From Gregory Vlastos on "Plato: The Individual as an Object of Love", to Arthur Danto on "Sartre: Shame, or, the Problem of Other Minds", this book explores the central concerns of the past masters of philosophy. It extends across a whole spectrum of approaches: some essays lean towards the historical, seeking truth as much as possible in the thought of the great master, while others are more inclined to suppose that philosophy advances, so that attention to the past must be selective, and certainly judgemental. All of them, however, illuminate the vital past of philosophy. This anthology of essays forms a companion to "Philosphy As It Is".