Presocratics and the Supernatural

Andrew Gregory is Reader in History of Science in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London, UK. He is the author of many books on the science of the ancient world, including Plato's Philosophy of Science and Ancient Greek Cosmogony.

Overall, Gregory provides a thorough introduction to the debates on Presocratic naturalism. He successfully shows that, in many instances, what may seem at first glance to be supernatural was actually carefully integrated into a naturalist conception of the world. His inclusive approach should be particularly invaluable for those who have not yet ventured beyond the confines of the standard philosophical canon.

• Introduction Natural and SupernaturalThe Literary and Philosophical BackgroundMagic and Its Practice in Presocratic GreeceMilesian PantheismXenophanes and the Drive Towards a Unitary GodThe Hippocratics and the Sacred DiseaseEmpedoclesThe Pythagoreans Leucippus and DemocritusConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex