Abstract

An increasing interest in the philosophy of the Hellenistic age has prompted Reale to start the English translation of his History of Ancient Philosophy with volume 3. The book covers its ground quite extensively. It starts with a general outline of the spiritual development during the Hellenistic age and goes into a detailed description of the different schools, from the Decline of the Minor Socratic Schools and the Schools of Plato and Aristotle to the three major developments in Hellenistic times, Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Scepticism. The author is informative about major as well as about minor figures in the different schools, gives an outline of their doctrines and a critical evaluation of their achievements from their origins to what he calls, somewhat misleadingly, "the end of the pagan era". The interpretations are well-documented, which is of special importance in Hellenistic philosophy since we rely on reconstructions that draw on widely scattered sources not easily available and accessible.