Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy Books

Book SynopsisThe Presocratics were the founding fathers of the Western philosophical tradition, and the first masters of rational thought. This volume provides a comprehensive and precise exposition of their arguments, and offers a rigorous assessment of their contribution to philosophical thought.Table of ContentsPreface. Preface to the Revised Edition. Note to Citations. PROLOGUE. 1. The Springs of Reason 2. Anaximander on Nature 3. Science and Speculation 4. The Natural Philosophy of Heraclitus 5. The Divine Philosophy of Xenophanes 6. Pythagoras and the Soul 7. The Moral Law 8. The Principles of Human Knowledge THE SERPENT. 9. Parmenides and the Objects of Inquiry 10. Being and Becoming 11. Stability and Change 12. Zeno: Paradox and Plurality 13. Zeno: Paradox and Progression 14. The Ports of Knowledge Closed PARADISE REGAINED. 15. The Ionian Revival 16. Anaxagoras and the Nature of Stuffs 17. The Corpuscularian Hypothesis 18. Philolaus and the Formal Cause 19. The Logic of Locomotion 20. The Neo-Ionian World Picture 21. The Sophists 22. De Anima 23. Conduct Unbecoming 24. The Bounds of Knowledge EPILOGUE. 25. The Last of the Line Appendix A Sources. Appendix B Chronology. Notes. Bibliography (revised 1981). Indexes. Concordance.

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Book SynopsisVolume 1 presents the texts in new translations by the authors, and these are accompanied by a philosophical and historical commentary designed for use by all readers, including those with no background in the classical world. With its glossary and indexes, this volume can stand alone as an independent tool of study.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction; Part I. Early Pyrrhonism; Part II. Epicureanism; Section 1. Physics; Section 2. Epistemology; Section 3. Ethics; Part III. Stoicism; Section 4. Ontology; Section 5. Logic and Semantics; Section 6. Epistemology: Stoics and Academics; Section 7. Physics; Section 8. Ethics; Part IV. The Academics; Part V. The Pyrrhonist Revival; Indexes.

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Book SynopsisPlotinus was the greatest philosopher in the 700-year period between Aristotle and Augustine. In this volume, sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of Plotinus' complex system. They place Plotinus in the history of ancient philosophy while showing that he was a founder of medieval philosophy.Trade Review'The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus consists of a series of chapters on different themes written by various scholars, and brought together with great skill to form a coherent whole … It will inevitably go to the top of every reading list on the philosophy of Late Antiquity.' Greece and RomeTable of ContentsIntroduction Lloyd P. Gerson; 1. Plotinus: the Platonic tradition and the foundation of Neoplatonism Maria Luisa Gatti; 2. Plotinus's metaphysics of the One John Bussanich; 3. The hierarchical ordering of reality in Plotinus Dominic J. O'Meara; 4. On soul and intellect Henry J. Blumenthal; 5. Essence and existence in the Enneads Kevin Corrigan; 6. Plotinus on the nature of physical reality Michael F. Wagner; 7. Plotinus on matter and evil Denis O'Brien; 8. Eternity and time Andrew Smith; 9. Cognition and its object Eyjolfur Kjalar Emilsson; 10. Self-knowledge and subjectivity in the Enneads Sara Rappe; 11. Plotinus: body and soul Stephen R. L. Clark; 12. Human freedom in the thought of Plotinus Georges Leroux; 13. An ethic for the Late Antique sage John M. Dillon; 14. Plotinus and language Frederic M. Schroeder; 15. Plotinus and later Platonic philosophers on the causality of the first principle Cristina D'Ancona Costa; 16. Plotinus and Christian philosophy John Rist.

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Book SynopsisVolume I of the nine-volume Loeb edition of Early Greek Philosophy presents the editors' preface and introductory notes along with essential reference materials including abbreviations, bibliography, concordances, indexes, and glossary.Trade ReviewIn brief, André Laks and Glenn Most give us a brilliant and beautiful reference work that can, at the same time, be easily enough read straight through. And spending a few months doing so gives the reader almost all that she needs (perhaps along with Loeb #258, Greek Elegiac Poetry) to reconstruct for herself the origins of the discipline of philosophy. I should want any graduate student or colleague in ancient philosophy or intellectual history to acquire and make their way through it. -- Christopher Moore * Classical Journal *The publication of the Loeb Classical Library’s nine-volume set, Early Greek Philosophy, gives us a new edition of the original texts, with fresh translations. It is a monumental achievement—the result of many years of dedicated work on the part of the two editors/translators André Laks and Glenn W. Most… We owe a profound debt of gratitude to the editors/translators for their thorough and impeccable scholarship, and to the publishers for their usual high standards of production. If you can afford them, don’t hesitate: you will be all the richer for having these volumes on your shelves. -- Jeremy Naydler * Minerva *André Laks and Glenn W. Most have made available to the world of scholarship in early Greek philosophy a resource of immense value. Every study of a thinker or of an issue within the thematic ambit of Early Greek Philosophy must henceforth start by canvassing and taking into account the appropriate selections in the Loeb set. -- Alexander P. D. Mourelatos * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *The publication of a Loeb Classical Library edition of the evidence for early Greek philosophy is a major event in classical scholarship…The editors and their assistants are to be commended for their exemplary execution of such a vast and difficult task. They have succeeded in producing what is far and away the best available edition of the texts of the early Greek philosophers with accompanying English translation…More than that, their edition effectively supersedes Hermann Diels and Walter Kranz’s Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, which has long held sway as the standard edition of the Presocratics, but it only does so because Laks and Most have respectfully taken Diels-Kranz as their model…Laks and Most have set such a high standard with this work that it is hard to imagine that we will see a better general collection on early Greek philosophy in our lifetimes…Laks and Most’s philological acumen, judiciousness as editors, and excellence as translators is evident on every page. -- John Palmer * Arion *

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Book SynopsisVolume II of the nine-volume Loeb edition of Early Greek Philosophy presents preliminary chapters on ancient doxography, the cosmological and moral background, and includes the early Ionian thinkers Pherecydes, Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes.Trade ReviewIn brief, André Laks and Glenn Most give us a brilliant and beautiful reference work that can, at the same time, be easily enough read straight through. And spending a few months doing so gives the reader almost all that she needs (perhaps along with Loeb #258, Greek Elegiac Poetry) to reconstruct for herself the origins of the discipline of philosophy. I should want any graduate student or colleague in ancient philosophy or intellectual history to acquire and make their way through it. -- Christopher Moore * Classical Journal *The publication of the Loeb Classical Library’s nine-volume set, Early Greek Philosophy, gives us a new edition of the original texts, with fresh translations. It is a monumental achievement—the result of many years of dedicated work on the part of the two editors/translators André Laks and Glenn W. Most… We owe a profound debt of gratitude to the editors/translators for their thorough and impeccable scholarship, and to the publishers for their usual high standards of production. If you can afford them, don’t hesitate: you will be all the richer for having these volumes on your shelves. -- Jeremy Naydler * Minerva *André Laks and Glenn W. Most have made available to the world of scholarship in early Greek philosophy a resource of immense value. Every study of a thinker or of an issue within the thematic ambit of Early Greek Philosophy must henceforth start by canvassing and taking into account the appropriate selections in the Loeb set. -- Alexander P. D. Mourelatos * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *The publication of a Loeb Classical Library edition of the evidence for early Greek philosophy is a major event in classical scholarship…The editors and their assistants are to be commended for their exemplary execution of such a vast and difficult task. They have succeeded in producing what is far and away the best available edition of the texts of the early Greek philosophers with accompanying English translation…More than that, their edition effectively supersedes Hermann Diels and Walter Kranz’s Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, which has long held sway as the standard edition of the Presocratics, but it only does so because Laks and Most have respectfully taken Diels-Kranz as their model…Laks and Most have set such a high standard with this work that it is hard to imagine that we will see a better general collection on early Greek philosophy in our lifetimes…Laks and Most’s philological acumen, judiciousness as editors, and excellence as translators is evident on every page. -- John Palmer * Arion *

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Book SynopsisThis Element shows that Euclidean Programme (EP) embodies a traditional sort of epistemological foundationalism about mathematics. This Element is devoted to an examination of the EP. The authors propose a rational reconstruction of the EP's key principles, superior to the axiomatic method.

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Book SynopsisThis book attempts to situate Plato's ethics within his profoundly revisionist metaphysics. It aims to show why Plato makes the keystone of his metaphysical system a normative principle, the Idea of the Good. In doing this, we can see how Plato's metaphysics helps explain his politics and his theological doctrines.

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Book SynopsisThe essays in this collection explore various various models of representing temporality in ancient Greek and Roman literature to elucidate how structures of time communicate meaning, as well as the way that the cultural impact of measured time is reflected in ancient texts.This collection serves as a meditation on the different ways that cosmological and experiential time are construed, measured, and manipulated in Greek and Latin literature. It explores both the kinds of time deemed worthy of measurement, as well as time that escapes notice. Likewise, it interrogates how linear time and its representation become politicized and leveraged in the service of emerging and dominant power structures. These essays showcase various contemporary theoretical approaches to temporality in order to build bridges and expose chasms between ancient and modern ideologies of time. Some of the areas explored include the philosophical and social implications of time that is not measured, the iTable of ContentsIntroduction; I. Out of Time; 1. “Now, Sleep,” Alex Purves and Victoria Wohl; 2. “Untold Times? A Page from Galen,” James Ker; II. Engendering Time; 3. “Fertile Pasts and Sterile Futures in Euripides’ Andromache,” Sarah Olsen, 4. “The History of Sexuality in Xenophon’s Symposium,” Kate Gilhuly; 5. “Materna Tempora: Gestational Time and the Ovidian Poetics of Delay,” Caitlin Hines; III. Shaping Time; 6. “The Politics of Epinician Time,” Nigel Nicholson; 7. “But now…The Temporality of Archaic Invective Poetry,” Kirk Ormand; 8. “Wasting Time with Petronius,” Jeffrey Ulrich; 9. “The Roman Poetics of Decline,” Andreas Zanker; IV. Beyond Time; 10. “Greek Ghosts and Roman Imperial Temporalities,” Robert Cioffi; 11. “Time Stood Still, and It Was Sublime (Proto-Gospel of James 18),” Patrick Glauthier.

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Book SynopsisThis book presents a critical evaluation of the doctrine of the Trinity, tracing its development and investigating the intellectual, philosophical and theological background that shaped this influential doctrine of Christianity. It identifies important non-Christian sources of Trinitarian thought in addition to considering Hebrew messianic concepts and Greek philosophic ideas.Table of ContentsPreface; Foreword Anthony Buzzard; Introduction; 1. The logos in Greek culture; 2. The logos in Judaism; 3. The development of Jewish messianic traditions: the source of Christian scripture and doctrines; 4. Development of the Hellenistic Christian doctrine; 5. Justin Martyr and the logos; 6. Justin Martyr and the metaphysical triad; 7. Tertullian - originator of the Trinity; 8. Tertullian and the son of God; 9. Thomas Aquinas and the accepted concept of the Trinity; Appendix 1. The possible sources for the development of the Christian Trinitarian concepts; Appendix 2. Egyptian chronology.

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a new edition of the earlier Cambridge Companion to Augustine, with eleven new essays, revised versions of others, and a comprehensive updated bibliography. It will be an ideal reference work for students as well as for scholars working in the field.Trade Review'In sum, well researched and engaging contributions, a well edited and organized volume, an important companion, interesting both for experts and laymen.' Anthony Dupont, AugustinianaTable of ContentsIntroduction Eleonore Stump and David Vincent Meconi, S.J.; Part I. The Nature of God: 1. The divine nature: being and goodness Scott MacDonald; 2. God's eternal knowledge according to Augustine John C. Cavadini; 3. Augustine on the triune life of God Lewis Ayres; Part II. God's Relation to the World: 4. Time and creation in Augustine Simo Knuuttila; 5. Augustine on evil and original sin William E. Mann; 6. Jesus Christ, the knowledge and wisdom of God Allan Fitzgerald, O.S.A.; Part III. Human Nature: 7. The human soul: Augustine's case for soul-body dualism Bruno Niederbacher, S.J.; 8. Augustine on knowledge Peter King; 9. Augustine on free will Eleonore Stump; Part IV. Human Excellence: 10. Augustine's ethics Timothy Chappell; 11. Augustine's doctrine of deification David Vincent Meconi, S.J.; Part V. Political and Ecclesial Life: 12. Augustine's political philosophy Paul Weithman; 13. Heaven and the Ecclesia Perfecta in Augustine David Vincent Meconi, S.J.; Part VI. Language and Faith: 14. Faith and reason John Peter Kenney; 15. Augustine on language Peter King; 16. Hermeneutics and reading scripture Thomas Williams; Part VII. Augustine's Legacy: 17. Augustine's legacy - success or failure? Karla Pollmann.

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Book SynopsisIn antiquity living beings are inextricably linked to the cosmos as a whole. A full understanding of one therefore requires a full account of the other, and vice versa. This volume addresses philosophical issues arising from this double relation.Table of ContentsIntroduction. The intersection of biology and cosmology in ancient philosophy Ricardo Salles; 1. Souls and cosmos before Plato: five short doxographical studies André Laks; 2. The ensouled cosmos in Plato's Timaeus: biological science as a guide to cosmology? Barbara Sattler; 3. Platonic 'desmology' and the body of the World Animal (Tim. 30c-34a) Dimitri el Murr; 4. The world-soul takes command. The doctrine of the world-soul in the Epinomis of Philip of Opus and in the Academy of Polemon John Dillon; 5. Begotten and made: creation as cosmogony in Middle Platonism George Boys-Stones; 6. The De Motu Animalium on the movement of the heavens John M. Cooper; 7. Biology and cosmology in Aristotle James G. Lennox; 8. Recapitulation theory and transcendental morphology in antiquity James Wilberding; 9. The Stoics' empiricist model of divine thought George Boys-Stones; 10. Why is the cosmos intelligent? Stoic cosmology and Plato, Timaeus 30a2-c1 Ricardo Salles; 11. Cardiology and cosmology in post-Chrysippean Stoicism Emmanuele Vimercati; 12. The agency of the world Katja Maria Vogt; 13. God and the material world: biology and cosmology in Galen's physiology R. J. Hankinson; 14. At the intersection of cosmology and biology: Plotinus on nature Lloyd P. Gerson; 15. Is the heaven an animal? Avicenna's celestial psychology between cosmology and biology Tomasso Alpina.

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Book SynopsisDe mundo is a protreptic to philosophy in the form of a letter to Alexander the Great and is traditionally ascribed to Aristotle. It offers a unique view of the cosmos, God and their relationship, which was inspired by Aristotle but written by a later author. The author provides an outline of cosmology, geography and meteorology, only to argue that a full understanding of the cosmos cannot be achieved without a proper grasp of God as its ultimate cause. To ensure such a grasp, the author provides a series of twelve carefully chosen interlocking analogies, building a complex picture in the reader''s mind. The work develops a distinctly Aristotelian picture of God and the cosmos while paying tribute to pre-Aristotelian philosophers and avoiding open criticism of rival schools of philosophy. De mundo exercised considerable influence in late antiquity and then in the Renaissance and Early Modern times.Table of Contents1. Introduction Pavel Gregorić and George Karamanolis; 2. On philosophy and its proper subject (Chapter 1) George Karamanolis; 3. The heavenly sphere (Chapter 2, 391b9–392a31) Karel Thein; 4. The sublunary domain (Chapters 2–3, 392a31–393a8) Jakub Jirsa; 5. Geography (Chapter 3, 392a31–393a8) Irene Pajón Leyra and Hynek Bartoš; 6. Meteorology (Chapter 4) István Baksa; 7. The eternity of the cosmos (Chapter 5) Pavel Gregorić; 8. God's relation to the cosmos (Chapter 6) Gábor Betegh and Pavel Gregorić; 9. God's many names (Chapter 7) Vojtěch Hladký.

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Book SynopsisWhy is the human mind able to perceive and understand the truth about reality; that is, why does it seem to be the mind''s specific function to know the world? Sean Kelsey argues that both the question itself and the way Aristotle answers it are key to understanding his work De Anima, a systematic philosophical account of the soul and its powers. In this original reading of a familiar but highly compressed text, Kelsey shows how this question underpins Aristotle''s inquiry into the nature of soul, sensibility, and intelligence. He argues that, for Aristotle, the reason why it is in human nature to know beings is that ''the soul in a way is all beings''. This new perspective on the De Anima throws fresh and interesting light on familiar Aristotelian doctrines: for example, that sensibility is a kind of ratio (logos), or that the intellect is simple, separate, and unmixed.Trade Review'Sean Kelsey asks important questions about Aristotle's views on the fit between the mind or soul and the world. How are humans knowers and perceivers? How is the world knowable and perceivable? The proposed answers shed new light on the De Anima and on the methods Aristotle uses to pursue these questions.' James Warren, University of Cambridge'Nearly all of Aristotle is hard. But the ideas and texts at the heart of this book are some of the hard hards. I learned much reading it. This book is a worthy addition to the growing literature on Aristotle's De Anima.' Evan Keeling, Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. Questions: 1. Objectives; 2. Problems; 3. Solutions; Part II. Angles: 4. Affinities; 5. Measures; Part III. Proposals: 6. Sensibility; 7. Intelligibility; 8. Intelligence; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisIs music just matter of hearing and producing notes? And is it of interest just to musicians? By exploring different authors and philosophical trends of the Roman Empire, from Philo of Alexandria to Alexander of Aphrodisias, from the rebirth of Platonism with Plutarch to the last Neoplatonists, this book sheds light on different ways in which music and musical notions were made a crucial part of philosophical discourse. Far from being mere metaphors, notions such as harmony, concord and attunement became key philosophical tools in order to better grasp and conceptualise fundamental notions in philosophical debates from cosmology to ethics and from epistemology to theology. The volume is written by a distinguished international team of contributors.Trade Review'the collection is welcome and will serve as an excellent entry point to important thought about music linked directly to the antique roots of modern philosophy. Because there are no musical examples and the references to classical languages are translated into idiomatic English, laypersons - even those unfamiliar with the classical period - should not meet obstacles or have accessibility problems. Readers, whether in classics or in music, will find these essays invaluable for making inroads into a period long overlooked in music history. Highly recommended.' M. Dineen, Choice ConnectTable of ContentsIntroduction Francesco Pelosi and Federico Maria Petrucci; 1. Scala nature and music: two models in Philo's thought Carlos Lévy; 2. Music and Plutarch's Platonic cosmos Bram Demulder; 3. The harmoniser god: harmony as a cosmological model in middle Platonist theology Federico M. Petrucci; 4. Alexander of Aphrodisias and musical models for ontological enquiries Laura M. Castelli; 5. How to resist musical dogmatism: the aim and methods of Pyrrhonian inquiry in Sextus Empiricus' 'Against the Musicologists' (Math. VI) Máté Veres; 6. Shifting epistemological perspectives in Ptolemy's 'Harmonics': from the science of sound to the study of music Andrew Barker; 7. Musical imagery in Clement of Alexandria and Origen: the Greek musical world revised and accepted Francesco Pelosi; 8. Plotinus on music, rhythm, and harmony Alexandra Michalewski; 9. Porphyry's 'Commentary on Ptolemy's Harmonics': questions of philosophic and scientific identity Harold Tarrant; 10. The music of the virtues in late ancient Platonism Dominic O'Meara; 11. Harmonics as theological paradigm in Proclus Stephen Gersh; 12. Calcidius on cosmic harmony Christina Hoenig; 13. Harmonia in Philoponus' 'Commentary on Nicomachus' introduction to arithmetic' Giovanna R. Giardina.

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Book SynopsisVirtue ethics is on the move both in Anglo-American philosophy and in the rest of the world. This volume uniquely emphasizes non-Western varieties of virtue ethics at the same time that it includes work in the many different fields or areas of philosophy where virtue ethics has recently spread its wings. Just as significantly, several chapters make comparisons between virtue ethics and other ways of approaching ethics or political philosophy or show how virtue ethics can be applied to real world problems. Trade Review"Virtue Ethics goes global with this collection, which explores, with impressive depth, much unfamiliar territory."Rosalind Hursthouse, University of Auckland, New Zealand"This remarkable volume is unique in approaching the topic of virtue ethics from a truly global perspective: global in terms of the refreshing and long overdue inclusion of non-Western traditions as well as in terms of disciplines, topics, and philosophical commitments. The choice of authors is outstanding and together their contributions broaden, deepen, and offer much needed nuance to our understanding and appreciation of the history, practice, challenges, and contemporary relevance of virtue ethics."Philip J. Ivanhoe, City University of Hong Kong, China"A rich and stimulating collection spanning contemporary and historical approaches, with impressive coverage of both theoretical and applied issues and an unusually wide cultural reach."John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus at Reading University, UKTable of ContentsIntroduction Lorraine Besser-Jones and Michael Slote I. History of Virtue Ethics 1. Plato and the Ethics of Virtue Nicholas White 2. Aristotle's Virtue Ethics Dorothea Frede 3. The Stoic Theory of Virtue Tad Brennan 4. Hindu Virtue Ethics Roy W. Perrett and Glen Pettigrove 5. Why Confucius’ Ethics is a Virtue Ethics May Sim 6. Mencius’ Virtue Ethics meets the Moral Foundations Theory: A Comparison Shirong Luo 7. Virtue in Buddhist Ethical Traditions Charles Goodman 7. Respect for Differences: The Daoist Virtue Yong Huang 8. Xunzi and Virtue Ethics Eric L. Hutton 9. Consecrated Virtue: Augustine’s Theological Animus James Wetzel 10. Aquinas: Infused Virtues Andrew Pinsent 11. Hume Jacqueline Taylor 12. Nietzsche and the Virtues Edward Harcourt II. Contemporary Approaches 13. Eudaimonistic Virtue Ethics Liezl van Zyl 14. Sentimentalist Virtue Ethics Michael L. Frazer and Michael Slote 15. Pluralistic Virtue Ethics Christine Swanton 16. Varieties of Contemporary Christian Virtue Ethics Jennifer A. Herdt 17. Contemporary Confucianism David Elstein 18. Virtue Epistemology and Virtue Ethics Heather Battaly and Michael Slote 19. Feminist Virtue Ethics Karen Stohr 20. Agape and Virtue Ethics Timothy P. Jackson III. Critical Interactions 21. Kant and Virtue Ethics Allen Wood 22. Consequentialist Critique of Virtue Ethics Julia Driver 23. Virtue Ethics and Right Action: A Critique Ramon Das 24. Virtue Ethics and Egoism Christopher Toner 25. Models of Virtue Nancy E. Snow 26. The Situationist Critique Lorraine Besser-Jones 27. Testing the Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis against Egoistic Alternatives C. Daniel Batson 28. Care-Ethics and Virtue Ethics Nel Noddings 29. Roles and Virtues J. L. A. Garcia IV. Applications of Virtue Ethics 30. Environmental Virtue Ethics Philip Cafaro 31. World Virtue Ethics Stephen C. Angle 32. Virtue Ethics and Moral Education Randall Curren 33. Virtue Ethics as Political Philosophy: The Structure of Ethical Theory in Early Chinese Philosophy Yang Xiao 34. Law and Virtue Lawrence Solum 35. Virtue Ethics and Medicine Rebecca L. Walker 36. Business Ethics from a Virtue-Theoretic Perspective Robert Audi

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Book SynopsisA close text commentary on Plato's Charmides, which has been regarded as difficult and enigmatic. Examines the philosophical and dramatic features of the dialogue in great detail and shows how the philosophical issues, the characters and the dialectic play into one another and evolve across the dialogue.Trade Review'Voula Tsouna's welcome new edition of Plato's Charmides deserves to become the go-to book on this brilliant but too often marginalized dialogue. From the synoptic level all the way down to that of textual fine detail, she combines sensitive adjudication of existing interpretations, analytic subtlety, a keen eye for intertextuality, and a series of fine-tuned responses to the human interactions which frame and carry forward the dialogical narrative.' David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy Emeritus, University of Cambridge'Written with an accessible clarity, Tsouna weaves together a comprehensive account of both the arguments and the dramatic action of this difficult dialogue, situating it in broader philosophical and political contexts. With all this, she offers an original and creative reading of the dialogue as a whole.' Melissa Lane, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics, Princeton UniversityTable of Contents1. Introduction; 2. The prologue (153a1-159a10); 3. Charmides' first definition of sôphrosynê: Temperance is a kind of quietness (159b1-160d4); 4. Charmides' second definition: Temperance is a sense of shame (160d5-161b4); 5. Charmides abandons 'the best method'. The third definition: Temperance is 'doing one's own (161b4-162b11); 6. Enter Critias. The third definition revisited: Temperance is the doing or making of good things (162c1-164d3); 7. Critias' speech. Temperance is knowing oneself (164d4-165b4); 8. Socrates and Critias debate the technê analogy. From 'knowing oneself' to 'the knowledge of itself' (165b5-166e3); 9. Critias' final definition: Temperance is 'the science of itself and the other sciences' or 'the science of science' (166e4-167a8). The third offering to Zeus (167a9-c8); 10. Can there be an epistêmê of itself? The Argument from Relatives (167c8-169c2); 11. The Argument from Benefit (169c3-175a8); 12. The Epilogue; Appendix: Plato's Charmides. Translation. Alternative format; Bibliography.

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The first comprehensive introduction to the philosophical and religious thought of Proclus the Neoplatonist, one of the most complex and influential thinkers of antiquity. In addition to covering all the basic areas of his thought, the book sets Proclus in the historical, social and religious context of late antiquity.

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Book SynopsisKnowledge of the structure of the cosmos, Plato suggests, is important in organizing a human community which aims at happiness. This book investigates this theme in Plato''s later works, the Timaeus, Statesman, and Laws. Dominic J. O''Meara proposes fresh readings of these texts, starting from the religious festivals and technical and artistic skills in the context of which Plato elaborates his cosmological and political theories, for example the Greek architect''s use of models as applied by Plato in describing the making of the world. O''Meara gives an account of the model of which Plato''s world is an image; of the mathematics used in producing the world; and of the relation between the cosmic model and the political science and legislation involved in designing a model state in the Laws. Non-specialist scholars and students will be able to access and profit from the book.Trade Review"Non-specialist scholars and students will be able to access and profit from this book...For the specialist, this is a rich and challenging book..." --The Journal for Ancient Greek and Roman Political ThoughtTable of ContentsPrologue: the future of the past in Plato's work; Part I. The World of Timaeus: 1. A feast for the Goddess; 2. The world-maker; 3. The model of the world; 4. The beauty of the world; Interlude; Part II. The City of the Statesman and the Laws: 5. The Statesman: a new robe for the Goddess?; 6. The legislators of the Laws; 7. The order of the city of the Laws and its model; Epilogue.

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Book SynopsisFor anyone approaching the Encheiridion of Epictetus for the first time, this book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding a complex philosophical text. Including a full translation and clear explanatory commentaries, Epictetus's Encheiridion' introduces readers to a hugely influential work of Stoic philosophy. Scott Aikin and William O. Stephens unravel the core themes of Stoic ethics found within this ancient handbook. Focusing on the core themes of self-control, seeing things as they are, living according to nature, owning one's roles and fulfilling the responsibilities that those roles entail, the authors elucidate the extremely challenging ideas in Epictetus's brisk chapters. Divided into five distinct parts, this book provides readers with: - A new translation of the Encheiridion by William O. Stephens. - A new introduction to ancient Stoicism, its system of concepts, and the ancient figures who shaped it.- A fresh Trade ReviewThis book presents itself as an accomplished attempt to vulgarize Ench. and to show its enduring relevance. * Revue de Philosophie Antique *Aikin and Stephens’ Epictetus’s Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics is ... a good deal more than only a scholarly translation of the beloved ancient handbook. It could well stand, like its ancient centrepiece, as its own introduction to Stoicism as a philosophical way of life for contemporary readers new to Stoicism, and interested in seriously considering the practical philosophy. * Castalian Stream *'There are some things that are up to us, others that are not up to us.' This simple yet profound statement begins Epictetus’s Encheiridion, the most well-known and most approachable of all Stoic texts. Scott Aikin and William O. Stephens have given us a useful, refreshing, modern translation, along with extensive background material and a very thorough commentary on the paradoxes and subtleties of Stoicism, including how it applies to modern life. Both beginners and advanced readers will want to have this excellent volume in their library. * David B. Suits, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA *Aikin and Stephens are not only experts on Stoicism but also excellent teachers, and it shows. This volume provides an ideal way for students to grasp Stoicism and for teachers to make class discussion lively and productive. * Mason Marshall, Professor of Philosophy, Pepperdine University, USA *Epictetus’s Encheiridion is an important Roman Stoic text and ideally suited for those new to Stoicism. This up-to-date translation, with helpful commentary and an accessible introduction, should be useful for anyone beginning the study of Stoicism. * John Sellars, Reader in Philosophy, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Part One. An Introduction to Ancient Stoicism 1.1 Stoicism before the Stoa 1.2 The Stoics 1.3 The System 1.3.1 Logic 1.3.2 Physics 1.3.3 Ethics 1.4 Six Core Themes 1.4.1 Self-control 1.4.2 See things as they are 1.4.3 Live according to nature 1.4.4 Know your roles, do your duties 1.4.5 Virtue depends on knowing 1.4.6 Stoicism as aspirationalism 1.5 The Stoic Paradoxes 1.5.1 Virtue is the only good 1.5.2 Virtue suffices for happiness 1.5.3 All good actions are equal, as are all bad actions 1.5.4 Only the sage is sane 1.5.5 Only the sage is free 1.5.6 Only the sage is rich 1.5.7 Only the sage is beautiful Part Two. The Encheiridion and Its Context 2.1 Epictetus and His Philosophical Influence 2.2 The Historical Influence of the Encheiridion Part Three. Translation of the Handbook of Epictetus Part Four. Encheiridion Chapter Commentaries Part Five. Critical Responses to Epictetus’s Stoicism and Replies 5.1 The Inaction Problem 5.2 Reply to the Inaction Problem 5.3 The Ruin Problem 5.4 Reply to the Ruin Problem 5.5 The Practicability Problem 5.6 Reply to the Practicability Problem 5.7 The System Problem 5.8 Reply to the System Problem 5.9 The Scepticism Problem 5.10 Replies to the Scepticism Problem 5.11 The Weaponization Problem 5.12 Reply to the Weaponization Problem Notes References Index of subjects and names

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Book SynopsisA radical new approach to Aristotle on time, which foregrounds the Poetics and Ethics

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Book SynopsisOffers a careful analysis of how Aristotle understands civil war, partisanship, distrust in government, disagreement, and competition, and explores ways in which these views are relevant to contemporary political theory.Do only modern thinkers like Machiavelli and Hobbes accept that conflict plays a significant role in the origin and maintenance of political community? In this book, Steven Skultety argues that Aristotle not only took conflict to be an inevitable aspect of political life, but further recognized ways in which conflict promotes the common good. While many scholars treat Aristotelian conflict as an absence of substantive communal ideals, Skultety argues that Aristotle articulated a view of politics that theorizes profoundly different kinds of conflict. Aristotle comprehended the subtle factors that can lead otherwise peaceful citizens to contemplate outright civil war, grasped the unique conditions that create hopelessly implacable partisans, and systematized tactics rulers could use to control regrettable, but still manageable, levels of civic distrust. Moreover, Aristotle conceived of debate, enduring disagreement, social rivalries, and competitions for leadership as an indispensable part of how human beings live well together in successful political life. By exploring the ways in which citizens can be at odds with one another, Conflict in Aristotle''s Political Philosophy presents a dimension of ancient Greek thought that is startlingly relevant to contemporary concerns about social divisions, constitutional crises, and the range of acceptable conflict in healthy democracies.

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Book SynopsisFive innovative essays demonstrating how Aristotle's biology is an integral part of Aristotle's understanding of the universe.

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Book SynopsisInterpretations of critically important texts in political philosophy from Greek antiquity to modern times on the tension between human excellence and equality and its possible resolution.Is it possible to reconcile human excellence with a dedication to equality? Equality and Excellence in Ancient and Modern Political Philosophy explores the meaning, conflict, and potential resolution of the tension between human excellence and equality in the thought of philosophers from Greek antiquity to modern times. Each chapter is devoted to the thought of a particular thinker, and the chapters are arranged chronologically. Interpretations offered here rely on close readings of the major texts by critically important thinkers from Plato, Aristotle and Xenophon in antiquity to a broad range of modern thinkers from Spinoza to Rawls.

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Book SynopsisOffers a novel reading of one of the ancient world's most famous and celebrated texts.

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Book SynopsisThe surviving versions of the Syriac translation of Ptolemy's life of Aristotle (which contains Aristotle's will), and the Syriac commentaries on Porphyry's Isagoge; the only printed edition, with extensive introduction.

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Book SynopsisIn the philosophical language of Aristotle and the Greeks of Antiquity, 'Physics' roughly translates as 'the order of nature', covering what we would now differentiate as philosophy, science, politics, humanities and religion. One of Aristotle's great works, of which we here present an abridged edition, The Physics is an investigation into the nature of being, of the world and its place in the universe. Although philosophically much broader, it provides the foundation for the later work of Galileo and Isaac Newton, and prefigures Albert Einstein's breakthrough theories on time, space and the motion of stars. The FLAME TREE Foundations series features core publications which together have shaped the cultural landscape of the modern world, with cutting-edge research distilled into pocket guides designed to be both accessible and informative.

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Book SynopsisOnce regarded as a minor Socratic school, Cynicism is now admired as one of the more creative and influential philosophical movements in antiquity. First arising in the city-states of late classical Greece, Cynicism thrived through the Hellenistic and Roman periods, until the triumph of Christianity and the very end of pagan antiquity. In every age down to the present, its ideals of radical simplicity and freedom have alternately inspired and disturbed onlookers.This book offers a survey of Cynicism, its varied representatives and ideas, and the many contexts in which it operated. William Desmond introduces important ancient Cynics and their times, from Diogenes 'the Dog' in the fourth century BC to Sallustius in the fifth century AD. He details the Cynics' rejection of various traditional customs and the rebellious life-style for which they are notorious. The central chapters locate major Cynic themes (nature and the natural life, Fortune, self-sufficiency, cosmopolitanism) within the rich matrix of ideas debated by the ancient schools. The final chapter reviews some moments in the diverse legacy of Cynicism, from Jesus to Nietzsche.Trade Review"A clear and readily accessible introduction to Cynicism" - Margarethe Billerbeck, University of Fribourg"Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction 1. Ancient Cynics and their times 2. Renunciation of custom 3. A life according to nature 4. Chance, fate, fortune and the self 5. Anarchists, democrats, cosmopolitans, kings 6. Cynic legacies Notes Glossary of names Glossary of terms Guide to further reading Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis two-volume work examines far-reaching debates on the concept of courage from Greek antiquity to the Christian and mediaeval periods, as well as the modern era. Volume 1 begins with Homeric poetry and the politics of fearless demi-gods thriving on war. The tales of lion-hearted Heracles, Achilles, and Ulysses, and their tragic fall at the hands of fate, eventually give way to classical views of courage based on competing theories of rational wisdom and truth. Fears of the enemy and anxieties about suffering and death are addressed through the lenses and teachings of medicine, geography, military history, moral philosophy, and metaphysics. For early Christian thinkers, the ethics of fear, fate, and fealty to the Almighty supplant the voice of reason and the wisdom of virtue. Much of Christian doctrine's history is a long journey towards bridging the gap between Greek philosophy and devotion to God and spirits in heaven. Some Church Fathers attempt to dispel the fear of suffering through a joyful craving for martyrdom and the eternal blessings that follow. Others show openness to one or more of the following principles: the abstractions of moral philosophy, the metaphysics of Gnostic enlightenment, the gift of free will and intentionality, the growth of church authority and hegemony, and the intrinsic worth of life on Earth. Augustine, Ambrose, Cassian, and Chrysostom play a central role in revisiting the foundations of Christian fortitude along some or all of these lines. They lay the groundwork for the scholastic adaptations of faith-based rationalism proposed by Peter Lombard, Philip the Chancellor, Albert the Great, and Thomas of Aquinas. The mediaeval period ends with church dissidents and Protestant Reform leaders condemning Rome’s corruption and calling for a return to early Christian faith and the courage of godly fear, submission, suffering, and fate. Table of Contents1 The Roots of Courage 2 Fearlessness and Fate in Ancient Greece 3 Soldierly Courage and Wisdom 4 Wisdom Above Soldierly Courage 5 Wisdom as Courage 6 The Courage of Natural Living 7 Courage, Wisdom, and Mysticism 8 Fear and Love in Early Christianity 9 Living, Conquering, and Ruling 10 Overtures to Reason and the Gift of Love 11 Freedom and the Wisdom of Love and Fortitude 12 Courage in the Early Middle Ages and Islam 13 Crusading and Dying for Christ 14 Reason, Faith, and Charity 15 Intentionality and Powers of the Will 16 Challenging and Reforming the Church 17 Custodians of the Earth

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In Greek Late Antiquity philosophy defined itself above all through the interpretation of authoritative texts such as Plato’s dialogues or the treatises of Aristotle. This work looks at the last Late Antique commentaries on Aristotle’s Physics, the pagan Simplicius and the Christian Philoponus (both 6th cent. AD). Golitsis demonstrates how differently the two contemporaries interpreted the philosophical tradition and how this led them to deduce different routes to finding the truth.

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