Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy Books

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewHappiness and Goodness reminds me of a Socratic dialogue. The absence of jargon and use of realistic examples in this book make philosophy accessible to all interested in improving their lives. -- Andrea Tschemplik, American University Happiness and Goodness is a phenomenal book that offers innovative and penetrating insights into the most fundamental questions of human concern, such as happiness, love, morality, death, and God. Drawing from a vast array of philosophical, religious, and literary sources, Steven M. Cahn and Christine Vitrano brilliantly challenge long-standing assumptions about what it means to live a satisfying and successful life. They also have an uncanny ability to transmit their ideas in a vivid and enjoyable fashion by providing colorful vignettes and everyday life stories. I, for one, could not put the book down. -- Dov Weiss, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign This crisply written and incisive book draws on ancient thought and contemporary examples to develop a compelling account of living well. -- David Shatz, Yeshiva University I can't remember the last time I read a book about ethics that was so fascinating. -- Ed Lake, Deputy Editor, AeonTable of ContentsForeword, by Robert B. Talisse Preface 1. Introduction 2. Wasted Lives? 3. Projects of Worth? 4. Flourishing? 5. Things That Matter? 6. Morality and Happiness 7. Morality and Unhappiness 8. Character 9. Appearing Moral 10. God and Morality 11. Heaven and Hell 12. Moral Judgments 13. Moral Standards 14. Choosing the Experience Machine 15. Happiness and Ignorance 16. Assessing Achievement 17. Pleasures and Pains 18. Fear of the Divine 19. Fear of Unfulfilled Desires 20. Fear of Death 21. Futility 22. Living Well 23. Satisfaction 24. Concluding Questions Notes Index About the Authors

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Book SynopsisEnergy Dreams interrogates the ontology of energy from the first coinage of the word energeia by Aristotle to the current practice of fracking and the popularity of “energy drinks.”Trade ReviewEnergy is something that pervades all our concerns from ecological to libidinal: we dream about clean renewable energy, condemn fracking, gain strength through energy drinks. Michael Marder's Energy Dreams moves beyond these topics and asks a more fundamental hermeneutic question: what understanding of energy is presupposed in our mundane concerns? He demonstrates brilliantly that we need a new philosophical paradigm and that only in this way will we be able to properly confront all the practical problems in our dealings with energy. Marder's book makes it clear that only a deeper theoretical reflection will enable us to solve our most "practical" problems-a lesson needed like daily bread in today's world, which more and more abhors authentic thinking. -- Slavoj Zizek, author of Less Than Nothing and Absolute Recoil Energy Dreams is an intellectually fascinating and exciting investigation of energy, and it represents a new generation of environmental thinking that tackles the environmental crisis with philosophical sophistication and adventurousness. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary debates in environmental and political philosophy. -- Adrian Parr, author of The Wrath of Capital Energy Dreams is a passionate philosophical page-turner, a beautifully rendered and urgently needed elemental philosophy of non-violence that journeys to the very heart of how we imagine our relationships to ourselves, each other, our worlds, and the earth itself. Marder's vegetal thinking is visionary. -- Kelly Oliver, author of Earth and World: Philosophy After the Apollo Missions Michael Marder's Energy Dreams is a book on energeia, broadly conceived, a reflectively literal tour de force, moving through Aristotle to Hegel, including the many contemporary and historical meanings of energy, touching down with Heidegger and even Carl Schmitt but always returning to Aristotle. Marder offers a conversational yet rigorous reflection on some the most important issues of our time. -- Babette Babich, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsOpening Words 1. Energy Dreams 2. Theological Musings 3. Economic Chimeras 4. Psychological Reveries 5. Political Fantasies 6. Physical Fancies The Last Word: Energy or Energies? P.S.-The Very Last Word Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Adds to a vital and growing body of work dedicated to rethinking and reinterpreting one of the most, if not the most, important authors in Western philosophy and literature—Plato."—Jeremy Bell, editor of Plato's Animals"By his own acknowledgement, Ewegen is not attempting in this stimulating book to definitively "solve" the issue of the way of the Platonic Socrates. What he does do is establish convincingly that one crucial but underestimated aspect of Socrates' way can be articulated by a congeries of terms that include: openness, receptivity, releasement, even weakness, passivity, withdrawal, and poverty, among others. This important book demonstrates insightfully that these themes have not received the attention they deserve."—Drew A. Hyland, Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Trinity College"The Platonic Socrates presented in this extraordinary new work is not only, as the tradition has handed him down to us, poor, wandering, powerless, knowing only that he does not know, but also radically open, receptive, in withdrawal, less a thinker or questioner than a space for thinking and questioning that opens up the entire history of philosophy. By focusing on that space in the Platonic dialogues, Shane Ewegen has given us nothing less than a radically new Socrates."—Michael Naas, author of Plato and the Invention of Life"Ewegen's book elaborates both on what it means for the Platonic Socrates to be somehow lacking and on the assorted ways in which Socrates' character is defined by it. It offers important insights into the highly enigmatic character of the Platonic Socrates and the philosophical significance thereof. This will become essential reading for anyone who takes Socrates' depiction in the dialogues to be philosophically relevant and for anyone interested in how Socrates creates the space in which philosophy can occur."—Sonja Tanner, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, author of Plato's Laughter"In The Way of the Platonic Socrates, S. Montgomery Ewegen approaches the enigma of Socrates. Through the analysis of a broad array of Platonic texts, Ewegen investigates the philosophical implications of the Socratic posture and comes to an outcome paradoxical no less than fascinating, and genuinely Lacanian in tenor: a portrait outlining the ancient thinker in his lack and withdrawal, placelessness and spaciousness, in brief, in his abiding and generative mystery."—Claudia Baracchi, Università di Milano-BicoccaTable of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Wandering: Apology1. Retreat: Phaedo / Timaeus2. Power(lessness): Gorgias3. Poverty: Symposium4. Indebtedness: Statesman5. Ignorance: Protagoras6. Releasement: RepublicEpilogue: Plato BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Hearing, Sound, and the Auditory in Ancient Greece attunes readers of ancient philosophy to themes of noise, sound, speech and their interrelation, which certainly are the sort of things that we might overlook if it were not for the care and attention provided by the essays in this volume."—Eric Sanday, University of Kentucky"The essays in Hearing, Sound, and the Auditory in Ancient Greece share an attention to hearing as something philosophically significant across numerous texts and figures in ancient Greek philosophy—from Heraclitus and other Presocratics to Plato and Aristotle and later antiquity. This thematic focus allows for the authors to address the connection to a range of phenomena of interest to philosophers: logos, sense-perception, silence, crowd noise, the experience of pain. The collection as a whole makes for fascinating reading, and will be certain to inspire future work in philosophy."—Robert Metcalf, University of Colorado DenverTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsEditor's Introduction, by Jill GordonPart I: Listening to the Logoi1. Wakeful Living, Wakeful Listening in Heraclitus, by Drew A. Hyland2. Sound, Water, and the Unity of Life in Empedocles, by Michael M. Shaw3. Indoor Voices: Adriana Cavarero and Jacques Derrida on the Devocalization of Logos in Plato, by Michael Naas4. Hearing, Touch, and Practical Intelligence in Aristotle's Philosophy, by Eve Rabinoff5. Listening to the "Egg", by Sean Alexander GurdPart II: Sound Education6. Like Those Who Are Untested: Heraclitus' Logos as Tuning Instrument for Psuchê, by Jessica E. Decker7. Philosophical Listening in Plato's Lysis, by Shane M. Ewegen8. Sound and the Soul in Plato, by Ryan T. DrakePart III: Sound Politics9. Listening to the Seventh Letter, by Jill Gordon10. Observations on Listening in Aristotle's Practical Philosophy, by I-Kai Jeng11. Mis-aulogy: Aristotle on the Politics of Sound, by Sara BrillPart IV: Alogos, Embodiment, and Silence12. The Sound of Pain in Sophocles' Philoctetes, by Rebecca Goldner13. Socratic Death Rattles: Pythagorean Hearing and Listening in Plato's Phaedo, by Kris McLain and Anne-Marie Schultz14. Socrates' Body and the Voice of Philosophy, by James Barrett15. Works of Silence, by Jeremy BellIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Friendship promises to positively alter the landscape of Platonic and Aristotelian studies, and Ancient Philosophy more broadly, as Dr. Baracchi gives us a fresh and intellectually fecund approach to ancient texts such as the Nicomachean Ethics, the Timaeus, and the Republic, among others."—Ryan Drake, Fairfield UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Thoughts on the Threshold1. The Eyes of Friendship2. The Cosmos That I Am3. The Friendship between Us4. The Friends of Socrates5. Philosophers' Friendship6. On Enmity7. Friendship and Politics8. Friendship and Nature9. Sensing-WithIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Friendship promises to positively alter the landscape of Platonic and Aristotelian studies, and Ancient Philosophy more broadly, as Dr. Baracchi gives us a fresh and intellectually fecund approach to ancient texts such as the Nicomachean Ethics, the Timaeus, and the Republic, among others."—Ryan Drake, Fairfield UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction: Thoughts on the Threshold1. The Eyes of Friendship2. The Cosmos That I Am3. The Friendship between Us4. The Friends of Socrates5. Philosophers' Friendship6. On Enmity7. Friendship and Politics8. Friendship and Nature9. Sensing-WithIndex

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Book SynopsisBack to the Rough Ground is a philosophical investigation of practical knowledge, with major import for professional practice and the ethical life in modern society. Its purpose is to clarify the kind of knowledge that informs good practice in a range of disciplines such as education, psychotherapy, medicine, management, and law. Through reflection on key modern thinkers who have revived cardinal insights of Aristotle, and a sustained engagement with the Philosopher himself, it presents a radical challenge to the scientistic assumptions that have dominated how these professional domains have been conceived, practiced, and institutionalized.Trade Review"[Dunne] makes clear both the contemporary relevance of the Aristotelian conception of practical judgment and the way in which, implicitly and explicitly, it has already played a part in the twentieth-century debates in a way that no one else has done. His detailed exposition of Aristotle is not only admirable . . . but exceptionally well-designed." —Alasdair MacIntyre“Joseph Dunne's achievement in this truly remarkable work is of the highest significance for educational philosophy . . . [Back to the Rough Ground] should be compulsory reading for all those who profess a serious interest in the conceptual complexities . . . of professional knowledge. [Dunne's] arguments are consistently intelligent, clear, and persuasive . . . the overall quality of his writing is simply outstanding.” —Journal of Philosophy of Education“A remarkable exercise in the hermeneutics of reading carried out in a truly Gadamerian spirit. . . . The richness and brilliance of Dunne's twofold reading, which moves back and forth between Aristotle, Gadamer, and Habermas, . . . does indeed succeed in forcefully reviving . . . a usable modern phronetic tradition.” —Quarterly Journal of Speech“An impressively masterful and engaging volume, which will more than repay careful reading and rereading. Its depth of analysis, richness of content, and subtlety of argument offer invaluable resources not only for understanding Aristotle's practical philosophy but also for appreciating why robust accounts of practical reason, though scarce in modernity, are nonetheless indispensable. . . . [A] model of how phronesis [practical wisdom] might be exhibited in our own day." —Modern Theology“[A] very powerful, scholarly, and philosophically acute attempt to rehabilitate an understanding of practical reason. . . . Dunne's absorbing and illuminating book is a necessary acquisition for anyone who is interested in practical philosophy.” —International Journal of Philosophical Studies"...a first-rate piece of work...wide ranging in its scope, yet finely attentive to detail. It covers...a large number of contemporary thinkers, and yet shows scholarly and philosophical finesse in reading Aristotle and recovering the contemporary significance of his views of techne and phronesis." —The Review of Metaphysics

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Book SynopsisDespite the separation between classical and modern theories of government, contributors to Aristotle and Modern Politics find Aristotle a useful interlocutor for assessing both possibilities and limitations in contemporary politics. In this collection, noted political scientists, theologians, and philosophers discuss the magnitude of Aristotle's presence in contemporary debate and demonstrate some of the ways in which Aristotle sheds new light on contemporary problems. This engaging book also exhibits the persistence of political philosophy at a time when the pervasive influence of ideology and historicism lead many to deny its possibility. Although the authors of these essays differ on the nature of Aristotle's contribution, all are united by the conviction that he has something important to teach citizens of modern political societies.If the fundamental principles of modern politics were drawn from critical reflections of reason over and against the imposition of Trade Review"...this eclectic collection of essays serves to illustrate the ways in which the perceived shortcomings of modern liberal politics can be understood, if not corrected, with reference to several of Aristotle's writings. The success of this book is due, in large part, to its dialectical character. ...this is a very fine volume indeed. Its diverse elements come together to forma remarkable whole, one that makes its reading both pleasurable and informative. It also succeeds in sparking new and exciting debates...."—International Journal of the Classical Tradition“. . . highly researched, well grounded in contemporary literature as well as in Aristotle, and highly readable. The authors show a rare ability to bring out the best in those whom they study . . . highly recommended.” —Choice“The serious revival of Aristotelianism is exemplified by Aristotle and Modern Politics, edited by Aristide Tessitore. The twelve essays presented here—all but two for the first time—aim to show what Aristotle has to teach us about community, virtue, law, economics, and the foundations of modern politics. In each case, the subject is not merely some Aristotelian hobbyhorse, but a matter of lively, even heated debate in contemporary scholarship on the meaning and value of liberalism.” —Perspectives on Political Science“[T]his volume ... performs a signal service. In addition to exploring how Aristotelian insights can be drawn upon to advance contemporary intellectual and policy debates, it also begins what is probably an overdue effort to correct misrepresentations of the authentic Aristotle by some of his recent champions.” —Claremont Review of Books“The strength of this collection lies in the high quality of each contribution and of each contributor:.... These essays embody much of the best Aristotelian political theory in America today. These are important essays on important topics and there is somthing here for everyone.” —Perspectives on Politics“This is a distinguished volume.... [T]he scope and high quality of most of the essays demonstrate the strengths of the contemporary revival of Aristotelian political philosophy. [S]everal of the contributors are at the cutting edge of this revival. The general quality of the essays, the ways they explore an interesting variety of modern political themes from a classical perspective, and the implicit conversation among the essays make this volume uniquely useful for those interested in looking at contemporary life through the still powerful lens of classical political philosophy.” —Journal of Politics

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Book SynopsisDespite the separation between classical and modern theories of government, contributors to Aristotle and Modern Politics find Aristotle a useful interlocutor for assessing both possibilities and limitations in contemporary politics. In this collection, noted political scientists, theologians, and philosophers discuss the magnitude of Aristotle's presence in contemporary debate and demonstrate some of the ways in which Aristotle sheds new light on contemporary problems. This engaging book also exhibits the persistence of political philosophy at a time when the pervasive influence of ideology and historicism lead many to deny its possibility. Although the authors of these essays differ on the nature of Aristotle's contribution, all are united by the conviction that he has something important to teach citizens of modern political societies.If the fundamental principles of modern politics were drawn from critical reflections of reason over and against the imposition of Trade Review"...this eclectic collection of essays serves to illustrate the ways in which the perceived shortcomings of modern liberal politics can be understood, if not corrected, with reference to several of Aristotle's writings. The success of this book is due, in large part, to its dialectical character. ...this is a very fine volume indeed. Its diverse elements come together to forma remarkable whole, one that makes its reading both pleasurable and informative. It also succeeds in sparking new and exciting debates...."—International Journal of the Classical Tradition“. . . highly researched, well grounded in contemporary literature as well as in Aristotle, and highly readable. The authors show a rare ability to bring out the best in those whom they study . . . highly recommended.” —Choice“The serious revival of Aristotelianism is exemplified by Aristotle and Modern Politics, edited by Aristide Tessitore. The twelve essays presented here—all but two for the first time—aim to show what Aristotle has to teach us about community, virtue, law, economics, and the foundations of modern politics. In each case, the subject is not merely some Aristotelian hobbyhorse, but a matter of lively, even heated debate in contemporary scholarship on the meaning and value of liberalism.” —Perspectives on Political Science“[T]his volume ... performs a signal service. In addition to exploring how Aristotelian insights can be drawn upon to advance contemporary intellectual and policy debates, it also begins what is probably an overdue effort to correct misrepresentations of the authentic Aristotle by some of his recent champions.” —Claremont Review of Books“The strength of this collection lies in the high quality of each contribution and of each contributor:.... These essays embody much of the best Aristotelian political theory in America today. These are important essays on important topics and there is somthing here for everyone.” —Perspectives on Politics“This is a distinguished volume.... [T]he scope and high quality of most of the essays demonstrate the strengths of the contemporary revival of Aristotelian political philosophy. [S]everal of the contributors are at the cutting edge of this revival. The general quality of the essays, the ways they explore an interesting variety of modern political themes from a classical perspective, and the implicit conversation among the essays make this volume uniquely useful for those interested in looking at contemporary life through the still powerful lens of classical political philosophy.” —Journal of Politics

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Book SynopsisThe Inner Word in Gadamer’s Hermeneutics is an intellectual history and textual analysis of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s famous and obscure theme of the verbum interius.Trade Review“Consummately researched, lucidly written, and persuasively argued throughout, The Inner Word succeeds brilliantly in bringing to light this neglected but pivotal matter in Gadamer’s work. Arthos is learned in the best ‘humanist’ way, for he succeeds in creating something new of his own that will speak eloquently to all of us.” —Walter Jost, University of Virginia“Gadamer suggests that the Christian idea of incarnation is a key to his hermeneutics, but does not explain his position in a detailed or systematic manner. Arthos brings his considerable knowledge of hermeneutics and rhetoric to bear on Gadamer's insight, recounting the rich intellectual history to which Gadamer gestures, and providing an extended and detailed exegesis of this pivotal point in the third part of Truth and Method. Gadamer's account of 'linguisticality,' Arthos explains, can best be understood through his use of a complex metaphor—the ‘inner word.’ Arthos matches his erudition with clear and clean prose, and his account exemplifies, rather than just describes, Gadamer's hermeneutical philosophy. Any scholar interested in Gadamer's philosophy should have this book on his or her shelf.” —Francis J. Mootz III, William S. Boyd Professor of Law, William S. Boyd School of Law“Arthos's strength lies for me in his careful reading of the sources. He effectively commands the literature on the subject. This work shows in a sophisticated way the legacy of trinitarian theology for philosophical hermeneutics. The very complex task of illuminating the phenomenon of the verbum interius and indicating its centrality for philosophical hermeneutics is accomplished by John Arthos with great sensitivity to the subject matter.” —Andrzej Wiercinski, The International Institute for Hermeneutics“John Arthos’s . . . book . . . will be a model for future scholarship on Gadamer’s intellectual inheritance. . . . Drawing widely from Gadamer’s writings while focusing on one crucial move in Gadamer’s argument, it provides both a systemic interpretation of Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics and an informative overview of those views—ancient, medieval and modern—that helped shape crucial aspects of Gadamer’s thought.” —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews“Arthos’s book is arguably the definitive statement on how to read Gadamer’s Trinitarian claim . . . an indispensable resource to practical rhetorical critics as well as to theorists in understanding what is at issue in our assumptions about language, agency, and meaning.” —Rhetoric and Public Affairs“While offering a close reading of Gadamer’s position on the inner word, the author’s book stands as a valid contribution to the philosophy and theology of ‘Logos,’ one that leads the reader to a more profound understanding of the nature of language and the linguistic self.” —Catholic Library World“. . . Arthos’s book provides a rich resource in delving into both the history of the verbum and its hermeneutic appropriation by Gadamer. This work, then, is not only an essential read for Gadamerian scholars but also a valuable source for those interested in engaging the masters of medieval thought with the hermeneutic turn.” —International Philosophical Quarterly“Arthos explicates and emphasizes the contribution Gadamer made in Truth and Method to hermeneutics and the study of human communication. The book’s most significant contribution, however, is its historical focus.” —Journal of Communication and Religion“Arthos justly celebrates the inherent humanism of Gadamer’s hermeneutics and has aided our understanding of Gadamer with his thorough elucidation of a very difficult passage in Truth and Method.” —Monatshefte"[The Inner Word in Gadamer's Hermeneutics] is a 360 page magisterial study of the roughly ten pages of the 'Language and Verbum' section in Truth and Method, in which Gadamer treats of the topic of the inner word . . . Methodically researched and engagingly written, [the book], however, is no dry academic tome. For Arthos's purpose is not only to exegete these pages but to inquire 'into the paradigmatic significance of a hermeneutic logos for our culture.' . . . Indeed, he succeeds not only in his inquiry but also in demonstrating, i.e., producing, the very workings of a culturally relevant hermeneutics." —The Heythrop Journal

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Book SynopsisExplains Cynicism's rise in popularity in the ancient world by exploring the set of attitudes that collectively formed the Greek praise of poverty. The author argues that economic, military, and philosophical thought contains explicit criticisms of wealth and praise of poverty. This is a work of ancient Cynicism and its classical environment.Trade Review“In his thought-provoking The Greek Praise of Poverty: Origins of Ancient Cynicism, William D. Desmond proposes that the chief reason for this widespread appeal and longevity is that, for all its flamboyance, Cynicism in fact had deep roots in traditional Greek culture, and in particular in Greek suspicions of wealth, and praise of frugality and the simple life . . . erudite, scholarly and mostly well-written.” —Times Literary Supplement“Desmond's book shows impressively how the cynics were not, contrary to what one might think, marginalized in Greek society. They represent a strand of thought that appears (if Desmond is right) very influential, and raises intriguing questions about the degree of influence their thought may have had on some of the early church fathers, as well as Christian anchorites and monks.” —Milltown Studies"Through a comprehensive analysis of wealth and poverty in classical Greek thought, Desmond recounts two concurrent themes. The first illuminates the Greek understanding of the virtue of poverty, running mainly from Hesiod to Aristotle, through concentrating on the late fifth and early fourth centuries' historical, comedic, and philosophical writings; the second illuminates this understanding's continuation in Diogenes and Cynical thought in general." —First Things"In this investigation of the early stages of Cynicism in the classical period (450-323 B.C.), Desmond argues that figures such as Antisthenes and Diogenes were not cultural outcasts or marginal figures, and that the Cynic movement had deep and significant roots in the 'Greek praise of poverty' and the virtues that it could inspire." —New Testament Abstracts"The ancient Cynics have long been seen as exceptional and outside the margins of Greek culture. William Desmond makes a powerful argument against this perception, by searching for the origins of Cynic ideas and attitudes within mainstream Greek culture and society. He examines a wide number of different texts, ranging from Homer to Hesiod to the tragic poets, Thucydides, Herodotus, Xenophon and of course Plato and Aristotle. . . This is a very successful and interesting book that deserves to be read by a wide audience." —Bryn Mawr Classical Review"According to Desmond, democratic populism, Greek heroism, and a philosophic yearning for absolute truth--forerunners of Cynic asceticism--all derive from the virtue of frugality. . . . Philological and philosophical, Desmond draws widely from the original Greek sources and argues persuasively for his provocative conclusions." —Choice“Sets the thoughts of such Cynic philosophers as Antisthenes and Diogenes in the context of a Greek tradition of ambivalence toward wealth.”—The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Book SynopsisPsellos and the Patriarchs: Letters and Funeral Orations for Keroullarios, Leichoudes, and Xiphilinos contains translations of the funeral orations written by Michael Psellos, the leading Byzantine intellectual of the eleventh century, for the three ecumenical patriarchs of Constantinople whom he knew best: Michael Keroullarios (1043-1058), Konstantinos Leichoudes (1059-1063), and Ioannes Xiphilinos (1064-1075). The orations are significant sources for the lives and reputations of these patriarchs; they are also a prime source for the educational reforms made by the emperor Konstantinos IX Monomachos in the mid-1040s, and for many events of that turbulent century that Psellos witnessed, including popular uprisings, plots, civil wars, and the battle with the Catholic legates in 1054. Never before translated into English, the orations and letters are introduced by a detailed analysis of Psellos' historical relationships with the patriarchs and an interpretation of the works.Trade Review"This volume of translations, by two of the best contemporary experts on Psellos and his times, is an important addition to a growing body of scholarship on Byzantium in the eleventh century. Because of the four personalities involved, Psellos and the Patriarchs is an extremely valuable source for historians; it provides a wealth of material on such topics as the secular and ecclesiastical careers of leading intellectuals; relations between patriarch and emperor; the functioning of rhetoric at the highest levels in society; and not least, the personality, character, and literary prowess of Psellos himself." —John Duffy, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine Philology and Literature, Emeritus, Harvard University"Learning, philosophy, complex theology, the call of monasticism, high politics, and deep intrigue make up the world of eleventh-century Byzantium. Michael Psellos belonged to this world and wrote about it in an engaging and gossipy way. His funeral orations on three patriarchs of Constantinople, together with some of his letters, shed much light on the detail of this period. The translators, who, by editing these works, rescued them from oblivion, have put the world of scholarship deeply in their debt." —Andrew Louth, emeritus, Durham University"Psellos and the Patriarchs offers readers interested in Byzantine history and literature a series of relatively neglected but very important medieval Greek texts in English translation with introduction and brief commentary. Written by the eleventh-century ingenious author Michael Psellos (arguably among the most representative Byzantine rhetors), these texts focus on the lives, networks, and careers of three patriarchs of Constantinople who played a central role in the vibrant political and intellectual life of the capital of the Byzantine empire—in this period, a leading urban center of the eastern Mediterranean world." —Stratis Papaioannou, Brown University"In Byzantine history, the eleventh century is traumatic and chaotic, innovative and creative. The most perspicacious observer of this destructive and formative period was Michael Psellos, and this collection of some of Psellos' work related to contemporary patriarchs of Constantinople deepens our picture of a crucial period. The commentary provides relevant context, while the translations render Psellos' Greek beautifully without sacrificing accuracy. It's a topos worthy of Byzantine literature, but none the less true: this volume is a must for anyone interested in the history of Byzantium." —Tia M. Kolbaba, Rutgers University“There are two kinds of Byzantinists: those who find Psellos difficult, and those who lie about it. Both types will rejoice at the publication of Kaldellis and Polemis's volume of annotated translations, including the funeral orations. . . . An introductory essay and brief biography of Psellos by Kaldellis provide helpful guidance. . . . these translations let Psellos's artistry shine.” —Speculum“The bulk of Psellos’s one thousand or so theological and philosophical works remain untranslated in any language. The planned future volumes in this series will begin to fill this gap, and thus deservedly make more accessible the fascinating world and mind of Michael Psellos to a larger audience.” —Parergon“The series ‘Michael Psellos in Translation’ offers to historians of the Middle Ages as well as to the informed public and students a valuable tool for assessing the intellectual aspirations of a key-figure in the development of medieval thought.” —The Catholic Historical Review“Helpful introductions provided for each of the addressees allow the reader to better understand the vibrant, intellectual court culture that first united and then divided these men. . . . The reader also comes away with a greater appreciation for the deep intertextual relationships of Psellos’s texts with earlier Christian and classical literature.” —Parergon

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Book SynopsisIn recent years, Plato''s Timaeus has recaptured the interest of scholars, sparking an exploration of the astonishing influence this work has had on a wide range of intellectual traditions. Plato''s Timaeus as Cultural Icon brings together a group of leading experts from Canada, the United States, and Europe to examine the reception of Plato''s Timaeus throughout history, as well as its impact on major intellectual and cultural traditions.Gretchen J. Reydams-Schils''s enlightening introduction tackles the issue of why the Timaeus has enjoyed such tremendous cultural status and sets the stage for the many topics covered in this volume, which include an assessment of the Timaeus''s influence on Plato''s successors, an examination of how it became connected to traditions of sacred texts, an analysis of the mind-body problem, the tradition of music and its relation to philosophy, the cultural impact of Calcidius''s Latin translation ofTrade Review"This volume contains thirteen papers from a conference held at Notre Dame.... The papers discuss the interpretation and significance of Plato's Timaeus from the Old Academy to nineteenth-century German philosophy. There is an introductory overview by the editor, as well as a bibliography, index locorum, and a general index. ...of high quality." —Speculum"...Reydams-Schils' Plato's Timaeus as Cultural Icon is a paradigm of what a book of essays on the influence of a dialogue should be. First and foremost, the articles are first-rate. Moreover, they cover an extraordinary range of topics, thinkers and time-periods. This is an excellent collection." —Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews“As a collaborative effort of expert philosophers, classicists, and historians, this remarkable book serves as a wonderful starting point and research tool for anyone with an interest in Plato’s Timaeus.” —Philosophical Inquiry“Under the capable editorship of Reydams-Schils, the present volume brings together 13 essays by scholars from the United States, Europe and Canada that address the influence and cultural status of the Timaeus since its appearance more than two millennia ago...This collection is an excellent and reasonably priced support for studies of Plato’s dialogs in general and the Timaeus in particular." —Library Journal“Each essay is a model of careful scholarship.” —The Sixteenth Century Journal“...an impressive testimony to the dialogue’s enduring influence.” —Mouseion: Journal of the Classical Association of Canada"The overall quality of the papers is far better than average for a volume of this sort. They deserve to be read by all advanced students in the Platonic tradition." —Classical World“The thirteen articles in this volume are papers originally presented in 2000 at a conference at Notre Dame. Two of them deal with some intrinsic problems of the dialogue itself, while the rest depict the various phases of its fortuna up to Schelling.” —Classical World

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Book SynopsisPlato''s dialogues are universally acknowledged as standing among the masterworks of the Western philosophic tradition. What most readers do not know, however, is that Plato also authored a public letter in which he unequivocally denies ever having written a work of philosophy. If Plato did not view his written dialogues as works of philosophy, how did he conceive them, and how should readers view them? In Plato''s Literary Garden, Kenneth M. Sayre brings over thirty years of Platonic scholarship to bear on these questions, arguing that Plato did not intend the dialogues to serve as repositories of philosophic doctrine, but instead composed them as teaching instruments.Trade Review“Kenneth Sayre's book addresses students who are undertaking the serious study of Plato for the first time . . . . Sayre promises students a method for engaging with the dialogues as actively as the actual participants are engaged, and he promises scholars a much needed account of the significance of the dramatic and literary form of the dialogues.” —Ancient Philosophy“Sayre examines with admirable scholarly precision and thoroughness fundamental Platonic themes—the story of recollection, the method of collection and division, the use of paradigms, eros, and dialectic. —International Studies in Philosophy

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Book SynopsisAre we moving inevitably into an irreversible era of postnationalism and globalism? In Political Philosophy and the Republican Future, Gregory Bruce Smith asks, if participation in self-government is not central to citizens' vision of the political good, is despotism inevitable? Smith''s study evolves around reconciling the early republican tradition in Greece and Rome as set out by authors such as Aristotle and Cicero, and a more recent tradition shaped by thinkers such as Machiavelli, Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Madison, and Rousseau. Gregory Smith adds a further layer of complexity by analyzing how the republican and the larger philosophical tradition have been called into question by the critiques of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and their various followers.For Smith, the republican future rests on the future of the tradition of political philosophy. In this book he explores the nature of political philosophy and the assumptions under which that tradition can be an ongTrade Review"The fragmentation of knowledge among competing schools in our time is not unlike the competing schools of philosophy confronting Cicero. This fragmentation—in his time and ours—manifests itself in the loss of public space. Without a public space—rooted in the phenomena of a shared public life—there can be no genuine knowledge and no free and active political life. In penetrating analysis, Gregory Bruce Smith engages Cicero as a master of the phenomenological method presented here and as a republican statesman opening opportunities for citizens—not subjects—to shape their own future." —Christopher A. Colmo, Dominican University“Gregory Bruce Smith’s book is significant as scholarship because there is no other comprehensive presentation that is more thorough or intelligent. Smith is especially effective in his presentation of Cicero as a kind of phenomenologist who does not forget the source of philosophy in everyday discourse, or ‘public space.’ He usefully argues that for Cicero the combination of rhetoric, public speaking, statesmanship, and philosophy is more worthwhile and significant than merely contemplative philosophy on its own.” —Mark Blitz, Claremont McKenna College“Gregory Smith presents a thoughtful and expansive study of Cicero the republican. It is also an argument for Cicero’s relevance today that becomes a rescue operation for him from modern neglect and postmodern levity. The book explores Cicero and his surroundings through the lens of political philosophy to illuminate our present situation.” —Harvey Mansfield, Harvard University; senior fellow, Hoover Institution“Throughout his presentation, Smith makes clear that Cicero always begins with what is given, and seeks to weave strands together, to open the space necessary for a republican future. This book is highly recommended for scholars interested in phenomenology, as well as for undergraduates looking for an introduction to Cicero’s political philosophy.” —Choice“Smith’s burning care for future generations’ possession of republican liberty makes this an important piece of political writing that reflects on the life well lived and exhorts us toward it.” —The Review of PoliticsTable of ContentsPreface 1. Reflections on the Tradition of Republicanism 2. Initial Reflections on Political Philosophy 3. Who Was Cicero? 4. Cicero on the Nature of Philosophy 5. Cicero on Cosmology and Natural Philosophy 6. Cicero on Natural Theology 7. Cicero on Ethics 8. Cicero on Oratory and the Language Arts 9. Cicero on Politics 10. A Brief Reflection on Nietzsche 11. Conclusion: Political Philosophy and the Republican Future Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[Lasch-Quinn] is a gifted scholar whose examination of ancient works, their modern scholarly reception, and the appearance of big ideas in popular culture is consistently brilliant. . . . She manages to cover over two thousand years of philosophical development in under four hundred pages, and while those pages are dense in content, they are charmingly readable. The introduction, ‘Therapeia,’ is worth the price of the book.” —Front Porch Republic”In her profoundly insightful and thought-provoking work, Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn . . . notes, ‘the problems with contemporary culture stem in part from its inability, even in the event that basic needs are met, to provide adequate resources for the living of everyday life.’ . . . Lasch-Quinn’s work not only informs but urges the reader to seek a deeper understanding of the current problems we face.” —Journal of Sociology and Christianity"Lasch-Quinn has set out in Ars Vitae to embody the best of what true philosophical writing has to offer. She writes in a way that makes her readers better thinkers, more reflective and self-aware, and she does so by showing the development of her own thinking—who her influences are, the sources from which she draws her wisdom, and how philosophy informs her understanding of herself, the culture, and the world in which she lives." —Los Angeles Review of Books"Lasch-Quinn turns to the ancients to persuade her readers that living, contra postmodernism, can bring us to 'the heights of awe, love, and wholeness,' even in the face of great pain and evil. . . . Many of us go through days, weeks, and even years of being beaten down, but suffering, Lasch-Quinn’s book tells us, can be transfigured into beauty, even holiness. " —City Journal"This is what makes Ars Vitae such vital reading. It provides both a thorough-going critique of the therapeutic, self-obsessed ethos so dominant today, and a way beyond it, through the potential development of those inner, moral resources on which true selfhood and a moral community rest." —spiked"Ars Vitae is a remarkable book. . . . The prose feels intensely personal, and even intimate, engaging the reader in the author’s search for meaning with an approach that feels consequential without being personally needy." —Law and Liberty“Lasch-Quinn’s forward-looking vision, developed through an impressive range of learning, ties wholeness, flourishing, selfhood, and health to goodness, truth, and beauty, which remain attainable through the most basic impulses and features of human life. That she makes her argument through accessible and upbeat engagements with everyday realities like literature, film, architecture, and coffee mugs (for which she has a real fondness) only proves her point.” —The Christian Century“Ars Vitae doesn’t just stir the imagination—it stirs the scholarly imagination. It makes one think not simply about its subject but also how one might approach any subject. It is thus an example of both innovation and intervention.” —Christian Scholar’s Review“The book is not a manual but instead a glimpse into, and an invitation to join, a conversation about what is good and how to live. . . . In the end, those who take up Ars Vitae may find themselves, as I did, most grateful to Lasch-Quinn for giving them grounds for hope.” —VoegelinView"Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn’s engaging and learned Ars Vitae: The Fate of Inwardness and the Return of the Ancient Arts of Living is an intellectual tour de force that expounds various branches of ancient philosophy, assesses the scholarly debate around them, and critiques much of the modern appropriation of the classical heritage." —First ThingsTable of ContentsMajor Abbreviations and Sources Acknowledgements Introduction: Therapeia 1. The New Gnosticism 2. The New Stoicism 3. The New Epicureanism 4. The New Cynicism 5. The New Platonism Conclusion: Philosophia Epilogue: Once Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Reason and Politics is an unconventional and important contribution to the field of political philosophy. Mark Blitz uncovers what kind of people we in our age have to be in order to be concerned with justice, or virtue, or rights, or magnanimity, or the common good. He asks: What is going on in our bodies and minds when we have such experiences? And the result is a tour de force.” —Jerry Weinberger, author of Benjamin Franklin Unmasked“This is a remarkable inquiry into the rational structure of the political phenomena that appear most irrational. Mark Blitz provides a path to clarity in the face of the complexity of our way of life, political partisanship, and the proliferation of false but powerful and ossified political doctrines. One may have to go back all the way to Hobbes to read a book of a comprehensiveness similar to Reason and Politics.” —Svetozar Y. Minkov, author of Leo Strauss on Science"Mark Blitz has written a work of high political philosophy that is at once clear and accessible. . . . Reason and Politics is dedicated to uncovering reasonably that which ‘forms and directs’ political phenomena, in a word their nature and everything that flows from that. While a product of unforced but altogether impressive erudition, Blitz’s book aims to stay as concrete as possible, eschewing the abstractions that largely inform and deform late modern thought. " —Law and Liberty"In the course of this remarkable study, we learn that self-knowledge in our 'post-modern' condition requires seeing ourselves in light of both ancient politics and ancient philosophy; the former is the historical moment that provides the essential touchstone for serious trans-historical comparison of human experience and the latter is the way of seeing and thinking most suited to grasping the nature of things." —Perspectives on Political Science"Blitz makes a strong case for a phenomenological approach to the study of politics. . . . [He] offers a radical, thought-provoking departure from the reigning orthodoxies of the profession." —ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Nature of Practical Action 2. The Nature of Freedom and Rights 3. The Nature of Power and Property 5. The Nature of What is Common 6. The Nature of Goods Conclusion

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Book SynopsisIt is generally agreed that those types of philosophy that are loosely called ''Platonic'' and ''Neoplatonic'' played a crucial role in the history of European culture during the centuries between antiquity and the Renaissance. However, until now no scholar has attempted to describe the evolution of these forms of thought in a single comprehensive academic study. So writes Stephen Gersh in the preface to Middle Platonism and Neoplatonism: The Latin Tradition.Stephen Gersh's two-volume survey of Platonic influences upon the Middle Ages focuses on questions that are basic to scholars of medieval philosophy, history, and literature: What was the influence of Plato's philosophy during the Middle Ages? Is it correct to consider earlier medieval philosophy as Platonic? How do Platonism and Neoplatonism differ? What do Platonic and Neoplatonic modes of thought have to do with Plato?Most medieval philosophers developed their doctrines without access to the greatest inte

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This is an outstanding book that makes an innovative and sophisticated contribution to our understanding of the Nicomachean Ethics in particular and of Aristotle’s practical philosophy in general.” —Gerald M. Mara, author of The Civic Conversations of Thucydides and Plato“Notable for clarity, good sense, and insight, Mary Nichols’s lovely book is a delight and a treasure.” —Harvey C. Mansfield, author of Manliness"An impressive and accomplished study of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. . . .Nichols' book is among the very best contemporary studies of Aristotle. Essential." —ChoiceTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction 1. Our Unfinished Humanity: A Divine Gift (Book 1) 2. Ethical Virtue: Nature, Character, and Choice (Books 2-3) 3. The Virtues of Living Together (Book 4) 4. A Shrine to the Graces: Justice and Tragedy (Book 5) 5. Intellectual Virtue: Prudence, Wisdom, and Philosophy (Book 6) 6. Human Strength and Divine Perfection (Book 7) 7. Friendship: Family, Political Community, and Philosophy (Books 8-9) 8. Divine Thoughts and Political Reform (Book 10) Conclusion: Aristotelian Piety for a Liberal Politics

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Book SynopsisAugustine and the Cure of Souls situates Augustine within the ancient philosophical tradition of using words to order emotions, offering a fresh reading of his writings.Trade Review“In Augustine and the Cure of Souls, Paul R. Kolbet . . . reminds us how deeply Augustine was shaped by the ancient world’s rhetorical tradition and shows how he both drew upon it and upended it in his long career of preaching Christ. . . . Because Kolbet’s concern is historical, we should not expect his Augustine to answer all of our questions. But as Kolbet has shown, Augustine has much more to say to us today than we might think. Augustine held that the best way to understand him was to observe his ministry in action, and by patiently doing so, Kolbet has done today’s ministers a great service.” —Christian Century“By placing Augustine in his historical and personal context, the link between his thinking and actual life is made and his sermons are situated in the cultural, philosophical, theological and liturgical context of that period. . . . This study is a new and promising step in the very recent and blooming study of Augustine’s sermons.” —Louvain Journal of Theology and Canon Law“This is a highly readable study on ‘Augustine’s reception of classical traditions of the cure of souls and his transformation of these classical traditions in his Christian rhetoric.’ . . . the book is an admirable presentation of Augustine’s developing thought and its relation to the classical culture in which he was educated, and brings together in an illuminating manner topics previously served less well by separate treatment. It is certainly a book to recommend to students of Augustine and to would-be catechists or preachers.” —Journal of Theological Studies“Augustine and the Cure of Souls is a fine and thought-provoking book. Kolbet makes a persuasive case that Augustine’s pastoral theory and homiletical practice can be better understood when seen as part of a long line of development of the broad stream of Greco-Roman philosophico-rhetorical therapy and as a self-consciously Christian appropriation thereof.” —The Medieval Review“Kolbet’s illuminating and original study bridges a wealth of diverse Augustinian themes through the lens of rhetoric.” —Theological Studies“Kolbet does a masterful job of surveying the classical literature of ancient therapeutic practice and showing how Augustine relates to it at the various stages of his development. Focusing on this theme shows the reader a particular vision of Augustine as a pastor within his Roman and Hellenistic context.” —Anglican Theological Review“Paul Kolbet is to be congratulated on this book, which reminds us what Augustine owed to the dominant cultural force of his society. . . . a study which will be of the greatest value to all who seek a better understanding of the shaping and operation of Augustine’s remarkable intellect.” —Journal of Ecclesiastical History“. . . provides an excellent introduction for early modernists of recent developments in Augustine studies in thinking of Augustine as theological rhetor and rhetorician. . . . Augustine and the Cure of Souls is a superb disclosure of Augustinian psychagogy, one that can enable new work in Augustine’s theory and practice of the sermon.” —Sixteenth Century Journal“This lucid and thoughtful book explores the idea that ‘psychagogy’ was an important guiding theme and grounding project throughout Augustine’s life. ‘Psychagogy’ is understood in two senses: as guidance for one’s own soul and that of others. What is involved is a process that combines intellectual or scholarly and ethical or spiritual dimensions. Crucially, for Augustine, as Kolbet presents him, the process forms an ongoing, and inevitably incomplete, journey towards spiritual understanding.” —Journal of Roman Studies"Augustine and the Cure of Souls is a great read for anyone. Relative novices find here a well-integrated picture of Augustine and great examples of his adaptation of his classical inheritance, of his turning the "pagan water" into the "Christian wine." More seasoned scholars, in turn, can test some of their commonly accepted stereotypes as well as find new and important ways of seeing the well-known texts of Augustine." —The Thomist

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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 *

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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 *

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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).

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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 *

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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

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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 *

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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

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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.

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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.

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