The early Greek intellectuals who came before Plato and Aristotle, including Anaximander, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Parmenides, and many others, are covered in this book. Pre-Platonic Greek philosophy, according to the author, should not be considered only of historical importance. Even though only pieces of their work remain, the entire western intellectual tradition has studied and pondered them. In order to give us a thorough introduction to the entirety of classical Greek philosophy, the second edition of Ancient Greek Philosophy: Thales to Socrates spans the spectrum of western thought from the pre-Socratic to the Socratic periods.