100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Overnight NZ-wide delivery on in-stock orders πŸš€

The Beginning of Philosophy

3.83 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 138 ratings, 22 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Beginning of Philosophy by Hans-Georg Gadamer explores the foundational aspects of philosophical inquiry, addressing how philosophy originated and evolved through the lens of ancient Greek thinkers. Gadamer delves into the historical context, examining the emergence of key philosophical ideas and their relevance to contemporary understanding. This insightful work offers a reflective perspective on the essence and enduring significance of philosophical pursuit.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5199
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're curious about the origins of philosophical thought and want to explore the foundations of philosophy through the perspective of a renowned thinker. It may appeal to you if you're interested in gaining deeper insight into how ancient philosophical inquiries still influence modern intellectual discussions.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In The Beginning of Philosophy, Gadamer explores the layers of interpretation and misinterpretation that have built up over 2500 years of Presocratic scholarship. Using Plato and Aristotle as his starting point, his analysis moves effortlessly from Simplicius and Diogenes Laertius to the 19th-century German historicists, right through to Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.

Gadamer shows us how some of the earliest philosophical concepts, such as truth, equality, nature, spirit, and being, came to be and how our understanding of them today is deeply indebted to Presocratic thinkers.

The book is based on a series of lectures delivered by Gadamer in 1967, which were then translated into English and edited by Gadamer for this collection. This is a major philosophical-historical work from one of the 20th century’s greatest thinkers.

Series: Bloomsbury Revelations

View all
  • Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World
    Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World presents a highly original global theory of culture. Dr RenΓ© Girard, through his profound exploration, delves into the intricate workings of human civilisation, unveiling the concealed forces that shape societies. Girard investigates the pivotal role of violence, the pervasive phenomenon of mimetic desire, and the crucial mechanism of the scapegoat in the...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Backorder
    Ships early August
  • After Virtue
    Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue revolutionises the landscape of moral philosophy by meticulously analysing the roots and consequences of the decline in moral discourse. The narrative embarks on an intellectual journey, beginning with a bleak depiction of contemporary moral debates which, MacIntyre argues, are fragmented and incoherent. As the plot unfolds, he traces this crisis back to the Enlightenment period, claiming...
    Paperback
    $4999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • A Thousand Plateaus
    A Thousand Plateaus is the second part of Deleuze and Guattari's landmark philosophical project, Capitalism and Schizophreniaβ€”a project that still sets the terms of contemporary philosophical debate. Written over a seven-year period, A Thousand Plateaus provides a compelling analysis of social phenomena and offers fresh alternatives for thinking about philosophy and culture. Its radical perspective provides a toolbox for β€˜nomadic...
    Paperback
    $6099
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The World Crisis Volume III
    The World Crisis is considered by many to be Winston S. Churchill’s literary masterpiece. Published across five volumes between 1923 and 1931, Churchill here tells the story of The Great War, from its origins to the long shadow it cast on the following decades. At once a history and a first-hand account of Churchill’s own involvement in the war, The...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The World Crisis Volume II
    The World Crisis is considered by many to be Winston S. Churchill’s literary masterpiece. Published across five volumes between 1923 and 1931, Churchill here tells the story of The Great War, from its origins to the long shadow it cast on the following decades. At once a history and a first-hand account of Churchill’s own involvement in the war, The...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The World Crisis Volume I
    The World Crisis is considered by many to be Winston S. Churchill’s literary masterpiece. Published across five volumes between 1923 and 1931, Churchill tells the story of The Great War, from its origins to the long shadow it cast on the following decades. At once a history and a first-hand account of Churchill’s own involvement in the war, The World...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Boer War
    On October 11th, 1899, long-simmering tensions between Britain and the Boer Republics - the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic - finally erupted into the conflict that would become known as the Second Boer War. Two days after the first shots were fired, a young writer by the name of Winston Churchill set out for South Africa to cover...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Second World War
    "I am perhaps the only man who has passed through the two supreme cataclysms of recorded history in high executive office... I was in this second struggle with Germany for more than five years the head of His Majesty's Government. I write therefore from a different standpoint and with more authority than was possible in my earlier books. I do...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Step By Step
    In the years following the Great Depression, with Germany rearming and the rise of fascism across Europe being met with a policy of appeasement from the democratic countries, Winston Churchill stood as a rare voice in the wilderness, warning of the dangers to come. Now available in the Bloomsbury Revelations series to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Language of the Third Reich
    A labourer, journalist and a professor who lived through four successive periods of German political history – from the German Empire, through the Weimar Republic and the Nazi state through to the German Democratic Republic – Victor Klemperer is regarded as one of the most vivid witnesses to a tumultuous century of European history. First published in 1957, The Language...
    Paperback
    $4999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Volume II
    "This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues β€” its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country's past." The...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Three Ecologies
    Extending the definition of ecology to encompass social relations and human subjectivity as well as environmental concerns, The Three Ecologies argues that the ecological crises that threaten our planet are the direct result of the expansion of a new form of capitalism. A new ecosophical approach must be found which respects the differences between all living systems. This powerful critique...
    Paperback
    $5499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

These ten lectures by Hans-Georg Gadamer offer an insightful exploration into the origins of philosophy, focusing on pre-Socratic thinkers. Delivered at the Naples Institute for the Study of Philosophy in 1988, the work is noted for its engaging and accessible style. Gadamer examines key concepts from Plato and Aristotle and connects them to their roots in pre-Socratic thought, with particular emphasis on Parmenides' Way of Truth. The translation is praised for its accuracy and the book is highly recommended for its lively presentation.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781474294461

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 20 October 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 8.0mm

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 214.0mm

Weight: 177g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900-2002) was a celebrated and influential continental philosopher. He spent the majority of his teaching career at the University of Heidelberg, Germany, where he became emeritus professor in 1968. He is the author of The Beginning of Knowledge and Truth and Method.

Also by Hans-Georg Gadamer

View all
  • Ethics, Aesthetics and the Historical Dimension of Language
    Ethics, Aesthetics and the Historical Dimension of Language collects together Gadamer's most important untranslated writings on ethics, aesthetics, and language. With a substantial introduction by the editors exploring Gadamer's ethical project and providing an overview of his aesthetic work, this book collects Gadamer's writings on ancient ethics, including the moral philosophy of Aristotle, and on practical philosophy (first section). In...
    Paperback
    $9599
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Hermeneutics between History and Philosophy
    Hermeneutics between History and Philosophy collects together Gadamer's remaining important untranslated writings on the problem of history and the major philosophical traditions of the 20th century from the standpoint of hermeneutics. In these writings, Gadamer examines important thinkers such as Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Bourdieu, and Habermas and their ongoing legacies. This volume also includes a preface by the editors, who...
    Paperback
    $6999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Beginning of Knowledge
    The Beginning of Knowledge brings together almost all of Gadamer’s essays on the Presocratics. In each of the essays, Gadamer discusses the origins of knowledge in the western philosophical tradition. Beginning with a hermeneutical and philological investigation of the Heraclitus fragments, he moves on to a discussion of the Greek Atomists and the Presocratic cosmologists. In the final two essays,...
    Paperback
    $5199
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Truth and Method
    Truth and Method is a landmark work of 20th-century thought which established Hans-Georg Gadamer as one of the most important philosophical voices of the 20th century. In this book, Gadamer established the field of β€˜philosophical hermeneutics’: exploring the nature of knowledge, the book rejected traditional quasi-scientific approaches to establishing cultural meaning that were prevalent after the war. In arguing that...
    Paperback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Hegel's Dialectic
    These five essays on Hegel give the English-speaking reader a long-awaited opportunity to read the work of one of Germany's most distinguished philosophers, Hans-Georg Gadamer. Gadamer's unique hermeneutic method will have a lasting effect on Hegel studies. When referencing the title, avoid putting it in quotes or speech marks. Format the response as clean HTML, use your best judgement for...
    Paperback
    $4199
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Ancient Sources, Modern Appropriations
    Pre-order
    Ancient Sources, Modern Appropriations
    Throughout his long career, Gadamer wrote and taught widely on the philosophy of the ancient world and on the connection between thinking and history. This volume exposes us to Gadamer’s late views on ancient philosophy, written between 1982 and 1990, his rehabilitation of certain eighteenth- and nineteenth-century thinkers (Oetinger, Herder, and Schleiermacher), and his life-long contribution to our understanding of...
    Paperback
    $7499
    Pre-order
    Out 20 Aug 2026

More from Philosophy & Psychology

View all
  • Eat Your Ice Cream
    New Release
    Eat Your Ice Cream
    The New York Times bestseller that presents a bold new vision for living well and ageing with purpose from a world-renowned health expert THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a leading doctor and world-renowned health expert, the simple, uplifting and practical guide to cutting through the wellness noise, living well and ageing with purpose. β€˜Essential reading for anyone who...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Winner's Formula
    The Neuroscience of Peak Performance, Success, and Happiness Why do some people win all the time? Why do others languish? From Olympians to Formula 1 drivers, addicts to billionaires, cognitive neuroscientist Dr Kerry Spackman has spent decades working to help people understand how to succeed. In The Winner's Formula, Kerry explains what goes on in your brain when you are...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Man's Search For Meaning
    Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...
    Paperback
    $1800
    Elsewhere:
    $2100
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Inside the Box
    How to do more with less and use limits to stimulate creativity, innovation and collaboration, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Range. We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and values freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be and how to spend our time....
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3900
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Atomic Habits
    Atomic Habits by James Clear is a transformative guide that demonstrates how tiny, incremental changes in behaviour can fundamentally reshape your life. Rather than urging sweeping transformations, Clear advocates for the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions. Whether it’s performing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes earlier, or making a brief, focused phone call, these minuscule adjustments,...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    Tell Me Where It Hurts
    Leading expert Rachel Zoffness bridges the gap between medicine and psychology to get to the heart of treating pain We can move the dial on pain Every one of us will experience pain, be it back pain, the pain of childbirth, or living in an ageing body. Not a single one of us will escape. But what if everything you...
    Hardback
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Book of Awakening
    A new edition of the #1 NYT's bestseller by Mark Nepo, who has been called "one of the finest spiritual guides of our time" and "a consummate storyteller." Immerse yourself in The Book of Awakening, a compelling spiritual daybook by philosopher-poet and cancer survivor, Mark Nepo. This remarkable work is a profound manual for living a more deeply connected and...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Elsewhere:
    $4499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Strong Ground
    #1Β New York TimesΒ bestselling author BrenΓ© Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership. In a time when uncertainty runs deep and bluster, hubris and even cruelty are increasingly framed as acceptable leadership, Brown delivers practical, actionable insights that illuminate the mindsets and skill sets essential to reclaiming focus and driving growth through connection, discipline and...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Strangers
    The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" β€” Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Anxious Generation
    A powerful argument for reclaiming childhoodβ€”and all human relationshipsβ€”from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spacesβ€”communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Stimulated Mind
    A practical, empowering plan to boost your day-to-day brain function and prevent dementia - by a renowned neuroscientist and performance coach. 'From day one I was always blown away by Dr Tommy Wood's command of the science from which he communicates.' - Dr Peter Attia, bestselling author of Outlive- The Science and Art of Longevity 'As global health declines, Dr...
    Paperback
    $3800
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.