Terence Irwin presents a historical and critical study of the development of moral philosophy over two thousand years, from ancient Greece to the Reformation. Starting with the seminal ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, he guides the reader through the centuries that follow, introducing each of the thinkers he discusses with generous quotations from their works. He offers not only careful interpretation but critical evaluation of what they have to offer philosophically. This is the first of three volumes which will examine the history of ethics in the Socratic tradition, up to the late 20th century.

Professor Irwin, Susan Linn Sage Professor of Philosophy at Cornell University, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at University of Oxford and Fellow of Keble College, specializes in Greek philosophy. He is also interested in and regularly teaches courses on ethical theory and Kant. He has recently taught courses on the history of ethics (ancient, mediaeval, and modern), on nature and natural law, on Plotinus, on post-Aristotelian philosophy, and on Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. Each year he normally offers a reading course on Greek philosophical texts. Before joining the Sage School faculty in 1975, he was assistant professor of philosophy and classics at Harvard.