Eleni Kechagia
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199597239
- eISBN:
- 9780191731495
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199597239.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
Plutarch's philosophical work remained largely in the shadow of his celebrated Lives, partly because it was often dubbed ‘popular philosophy’, and partly because it was thought to be lacking in ...
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Plutarch's philosophical work remained largely in the shadow of his celebrated Lives, partly because it was often dubbed ‘popular philosophy’, and partly because it was thought to be lacking in originality. This book contributes to the ‘rehabilitation’ of Plutarch as a serious philosopher by discussing his work as a teacher, interpreter, and, eventually, historian of philosophy. It offers a critical analysis of Plutarch's anti-Epicurean treatise Against Colotes — a unique text that is rich in philosophical material and has been widely used as a source for ancient Greek philosophy but has not been studied in its own right so far. Combining a historical approach with structural analysis and close reading of selected sections of the text, the book demonstrates that Plutarch engaged with the philosophy of his past in a creative way. By refuting Colotes' Epicurean arguments against the main Greek philosophers up to the Hellenistic era, Plutarch gives an insightful critical assessment of the philosophy of his past and teaches his readers how to go about doing and reading philosophy. The book concludes that Plutarch emerges as a respected critic whose ‘reviews’ of the past philosophical theories are an essential companion when trying to piece together the puzzle of ancient Greek philosophy.Less
Plutarch's philosophical work remained largely in the shadow of his celebrated Lives, partly because it was often dubbed ‘popular philosophy’, and partly because it was thought to be lacking in originality. This book contributes to the ‘rehabilitation’ of Plutarch as a serious philosopher by discussing his work as a teacher, interpreter, and, eventually, historian of philosophy. It offers a critical analysis of Plutarch's anti-Epicurean treatise Against Colotes — a unique text that is rich in philosophical material and has been widely used as a source for ancient Greek philosophy but has not been studied in its own right so far. Combining a historical approach with structural analysis and close reading of selected sections of the text, the book demonstrates that Plutarch engaged with the philosophy of his past in a creative way. By refuting Colotes' Epicurean arguments against the main Greek philosophers up to the Hellenistic era, Plutarch gives an insightful critical assessment of the philosophy of his past and teaches his readers how to go about doing and reading philosophy. The book concludes that Plutarch emerges as a respected critic whose ‘reviews’ of the past philosophical theories are an essential companion when trying to piece together the puzzle of ancient Greek philosophy.
Michael J. White
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198239529
- eISBN:
- 9780191679940
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198239529.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
Part II investigates two Hellenistic models of spatial magnitude, time, and motion — models that can be seen as conceptual alternatives to the Aristotelian model considered in some detail in Part I. ...
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Part II investigates two Hellenistic models of spatial magnitude, time, and motion — models that can be seen as conceptual alternatives to the Aristotelian model considered in some detail in Part I. One such model is the atomistic or quantum model, associated not only with Epicurean atomists but also with the dialectical philosopher Diodorus Cronus. The other alternative model is Stoic in provenance and involves the elimination of geometrical boundaries and other limit entities from the physical world.Less
Part II investigates two Hellenistic models of spatial magnitude, time, and motion — models that can be seen as conceptual alternatives to the Aristotelian model considered in some detail in Part I. One such model is the atomistic or quantum model, associated not only with Epicurean atomists but also with the dialectical philosopher Diodorus Cronus. The other alternative model is Stoic in provenance and involves the elimination of geometrical boundaries and other limit entities from the physical world.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The Epicurean explanation for the origin of community life and laws was the utility of these institutions in facilitating people's natural and necessary desires for a secure life. In advising his ...
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The Epicurean explanation for the origin of community life and laws was the utility of these institutions in facilitating people's natural and necessary desires for a secure life. In advising his followers to ‘live quietly’, Epicurus has at least three defences to advance against the criticism that such a lifestyle is politically irresponsible and morally complacent. First, he can argue that his ethical theory provides human beings, who are natural and persistent pleasure seekers, with the strongest of reasons for the peaceful cooperation that legal systems seek to promote. Second, he can argue that contemporary societies, even if they do provide some measure of security for their members, do so inadequately; and that they compound these failings by systems of education, competitive values, religion, and other practices which do great harm to their citizens. Third, he can argue that the Epicurean way of life, which threatens no one in its scrupulous adherence to justice and is positively philanthropic in its cultivation of friendship, provides society with a model of how to live best at the present stage of human culture. This chapter develops this set of arguments from three perspectives or bodies of material: the basic ethical theory, justice and friendship, and social evolution.Less
The Epicurean explanation for the origin of community life and laws was the utility of these institutions in facilitating people's natural and necessary desires for a secure life. In advising his followers to ‘live quietly’, Epicurus has at least three defences to advance against the criticism that such a lifestyle is politically irresponsible and morally complacent. First, he can argue that his ethical theory provides human beings, who are natural and persistent pleasure seekers, with the strongest of reasons for the peaceful cooperation that legal systems seek to promote. Second, he can argue that contemporary societies, even if they do provide some measure of security for their members, do so inadequately; and that they compound these failings by systems of education, competitive values, religion, and other practices which do great harm to their citizens. Third, he can argue that the Epicurean way of life, which threatens no one in its scrupulous adherence to justice and is positively philanthropic in its cultivation of friendship, provides society with a model of how to live best at the present stage of human culture. This chapter develops this set of arguments from three perspectives or bodies of material: the basic ethical theory, justice and friendship, and social evolution.
Ruth Rothaus Caston
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199925902
- eISBN:
- 9780199980475
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199925902.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Prose and Writers: Classical, Early, and Medieval, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
The passions were a topic of widespread interest in antiquity. This is a study on their role in Roman love elegy (1st c. BCE), a genre rife with passions and jealousy in particular. Jealousy does ...
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The passions were a topic of widespread interest in antiquity. This is a study on their role in Roman love elegy (1st c. BCE), a genre rife with passions and jealousy in particular. Jealousy does appear in a number of earlier genres, but never with the centrality and importance it has in elegy. This book offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate the ancient representation of jealousy in its Roman context, as well as its significance for Roman love elegy itself. The narrators portray themselves as poets and as experts of love, championing a view of love that stands in marked contrast to the criticisms that Stoic and Epicurean philosophers had raised. Elegy provides rich evidence of the genesis and development of erotic jealousy: we find suspicions and rumors of infidelity, obsessive attention to visual clues, and accusations and confrontations with the beloved. The Roman elegists depict the susceptibility and reactions to jealousy along gendered lines, with an asymmetric representation of skepticism and belief, violence and restraint. But jealousy has ramifications well beyond the erotic affair. Underlying jealousy are fears about fides or trust and the vulnerability of human relations. These are prominent in love relationships, of course, but the term has broader application in the Roman world, and the poetic narrator often extends his fears about trust into many other dimensions of life, including friendship, religion, and politics. The infidelity rampant in the love affair indicates a more general breakdown of trust in other human relations. All of these features have implications for the genre itself. Many of the distinctive elements of Roman elegy—its first-person narration, obsessive recordkeeping, and role-playing—can be seen to derive from the thematic concern with jealousy. As such, jealousy provides a new way of understanding the distinctive features of Roman love elegy.Less
The passions were a topic of widespread interest in antiquity. This is a study on their role in Roman love elegy (1st c. BCE), a genre rife with passions and jealousy in particular. Jealousy does appear in a number of earlier genres, but never with the centrality and importance it has in elegy. This book offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate the ancient representation of jealousy in its Roman context, as well as its significance for Roman love elegy itself. The narrators portray themselves as poets and as experts of love, championing a view of love that stands in marked contrast to the criticisms that Stoic and Epicurean philosophers had raised. Elegy provides rich evidence of the genesis and development of erotic jealousy: we find suspicions and rumors of infidelity, obsessive attention to visual clues, and accusations and confrontations with the beloved. The Roman elegists depict the susceptibility and reactions to jealousy along gendered lines, with an asymmetric representation of skepticism and belief, violence and restraint. But jealousy has ramifications well beyond the erotic affair. Underlying jealousy are fears about fides or trust and the vulnerability of human relations. These are prominent in love relationships, of course, but the term has broader application in the Roman world, and the poetic narrator often extends his fears about trust into many other dimensions of life, including friendship, religion, and politics. The infidelity rampant in the love affair indicates a more general breakdown of trust in other human relations. All of these features have implications for the genre itself. Many of the distinctive elements of Roman elegy—its first-person narration, obsessive recordkeeping, and role-playing—can be seen to derive from the thematic concern with jealousy. As such, jealousy provides a new way of understanding the distinctive features of Roman love elegy.
David Quint
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161914
- eISBN:
- 9781400850488
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161914.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter demonstrates how—through a complicated chain of intermediary texts—the depiction of Satan's fall through Chaos in book 2, which invokes the myth of Icarus, and the Son's successful ride ...
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This chapter demonstrates how—through a complicated chain of intermediary texts—the depiction of Satan's fall through Chaos in book 2, which invokes the myth of Icarus, and the Son's successful ride in the paternal chariot of God at the end of the War in Heaven in book 6, which rewrites the story of Phaethon, both trace back to the De rerum natura of Lucretius. They counter the Roman poet's depiction of an Epicurean cosmos ordered by chance and in a constant state of falling through an infinite void—the “vast vacuity” of Chaos. The myths of these highfliers who fall are further countered in Paradise Lost by the motif of poetic flight. The shaping power of poetry itself and the epic high style counteract the specter of a universe without bound and dimension, or of the shapelessness of Death; poetry raises the poet over his fallen condition.Less
This chapter demonstrates how—through a complicated chain of intermediary texts—the depiction of Satan's fall through Chaos in book 2, which invokes the myth of Icarus, and the Son's successful ride in the paternal chariot of God at the end of the War in Heaven in book 6, which rewrites the story of Phaethon, both trace back to the De rerum natura of Lucretius. They counter the Roman poet's depiction of an Epicurean cosmos ordered by chance and in a constant state of falling through an infinite void—the “vast vacuity” of Chaos. The myths of these highfliers who fall are further countered in Paradise Lost by the motif of poetic flight. The shaping power of poetry itself and the epic high style counteract the specter of a universe without bound and dimension, or of the shapelessness of Death; poetry raises the poet over his fallen condition.
Voula Tsouna
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199292172
- eISBN:
- 9780191711770
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199292172.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This book presents a study of the ethics of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, who taught Virgil, influenced Horace, and was praised by Cicero. His works have only recently become available to ...
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This book presents a study of the ethics of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, who taught Virgil, influenced Horace, and was praised by Cicero. His works have only recently become available to modern readers, through the decipherment of a papyrus carbonized by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The book examines Philodemus' theoretical principles in ethics, his contributions to moral psychology, his method, his conception of therapy, and his therapeutic techniques. Part I begins with an outline of the fundamental principles of Philodemus' ethics in connection with the canonical views of the Epicurean school, and highlights his own original contributions. In addition to examining central features of Philodemus' hedonism, the book analyses central concepts in his moral psychology, notably: his conception of vices, which it compares with that of the virtues; his account of harmful or unacceptable emotions or passions; and his theory of corresponding acceptable emotions or ‘bites’. The book then turns to an investigation of Philodemus' conception of philosophy as medicine and of the philosopher as a kind of doctor for the soul. By surveying his methods of treatment, the book determines the place that they occupy in the therapeutics of the Hellenistic era. Part II uses the theoretical framework provided in Part I to analyse Philodemus' main ethical writings. The works considered focus on certain vices and harmful emotions, including flattery, arrogance, greed, anger, and fear of death, as well as traits related to the administration of property and wealth.Less
This book presents a study of the ethics of the Epicurean philosopher Philodemus, who taught Virgil, influenced Horace, and was praised by Cicero. His works have only recently become available to modern readers, through the decipherment of a papyrus carbonized by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The book examines Philodemus' theoretical principles in ethics, his contributions to moral psychology, his method, his conception of therapy, and his therapeutic techniques. Part I begins with an outline of the fundamental principles of Philodemus' ethics in connection with the canonical views of the Epicurean school, and highlights his own original contributions. In addition to examining central features of Philodemus' hedonism, the book analyses central concepts in his moral psychology, notably: his conception of vices, which it compares with that of the virtues; his account of harmful or unacceptable emotions or passions; and his theory of corresponding acceptable emotions or ‘bites’. The book then turns to an investigation of Philodemus' conception of philosophy as medicine and of the philosopher as a kind of doctor for the soul. By surveying his methods of treatment, the book determines the place that they occupy in the therapeutics of the Hellenistic era. Part II uses the theoretical framework provided in Part I to analyse Philodemus' main ethical writings. The works considered focus on certain vices and harmful emotions, including flattery, arrogance, greed, anger, and fear of death, as well as traits related to the administration of property and wealth.
Voula Tsouna
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199292172
- eISBN:
- 9780191711770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199292172.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter outlines the fundamental principles of Philodemus' ethics in connection with the canonical views of the Epicurean school, and points to his own original contributions. It examines the ...
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This chapter outlines the fundamental principles of Philodemus' ethics in connection with the canonical views of the Epicurean school, and points to his own original contributions. It examines the central features of Philodemus' hedonism, which sometimes are stated but often merely presupposed, and also looks at elements of his approach to the virtues and friendship. It draws evidence from the text [On Choices and Avoidances] and from the eulogy On Epicurus both of which can confidently be attributed to Philodemus, and also from the first and the second books of Cicero's De finibus.Less
This chapter outlines the fundamental principles of Philodemus' ethics in connection with the canonical views of the Epicurean school, and points to his own original contributions. It examines the central features of Philodemus' hedonism, which sometimes are stated but often merely presupposed, and also looks at elements of his approach to the virtues and friendship. It draws evidence from the text [On Choices and Avoidances] and from the eulogy On Epicurus both of which can confidently be attributed to Philodemus, and also from the first and the second books of Cicero's De finibus.
Voula Tsouna
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199292172
- eISBN:
- 9780191711770
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199292172.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This chapter examines the practice of frank speech or candid criticism, the principal educational method of late Epicurean schools and a major tool of moral and psychological therapy. The chapter is ...
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This chapter examines the practice of frank speech or candid criticism, the principal educational method of late Epicurean schools and a major tool of moral and psychological therapy. The chapter is divided into four sections, corresponding to the following topics: first, the nature, scope, kinds, and circumstances of application of parrhēsia; second, the characters of the students and their positive or negative reactions to parrhesiastic criticism; third, the dispositions of the teachers and the ways in which these dispositions affect the use of frank speech; and fourth, the confessional and corrective practices applied at every level of hierarchy of the Epicurean school, and especially among the sages. Philodemus' discussion of these topics presents both historical and theoretical interest. It gives a fairly detailed idea of life in an Epicurean school in Zeno's and Philodemus' times, the interchange between teachers and students, and the methods used for the assimilation of the Epicurean values and way of life. On Frank Speech also advances challenging views about central problems of philosophical psychology and the philosophy of education.Less
This chapter examines the practice of frank speech or candid criticism, the principal educational method of late Epicurean schools and a major tool of moral and psychological therapy. The chapter is divided into four sections, corresponding to the following topics: first, the nature, scope, kinds, and circumstances of application of parrhēsia; second, the characters of the students and their positive or negative reactions to parrhesiastic criticism; third, the dispositions of the teachers and the ways in which these dispositions affect the use of frank speech; and fourth, the confessional and corrective practices applied at every level of hierarchy of the Epicurean school, and especially among the sages. Philodemus' discussion of these topics presents both historical and theoretical interest. It gives a fairly detailed idea of life in an Epicurean school in Zeno's and Philodemus' times, the interchange between teachers and students, and the methods used for the assimilation of the Epicurean values and way of life. On Frank Speech also advances challenging views about central problems of philosophical psychology and the philosophy of education.
John M. Cooper
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691138602
- eISBN:
- 9781400842322
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691138602.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This is a major reinterpretation of ancient philosophy that recovers the long Greek and Roman tradition of philosophy as a complete way of life—and not simply an intellectual discipline. The book ...
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This is a major reinterpretation of ancient philosophy that recovers the long Greek and Roman tradition of philosophy as a complete way of life—and not simply an intellectual discipline. The book traces how, for many ancient thinkers, philosophy was not just to be studied or even used to solve particular practical problems. Rather, philosophy—not just ethics but even logic and physical theory—was literally to be lived. Yet there was great disagreement about how to live philosophically: philosophy was not one but many, mutually opposed, ways of life. Examining this tradition from its establishment by Socrates in the fifth century BCE through Plotinus in the third century CE and the eclipse of pagan philosophy by Christianity, the book examines six central philosophies of living: Socratic, Aristotelian, Stoic, Epicurean, Skeptic, and the Platonist life of late antiquity. The book describes the shared assumptions that allowed these thinkers to conceive of their philosophies as ways of life, as well as the distinctive ideas that led them to widely different conclusions about the best human life. Clearing up many common misperceptions and simplifications, the book explains in detail the Socratic devotion to philosophical discussion about human nature, human life, and human good; the Aristotelian focus on the true place of humans within the total system of the natural world; the Stoic commitment to dutifully accepting Zeus's plans; the Epicurean pursuit of pleasure through tranquil activities that exercise perception, thought, and feeling; the Skeptical eschewal of all critical reasoning in forming their beliefs; and, finally, the late Platonist emphasis on spiritual concerns and the eternal realm of Being.Less
This is a major reinterpretation of ancient philosophy that recovers the long Greek and Roman tradition of philosophy as a complete way of life—and not simply an intellectual discipline. The book traces how, for many ancient thinkers, philosophy was not just to be studied or even used to solve particular practical problems. Rather, philosophy—not just ethics but even logic and physical theory—was literally to be lived. Yet there was great disagreement about how to live philosophically: philosophy was not one but many, mutually opposed, ways of life. Examining this tradition from its establishment by Socrates in the fifth century BCE through Plotinus in the third century CE and the eclipse of pagan philosophy by Christianity, the book examines six central philosophies of living: Socratic, Aristotelian, Stoic, Epicurean, Skeptic, and the Platonist life of late antiquity. The book describes the shared assumptions that allowed these thinkers to conceive of their philosophies as ways of life, as well as the distinctive ideas that led them to widely different conclusions about the best human life. Clearing up many common misperceptions and simplifications, the book explains in detail the Socratic devotion to philosophical discussion about human nature, human life, and human good; the Aristotelian focus on the true place of humans within the total system of the natural world; the Stoic commitment to dutifully accepting Zeus's plans; the Epicurean pursuit of pleasure through tranquil activities that exercise perception, thought, and feeling; the Skeptical eschewal of all critical reasoning in forming their beliefs; and, finally, the late Platonist emphasis on spiritual concerns and the eternal realm of Being.
Stefano Evangelista
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199588541
- eISBN:
- 9780191741845
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588541.003.0016
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
With his novel Marius the Epicurean (1885), Walter Pater moved the focus of his interest from Greek to Roman antiquity. In his reflections on historiography, his ideal of the hero as a man of feeling ...
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With his novel Marius the Epicurean (1885), Walter Pater moved the focus of his interest from Greek to Roman antiquity. In his reflections on historiography, his ideal of the hero as a man of feeling and his exploration of the sentimental register, Pater made use of an extensive range of English and European Romantic sources, from Wordsworth to Goethe, Rousseau, and Madame de Staël. His portrayal of Imperial Rome was likewise based on early nineteenth-century representations of the city as, at the same time, museum and cosmopolitan stage. By means of these intertextualities, the historical novel in Pater's hands becomes a vehicle for the study of the relationship between Romanticism and Classicism, providing us at the same time with an important document of the legacy of Romanticism in late nineteenth-century England.Less
With his novel Marius the Epicurean (1885), Walter Pater moved the focus of his interest from Greek to Roman antiquity. In his reflections on historiography, his ideal of the hero as a man of feeling and his exploration of the sentimental register, Pater made use of an extensive range of English and European Romantic sources, from Wordsworth to Goethe, Rousseau, and Madame de Staël. His portrayal of Imperial Rome was likewise based on early nineteenth-century representations of the city as, at the same time, museum and cosmopolitan stage. By means of these intertextualities, the historical novel in Pater's hands becomes a vehicle for the study of the relationship between Romanticism and Classicism, providing us at the same time with an important document of the legacy of Romanticism in late nineteenth-century England.
Alcuin Blamires
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199248674
- eISBN:
- 9780191714696
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248674.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
A summary of ecclesiastical views on sex introduces the observation that medieval doctrine on the ‘sexual debt’ of marriage was covertly asymmetrical — an asymmetry based on an active/passive gender ...
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A summary of ecclesiastical views on sex introduces the observation that medieval doctrine on the ‘sexual debt’ of marriage was covertly asymmetrical — an asymmetry based on an active/passive gender binary that is reflected in Chaucer’s writings, though with exceptions including Criseyde. Chaucer represents the most outrageous proactive voluptuary fantasy as male, since it is January in the Merchant’s Tale who combines Epicurean sensuality with an idea repellent to medieval ethics: that there is ultimate ‘security’ in marital sensuality. A different doctrine is manipulated in the Reeve’s Tale. There a narrative of the theft of flour is deftly constructed around the concept that sex with the daughter or wife of another man also constitutes a category of ‘theft’. Overall, the chapter suggests that Chaucer’s representations of sex view it as much under the emotional perspective of its melancholy transience as under a formally coherent ethical perspective.Less
A summary of ecclesiastical views on sex introduces the observation that medieval doctrine on the ‘sexual debt’ of marriage was covertly asymmetrical — an asymmetry based on an active/passive gender binary that is reflected in Chaucer’s writings, though with exceptions including Criseyde. Chaucer represents the most outrageous proactive voluptuary fantasy as male, since it is January in the Merchant’s Tale who combines Epicurean sensuality with an idea repellent to medieval ethics: that there is ultimate ‘security’ in marital sensuality. A different doctrine is manipulated in the Reeve’s Tale. There a narrative of the theft of flour is deftly constructed around the concept that sex with the daughter or wife of another man also constitutes a category of ‘theft’. Overall, the chapter suggests that Chaucer’s representations of sex view it as much under the emotional perspective of its melancholy transience as under a formally coherent ethical perspective.
Christopher Tilmouth
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199212378
- eISBN:
- 9780191707254
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199212378.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature
This chapter begins by surveying various traditions which fed into Restoration libertinism, namely, Hobbism, the libertine writings of an earlier generation of cavaliers, the libertinage of France's ...
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This chapter begins by surveying various traditions which fed into Restoration libertinism, namely, Hobbism, the libertine writings of an earlier generation of cavaliers, the libertinage of France's libertins érudits, and the Epicureanism of the mid-17th-century Epicurean revival. These disparate threads provided a network of ideas amenable to the self-image of those Royalists who formed the so-called ‘court wits’ coterie in 1660s England. The origins of that self-image are also explained by examining the politics of libertinism, especially the experience of alienation suffered by Buckingham's circle both during the Interregnum and after the Restoration (when Clarendon dominated government). The argument is made that the court wits generated Restoration libertinism as a vehicle for expressing resentment towards a society which did not accord them a sufficient public role. The chapter concludes by examining how the culture of manners prevalent in this period gave formal expression to the libertine appetite for aggressive self-assertion.Less
This chapter begins by surveying various traditions which fed into Restoration libertinism, namely, Hobbism, the libertine writings of an earlier generation of cavaliers, the libertinage of France's libertins érudits, and the Epicureanism of the mid-17th-century Epicurean revival. These disparate threads provided a network of ideas amenable to the self-image of those Royalists who formed the so-called ‘court wits’ coterie in 1660s England. The origins of that self-image are also explained by examining the politics of libertinism, especially the experience of alienation suffered by Buckingham's circle both during the Interregnum and after the Restoration (when Clarendon dominated government). The argument is made that the court wits generated Restoration libertinism as a vehicle for expressing resentment towards a society which did not accord them a sufficient public role. The chapter concludes by examining how the culture of manners prevalent in this period gave formal expression to the libertine appetite for aggressive self-assertion.
Ian Small
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198122418
- eISBN:
- 9780191671418
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198122418.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter examines Walter Pater's career during a time when literary critics faced a serious crisis of authority. It evaluates Pater's first book, Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873) ...
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This chapter examines Walter Pater's career during a time when literary critics faced a serious crisis of authority. It evaluates Pater's first book, Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873) as well as the criticisms it received. It presents a spectrum of quoted material which in fact comprises a large proportion of the novel's overall content. It notes that Pater's principal intellectual concern was to engage with the concepts of textual and historiographical authority. It discusses how Pater was attempting to undertake the kind of critical enterprise which Grant Allen had insisted on a decade earlier. However, this was no longer possible. In Marius the Epicurean and Plato and Platonism, Pater was trying to write works in which and for which authority existed in the author alone.Less
This chapter examines Walter Pater's career during a time when literary critics faced a serious crisis of authority. It evaluates Pater's first book, Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873) as well as the criticisms it received. It presents a spectrum of quoted material which in fact comprises a large proportion of the novel's overall content. It notes that Pater's principal intellectual concern was to engage with the concepts of textual and historiographical authority. It discusses how Pater was attempting to undertake the kind of critical enterprise which Grant Allen had insisted on a decade earlier. However, this was no longer possible. In Marius the Epicurean and Plato and Platonism, Pater was trying to write works in which and for which authority existed in the author alone.
Julia Annas
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199696482
- eISBN:
- 9780191738036
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199696482.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Logic/Philosophy of Mathematics
This paper considers an Epicurean challenge to the possibility of Sceptical inquiry (reminiscent of a famous paradox in Plato’s Meno), and also explores Sextus’ reply to that challenge. It suggests ...
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This paper considers an Epicurean challenge to the possibility of Sceptical inquiry (reminiscent of a famous paradox in Plato’s Meno), and also explores Sextus’ reply to that challenge. It suggests that Sextus makes the good point that one need not know, nor even believe, that p, in order to inquire whether p is so. However, it is less clear whether one can inquire if one lacks all beliefs; yet the Sceptics are sometimes thought to disavow all beliefs. The paper also discusses the vexed notion of Epicurean prolepses, and evaluates Sextus’ argument for the claim that it is the Epicureans who are not well placed to inquire, given their epistemological commitments.Less
This paper considers an Epicurean challenge to the possibility of Sceptical inquiry (reminiscent of a famous paradox in Plato’s Meno), and also explores Sextus’ reply to that challenge. It suggests that Sextus makes the good point that one need not know, nor even believe, that p, in order to inquire whether p is so. However, it is less clear whether one can inquire if one lacks all beliefs; yet the Sceptics are sometimes thought to disavow all beliefs. The paper also discusses the vexed notion of Epicurean prolepses, and evaluates Sextus’ argument for the claim that it is the Epicureans who are not well placed to inquire, given their epistemological commitments.
Michael J. White
- Published in print:
- 1992
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198239529
- eISBN:
- 9780191679940
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198239529.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter analyses quantum conceptions of motion from a kinematic perspective. The examination of quantum-motion begins in the first section by considering Aristotle's view on the relations ...
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This chapter analyses quantum conceptions of motion from a kinematic perspective. The examination of quantum-motion begins in the first section by considering Aristotle's view on the relations between kinds of quantum. The second section explores the cinematographic conception of motion. According to this model, an object occupies a fixed position for some lapse or duration of time; but at the posterior limit of such an interval, it finds itself displaced by a minimal unit of distance in the direction of its motion. The third section considers the Epicurean quantum-motion at micro-level. The fourth section explores the Epicurean conception of speed at micro-level and macro-level.Less
This chapter analyses quantum conceptions of motion from a kinematic perspective. The examination of quantum-motion begins in the first section by considering Aristotle's view on the relations between kinds of quantum. The second section explores the cinematographic conception of motion. According to this model, an object occupies a fixed position for some lapse or duration of time; but at the posterior limit of such an interval, it finds itself displaced by a minimal unit of distance in the direction of its motion. The third section considers the Epicurean quantum-motion at micro-level. The fourth section explores the Epicurean conception of speed at micro-level and macro-level.
Jacques Lezra
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780823279425
- eISBN:
- 9780823281527
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823279425.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
This book traces to Karl Marx's earliest writings on the Epicurean tradition, a subterranean, Lucretian practice that this book calls “necrophilological translation.” “Translation” here is ...
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This book traces to Karl Marx's earliest writings on the Epicurean tradition, a subterranean, Lucretian practice that this book calls “necrophilological translation.” “Translation” here is extensively used and covers practices that put different natural and national languages into relation, often across periods, but also practices or mechanisms internal to each language. Necrophilological translation has a troubling, definitive influence in Marx's thought and in his wake. It entails a radical revision of what counts as translation, and wholly new ways of imagining what an “object” is; “matter;” “value;” “sovereignty;” “mediation;” and “number.” In this book, a materialism “of the encounter,” as recent criticism in the vein of the late Althusser calls it, encounters Marxological value-form theory; the development of so-called divisible sovereignty in post-Schmittian political philosophy; Meillassoux's critique of correlationism; the resurgence of humanism in object-oriented-ontologies; and philosophies of translation and untranslatability in debt to Quine, Cassin, and Derrida. The book addresses Marx through Lucretius; through Spinoza's marranismo; through his translators. Freud's account of the agency of the unconscious, through Schiller's Don Karlos; Adorno's exilic antihumanism, against Said's cosmopolitan humanism; the absolutization of what is not-one, in Badiou, Meillassoux, and Freud through Donne and Neruda.Less
This book traces to Karl Marx's earliest writings on the Epicurean tradition, a subterranean, Lucretian practice that this book calls “necrophilological translation.” “Translation” here is extensively used and covers practices that put different natural and national languages into relation, often across periods, but also practices or mechanisms internal to each language. Necrophilological translation has a troubling, definitive influence in Marx's thought and in his wake. It entails a radical revision of what counts as translation, and wholly new ways of imagining what an “object” is; “matter;” “value;” “sovereignty;” “mediation;” and “number.” In this book, a materialism “of the encounter,” as recent criticism in the vein of the late Althusser calls it, encounters Marxological value-form theory; the development of so-called divisible sovereignty in post-Schmittian political philosophy; Meillassoux's critique of correlationism; the resurgence of humanism in object-oriented-ontologies; and philosophies of translation and untranslatability in debt to Quine, Cassin, and Derrida. The book addresses Marx through Lucretius; through Spinoza's marranismo; through his translators. Freud's account of the agency of the unconscious, through Schiller's Don Karlos; Adorno's exilic antihumanism, against Said's cosmopolitan humanism; the absolutization of what is not-one, in Badiou, Meillassoux, and Freud through Donne and Neruda.
Feldman Fred
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195089288
- eISBN:
- 9780199852963
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195089288.003.0009
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter discusses the Epicurean argument of death as well as criticizing it. A new concept, the “deprivation approach”, is introduced. The deprivation approach states that death is bad for those ...
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This chapter discusses the Epicurean argument of death as well as criticizing it. A new concept, the “deprivation approach”, is introduced. The deprivation approach states that death is bad for those who die because it deprives them of the goods they would have enjoyed if they had continued to live.Less
This chapter discusses the Epicurean argument of death as well as criticizing it. A new concept, the “deprivation approach”, is introduced. The deprivation approach states that death is bad for those who die because it deprives them of the goods they would have enjoyed if they had continued to live.
Eleni Kechagia
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199597239
- eISBN:
- 9780191731495
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199597239.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter focuses on the target of Plutarch's Adversus Colotem and examines the extant testimonies about Colotes' life and writings with a view to assessing his position within the Epicurean ...
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This chapter focuses on the target of Plutarch's Adversus Colotem and examines the extant testimonies about Colotes' life and writings with a view to assessing his position within the Epicurean tradition. Colotes may not have been one of the protagonists in Epicurus' Garden, but is shown to have been a close friend and associate of Epicurus in Lampsacus. In addition to the general polemic against the great Greek philosophers, Colotes had written at least three more polemical works: two anti-commentaries against Plato's Lysis and Euthydemus, and a critique of Plato's myths in the Republic. What remains of his philosophical production shows not only that Colotes was well-versed in the details of Epicurean theory, but most importantly that his work formed part of the tradition of polemical writing that flourished in the early Epicurean school.Less
This chapter focuses on the target of Plutarch's Adversus Colotem and examines the extant testimonies about Colotes' life and writings with a view to assessing his position within the Epicurean tradition. Colotes may not have been one of the protagonists in Epicurus' Garden, but is shown to have been a close friend and associate of Epicurus in Lampsacus. In addition to the general polemic against the great Greek philosophers, Colotes had written at least three more polemical works: two anti-commentaries against Plato's Lysis and Euthydemus, and a critique of Plato's myths in the Republic. What remains of his philosophical production shows not only that Colotes was well-versed in the details of Epicurean theory, but most importantly that his work formed part of the tradition of polemical writing that flourished in the early Epicurean school.
Eleni Kechagia
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199597239
- eISBN:
- 9780191731495
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199597239.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter focuses on Plutarch's response to Colotes' attack on the Platonic theory of Forms. Colotes argued that by taking the sensible particulars to be only images of the Forms and not real ...
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This chapter focuses on Plutarch's response to Colotes' attack on the Platonic theory of Forms. Colotes argued that by taking the sensible particulars to be only images of the Forms and not real beings Plato in effect abolished the sensible world. Plutarch first embarks on a detailed explication of the theory of Forms: far from doubting the existence of the sensible world, Plato sought to explain its reality by showing how the sensible beings relate to the intelligible Forms. Secondly, Plutarch argues that in fact Epicurean ontology too puts forward a distinction between sensible and intelligible reality, in this way being very much like Plato's theory. Despite the apparent implausibility of his argument, Plutarch turns out to put his finger on an important connection between two philosophical systems that are otherwise in opposition to each other.Less
This chapter focuses on Plutarch's response to Colotes' attack on the Platonic theory of Forms. Colotes argued that by taking the sensible particulars to be only images of the Forms and not real beings Plato in effect abolished the sensible world. Plutarch first embarks on a detailed explication of the theory of Forms: far from doubting the existence of the sensible world, Plato sought to explain its reality by showing how the sensible beings relate to the intelligible Forms. Secondly, Plutarch argues that in fact Epicurean ontology too puts forward a distinction between sensible and intelligible reality, in this way being very much like Plato's theory. Despite the apparent implausibility of his argument, Plutarch turns out to put his finger on an important connection between two philosophical systems that are otherwise in opposition to each other.
Eleni Kechagia
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199597239
- eISBN:
- 9780191731495
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199597239.003.0009
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter examines Plutarch's arguments in response to Colotes' claims against Cyrenaic epistemology. Colotes accused the Cyrenaics of making life impossible to live by claiming that they can only ...
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This chapter examines Plutarch's arguments in response to Colotes' claims against Cyrenaic epistemology. Colotes accused the Cyrenaics of making life impossible to live by claiming that they can only apprehend their own pathē, but not the external object causing them. Plutarch acknowledges that the Cyrenaic view eventually leads to extreme subjectivism, but goes on to show that the thoroughgoing empiricism of Epicurean epistemology can lead to subjectivist consequences too. Arguing that all impressions are true, which is what the Epicureans say, is ultimately not much different from arguing that none is: one's true impressions, which report only on themselves and on eidōla that may or may not be exactly the same as the external object they represent, do not lead one to firm knowledge of the external world.Less
This chapter examines Plutarch's arguments in response to Colotes' claims against Cyrenaic epistemology. Colotes accused the Cyrenaics of making life impossible to live by claiming that they can only apprehend their own pathē, but not the external object causing them. Plutarch acknowledges that the Cyrenaic view eventually leads to extreme subjectivism, but goes on to show that the thoroughgoing empiricism of Epicurean epistemology can lead to subjectivist consequences too. Arguing that all impressions are true, which is what the Epicureans say, is ultimately not much different from arguing that none is: one's true impressions, which report only on themselves and on eidōla that may or may not be exactly the same as the external object they represent, do not lead one to firm knowledge of the external world.
