“Those on whom the Attribute of Wise was conferred are the subject of this History.”

A compact expression of his interest in philosophy through the lives and reputations of its practitioners. · Title page, The History of Philosophy, 1655

• Biography
• Philosophy
• Wisdom

“The learned Gassendus was my precedent; whom nevertheless I have not followed in his partiality, for he, though limited to a single person, yet giveth himself liberty of enlargement.”

Stanley acknowledges his intellectual debt while stressing his intention to pursue a broader historical scope. · Dedicatory epistle, The History of Philosophy, 1655

• Influence
• Scholarship
• Writing

“It is manifest that the original of the Greek Philosophy is to be deriv'd from Thales, who travelling into the East, first brought Natural learning, Geometry, and Astrology thence into Greece.”

He presents philosophy as a tradition transmitted across cultures rather than arising in isolation. · Preface, The History of Philosophy, 1656

• History
• Knowledge
• Philosophy