the Irrational

Five Stages of Greek Religion by Gilbert Murray

Five Stages of Greek Religion

The Republic of Plato by Plato

The Republic of Plato

Before and After Socrates by F. M. Cornford

Before and After Socrates

The Discovery of the Mind by Bruno Snell

The Discovery of the Mind

Plato: The Man and His Work by A. E. Taylor

Plato: The Man and His Work

Early Greek Philosophy by John Burnet

Early Greek Philosophy

The Greek Philosophers: From Thales to Aristotle by W. K. C. Guthrie

The Greek Philosophers: From Thales to Aristotle

W. K. C. Guthrie

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture: Volume I: Archaic Greece: The Mind of Athens by Werner Jaeger

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture: Volume I: Archaic Greece: The Mind of Athens

The Greeks and Their Gods by W. K. C. Guthrie

The Greeks and Their Gods

W. K. C. Guthrie

Plato: Complete Works by Plato

Plato: Complete Works

Greek Religion by Walter Burkert

Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion by Jane Ellen Harrison

Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion

Jane Ellen Harrison

Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality Among the Greeks by Erwin Rohde

Psyche: The Cult of Souls and Belief in Immortality Among the Greeks

A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 1. The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans by W. K. C. Guthrie

A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 1. The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans

W. K. C. Guthrie

The Origins of Greek Thought by Jean-Pierre Vernant

The Origins of Greek Thought

Jean-Pierre Vernant

Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy by Eduard Zeller

Outlines of the History of Greek Philosophy

The Greeks by H. D. F. Kitto

The Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

The Nicomachean Ethics

Principium Sapientiae a study of the origins of Greek philosophical thought by Francis Cornford

Principium Sapientiae a study of the origins of Greek philosophical thought

Francis Cornford

The Symposium by Plato

The Last Days of Socrates by Plato

The Last Days of Socrates

Plato and Parmenides by Francis Cornford

Plato and Parmenides

Francis Cornford

Aristotle: Fundamentals of the History of His Development by Werner Jaeger

Aristotle: Fundamentals of the History of His Development

Gorgias by Plato

Ancilla to Pre-Socratic Philosophers: A Complete Translation of the Fragments in Diels, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker by Kathleen Freeman

Ancilla to Pre-Socratic Philosophers: A Complete Translation of the Fragments in Diels, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker

Kathleen Freeman

The Pre-Socratics;: A collection of critical essays (Modern studies in philosophy, APO-21) by Alexander P. D. Mourelatos

The Pre-Socratics;: A collection of critical essays (Modern studies in philosophy, APO-21)

Alexander P. D. Mourelatos

Early Greek Philosophy by Jonathan Barnes

Early Greek Philosophy

Jonathan Barnes

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture Volume II: In Search of the Divine Center by Werner Jaeger

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture Volume II: In Search of the Divine Center

The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy by Martha Nussbaum

The Fragility of Goodness: Luck and Ethics in Greek Tragedy and Philosophy

Martha Nussbaum

The Unwritten Philosophy and Other Essays by F. M. Cornford

The Unwritten Philosophy and Other Essays

A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 2. The Presocratic Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus by W. K. C. Guthrie

A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 2. The Presocratic Tradition from Parmenides to Democritus

W. K. C. Guthrie

Plato: An Introduction by Paul Friedlander

Plato: An Introduction

Paul Friedlander

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture Volume III: The Conflict of Cultural Ideals in the Age of Plato by Werner Jaeger

Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture Volume III: The Conflict of Cultural Ideals in the Age of Plato

A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 4. Plato, the Man and his Dialogues, Earlier Period by W. K. C. Guthrie

A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 4. Plato, the Man and his Dialogues, Earlier Period

W. K. C. Guthrie

Euthyphro / Apology / Crito / Meno / Phaedo by Plato

Euthyphro / Apology / Crito / Meno / Phaedo

Aristotle's Politics by Aristotle

Aristotle's Politics

Plato's Thought by G. M. A. Grube

Plato's Thought

The Trial of Socrates by I. F. Stone

The Trial of Socrates

Greek Folk Religion by Martin P. Nilsson

Greek Folk Religion

Martin P. Nilsson

Diogenes Laertius: Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Volume II, Books 6-10 (Loeb Classical Library No. 185) by Diogenes Laertius

Diogenes Laertius: Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Volume II, Books 6-10 (Loeb Classical Library No. 185)

Diogenes Laertius

Socrates by A. E. Taylor

The philosophy of Socrates : a collection of critical essays by Gregory Vlastos

The philosophy of Socrates : a collection of critical essays

Gregory Vlastos

In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley

In the Dark Places of Wisdom

The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy by A. A. Long

The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy

Dionysus: Myth and Cult by Walter F. Otto

Dionysus: Myth and Cult

A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell

A History of Western Philosophy

Bertrand Russell

A history of Greek religion by Martin P. Nilsson

A history of Greek religion

Martin P. Nilsson

Complete Recommendations

Member Reviews

Featured Recent Thumbs

All Ratings
3
4
No Rating

Members

Recently Added By: TBN1, cliohartzer, JPresto, maxiloll, jterry85, EduWolf, ucscclassics

Author Information

Francis Cornford

18+ Works 1,278 Members

Series

Belongs to Publisher Series

The Library of religion and culture

Mythos: the Princeton/Bollingen Series in World Mythology

Common Knowledge

Dedication: To Francis Darwin
First words: The origin of Greek philosophy is a problem which not only is of extraordinary interest, but seems at first sight peculiarly hopeful of solution.
Last words: (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)In this ecstasy, Thought denies itself; and Philosophy, sinking to the close of her splendid curving flight, folds her wings and drops into the darkness whence she arose--the gloomy Erebus of Theurgy and magic.

Statistics

Members: 256
Popularity: 126,156
Reviews: 1
Rating: (3.86)

Languages: English, Spanish
Media: Paper, Ebook
ISBNs: 10
UPCs: 1
ASINs: 11

Quick Facts

Published: 1980
Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, History, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS: 180
LCC: B188 .C6

Author

Picture of author.

Francis Cornford

18+ Works 1,278 Members

Popular Covers

Find It

Links

No links

Popularity

82%
58%
72%
47%
55%
100%
52%
74%
65%
38%
25%
43%
40%
11%

2012
2026

Ratings

Stars: (3.86)

Click to expand

Click to reduce

Helpers

Sinetrig (3), malloyd (2), Nicole_VanK (2), xaagmabag (2), CtrSacredSciences (2), StGregAbbLib (2), lasermazer (1), aquaticus (1), InfoQuest (1), awsparling (1)

Verdana Standard Verdana Small The Lorax System Standard System Large Georgia Large Text Atkinson