From the Beginning to Plato covers one of the most remarkable periods in human thought. In the space of two and a half centuries, philosophy developed from quasi-mythological speculation to a state in which many of the most fundamental questions about the universe, the mind, and human behaviour were vigorously pursued, and where some of the most enduring masterworks of Western thought were written. The essays present the fundamental approaches and thinkers of Greek philosophy in chronological order. From an introduction to the polis to the lasting contribution of Plato, each essay takes account of the large amount of high-quality work done in the last few decades on Platonic and pre-Platonic philosophy.