The effort has been made to translate, and not to paraphrase the author’s meaning. Many of his statements might have been amplified without diffuseness, and made more perceptible to the superficial reader without losing their interest to the more profound student, but he has so happily seized upon the germs of the different systems, that they neither need, nor would be improved by any farther development, and has, moreover, presented them so clearly, that no student need have any difficulty in apprehending them as they are. The translator has therefore endeavored to represent faithfully and clearly the original history. As such, he offers his work to the American public, indulging no hope, and making no efforts for its success beyond that which its own merits shall ensure. J. H. S. SCHENECTADY, N. Y., _January, 1856_. CONTENTS. PAGE INTRODUCTORY NOTE, by HENRY B. SMITH, D. D. iii TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE v TABLE OF CONTENTS vii SECTION I.—WHAT IS MEANT BY THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY 11 II.—CLASSIFICATION 16 III.—GENERAL VIEW OF THE PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY 17 1. The Ionics 17 2. The Pythagoreans 18 3. The Eleatics 18 4. Heraclitus 18 5. The Atomists 19 6. Anaxagoras 19 7. The Sophists 20 IV.—THE IONIC PHILOSOPHERS 21 1. Thales 21 2. Anaximander 22 3. Anaximenes 23 4. Retrospect 23 V.—PYTHAGOREANISM 23 1. Its Relative Position 23 2. Historical and Chronological 23 3. The Pythagorean Principle 24 4. Carrying out of this Principle 25