Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy Books
University of Notre Dame Press God as Reason
Book SynopsisIn God as Reason: Essays in Philosophical Theology, Vittorio Hösle presents a systematic exploration of the relation between theology and philosophy. In examining the problems and historical precursors of rational theology, he calls on philosophy, theology, history of science, and the history of ideas to find an interpretation of Christianity that is compatible with a genuine commitment to reason. The essays in the first part of God as Reason deal with issues of philosophical theology. Hösle sketches the challenges that a rationalist theology must face and discusses some of the central ones, such as the possibility of a teleological interpretation of nature after Darwin, the theodicy issue, freedom versus determinism, the mindbody problem, and the relation in general between religion, theology, and philosophy. In the essays of the second part, Hösle studies the historical development of philosophical approaches to the Bible, the continuity between the New TestamTrade Review"God as Reason makes a powerful contribution to the task of the philosophical assessment of religion and theology, and indeed to the task of arriving at a philosophically defensible account of God. Vittorio Hösle here addresses key questions concerning teleology in nature, theodicy, freedom and determinism, and the mind-body problem in essays of exemplary clarity and economy of expression that are equally informed by the full breadth of the philosophical tradition of the West and by the most important contemporary developments in both philosophy and the natural sciences." —Jennifer A. Herdt, Yale Divinity School"The essays in this collection constitute a fresh exploration of the relation between theology and philosophy throughout the history of the Western world and a brilliant achievement. This is truly a book for our post-secular age. It is a text peppered with criticism of our contemporary attitudes in very numerous fields including philosophy, ours being a 'time in which the essence of philosophy is being undermined by an increasingly narrow specialization,' and it stimulates the reader on almost every page. This is not only a major challenge to fideists and fundamentalists of every hue, and a demonstration of the centrality of the quest for rational religion in our not so secular age, but a powerful challenge to the secularists themselves." —Jonathan Israel, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University“With an inductive style, Hösle seeks to demonstrate his thesis that ‘modernity is Christianity’s legitimate child’. . . . God as Reason is an elegant demonstration of Hösle’s masterful grasp of historical philosophy and theology.” —Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies“Vittorio Hösle’s latest publication is an excellent look at the interrelatedness of faith and reason. He presents a fascinating series of essays, all written between 1997 and 2009, in an attempt ‘to find an interpretation of Christianity that is compatible with . . . [a] commitment to reason.’ Of notable interest in this volume is Hösle’s philosophical dialogue between the mind and body, which contains several humorous exchanges.” —Catholic Library World“[Hösle] shows an especially sensitive appreciation for the ‘pragmatics’ of the exchange between the various parties before turning to consider their arguments. His treatment concludes with a useful summary and the provocative idea that ‘the human prospect would look better than it does if a function equivalent to [a common religion] could be found for the twenty-first century.’” —Toronto Journal of Theology
£105.40
Pennsylvania State University Press An Image of the Soul in Speech Plato and the
Book SynopsisInvestigates what Nietzsche called the problem of Socrates, as that problem manifests itself in Plato's work. In particular, the book demonstrates how Socrates' own confrontation with this problem is the key to understanding the distinctively mimetic, dialogic, and reflexive character of Socratic philosophy.Trade Review“This is a book whose subtext seems to be: Plato is good to think with. It is a self-standing work of philosophy as much as it is a hermeneutic enterprise. McNeill’s exploration of the model of human self-understanding and political engagement presented in Plato’s dialogues is sophisticated, committed, insightful, and wholly original.”—G. R. F. Ferrari,University of California, Berkeley“In extending and deepening our understanding of Plato’s depiction of Socrates’ subtle sense of human motivation, thought and action, this book makes a valuable contribution to the large body of scholarship on the figure of Socrates.”—Sara Brill PolisTable of ContentsContents1. Introduction: Plato’s Socrates on the “Problem of Socrates”2. Republic Book 1: Philosophy and Cultural Decadence3. Polemarchus, Politics, and Action4. Thrasymachus, Rhetoric, and the Art of Rule5. Gorgias and the Divine Work of Persuasion6. Protagoras, Antinaturalism, and the Political Art7. Tyrannical Eros and the Philosophic Orientation of the Republic8. Imitation and Experience9. Poetry, Psychology, and τò θυμoειδες10. Psychology and OntologyConclusion: An Image of the Soul in SpeechReferencesIndex
£58.61
Yale University Press The Republic
Book SynopsisProvides a translation of the dialogues of Plato. This book argues that the particular formulation by Plato had a direct and profound influence on the Founding Fathers and the development of American constitutional law.
£17.99
The University of Michigan Press A Commentary on Cicero De Divinatione II
Book SynopsisOffers the first commentary on Cicero's De Divinatione II in nearly a century. This commentary equips students and scholars with the kinds of historical and philosophical background and linguistic and stylistic information needed to understand and appreciate Cicero's text on Roman religion and divination.
£23.70
LUP - University of Michigan Press Writing Imperial History
Book SynopsisOffers the first comprehensive analysis of Tacitus’ five texts and their interconnections and serves to confront longstanding assumptions that have led to a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and development of his oeuvre and historical thinking.Trade Review“The author’s writing is clear and straightforward, and his knowledge of Tacitean scholarship is also impressive. Overall, the book is peppered with interesting insights. Ten Berge is a diligent and careful scholar.” —Eric Adler, University of MarylandTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Preliminary Remarks: Background Tacitus and Verginius Rufus: Funeral and Ideology CHAPTER 1: Agricola: Enunciating Tacitean Concerns and Techniques CHAPTER 2: Germania: Reading Ethnography alongside Biography CHAPTER 3: Dialogus de Oratoribus: Rehabilitating the ‘Anomaly’ CHAPTER 4: Historiae: Biography, Ethnography, and Dialogue as Sources for Historiographical Narrative CHAPTER 5: Annales: Finalizing an Integrated Project Epilogue Bibliography Index Locorum
£64.95
University of California Press Essays on Aristotles Rhetoric
Book SynopsisThis anthology presents Aristotle's Rhetoric in its original context, providing examples of the kind of oratory whose success Aristotle explains and analyzes. It assesses the role and the techniques of rhetorical persuasion in philosophic discourse and the public sphere.Table of ContentsCONTRIBUTORS: Jacques Brunschwig, M. F. Burnyeat, Christopher Carey, John M. Cooper, Troels Engberg-Pedersen, Dorothea Frede, Stephen Halliwell, T. H. Irwin, George A. Kennedy, Stephen R. Leighton, Richard Moran, Martha Craven Nussbaum, C. D. C. Reeve, Paul Ricoeur, Amelie Oksenberg Rorty, Gisela Striker, Robert Wardy
£27.90
University of California Press The Greeks and the Irrational
Book SynopsisTakes on the traditional view of Greek culture as a triumph of rationalism. Using the analytical tools of modern anthropology and psychology, this title asks, 'Why should we attribute to the ancient Greeks an immunity from 'primitive' modes of thought which we do not find in any society open to our direct observation?'.Trade Review“Impeccable scholarship. . . . a gracefully written, shimmering work.” * The Atlantic *"A fascinating journey." * Metapsychology Online Review *"One of those rare books whose significance does not exhaust itself in its results and conclusions. It teaches us to read Greek literature with a new awareness of things hitherto neglected and quickens our sensitivity." * American Journal of Philology *"A well-written and beautifully printed volume." * Classical Bulletin *Table of ContentsI Agamemnon's Apology II From Shame-Culture to Guilt-Culture III The Blessings of Madness IV Dream-Pattern and Culture-Pattern V The Greek Shamans and the Origin of Puritanism VI Rationalism and Reaction in the Classical Age VII Plato, the Irrational Soul, and the Inherited Conglomerate VIII The Fear of Freedom Appendix I Maenadism Appendix II Theurgy Index
£27.00
University of California Press Aristotle and Xenophon on Democracy and Oligarchy
Book SynopsisA collection that contains - Aristotle's The Constitution of Athens; Xenophon's The Politeia of the Spartans; The Constitution of the Athenians ascribed to Xenophon the Orator; and, The Boeotian Constitution from the Oxyrhynchus Historian.Trade Review"This collection proves invaluable for both scholars and teaching purposes." -- Marlene K. Sokolon European LegacyTable of ContentsForeword to the 2010 Edition Preface PART I THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ATHENIANS Ascribed to Xenophon the Orator Introduction The Main Topics The Constitution of the Athenians Commentary Select Bibliography THE POLITEIA OF THE SPARTANS By Xenophon Glossary Introduction The Politeia of the Spartans Commentary Select Bibliography THE BOEOTIAN CONSTITUTION From the Oxyrhynchus Historian Introduction The Boeotian Constitution Commentary Select Bibliography Appendix to Part I: Herodotus III,80-82 PART II THE CONSTITUTION OF ATHENS By Aristotle Glossary Introduction The Constitution of Athens Commentary Appendix to Part II Select Bibliography Index MAPS 1. Ancient Greece pages 2. Boeotia and Attica pages 3. Messenia and Laconia pages
£24.30
University of California Press A Free Will
Book SynopsisWhere does the notion of free will come from? How and when did it develop, and what did that development involve? This title offers an account of the history, the notion of a free will that emerged from powerful assumptions about the relation between divine providence, correctness of individual choice, and self-enslavement due to incorrect choice.Trade Review"...One can only feel awe before the breadth of [Frede's] learning and the depth of his insight." -- Charles Kahn * Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie *“In this posthumously published volume, comprising lectures delivered in Berkeley in fall 1997, Frede reflects on the concept of a free will in ancient thought.”“Summing Up: Highly recommended.” -- J Bussanich * Choice *Table of ContentsForeword Editor's Preface Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Aristotle on Choice without a Will Chapter 3. The Emergence of a Notion of Will in Stoicism Chapter 4. Later Platonist and Peripatetic Contributions Chapter 5. The Emergence of a Notion of a Free Will in Stoicism Chapter 6. Platonist and Peripatetic Criticisms and Responses Chapter 7. An Early Christian View on a Free Will: Origen Chapter 8. Reactions to the Stoic Notion of a Free Will: Plotinus Chapter 9. Augustine: A Radically New Notion of a Free Will? Chapter 10. Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index
£22.50
University of California Press The Question of Eclecticism
Book SynopsisThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1988.
£28.90
University of California Press Greek Skepticism
Book SynopsisThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1969.
£63.90
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Aristotles Ethics
Book SynopsisAristotle''s ethical writings are among the world''s greatest, but are easily misunderstood by the inexperienced. Professor Urmson, after 50 years of study, provides a clear account of the main doctrines in an easily intelligible way and without dwelling on matters of mainly scholarly interest.Trade Review‘This is an excellent book; the best introduction to Aristotle’s Ethics that I know of. It is beautifully written, with very well chosen modern examples illustrating various aspects of Aristotle’s thought. Urmson succeeds in what one sees very rarely nowadays in philosophy; to reach the university student or interested layperson who wants an introduction to Aristotelian ethics, to provide food for thought for the Aristotle specialist, and to present material that will challenge the contemporary moral philosopher. This book should not only help us understand Aristotle better, but should also have salutary impact on contemporary systematic moral philosophy.’ – Julius Moravcsik, Stanford University ‘This book will be an excellent introduction to Aristotle’s Ethics. It is written in a clear and lively style. It brings out the main philosophical issues, and discusses them in an interesting and illuminating way. As an introduction to Aristotle’s ideas about ethics it could not be bettered.’ -- John Ackrill, Brasenose College, OxfordTable of ContentsPreface. References. Introduction. 1. The Ideal Life: a Preliminary Discussion. 2. Excellence of Character. 3. Action and its Motives. 4. Responsibility and Choice. 5. Particular Excellences of Character. 6. The Excellences of Intelligence. 7. Strength and Weakness of Will. 8. Pleasure. 9. Social Relationships. 10. Eudaemonia. Further Reading. Index
£35.10
John Wiley and Sons Ltd A History of Political Thought
Book SynopsisThis volume continues the story of European political theorising by focusing on medieval and Renaissance thinkers. It includes extensive discussion of the practices that underpinned medieval political theories and which continued to play crucial roles in the eventual development of early--modern political institutions and debates.Trade Review"This is a very well-informed, thoughtful and scholarly account that is destined to be read closely (and with great profit) by specialists in the field as well as by the students for whom it is primarily intended." Francis Oakley, Edward Dorr Professor of the History of Ideas and President Emeritus of Williams College "Professor Coleman demonstrates an admirable grasp of the detail and subtlety of the philosophical arguments, and their relation to social and historial circumstances, including trends in wider spheres of thought [...] I found the chapter on Plato particularly illuminating and students will find much of ambiguity in The Republic clarified by Coleman's discussion.[...] Students of specialist courses in Greek, Stoic and early Christian political thought will gain much from this scholarly and erudite book by an acknowledged expert in the field" David Boucher, Cardiff University English Historical Review Vol 117, June 2002Table of ContentsPreface. Introduction. 1. Medieval Political Ideas and Medieval Society. Medieval Sources. The Historical Context of Early Medieval Political Thought. Carolingian Christian Kingship and Feudal Society. Translatio Imperii. Theocratic Kingship. The Origins of Papal Authority and the Gelasian Doctrine. Two Swords Theory. The Twelfth-century 'Renaissance': Canon Lawyers and their Heirs. The Twelfth-century 'Renaissance' and Civil Lawyers. Civilians and Canonists. Individual and Collective Liberties. Sovereignty and Corporations. Natural Law, Rights and the Lawyers Concern for Individual Autonomy. Origins of Property Rights. Medieval Education: Practical Moral Philosophy of Ethics, Economics and Politics. The Contribution of Arabic and Jewish Thinking to the Twelfth-century 'REnaissance'. Aristotle in the Universities. Ethics and Politics in the Liberal Arts Course. The Purpose of Aristotelian Rhetorical Persuasion. The Thirteenth 'Aristotelian' Century. The Later Thirteenth-century Understanding of Rhetoric's Service to a Prince: Giles of Rome. Aristotelian Rhetoric. Returning to Giles of Rome's Rhetorical De regimine principum. Rhetoric outside the University and Aristotle within the University. Aristotle's Ethics for Medieval University Students. Lawyers Versus the Arts Faculty Philosophers. The New Mendicant Orders: Franciscans and Dominicans and Political Theory. 2. St Thomas Aquinas. Philosophy of Man. Reality and Metaphysics. Naming, Natures and Actual Existents. Natures and Definitions. Substantial Form and Corporeal Individuation. Being and Essence. Cause and Effect. Grace Added to and Perfecting, Not Destroying, Nature. Sense Origin of Knowing. Reason and Will. The Will's Relation to Justice as Universal Principal and as Historically Contingent Conclusion. Eudaomonia/beatitudo: Imoorality and the Completion of Desire. Rationality and the Freedom of the Will. The Will and the Doctrine of Original Sin. Natural Theology. State and Church: The Consequences of Natural Theology. Free Will and Responsibility. Aquinas on Law and Ploitics. Natural Law and Politics. Natural Law beyond Cicero. Natural Human Community. The Consequences of the Fall. Individual Rights and the States's Law. The Contrast with Augustine. The Mixed Constitution. Private Property Rights. 3. John of Paris. Biographical Details. The Franciscan Position. The Dominican Position. The Origin of Government. The Thomistic Underpinning of dominium in rebus, Lordship and Ownership of Things. The Justification of Private Ownership. Limitations on Government. The Origin of the Priesthood. The Relation of the Church to its Property. Deposition Theory. 4. Marsilius of Padua. Biographical Details. A Reading Discourse 1. Some Observations from Discourse 2. Conclusions. 5. William of Ockham. Biographical Details. Ockham's Positions on Church and State. Ockham's Epistemology. Ockham's Dualism Concerning Secular and Spiritual Government: Continuing the Narrative. Comparisions with Marsilius. The Exceptional Exercise of Coercive Authority. Natural Rights. Corporattion Theory. Ockham's 'Absolutism'. How did Ockham Come to Hold These Views?. Right Reason. Scriptural Hermeneutics. Ockham's Ethics. Conclusion. The Late Medieval Fortunes of Corporation Theories in the Church's 'Concilar Theory.'. 6. The Italien Renaissance and Machiavelli's Political Theory. The Italien City-States Compared with Other European Cities. The Unconventional AIms of this VChapter. Communal Discourses and Citizenship. Community, Civitas, Ranked Citizenship and Local Patriotisms. The Involvement of Citizens in Late Thirteenth-century Communal Government. The Communal Ideal and the Menace of Factions. The Evolution of the Florentine Governing Class. Who Wanted to Play an Active Role in Fifteenth-century Florentine Government?. Humanism and Humanist Conceptions of Florentine Republicanism. Fifteenth-century Florentine Ideology. Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli's Political Morality. Founding and Maintaining the 'Stato'. The Fixity of Man's Nature. Character Formation. The 'Fit' Between Character and the Times. Fortune. The Impetuous Prince Who Must Learn How Not to Have Fixed Dispositions. Learn to Imitate Foxes and Lions. Machiavelli's 'Popular' Government: His Views of the Popolo. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.
£104.36
John Wiley and Sons Ltd A History of Political Thought
Book SynopsisThis volume continues the story of European political theorising by focusing on medieval and Renaissance thinkers. It includes extensive discussion of the practices that underpinned medieval political theories and which continued to play crucial roles in the eventual development of early-modern political institutions and debates. The author strikes a balance between trying to understand the philosophical cogency of medieval and Renaissance arguments on the one hand, elucidating why historically-suited medieval and Renaissance thinkers thought the ways they did about politics; and why we often think otherwise.Trade Review"This is a very well-informed, thoughtful and scholarly account that is destined to be read closely (and with great profit) by specialists in the field as well as by the students for whom it is primarily intended." Francis Oakley, Edward Dorr Professor of the History of Ideas and President Emeritus of Williams College "Professor Coleman demonstrates an admirable grasp of the detail and subtlety of the philosophical arguments, and their relation to social and historial circumstances, including trends in wider spheres of thought [...] I found the chapter on Plato particularly illuminating and students will find much of ambiguity in The Republic clarified by Coleman's discussion.[...] Students of specialist courses in Greek, Stoic and early Christian political thought will gain much from this scholarly and erudite book by an acknowledged expert in the field" David Boucher, Cardiff University English Historical Review Vol 117, June 2002Table of ContentsPreface viii Introduction 1 1 Medieval Political Ideas and Medieval Society 5 Medieval Sources 9 The Historical Context of Early Medieval Political Thought 11 Carolingian Christian Kingship and Feudal Society 13 Translatio Imperii 18 Theocratic Kingship 19 The Origins of Papal Authority and the Gelasian Doctrine 22 Two Swords Theory 28 The Twelfth-century ‘Renaissance’: Canon Lawyers and their Heirs 29 The Twelfth-century ‘Renaissance’ and the Civil Lawyers 33 Civilians and Canonists 37 Individual and Collective Liberties 38 Sovereignty and Corporations 42 Natural Law, Rights and the Lawyers’ Concern for Individual Autonomy 46 Origins of Property Rights 49 Medieval Education: Practical Moral Philosophy of Ethics, Economics and Politics 50 The Contribution of Arabic and Jewish Thinking to the Twelfth-century ‘Renaissance’ 54 Aristotle in the Universities 56 Ethics and Politics in the Liberal Arts Course 57 The Purpose of Aristotelian Rhetorical Persuasion 59 The Thirteenth ‘Aristotelian’ Century 61 The Later Thirteenth-century Understanding of Rhetoric’s Service to a Prince: Giles of Rome 64 Aristotelian Rhetoric 65 Returning to Giles of Rome’s Rhetorical De regimine principum 69 Rhetoric outside the University and Aristotle within the University 71 Aristotle’s Ethics for Medieval University Students 73 Lawyers versus the Arts Faculty Philosophers 76 The New Mendicant Orders: Franciscans and Dominicans and Political Theory 77 2 St Thomas Aquinas 81 Philosophy of Man 84 Reality and Metaphysics 84 Naming, Natures and Actual Existents 86 Natures and Definitions 87 Substantial Form and Corporeal Individuation 88 Being and Essence 90 Cause and Effect 91 Grace Added to and Perfecting, Not Destroying, Nature 92 Sense Origin of Knowing 92 Reason and Will 95 The Will’s Relation to Justice as Universal Principle and as Historically Contingent Conclusion 97 Eudaimonia/beatitudo: Immortality and the Completion of Desire 98 Rationality and the Freedom of the Will 99 The Will and the Doctrine of Original Sin 100 Natural Theology 101 State and Church: The Consequences of Natural Theology 102 Free Will and Responsibility 104 Aquinas on Law and Politics 104 Natural Law beyond Cicero 105 Natural Human Community 106 The Consequences of the Fall 109 Individual Rights and the State’s Law 110 The Contrast with Augustine 112 The Mixed Constitution 113 Private Property Rights 115 3 John of Paris 118 Biographical Details 120 The Franciscan Position 122 The Dominican Position 123 The Origin of Government 124 The Thomistic Underpinning of dominium in rebus, Lordship and Ownership of Things 126 The Justification of Private Ownership 127 Limitations on Government 130 The Origin of the Priesthood 130 The Relation of the Church to its Property 132 Deposition Theory 133 4 Marsilius of Padua 134 Biographical Details 138 A Reading of Discourse 1 139 Some Observations from Discourse 2 158 Conclusion 166 5 William of Ockham 169 Biographical Details 170 Ockham’s Positions on Church and State 171 Ockham’s Epistemology 172 Ockham’s Dualism Concerning Secular and Spiritual Government: Continuing the Narrative 175 Comparisons with Marsilius 177 The Exceptional Exercise of Coercive Authority 178 Natural Rights 179 Corporation Theory 179 Ockham’s ‘Absolutism’ 181 How did Ockham Come to Hold These Views? 181 Right Reason 185 Scriptural Hermeneutics 188 Ockham’s Ethics 189 Conclusion 191 The Late Medieval Fortunes of Corporation Theories in the Church’s ‘Conciliar Theory’ 193 6 The Italian Renaissance and Machiavelli’s Political Theory 199 The Italian City-states Compared with Other European Cities 199 The Unconventional Aims of this Chapter 203 Communal Discourses and Citizenship 207 Urban Commerce 212 The Venetian Way 213 Perceived Benefits of Citizen Status 215 Community, Civitas, Ranked Citizenship and Local Patriotisms 216 The Involvement of Citizens in Late Thirteenth-century Communal Government 219 The Communal Ideal and the Menace of Factions 220 The Evolution of the Florentine Governing Class 222 Who Wanted to Play an Active Role in Fifteenth-century Florentine Government? 228 Humanism and Humanist Conceptions of Florentine Republicanism 230 Fifteenth-century Florentine Ideology 238 Niccolò Machiavelli 241 Machiavelli’s Political Morality 247 Founding and Maintaining the ‘Stato’ 251 The Fixity of Man’s Nature 252 Character Formation 254 The ‘Fit’ Between Character and the Times 256 Fortune 257 The Impetuous Prince Who Must Learn How Not to Have Fixed Dispositions 260 Learn to Imitate Foxes and Lions 262 Machiavelli’s ‘Popular’ Government: His Views of the Popolo 266 Conclusion 272 Bibliography 277 Index 291
£32.25
Harvard University Press On Discovery
Book SynopsisThe most popular work of the Italian humanist Polydore Vergil (14701555), On Discovery (De inventoribus rerum, 1499), was the first comprehensive account of discoveries and inventions written since antiquity. This is the first English translation of a critical edition based on the Latin texts published in Polydore Vergil's lifetime.Trade ReviewBrian Copenhaver's edition and translation of the first three books of the De inventoribus rerum (1499) of the humanist Polydore Vergil is especially useful because of its copious annotations...Copenhaver's translation helps in reminding us that most Renaissance writers were bricoleurs rather than scholars, and compendia like that of Polydore Vergil most certainly had a greater currency in Renaissance culture than less readable works such as Perotti's Cornucopiae or Guillaume Budi's De asse et partibus. -- W. Scott Blanchard * Renaissance Quarterly *[Polydore Vergil] brought a keen sense of ambiguity to his breakthrough book--a vast study of inventions that went through thirty editions in Latin in his lifetime. As Brian Copenhaver shows in the introduction to his superb edition of Vergil's complex, learned book, On Discovery, some ancient authorities denounced human inventions as a source of corruption; others saw them as a continual source of improvement in the human condition...On Discovery, as Copenhaver shows, had a profound and lasting impact. It proved to be one of the principal channels through which the antiquarian methods of the fifteenth century reached the ethnographers and historians of religion of the next two centuries. -- Anthony T. Grafton * New York Review of Books *Important and engaging...Beautifully produced from quality materials, the book maintains the exceptionally high standards of the I Tatti Renaissance Library series. Highly recommended. -- K. Gouwens * Choice *
£26.96
Harvard University Press Platonic Theology
Book SynopsisPlatonic Theology is the visionary and philosophical masterpiece of Marsilio Ficino (14331499), the Florentine scholar-philosopher-magus largely responsible for the Renaissance revival of Plato. This work, translated into English for the first time, is a key to understanding the art, thought, culture, and spirituality of the Renaissance.Trade ReviewFicino set out to show that the ancient Neoplatonic philosophy embodied a "gentile theological tradition," one that complemented the Mosaic revelation to the Jews and prepared its devotees for the final truths of Christianity. Ficino worked in full knowledge of the internal complications of Neoplatonism. He wrote and argued in styles that ranged from the logical and synthetic to the poetic and evocative, as he struggled to find ways to prove that the universe was orderly and governed by a Creator and to lay out the place within it of the immortal human soul. -- Anthony T. Grafton * New York Review of Books *As in previous volumes, Allen has rendered an elegant translation of an often daunting neo-Latin text. -- Daniel Galagher * Classical Bulletin *The English translation of volume 5 seems to have captured the sense of the Latin well...Although Neoplatonic philosophy will never be easy reading, this translation and the accompanying Latin text should be helpful to any student of Florentine Neoplatonism. -- Charles G. Nauert * Sixteenth Century Journal *
£26.96
Harvard University Press Harvard Studies in Classical Philology Volume 99
Book SynopsisThe sixteen articles in Volume 99 include: Nancy Felson, Vicarious Transport: Fictive Deixis in Pindar's Pythian Four; Douglas E. Gerber, Pindar, Nemean Six: A Commentary; Jennifer Clarke Kosak, Therapeutic Touch and Sophokles' Philoktetes; and F. S. Naiden, The Prospective Imperfect in Herodotus.Table of ContentsVirgil "Eclogue" 1.1-2 - a literary programme?, Francis Cairns; word-order transference between Latin and Greek, Bernard Frischer et al; Pindar "Nemean" 6 - a commentary, Douglas E. Gerber; "Epidaurus, Epirus...Epidamnus?" Vergil "Georgics" 3.44, Michael Hendry; readings in "Appolonius of Tyre", John Hunt; "Geminus and the Isia", Alexander Jones; historicizing the Harvard school - pessimistic readings iof hte "Aeneid" in Italian Renaissance scholarship, Craig Kallendorf; Lucretius on the narrow road, Peter Knox; therapeutic touch and Sophokles' "Philoktetes", Jennifer Clarke Kosak; the prospective imperfect in Herodotus, F.S. Naiden; Mithridates, the banner of Ch'ih-yu, and the comet coin, John Ramsey; I hate all common things - the readers role in Callimachus' "Aetia" preface, Thomas Schmitz; Ovide's meleager and the Greeks - trail of gender and genre, Charles Segal; on Statius' "Thebaid", D.R. Schackleton Bailey; further remarks on the "Andria" of Terence, Benjamin Victor; Alexandrian Sappho revisited, Dimitrios Yatromanolakis. (Part contents).
£33.96
Harvard University Press Catherine Diderot
Book SynopsisIn a dual biography crafted around the famous encounter between the French philosopher who wrote about power and the Russian empress who wielded it with great aplomb, Robert Zaretsky invites us to reflect on the fraught relationship between politics and philosophy, and between a man of thought and a woman of action.Trade ReviewA wonderfully opinionated and erudite evaluation of the whole of Diderot’s career, of the Enlightenment, and of Russian culture. -- Adam Gopnik * New Yorker *Face to face with her in the Hermitage, [Diderot] bumptiously attempted to steer her mind. But Catherine was firmly at her own helm, and soon she came to believe that an ebullient and politically naive 10-year-old lurked within the mind of the elderly sage… The two clearly charmed each other but were not fated to agree, and the story of their falling-out, a sort of intellectual désamour, is generously and poignantly treated by Zaretsky. -- Dan Hofstadter * Wall Street Journal *Zaretsky is a great storyteller…and he has chosen to tell a story that still astonishes. -- Lynn Hunt * New York Review of Books *Zaretsky has written a scintillating, sophisticated, and nuanced book that not only recounts the remarkable story of the Russian ruler and the French thinker, but also explores the complicated dance between power and ideas in the Age of Reason. -- Douglas Smith * Los Angeles Review of Books *One of the glories of Robert Zaretsky’s beautifully organized and very readable book—in itself a meditation on those Enlightenment values of knowledge and happiness that are so beleaguered in our own day—is the way it opens up Diderot’s self-doubt on his return from a country whose dependence on brute power to maintain domestic order made French philosophizing look naive…This book is splendid. -- Lesley Chamberlain * Times Literary Supplement *Particularly good…in its advocacy of Diderot as a thinker and imaginative writer…As Zaretsky demonstrates convincingly, he was the French equivalent of Laurence Sterne, as well as a Samuel Beckett before his time and an effervescent source of witty paradoxes. -- Donald Rayfield * Literary Review *A vivid, exceptionally readable narrative of Denis Diderot’s visit to Russia and his encounter with Catherine the Great. It also provides a lucid introduction to Diderot’s major works. -- David A. Bell, author of Napoleon: A Concise BiographyZaretsky, a sympathetic reader of the kind Diderot dreamt of, succeeds in resurrecting him as an author who speaks to our times: principled, but amenable to patronage; clinging to truth in the corridors of power; happiest at his desk experimenting with his own and other people’s prose; a loquacious chaos; but, most importantly of all, a defender of humanity, progress and Enlightenment. -- Ruth Scurr * The Spectator *In this riveting book—part biography, part historical fiction, part philosophical commentary—Robert Zaretsky brings to light the historic encounter between the great 18th-century French philosopher Denis Diderot and the empress of Russia, Catherine the Great. -- Ada Bronowski * Prospect *A dual biography and the biography of a duel: between two great forces in history, the power of reason versus the might of politics…[Zaretsky’s] book reads like a compelling historical novel, with passages that made me laugh out loud. Infused with rich sensual and emotional detail, this is one of the most enjoyable biographies I’ve read. -- Yvonne Sherratt * Times Higher Education *Lively and engaging throughout, Zaretsky takes a fresh look at the relationship between Catherine and Diderot, seeing it through the searching eyes of the philosophe rightly described as one of the most provocative thinkers of the age. -- Simon Dixon, author of Catherine the GreatCatherine the great empress once told Diderot the great philosophe that while he had the luxury of writing on ‘unfeeling paper,’ her profession required her to write on human skin, which was ‘far more ticklish.’ How right she was! Yet for all their differences, the two enjoyed one of the most remarkable relationships of the Enlightenment age. Robert Zaretsky tells their story with elegance, wit, and insight in this delightful book. -- Willard Sunderland, author of The Baron’s CloakEntertaining. -- Maria Lipman * Foreign Affairs *A beautifully written book which brings to life an important episode in Catherine’s reign and Diderot’s life…A remarkably rich account of Diderot’s life and thought. -- Jonathan Beecher * Russian Review *Lively…Robert Zaretsky has produced a good and eminently readable account of this important and intriguing encounter between the French philosophe and the Russian monarch. It deserves a wide audience. -- Gary Marker * Journal of Modern History *
£21.56
Harvard University Press Socratic Puzzles
Book SynopsisNozick continues the Socratic tradition of investigation in this volume, which illustrates the originality, force, and scope of his work. In evidence is Nozick's trademark blending of extraordinary analytical rigor with intellectual playfulness. As such, this collection testifies to the great pleasure that both doing and reading philosophy can be.Trade ReviewSocratic Puzzles is the work of a brilliant mind whose energy for abstract ratiocination in the service of structure hasn't mellowed as much as some thought it would. As ever, Nozick impresses and daunts readers able to follow him. -- Carlin Romano * Philadelphia Inquirer *Nozick is a distinctive voice in contemporary philosophy: inventive, funny, and often contrarian in his beliefs and choice of topics. At its best his work is exhilarating. -- Thomas Hurka * Toronto Globe & Mail *Table of ContentsIntroduction Choice and Utility Coercion Newcomb's Problem and Two Principles of Choice Reflection's on Newcomb's Interpersonal Utility Theory On Austrian Methodology Philosophy and Methodology Socratic Puzzles Experience, Theory, and Language Simplicity as Fall-Out Invisible-Hand Explanations Ethics and Politics Moral Complications and Moral Structures On the Randian Argument Weighted Voting and "One-Man, One-Vote" Discussions and Reviews Goodman, Nelson, on Merit, Aesthetics Who Would Choose Socialism? Why Do Intellectuals Oppose Capitalism? The Characteristic Features of Extremism War, Terrorism, Reprisals--Drawing Some Moral Lines Do Animals Have Rights? Philosophical Fictions Fiction R.S.V.P.--A Story Testament Teleology Notes and References Credits Name Index Subject Index
£37.36
Harvard University Press Plato as Critical Theorist
Book SynopsisWhat is the best possible society? How would its rulers govern and citizens behave? In an era when political idealism seems a relic of the past, these questions are more urgent than ever. Taking seriously Plato's claim that in an ideal society philosophers rule, Jonny Thakkar offers a daring experiment to breathe life into our political present.Trade ReviewJonny Thakkar’s book is incredibly stimulating, intelligent, and, at times, astonishingly original. It touches on a number of compelling themes in contemporary politics, political theory, and the history of ideas. It will spark terrific debates and push people to think in new ways about Plato, Rawls, and the place of ideal theory in political thinking. -- Marc Stears, Macquarie UniversityJonny Thakkar follows in a tradition of political philosophers and theorists such as Charles Taylor, Michael Sandel, Michael Ignatieff, and Michael Walzer: theorists who work at the highest levels of intellectual rigor, but who are committed to their theoretical work making a political difference. This book engages with recent Platonic scholarship as well as with contemporary political theory, and what emerges is a remarkable synthesis: a Platonically inspired idealist defense of modern democratic liberalism. -- Jonathan Lear, University of ChicagoThis book will challenge and provoke or edify different readers, but also possibly the same ones. Count me among the grateful latter. -- Victor Castellani * European Legacy *
£33.11
Harvard University Press Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political
Book SynopsisPlato’s penchant for mythmaking sits uneasily beside his reputation as the inventor of rationalist philosophy. Hegel’s solution was to ignore the myths. Popper thought them disqualifying. Tae-Yeoun Keum responds by carving out a place for myth in the context of rationalism and shows how Plato’s tales inspired history’s great political thinkers.Trade ReviewWell suited to the moment. The convergence of pandemic conspiracy theories with populist narratives of globalist malfeasance shows that the desire for stories that give meaning to our collective experience is alive and kicking (if not exactly well)…Keum’s study is an exercise in demystification, showing the Platonist approach to myth to be more complex—and relevant—than we thought…Subtle and enriching. -- Knox Peden * Australian Book Review *Keum establishes both that narrative myth is a persistent tool for political theorists in modernity and antiquity, and that its use has given rise to continuing debates on the proper content and form of political theorizing. Those debates have sharpened as the dangers and power of political myth have become more apparent, but as she ably shows, the ambiguous role of myth in political theorizing has a long history and is inescapably bound into the texture of the canon of Western political thought. -- Carol Atack * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *Tak[es] up in a refreshingly original way the problem of political myth…[Keum’s] subtle and careful text suggests that myth and work on myth are both the cause of and the possible solution to the polarization of political life as it manifests itself in, and depends upon, culture. -- Isaac Ariail Reed * Hedgehog Review *A splendid achievement. -- Teresa Bejan * Mind *The breadth of Keum’s erudition with regard to the history of philosophy is impressive, as is the depth of her knowledge of the texts and thinkers treated throughout. -- Joseph Forte * Review of Metaphysics *Plato and the Mythic Tradition in Political Thought provides a fine, original, and persuasive case for a reconsideration of Plato’s myths and their bearing on political thought. Tae-Yeoun Keum’s reading of Plato as a political philosopher who sees the value of myth-making deserves a wide audience. -- Tushar Irani, author of Plato on the Value of PhilosophyTae-Yeoun Keum traces a rich tradition reflecting on Plato’s use of myth, revealing how attention to myth as a literary artifact can modulate its relationship to unchallenged social verities and serve in philosophical self-examination and social improvement. Her readings of More, Bacon, Leibniz, the German Idealists, and Cassirer are subtle and original in drawing out these themes. -- Melissa Lane, Princeton UniversityAn important book for our troubled times. Beginning with Plato and extending into Plato’s reception amongst modern theorists of myth, Keum’s guiding question is whether myth, in its ability to captivate the mind in what might be described as a non-rational way, can achieve forms of communication that strictly rational thought cannot, and whether there may be a normative role for myth to play in political discourse today. -- Angus Nicholls, Queen Mary University of LondonMyths do more than entertain. They direct our attention, structure our psyches, and regulate our societies. By taking the philosophical significance of myth seriously, Tae-Yeoun Keum rediscovers the depth of Plato’s writings and offers a remarkable new account of his legacy. Following in the rich tradition of Ernst Cassirer and Hans Blumenberg, Keum suggests that myth and reason are not opposites, but instead complementary parts of the human effort to understand. -- Bryan Garsten, Yale UniversityIn the history of political thought it is a well-worn conceit that politics must be founded on reason alone, while the last burning embers of myth must be extinguished. In this thoughtful and nuanced exploration of Plato’s legacy, Tae-Yeoun Keum seeks to qualify this prejudice, and she directs our attention to a more generous understanding of myth as an enduring—and perhaps even necessary—thread in the fabric of our collective life. -- Peter E. Gordon, Harvard University
£32.36
Harvard University Press Moralia Volume XVI
Book SynopsisPlutarch (ca. AD 45–120) wrote on many subjects. His extant works other than the Parallel Lives are varied, about sixty in number, and known as the Moralia (Moral Essays). They reflect his philosophy about living a good life, and provide a treasury of information concerning Greco-Roman society, traditions, ideals, ethics, and religion.
£23.70
Princeton University Press Aristotle on the Human Good
Book SynopsisAristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics", which equates the ultimate end of human life with happiness, is thought by many readers to argue that this highest goal consists in the largest possible aggregate of intrinsic goods. The author proposes instead that Aristotle identifies happiness with only one type of good: excellent activity of the rational soul.
£54.00
Princeton University Press Knowledge Nature and the Good
Book SynopsisBrings together some of John Cooper's most important works on ancient philosophy. Cooper addresses a wide range of topics and periods, from Hippocratic medical theory to Aristotle's physics and metaphysics.Trade Review"The marks of a true multi-culturalism hidden in the methods of great classicism are present in John M. Cooper's Knowledge, Nature, and the Good... Works of loving scholarship such as this ... develop our ability to appreciate the wondrous otherness of Greek culture--of, in fact, any culture."--Arthur J. Spring, BridgesTable of ContentsPreface vii Acknowledgments ix KNOWLEDGE CHAPTER 1: Method and Science in On Ancient Medicine 3 CHAPTER 2: Plato on Sense-Perception and Knowledge (Theaetetus 184-186) 43 CHAPTER 3: Plato, Isocrates, and Cicero on the Independence of Oratory from Philosophy 65 CHAPTER 4: Arcesilaus: Socratic and Skeptic 81 NATURE CHAPTER 5: Aristotle on Natural Teleology 107 CHAPTER 6: Hypothetical Necessity 130 CHAPTER 7: Two Notes on Aristotle on Mixture 148 CHAPTER 8: Metaphysics in Aristotle's Embryology 174 CHAPTER 9: Stoic Autonomy 204 THE GOOD CHAPTER 10: Two Theories of Justice 247 CHAPTER 11: Plato and Aristotle on "Finality" and "(Self-) Sufficiency" 270 CHAPTER 12: Moral Theory and Moral Improvement: Seneca 309 CHAPTER 13: Moral Theory and Moral Improvement: Marcus Aurelius 335 Bibliography 369 Index of Passages 381 General Index 397
£49.50
Princeton University Press The Origins of Criticism
Book SynopsisOffers an understanding of the development of criticism, demonstrating that its roots stretch back long before the sophists to public commentary on the performance of songs and poems in the preliterary era of ancient Greece.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2003 "Andrew Ford has written lively and sophisticated account of the evolution of criticism as an autonomous activity, and illuminated the origins of the modern-day equivalent of those antique experts in literature--the professional academic... [W]hat distinguishes Ford's work from previous studies is the breadth of his scholarship, the detail of his analysis, and above all his historicist approach."--Penelope Murray, Times Literary Supplement "Andrew Ford has taken on the enormous task of tracing the historical background of critical language and the establishment of criticism as a distinct discilpine. He has executed this task with precision, poignancy, and insightful erudition... [T]his eloquent book will be an instant complement to any study of the history of criticism."--Eustratios Papaioannou, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "Ford collects in this volume much useful information about classica literary criticism from Homer to Aristotle... [An] important volume."--ChoiceTable of ContentsPREFACE ix ABBREVIATIONS xiii INTRODUCTION Defining Criticism from Homer to Aristotle 1 PART I ARCHAIC ROOTS OF CLASSICAL AESTHETICS 23 ONE Table Talkand Symposium 25 TWO Xenophanes and the "Ancient Quarrel" 46 THREE Allegory and the Traditions of Epic Interpretation 67 PART II: THE INVENTION OF POETRY 91 FOUR Song and Artifact: Simonidean Monuments 93 FIVE Singer and Craftsman in Pindar and Bacchylides 113 SIX The Origin of the Word "Poet" 131 PART III: TOWARD A THEORY OF POETRY 159 SEVEN Materialist Poetics: Democritus and Gorgias 161 EIGHT Literary Culture and Democracy: Poets and Teachers in Classical Athens 188 NINE Literary Culture in Plato's Republic :The Sound of Ideology 209 PART IV LITERARY THEORY IN THE FOURTH CENTURY 227 TEN The Invention of Literature: Theories of Prose and the Theory of Poetry 229 ELEVEN Laws of Poetry: Genre and the Literary System 250 TWELVE The Rise of the Critic: Poetic Contests from Homer to Aristotle 272 EPILOGUE 294 BIBLIOGRAPHY 297 INDEX OF PASSAGES ISCUSSED 331
£40.50
Princeton University Press A Written Republic
Book SynopsisIn the 40s BCE, during his forced retirement from politics under Caesar's dictatorship, Cicero turned to philosophy, producing a massive and important body of work. This title examines the rhetorical battle that Cicero stages in his philosophical prefaces - a battle between the forces that would oppose or support his project.Trade Review"[T]his is an excellent study, and will be valuable reading for anyone interested in Cicero's philosophical works and the cultural and political environments from which they emerged."--Walter Englert, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "The attention to detail, textual and contextual, throughout A Written Republic makes Baraz's argument a persuasive one."--Christopher Brooke, Perspectives on Politics "Baraz's discussion shows that she knows her political history, which suggests that the strict focus on the prefaces and Cicero's justifications of his philosophical project is a conscious choice. Indeed, at all times Baraz guides her reader lucidly through her argument. More importantly, Baraz's book is full of new ideas and developments of existing ideas... Baraz's observations and interpretations push forward our understanding of Cicero's philosophical engagement and, indeed, the relationship between this engagement and his political activity. Baraz is to be commended for providing such a stimulating study."--Henriette van der Blom, British Journal for the History of Philosophy "Baraz's stimulating and nuanced argument about Cicero's literary and political goals should make this book a standard reference for anyone interested in Cicero, his philosophical program, or the intellectual life of the Late Republic."--Jonathan P. Zarecki, CJ-Online "[T]his book has much to recommend it, and anyone writing on Cicero's philosophical works will profit from its careful attention to the details of the prefaces."--J. Jackson Barlow, Review of Politics "The result is a fine contribution to Ciceronian studies, which deserves attention not only from those who work on his philosophy but from those interested in any aspect of his writings."--Catherine Steel, GnomonTable of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Abbreviations and Translations xi Introduction 1 Chapter One: Otiose Otium: The Status of Intellectual Activity in Late Republican Prefaces 13 Cicero's Ennius, or Anxiety about Too Much Philosophy 15 Sallust, or Anxiety about Writing 22 Rhetorica ad Herennium, or Anxiety about Status 36 Chapter Two: On a More Personal Note: Philosophy in the Letters 44 Philosophy as a Basis for Action 46 Philosophy and Politics 67 Writing as a Primary Occupation 78 The Consolation of Philosophy 86 Chapter Three: The Gift of Philosophy: The Treatises as Translations 96 The Shape of Translation: Tusculans I 103 Why Translation? De Finibus I 113 Chapter Four: With the Same Voice: Oratory as a Transitional Space 128 The Philosophizing Orator: A Stoic or an Academic? Cato versus Cicero in the Paradoxa Stoicorum 131 Always Philosophizing: Cicero as the Linchpin in De Natura Deorum I 137 From Oratory to Philosophy: The Logic of Tusculan Disputations I 140 Chapter Five: Reading a Ciceronian Preface: Strategies of Reader Management 150 Making Friends with Strangers: Topica 156 Drawing Strength from Tradition: De Senectute 173 Chapter Six: Philosophy after Caesar: The New Direction 187 Looking Back: De Divinatione II 188 From the Ides to the De Officiis 194 From Quintus the Elder to Marcus the Younger: The Pattern of Dedications 204 The Final Encounter: De Officiis 212 Bibliography 225 Index Locorum 243 General Index 249
£46.75
Princeton University Press Aristotles Ethics
Book SynopsisAristotle's moral philosophy is a pillar of Western ethical thought. It bequeathed to the world an emphasis on virtues and vices, happiness as well-being or a life well lived, and rationally motivated action as a mean between extremes. Its influence was felt well beyond antiquity into the Middle Ages, particularly through the writings of St. ThomasTrade ReviewReviews from The Complete Works of Aristotle: "This new edition makes a landmark of scholarship available in a very usable form."--Library JournalTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION 1 EUDEMIAN ETHICS 23 NICOMACHEAN ETHICS 207 MAGNA MORALIA 373 VIRTUES AND VICES 475 GLOSSARIES 485 INDEX OF NAMES 495 GENERAL INDEX 499
£20.90
Princeton University Press The Birth of Hedonism The Cyrenaic Philosophers
Book SynopsisAccording to Xenophon, Socrates tried to persuade his associate Aristippus to moderate his excessive indulgence in wine, women, and food, arguing that only hard work can bring happiness. Aristippus wasn't convinced. Instead, he and his followers espoused the most radical form of hedonism in ancient Western philosophy. Before the rise of the betterTrade Review"This fine book is the most comprehensive study of Cyrenaic hedonism in English. It will be the core resource on the Cyrenaics for anyone with a serious interest in ancient ethics. More than that, it ensures that the Cyrenaics (at last) have a place alongside the other great ancient philosophical schools, and it is a model for scholarship to affirm the continuing appeal and relevance of ancient philosophy."--Sean McConnell, Classical JournalTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Abbreviations xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1. A Cyrenaic Parable: The Choice of Pleasure 1 1.2. Methodology 3 1.3. Overview of the Book 8 1.4. A Note on Conventions 10 Chapter 2 Cyrene and the Cyrenaics: A Historical and Biographical Overview 12 2.1. Introduction 12 2.2. Fourth-Century Greek Philosophy 12 2.3. Cyrene and Cyrenaica 13 2.4. Aristippus 16 2.5. Mainstream Cyrenaicism 18 2.6. Hegesias 20 2.7. Anniceris 21 2.8. Theodorus 23 Chapter 3 Knowledge and Pleasure 26 3.1. Introduction 26 3.2. Aristippean Hedonism 27 3.3. Socrates' Influence on Aristippus's Hedonism 31 3.4. The Cyrenaic Theory of the Experiences 35 3.5. The Experiences as a Basis for Action 45 3.6. Cyrenaic Formulations of the End 52 Chapter 4 Virtue and Living Pleasantly 56 4.1. Introduction 56 4.2. Aristippus on Education, Virtue, and Happiness 57 4.3. Aristippean Presentism 64 4.4a. The Cyrenaics on Wealth, Justice, and Practical Wisdom 73 4.4b. The Cyrenaics on Speaking Well and Freedom from Negative Emotions 76 4.4c. The Cyrenaics on Education, Habituation, and Spiritual Exercises 80 4.4d. Interim Conclusion 81 4.5. Cyrenaic Presentism 83 4.6. Cyrenaic Formulations of the End 85 Chapter 5 Eudaimonism and Anti-Eudaimonism 92 5.1. Introduction 92 5.2. Personal Identity 94 5.3. Radical Subjectivism 96 5.4. Aprudentialism 97 Chapter 6 Personal and Political Relationships 101 6.1. Introduction 101 6.2. Aristippus 103 6.3. Cyrenaics and Courtesans 105 6.4. Mainstream Cyrenaics 108 6.5. Hegesias and Theodorus 110 6.6. Anniceris 115 Chapter 7 Hegesias's Pessimism 120 7.1. Introduction 120 7.2. Hegesiac "Targets" and the Hegesiac "End" 121 7.3. Ruthless Rationalism? 123 7.4. Indifference 128 7.5. Magnanimity and Philosophical Heroism 133 7.6. Autonomy and Cologne Papyrus 205 136 7.7. Pessimism and Heroism Revisited 142 Chapter 8 Theodorus's Innovations 147 8.1. Introduction 147 8.2. Ends, Intermediates, and Indifference 148 8.3. Theodorus the Pyrrhonist? 149 8.4. The Extemporaneity of Ethical Value and Judgment 153 8.5. "Atheism" and Other Polemics 159 8.6. Heroism 164 8.7. Conclusion 167 Chapter 9 The "New Cyrenaicism" of Walter Pater 168 9.1. Introduction 168 9.2. Walter Pater: From the The Renaissance to Marius the Epicurean 168 9.3. Unitemporal Pleasure 173 9.4. From Education to Morality 180 9.5. The Hedonic "Economy" 186 9.6. The Fear of Death 189 Chapter 10 Conclusion: The Birth of Hedonism 193 Appendix 1: The Sources 198 1.Introduction 198 2.Aristotle 198 3.Cicero 199 4.Clement of Alexandria 200 5.Diogenes Laertius (and Hesychius and the Suda) 202 6.Epiphanius 205 7.Eusebius and Aristocles 207 8.Plato 208 9.Xenophon 209 Appendix 2: Annicerean Interpolation in D.L. 2.86-93 211 1.Introduction 211 2.The Convergence between D.L. 2.86-89 and Clement Strom. 2.21.130.7-8 212 3.Formulations of the End and Demotion of Happiness 216 4.Anti-Epicurean Arguments 217 5.Conclusion 220 Notes 223 Bibliography 263 Index 275
£40.50
Princeton University Press Sophocles A Study of His Theater in Its
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Jouanna’s} book will give both classicists and general readers hours of pleasure. It is encyclopaedic, detailed, fascinating, readable and tremendous value for money."---Marion Gibbs, Classics for All"Regardless of its entanglements with democratic culture, Greek tragedy remains a nebulous,shimmering planet just barely visible to the naked human eye. Immense imagination and enormous erudition seem requisite to approaching the greatness and complexity of Sophocles’ oeuvre. Jouanna has advanced the world’s understanding closer to this elusive goal."---Joel Aiden Schlosser, Polis, The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political Thought (AGPT)"A magnificent companion to Sophocles."---Jarsolav Danes, Eirene - Studia Graeca et Latina
£46.75
Princeton University Press The Business of Alchemy
Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1994; published 2016 with a new preface by the author.Trade ReviewWinner of the 1995 Pfizer Most Outstanding Book Award, History of Science Society "Smith has written an incisive and intelligent study which, together with affording a wealth of fascinating archival material, provides an original and well researched overview of the rise of early capitalism and modern science. Most importantly, she has given us an insight into one of the roles of alchemy in the workings of the Holy Roman Empire in the seventeenth century."--Lyndy Abraham, Parergon "A fine study of the relation between alchemy and commerce in the German-speaking lands of the later seventeenth century... "--Simon Schaffer, London Review of Books "Spirited and fascinating... This blending of the modern with the traditional, this seamless knitting of commerce with princely extravagance, alchemy with science, commerce, and industry, stands as the major achievement of Smith's portrait of intellectual life in the late-seventeenth-century Hapsburg territories."--Margaret C. Jacob, American Historical Review "Encyclopedic and erudite, all handled with great skill, eloquence, and clarity."--William E. Painter, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsList of illustrations vii Preface to the New Paperback Edition xi Prologue Evocation 3 1 Provenances 14 2 Oeconomia rerum et verborum: Constructing a Political Space in the Holy Roman Empire 56 3 The commerce of Words: An Exchange of Credit at the Court of the Elector in Munich 93 West Indian Interlude 141 4 The Production of Things: A Transmutation at the Habsburg Court 173 Interlude in the Laboratory 228 5 Between words and Things: The Commerce of Scholars and the Promise of Ars 247 Epilogue Projection 272 Bibliography 279 Index 303
£23.75
Princeton University Press The Birth of Hedonism
Book SynopsisTrade Review"This fine book is the most comprehensive study of Cyrenaic hedonism in English. It will be the core resource on the Cyrenaics for anyone with a serious interest in ancient ethics. More than that, it ensures that the Cyrenaics (at last) have a place alongside the other great ancient philosophical schools, and it is a model for scholarship to affirm the continuing appeal and relevance of ancient philosophy."--Sean McConnell, Classical JournalTable of ContentsAcknowledgments xi Abbreviations xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1. A Cyrenaic Parable: The Choice of Pleasure 1 1.2. Methodology 3 1.3. Overview of the Book 8 1.4. A Note on Conventions 10 Chapter 2 Cyrene and the Cyrenaics: A Historical and Biographical Overview 12 2.1. Introduction 12 2.2. Fourth-Century Greek Philosophy 12 2.3. Cyrene and Cyrenaica 13 2.4. Aristippus 16 2.5. Mainstream Cyrenaicism 18 2.6. Hegesias 20 2.7. Anniceris 21 2.8. Theodorus 23 Chapter 3 Knowledge and Pleasure 26 3.1. Introduction 26 3.2. Aristippean Hedonism 27 3.3. Socrates' Influence on Aristippus's Hedonism 31 3.4. The Cyrenaic Theory of the Experiences 35 3.5. The Experiences as a Basis for Action 45 3.6. Cyrenaic Formulations of the End 52 Chapter 4 Virtue and Living Pleasantly 56 4.1. Introduction 56 4.2. Aristippus on Education, Virtue, and Happiness 57 4.3. Aristippean Presentism 64 4.4a. The Cyrenaics on Wealth, Justice, and Practical Wisdom 73 4.4b. The Cyrenaics on Speaking Well and Freedom from Negative Emotions 76 4.4c. The Cyrenaics on Education, Habituation, and Spiritual Exercises 80 4.4d. Interim Conclusion 81 4.5. Cyrenaic Presentism 83 4.6. Cyrenaic Formulations of the End 85 Chapter 5 Eudaimonism and Anti-Eudaimonism 92 5.1. Introduction 92 5.2. Personal Identity 94 5.3. Radical Subjectivism 96 5.4. Aprudentialism 97 Chapter 6 Personal and Political Relationships 101 6.1. Introduction 101 6.2. Aristippus 103 6.3. Cyrenaics and Courtesans 105 6.4. Mainstream Cyrenaics 108 6.5. Hegesias and Theodorus 110 6.6. Anniceris 115 Chapter 7 Hegesias's Pessimism 120 7.1. Introduction 120 7.2. Hegesiac "Targets" and the Hegesiac "End" 121 7.3. Ruthless Rationalism? 123 7.4. Indifference 128 7.5. Magnanimity and Philosophical Heroism 133 7.6. Autonomy and Cologne Papyrus 205 136 7.7. Pessimism and Heroism Revisited 142 Chapter 8 Theodorus's Innovations 147 8.1. Introduction 147 8.2. Ends, Intermediates, and Indifference 148 8.3. Theodorus the Pyrrhonist? 149 8.4. The Extemporaneity of Ethical Value and Judgment 153 8.5. "Atheism" and Other Polemics 159 8.6. Heroism 164 8.7. Conclusion 167 Chapter 9 The "New Cyrenaicism" of Walter Pater 168 9.1. Introduction 168 9.2. Walter Pater: From the The Renaissance to Marius the Epicurean 168 9.3. Unitemporal Pleasure 173 9.4. From Education to Morality 180 9.5. The Hedonic "Economy" 186 9.6. The Fear of Death 189 Chapter 10 Conclusion: The Birth of Hedonism 193 Appendix 1: The Sources 198 1.Introduction 198 2.Aristotle 198 3.Cicero 199 4.Clement of Alexandria 200 5.Diogenes Laertius (and Hesychius and the Suda) 202 6.Epiphanius 205 7.Eusebius and Aristocles 207 8.Plato 208 9.Xenophon 209 Appendix 2: Annicerean Interpolation in D.L. 2.86-93 211 1.Introduction 211 2.The Convergence between D.L. 2.86-89 and Clement Strom. 2.21.130.7-8 212 3.Formulations of the End and Demotion of Happiness 216 4.Anti-Epicurean Arguments 217 5.Conclusion 220 Notes 223 Bibliography 263 Index 275
£25.20
Princeton University Press The Beginnings of Philosophy in Greece
Book Synopsis
£19.00
Princeton University Press The Philosophical Stage Drama and Dialectic in
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Longlisted for the Runciman Award, Anglo-Hellenic League""[A] thoughtful examination of the breadth of intellectual thought in classical Greece." * Choice Reviews *"Billings’ study, with its novel approach, is a valuable and versatile resource. It is undoubtedly a useful addition to research concerning the complex relationship between early Western philosophical thought and ancient drama."---Visa Helenius, Arctos"A learned and disciplined study, The Philosophical Stage should become a starting place for future work on Greek drama and ancient philosophy. - Dustin W. Dixon, Classical Journal"
£33.25
Princeton University Press Platos Second Republic
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Undoubtedly required reading for any serious student of classical political philosophy."---Robert A. Ballingall, Polis"A careful, nuanced, and ambitious appraisal of Plato’s long and unpolished gem."---Daniel Vazquez, Greece & Rome"[I]ndispensable to all students of Plato’s political thought and of the history of political philosophy."---Richard Kraut, The Thomist
£27.00
Princeton University Press From Protagoras to Aristotle
Book SynopsisPresents a collection of papers in ancient moral philosophy. This book interprets Aristotle's ethical theory as a response to Protagoras. It ranges from a literary study of Homer's influence on Plato's Protagoras to analytic studies of Aristotle's metaphysics and his ideas about deliberation.Trade Review"Whatever their state of completion, Segvic's papers shed new light on ancient texts and offer new perspectives on practical rationality. They also give those of us who did not know Segvic an appreciation of the loss that we all suffered when illness and then death prevented her from developing and sharing her many insights."---Jyl Gentzler, POLIS
£31.50
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Being Essence and Substance in Plato and
Book SynopsisPaul Ricoeur (1913-2005) was one of the outstanding French philosophers of the 20th century and his work is widely read in the English-speaking world. This unique volume comprises the lectures that Ricoeur gave on Plato and Aristotle at the University of Strasbourg in 1953-54.Table of ContentsEditor’s IntroductionThe Goal and Plan of the CourseI. PlatoPart I: “True Being” or the IdeaIntroduction to Plato, Part IChapter 1 The Meaning of the Platonic “Eidos”Chapter 2 Essence and LanguageChapter 3 Science and EssenceI. “Opinion” as the Negative of ScienceChapter 4 Science and EssenceII. Right Opinion as “Intermediary”Chapter 5 Science and EssenceIII. The Mathematical “Intermediary”Chapter 6 Science and Essence (Conclusion)IV. The “Terminus” of Science: ContemplationPart II: The Idea of Being and Non-BeingIntroduction to Plato, Part IIChapter 1 The Question of Being in the ParmenidesChapter 2 The Success and Failures of Platonism in the SophistChapter 3 The Genesis of the Sensible in the TimaeusPart III Being and the “Divine”Introduction to Plato, Part IIIChapter 1 The Problem of the “Divine” and pre-Socratic PhilosophyChapter 2 The “Divine” in PlatoII. AristotleIntroduction to AristotlePart I: Being as BeingChapter 1 The “Genetic” Interpretation of Aristotle’s MetaphysicsChapter 2 Philosophy: Its Intention and Its MemoryChapter 3 Philosophy and Its “Aporias”Chapter 4 The Object of “First Philosophy”Part II: Being and SubstanceIntroduction to Aristotle, Part IIChapter 1 Sensible Substance: Substance as SubstrateChapter 2 Sensible Substance (continued): Substance as FormChapter 3 Substance and the IndividualChapter 4 “Separated” Substance
£18.04
John Wiley and Sons Ltd Platos Republic
Book SynopsisPlato''s Republic is one of the most well-known and widely discussed texts in the history of philosophy, but how might we get to the heart of this work today, 2500 years after it was originally composed? Alain Badiou invents a new genre in order to breathe fresh life into Plato''s text and restore its universality. Rather than producing yet another critical commentary, he has retranslated the work from the original Greek and, by making various changes, adapted it for our times. In this innovative reimagining of a classic text, Badiou has removed all references specific to ancient Greek society, from the endless exchanges about the moral courage of poets to those political considerations that were only of interest to the aristocratic elite. On the other hand, Badiou has expanded the range of cultural references: here philosophy is firing on all cylinders, and Socrates and his companions are joined by Beckett, Pessoa, Freud and Hegel. They demonstrate the enduring nature of truTrade Review"I strongly recommend reading Badiou's amusing, erudite, and intelligent book."—Consciousness, Literature and the Arts "Badiou's translation of Plato follows the ancient habit of pre-copyright times: it freely changes the original to make it fit to contemporary conditions. So instead of sophists we get corrupted journalists, instead of soul we get the subject, and instead of Plato’s critique of democracy we get... well, a critique of today’s democracy. The result is a resounding triumph: Plato comes fully alive as our contemporary, as someone who directly addresses our issues. This, not aseptic scholarly work, is the mark of a true fidelity to our past."—Slavoj Zizek "Here is something really remarkable: a complete re-imagining of the founding text of philosophy This book calls itself a hyper-translation, but it is also a repetition with a difference, an utterly contemporary transposition and even sublimation of Plato's Republic. It is always our task to breathe life into the ancients. They feed on our blood. Badiou shows himself a master of vampirism."—Simon Critchley, New School for Social Research, New York "What Badiou's translation of Plato leaves us with is a resounding passion for the truth. It leaves us with a rare sense that politics can once again be associated with courage and justice, and that we have an agency at our disposal that comes in the passionate work of bringing the idea of equality (communism) into existence."—BerfroisTable of Contents Introduction by Kenneth Reinhard Translator’s Preface Author’s Preface to the English Edition Preface Characters Prologue: Conversation in the Villa on the Harbor (327a-336b) 1 Reducing the Sophist to Silence (336b-357a) 2 The Young Men’s and Women’s Pressing Questions (357a-368d) 3 The Origins of Society and the State (368d-376c) 4 The Disciplines of the Mind: Literature and Music (376c-403c) 5 The Disciplines of the Body: Nutrition, Medicine and Physical Education (403c-412c) 6 Objective Justice (412c-434d) 7 Subjective Justice (434d-449a) 8 Women and Families (449a-471c) 9 What is a Philosopher? (471c-484b) 10 Philosophy and Politics (484b-502c) 11 What is an Idea? (502c-521c) 12 From Mathematics to the Dialectic (521c-541b) 13 Critique of the Four Pre-communist Systems of Government: 1. Timocracy and Oligarchy (541b-555b) 14 Critique of the Four Pre-Communist Systems of Government: 2. Democracy and Tyranny (555b-573b) 15 Justice and Happiness (573b-592b) 16 Poetry and Thought (592b-608b) Epilogue: The Mobile Eternity of Subjects (608b-end) Notes Index
£42.75
Cornell University Press The Soul of Socrates
Book SynopsisThis text traces Plato's struggle to simultaneously understand and convey the erotic presence of Socrates. Most commentators have supposed Plato assumed an ironic distance from Socrates. Ranasinghe claims the dialogues reflect Plato's awe and frustration before the enigmatic figure.
£39.95
Cornell University Press Substances and Universals in Aristotles
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewScaltsas has written an extended and powerful treatment of some of the deepest and most puzzling features of Aristotelian metaphysics, producing an interpretation that covers a wide range not only of Aristotelian material but also of Platonic material. He offers detailed critiques of the views of various modern commentators as well as of philosophers. Scaltsas has made an important and original contribution to our interpretation of Metaphysics. * Philosophical Quarterly *Table of ContentsThe ThemeI. Matter 1. Physical Continuity in Change 2. Radical Transformation 3. Against Hot, Cold, Wet, and Dry Stuff 4. Quantity of Matter: Soma 5. The Essence of MatterII. Universals 1. The Rejection of the Platonic Forms 2. Existential Arguments for Aristotelian Forms 3. The Universality of the Material SubstratumIII. The Birth of the Subject 1. Plato's Discovery of the Subject 2. The "Nature-Feature" Problem 3. Does Participation Presuppose a Partaker?IV: The Substantial Form 1. A Substance and Its Parts: Plato's Legacy 2. The Aggregate Argument 3. Is the Substantial Form a Relation? 4. The Threshold Argument 5. The Trope-Overlap Argument 6. Structural Universals and Substantial Forms 7. The Aristotelian Solution to Davis Lewis's Paradox 8. Universality Requirements on the Substantial FormV. The Unity of Substance 1. Abstraction and Separateness 2. Types of Abstract Entity 3. The Metaphysics of Abstraction: The Unity of Matter and Form in a Substance 4. An Existential Dilemma about Matter and FormVI. Particulars 1. Nonmaterial Substances 2. Particularity and Subjecthood 3. Essence as Subject: The "Second Man" Argument 4. Particularity of Nonmaterial Substances 5. Particularity of Material Substances: How Similar Can Different Substances Be? 6. Substantial Holism 7. Kit Fine's Paradox on the Identity of Aristotelian SubstancesVII. The Zeta Contradictions 1. The Contradictions 2. The Consistent Zeta Picture 3. Self-Caused Unities 4. Potentiality Entails Homonymy 5. Is the Substantial Form of a Substance Numerically One?Conclusion: Revisiting the Zeta ContradictionsAppendix 1: Live Matter Appendix 2: Against Bare Substrata Appendix 3: Against Individual Forms Appendix 4: The Argument of Metaphysics M, 10Bibliography Index Locorum General Index
£29.60
Cornell University Press On the Republic and On the Laws
Book SynopsisCicero''s On the Republic and On the Laws are his major works of political philosophy. They offer his fullest treatment of fundamental political questions: Why should educated people have any concern for politics? Is the best form of government simple, or is it a combination of elements from such simple forms as monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy? Can politics be free of injustice? The two works also help us to think about natural law, which many people have considered since ancient times to provide a foundation of unchanging, universal principles of justice.On the Republic features a defense of politics against those who advocated abstinence from public affairs. It defends a mixed constitution, the actual arrangement of offices in the Roman Republic, against simple forms of government. The Republic also supplies material for students of Roman historyas does On the Laws. The Laws, moreover, presents the results of Cicero''s reflections as Trade ReviewFott accomplishes what he has set out to do: provide an accessible translation that focuses more on the text than on the secondary scholarship. Fott's translation will prove a handy reference guide for anyone interested in either or both of these political works. It would be exceptionally well-suited for an undergraduate class on cicero, Roman philosophy, or the reception of Greek philosophy by the Romans, and I look forward to adopting it for my own students. -- Polis * The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Note on the Text and the Translation Chronology of Cicero's Life Outlines of On the Republic and On the Laws On the Republic (with explanatory notes) Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 Book 5 Book 6 Fragments of Uncertain Location On the Laws (with explanatory notes) Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Fragments Selected Bibliography Index of Personal Names Index of Terms
£19.94
Cornell University Press Protagoras and Meno
Book SynopsisThis volume contains new translations of two dialogues of Plato, the Protagoras and the Meno, together with explanatory notes and substantial interpretive essays. Robert C. Bartlett''s translations are as literal as is compatible with sound English style and take into account important textual variations. Because the interpretive essays both sketch the general outlines of the dialogues and take up specific theoretical or philosophic difficulties, they will be of interest not only to those reading the dialogues for the first time but also to those already familiar with them.The Protagoras and the Meno are linked by the attention each pays to the idea of virtue: the latter dialogue focuses on the fundamental Socratic question, What is virtue?; the former on the specific virtue of courage, especially in its relation to wisdom. An appendix contains a short extract from Xenophon''s Anabasis of Cyrus that vividly portrays the figure of Meno.Trade Review"The overall value of Bartlett's translation is very high. The footnotes are extraordinarily helpful; the prose is clear and readable; and the interpretive essays will surely prove to be an excellent source of classroom discussion. This volume is a welcome addition to Plato scholarship."—Edward Moore, St. Elias School of Orthodox Theology, Philosophy in Review, Vol. 24, No. 4-6, Aug-Dec 2004"Robert C. Bartlett's translations of Protagoras and Meno display a degree of accuracy and literalness that makes them most suitable for scholarly and teaching purposes. The consistency with which Bartlett has translated terms enables the reader to confidently develop an interpretation of Plato's meaning as the terms recur in the dialogues. His notes and introductory essays are thoughtful, learned, and well-designed guides to assist the reader toward a serious confrontation with the philosophic issues dealt with in the texts. They raise questions, sketch lines of interpretation, and guide one toward one's own thinking rather than declaring the definitive interpretation or examining the questions exhaustively, which makes them ideal for classroom use."—James H. Nichols, Claremont McKenna CollegeTable of ContentsPrefacePROTAGORASOn the ProtagorasMENOOn the MenoAppendix: Xenophon's Assessment of Meno (Anabasis of Cyrus 2.6.21-27)
£15.19
Cornell University Press The Political Writings Selected Aphorisms and
Book SynopsisIn this second volume of new translations of Alfarabi's political writings, Charles E. Butterworth presents translations of the Arabic philosopher’s political and legal thinking.Trade ReviewAt last, a wider English-speaking audience will gain access to the riches contained in Alfarabi's political philosophy.... As always, Butterworth walks the fine line between literalness and readability with extraordinary grace, making this volume of equal value to scholar and student alike. He also offers introductions to each work that exemplify this same balance. For the scholar, he describes the manuscripts consulted and justifies our conviction that at last we have a trustworthy translation based on a critical Arabic text. For the student, as well as the scholar, and, above all, the teacher, he offers concise, insightful introduction to these challenging works. These introductions are a great boon in the classroom; each introduction leads the reader to raise the relevant questions to begin to unlock the secrets within. In the footnotes, Butterworth strikes the same balance, drawing the scholar's attention to alternate manuscript readings and translations while offering crucial pieces of information and insight, especially valuable to the novice. * Journal of the American Oriental Society *Charles Butterworth has rendered a service both timely and timeless in his meticulous yet highly readable translations of four texts by a thinker second to none.... Butterworth here provides insightful introductions and impeccable translations. * Review of Politics *Charles E. Butterworth has rendered a service both timely and timeless in his meticulous yet highly readable translations of four texts by a thinker second to none. Butterworth here provides insightful introductions and impeccable translations. * Review of Politics *Butterworth brilliantly combines in one volume the theoretical agenda of the Political Regime and the practical concerns of the Summary. Such combination offers us the opportunity to explore the dynamic tensions between theoretical and practical knowledge that undergird Alfarabi's philosophical project as a whole. This volume is an excellent contribution to Alfarabi scholarship and should be most welcome to anyone interested in Islamic philosophy. -- Robert L'Arrivee * Review of Politics *Table of ContentsPrefacePolitical Regime Introduction The TextSummary of Plato's Laws Introduction The TextAppendix A: Alfarabi, Enumeration of the SciencesAppendix B: Averroes's Defense of the Philosophers as Believing in Happiness and Misery in the HereafterGlossary A: Arabic–English Glossary B: English–ArabicBibliography Index
£19.99
Cornell University Press Averroes on Platos Republic
Book SynopsisAn indispensable primary source in medieval political philosophy is presented here in a fully annotated translation of the celebrated discussion of the Republic by the twelfth-century Andalusian Muslim philosopher.Trade ReviewBecause of the importance of Averroes (as a Muslim he is significant for both Platonic and Islamic thought), it is good to have Lerner's new and thoughtful interpretation, with lucid introduction, three helpful appendixes, glossary, and index. * Library Journal *It is interesting to note that Plato's tenets were considered profitable also by Averroes, whose world was defined and governed by the Koran. * The Classical Outlook *This is a fine translation of a very difficult and important text, lost in its Arabic original but preserved in the awkward fourteenth-century Hebrew translation of Judah ben Samuel. Even in this summary form, the Republic is one of the exceedingly few works of the Platonic corpus to surface in Islamic philosophy, and this paraphrase is an excellent example of Averroes' technique of doing philosophy in commentary form. * Journal of Near Eastern Studies *Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction Abbreviations and SymbolsTHE TEXTThe First Treatise The Second Treatise The Third TreatiseAPPENDIX I Translator's Colophon Copyist's ColophonAPPENDIX II Notes to the Hebrew TextAPPENDIX III Short Titles and Editions CitedGlossary Index
£17.84
University of Toronto Press Spensers Supreme Fiction
Book SynopsisQuitslund argues that Spenser sought authority for his poem by grounding its narrative in a divinely ordained natural order, intelligible in terms derived from the ancient sources of poetry and philosophy.
£62.90
Stanford University Press Sovereign Virtue
Book SynopsisAristotle argues that virtuous conduct is the governing factor in living well. Combining philological precision with philosophical analysis, this book reconstructs Aristotle's defense of these claims and examines his position in response to the prevailing hopes and anxieties of his age.Table of ContentsPreface A note on citation Part I. A Good Life: 1. The pursuit of happiness 2. Reputable views Part II. The Test of tradition: 3. Virtue and prosperity 4. The end of tellos 5. Fortune and prosperity 6. A complete life 7. Sovereign virtue Part III. The Rational Animal: 8. Vital needs and the human function 9. The pleasures of temperance 10. Health and happiness Part IV. Virtues in Action: 11. The economics of liberality 12. Sparta and the perils of power 13. Honor and dignity 14. The sovereign self General index.
£56.10
Stanford University Press The Present Alone Is Our Happiness
Book SynopsisIn this book of brilliantly erudite and precise discussions, Pierre Hadot explains that for the Ancients philosophy was not reducible to the building of a theoretical system: it was above all a choice about how to live one''s life. One of the most influential historians of ancient philosophy in the world today, Hadot is adept at using ancient philosophers to illuminate the relevance of their ideas to contemporary life. In this book, which is an ideal introduction to Hadot''s more scholarly What is Ancient Philosophy?, we learn that to be an Epicurean is not merely to think like one; it is to adopt a way of living where limiting desires is the condition for happiness. Being an Aristotelian, similarly, is to choose a life that involves contemplation, and being a Cynic is to follow Diogenes in his refusal of quotidian convention and the mentality of ordinary people. If so many Ancient philosophers founded schools, Hadot explains, it was precisely because they were proposiTrade Review"There is much here that could affirm and inform a philosophical counseling practice, both in attitude and content. There is much here to remind ourselves of the importance of spiritual or philosophical exercises in our own trying times."—Helen Douglas, Philosophical Practice"Hadot's refreshing efforts to free philosophy and its history from the sterile constraints of abstract theorizing and academic specialization find a lively and productive outlet in the interviews collected here. Introduced by Jeannie Carlier, a French scholar of Neo-platonic religious thought and friend of Hadot, and conducted in turns by Carlier and Arnold Davidson, the American philosopher and intellectual historian most responsible for the introduction and dissemination of Hadot's work in English-speaking contexts, these conversations explore in depth and varied detail both the personal and the intellectual development of a scholar whose own work insists above all that the personal or existential cannot rightly or fruitfully be separated from the intellectual or philosophical. Enacting the kind of dialogue that Hadot believes essential to any philosophy that would constitute a living relation between persons rather than an abstract relation to ideas, these interviews could not find a more suitable subject."—Thomas A. Carlson, University of California, Santa Barbara"If your own experience of 'Philosophy 101' way back when was just shy of miserable, disconnected from the daily or generally incoherent—gridlocked, for instance, in self-serving terms—here, in The Present Alone Is Our Happiness: Conversations with Jeannie Cartier and Arnold I. Davidson, a good-souled man—Hadot himself—winks. He seems to say, 'Here's what happened, and here's why philosophy really is for you.' And if you are a teacher or a pedagogue, it's for you all the more."—Teachers College RecordTable of Contents@fmct:Contents @toc4:Introduction iii @toc2:1 Tied to the Apron Strings of the Church 000 2 Researcher, Teacher, Philosopher 000 3 Philosophical Discourse 000 4 Interpretation, Objectivity and Nonsense 000 5 Unitary Experience and Philosophical Life 000 6 Philosophical Discourse as Spiritual Exercise 000 7 Philosophy as Life and as a Quest for Wisdom 000 8 From Socrates to Foucault. A Long Tradition 000 9 Inacceptable? 000 10 The Present Alone is Our Happiness 000 @toc4:Postface 000 Notes 000 Index 000
£19.79
Southern Illinois University Press Aristotle on the Many Senses of Priority
Book SynopsisCleary discusses the origin, development, and use of the many senses of priority as a central thesis in Aristotle's metaphysics.Cleary contends that one of the most revealing problems for the ambiguity of Aristotle's relationship to Platonism is that of the ontological status of mathematical objects. In support of his claim, Cleary analyzes a curious passage from Aristotle's Topics, where he appears to accept a schema of priorities that makes mathematical entities more substantial than sensible things. How does Aristotle try to reconcile the ordering of things dictated by sciences like mathematics and dialectic with the ordering of sense experience upon which his own physics and metaphysics are based? To find the answer, Cleary reviews three different outlines of the many senses of priority given by Aristotle himself and found in Categories 12-13, Metaphysics Delta 11, and Metaphysics Theta 8. Cleary suggests there is an implicit hierarchy for Aristotle that leads him to posit the Prime Mover at its apex as complete actuality and, therefore, as the focus for the concept of priority. Having reviewed Aristotle's treatment of the many uses of priority, Cleary demonstrates how the concept is used in some typical arguments by Aristotle for his mature metaphysical positions.
£14.95
MP-SIL Southern Illinois Uni Chain of Gold
Book SynopsisBarred from political engagement and legal advocacy, the second sophists composed epideictic works for audiences across the Mediterranean world during the early centuries of the Common Era. In this study, Susan Jarratt argues that these discourses constitute intricate negotiations with the absolute power of the Roman Empire.Trade Review“It will no longer be possible to read Greek literature from the Roman era without referring to Chain of Gold. This book will be a landmark in the history of rhetoric and in the history of Roman imperialism. It initiates a fascinating discussion with implications for our own political issues.”- Laurent Pernot, former president of the International Society for the History of Rhetoric, author of Rhetoric in Antiquity“Chain of Gold is not only an essential contribution to scholarship on Greek rhetoric in the Roman Empire; it is an exploration of the nature, limits, and, above all, possibilities for rhetoric in an age of empire. As such, it is critical reading not only for historians of rhetoric but for all who are concerned with the state of speech before authoritarian powers.”- Ned O’Gorman, editor, Journal for the History of Rhetoric“With theoretical subtlety and historical sensitivity, Jarratt brilliantly develops a form of rhetorical analysis precisely calibrated to the distinctive character of Greek rhetors as colonized subjects under the Roman imperium. Carefully argued and engagingly written, Chain of Gold is revisionary rhetorical history at its very best.”- Steven Mailloux, author of Rhetoric’s Pragmatism: Essays in Rhetorical Hermeneutics
£31.46
