Christopher Gill
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198152682
- eISBN:
- 9780191710131
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152682.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
Stoics and Epicureans, while holding that all human beings are constitutively capable of achieving a fully coherent state of character, also maintain that failure to realize this capacity results in ...
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Stoics and Epicureans, while holding that all human beings are constitutively capable of achieving a fully coherent state of character, also maintain that failure to realize this capacity results in a radically un-structured and incoherent state of personality. This chapter examines the Stoic theory of the passions (which are seen as expressing this un-structured state) and explores the relationship between this theory and their view that human beings function as psychological wholes. It shows how an intense debate emerged in Hellenistic-Roman thought between Stoic (holistic) and Platonic-Aristotelian (part-based) ways of conceiving emotions. It shows how this controversy underlies the critical presentation of the Stoic theory by Plutarch and Galen, and how it leads Galen to give a misleading account of the ideas about passions held by the Stoic thinkers Chrysippus and Posidonius.Less
Stoics and Epicureans, while holding that all human beings are constitutively capable of achieving a fully coherent state of character, also maintain that failure to realize this capacity results in a radically un-structured and incoherent state of personality. This chapter examines the Stoic theory of the passions (which are seen as expressing this un-structured state) and explores the relationship between this theory and their view that human beings function as psychological wholes. It shows how an intense debate emerged in Hellenistic-Roman thought between Stoic (holistic) and Platonic-Aristotelian (part-based) ways of conceiving emotions. It shows how this controversy underlies the critical presentation of the Stoic theory by Plutarch and Galen, and how it leads Galen to give a misleading account of the ideas about passions held by the Stoic thinkers Chrysippus and Posidonius.
Christopher Gill
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198152682
- eISBN:
- 9780191710131
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152682.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter explores the potential relevance to the interpretation of later Greek and Roman literature of the competing Hellenistic-Roman patterns of thought about the development of character (and ...
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This chapter explores the potential relevance to the interpretation of later Greek and Roman literature of the competing Hellenistic-Roman patterns of thought about the development of character (and about the consequences of failure to develop properly) discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. The presentation of collapse of ethical character in Plutarch’s Lives is taken as illustrating the Platonic-Aristotelian (part-based) pattern of thinking. The depiction of psychological conflict and disintegration in Seneca’s Medea and Phaedra is seen as illustrating the contrasting Stoic (holistic) pattern. Tracing philosophical influence on Virgil’s Aeneid is acknowledged to be more difficult and complex. In the presentation of inner conflict and passions in Dido and Aeneas, there are grounds for seeing the influence of both Platonic-Aristotelian and Stoic-Epicurean patterns. But the latter pattern is presented as ultimately more important for making sense of the distinctive features of Virgil’s portrayal.Less
This chapter explores the potential relevance to the interpretation of later Greek and Roman literature of the competing Hellenistic-Roman patterns of thought about the development of character (and about the consequences of failure to develop properly) discussed in Chapters 3 and 4. The presentation of collapse of ethical character in Plutarch’s Lives is taken as illustrating the Platonic-Aristotelian (part-based) pattern of thinking. The depiction of psychological conflict and disintegration in Seneca’s Medea and Phaedra is seen as illustrating the contrasting Stoic (holistic) pattern. Tracing philosophical influence on Virgil’s Aeneid is acknowledged to be more difficult and complex. In the presentation of inner conflict and passions in Dido and Aeneas, there are grounds for seeing the influence of both Platonic-Aristotelian and Stoic-Epicurean patterns. But the latter pattern is presented as ultimately more important for making sense of the distinctive features of Virgil’s portrayal.
Christopher Gill
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198152682
- eISBN:
- 9780191710131
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152682.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This book examines ideas about personality and self in Hellenistic and Roman philosophy, and the possible influence of these ideas on Greek and Roman literature. The book is subdivided into three ...
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This book examines ideas about personality and self in Hellenistic and Roman philosophy, and the possible influence of these ideas on Greek and Roman literature. The book is subdivided into three parts. The first part focuses on the question of what is new and distinctive in the Hellenistic philosophical conception of self, especially in Stoicism and Epicureanism. A shared or converging set of ideas (the structured self) is analyzed in these two theories, centred on a combination of radical (Socratic) ethical claims and on psychophysical and psychological holism. This view of selfhood is contrasted with the non-holistic, part-based conception of personality found in the Platonic-Aristotelian philosophical tradition in this period. The second part illustrates this broad contrast with special reference to the Stoic theory of passions and its critical reception by thinkers in the Platonic-Aristotelian tradition, such as Plutarch and Galen. It is suggested that the Stoic theory and its critics are both influenced by different strands in Plato’s thought about psychology. The third part of the book discusses theoretical issues about concepts of selfhood. It argues against the common view that Hellenistic-Roman thought shows a shift towards a subjective-individualistic notion of self. This part also considers the possible influence of the philosophical ideas discussed here on literature in this period. It identifies contrasting Platonic-Aristotelian and Stoic-Epicurean ways of thinking about collapse of character, and traces the possible influence of these patterns in Plutarch’s biography, Senecan tragedy, and Virgilian epic.Less
This book examines ideas about personality and self in Hellenistic and Roman philosophy, and the possible influence of these ideas on Greek and Roman literature. The book is subdivided into three parts. The first part focuses on the question of what is new and distinctive in the Hellenistic philosophical conception of self, especially in Stoicism and Epicureanism. A shared or converging set of ideas (the structured self) is analyzed in these two theories, centred on a combination of radical (Socratic) ethical claims and on psychophysical and psychological holism. This view of selfhood is contrasted with the non-holistic, part-based conception of personality found in the Platonic-Aristotelian philosophical tradition in this period. The second part illustrates this broad contrast with special reference to the Stoic theory of passions and its critical reception by thinkers in the Platonic-Aristotelian tradition, such as Plutarch and Galen. It is suggested that the Stoic theory and its critics are both influenced by different strands in Plato’s thought about psychology. The third part of the book discusses theoretical issues about concepts of selfhood. It argues against the common view that Hellenistic-Roman thought shows a shift towards a subjective-individualistic notion of self. This part also considers the possible influence of the philosophical ideas discussed here on literature in this period. It identifies contrasting Platonic-Aristotelian and Stoic-Epicurean ways of thinking about collapse of character, and traces the possible influence of these patterns in Plutarch’s biography, Senecan tragedy, and Virgilian epic.
Christopher Gill
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198152682
- eISBN:
- 9780191710131
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198152682.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter charts links between the Stoic and Epicurean conception of self that is discussed in Chapters 1 and 2 (the structured self), and their ideas about ethical development. Human beings, ...
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This chapter charts links between the Stoic and Epicurean conception of self that is discussed in Chapters 1 and 2 (the structured self), and their ideas about ethical development. Human beings, while seen as psychophysical and psychological wholes, are also seen as constitutively capable of achieving a fully structured and coherent ethical character. This set of ideas is illustrated especially by reference to the Stoic theory of development as ‘appropriation’. The Stoic theory is seen as embodying a holistic approach both to human psychology and to ideals of ethical character. Stoic and Epicurean ideas about development are also linked with their use of the ‘whole-person’ model of causation and with ‘rich naturalism’, that is, the systematic integration of logic, ethics, and physics. Stoic-Epicurean thinking about development is contrasted with the Platonic-Aristotelian approach, especially as found in Antiochus and Arius Didymus.Less
This chapter charts links between the Stoic and Epicurean conception of self that is discussed in Chapters 1 and 2 (the structured self), and their ideas about ethical development. Human beings, while seen as psychophysical and psychological wholes, are also seen as constitutively capable of achieving a fully structured and coherent ethical character. This set of ideas is illustrated especially by reference to the Stoic theory of development as ‘appropriation’. The Stoic theory is seen as embodying a holistic approach both to human psychology and to ideals of ethical character. Stoic and Epicurean ideas about development are also linked with their use of the ‘whole-person’ model of causation and with ‘rich naturalism’, that is, the systematic integration of logic, ethics, and physics. Stoic-Epicurean thinking about development is contrasted with the Platonic-Aristotelian approach, especially as found in Antiochus and Arius Didymus.
Lloyd P. Gerson
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452413
- eISBN:
- 9780801469183
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452413.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This chapter considers whether Plato's thought had “developed” in any way, paving the way for a discussion on developmentalism and Plato's development. Developmentalism of various sorts is ...
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This chapter considers whether Plato's thought had “developed” in any way, paving the way for a discussion on developmentalism and Plato's development. Developmentalism of various sorts is distinguished from unitarianism, the view that there is no change in doctrine across the dialogues. The unitarianism of those who hold that the dialogues are the sole locus of Plato's philosophy is substantially different from the unitarianism of those who hold that the so-called unwritten teachings are the locus of Plato's philosophy and the dialogues serve only a protreptic function in relation to these. The chapter first examines the unitarianism of those who hold that there are no doctrines in the dialogues before next turning to the proponents of the unwritten teachings.Less
This chapter considers whether Plato's thought had “developed” in any way, paving the way for a discussion on developmentalism and Plato's development. Developmentalism of various sorts is distinguished from unitarianism, the view that there is no change in doctrine across the dialogues. The unitarianism of those who hold that the dialogues are the sole locus of Plato's philosophy is substantially different from the unitarianism of those who hold that the so-called unwritten teachings are the locus of Plato's philosophy and the dialogues serve only a protreptic function in relation to these. The chapter first examines the unitarianism of those who hold that there are no doctrines in the dialogues before next turning to the proponents of the unwritten teachings.
Samuel Scolnicov
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520224032
- eISBN:
- 9780520925113
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520224032.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
Of all Plato's dialogues, the Parmenides is notoriously the most difficult to interpret. Scholars of all periods have disagreed about its aims and subject matter. The interpretations have ranged from ...
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Of all Plato's dialogues, the Parmenides is notoriously the most difficult to interpret. Scholars of all periods have disagreed about its aims and subject matter. The interpretations have ranged from reading the dialogue as an introduction to the whole of Platonic metaphysics to seeing it as a collection of sophisticated tricks, or even as an elaborate joke. This work presents a new translation of the dialogue together with an extensive introduction and running commentary, giving a unified explanation of the Parmenides and integrating it firmly within the context of Plato's metaphysics and methodology. The book shows that in the Parmenides, Plato addresses the most serious challenge to his own philosophy: the monism of Parmenides and the Eleatics. In addition to providing a serious rebuttal to Parmenides, Plato here re-formulates his own theory of forms and participation, arguments that are central to the whole of Platonic thought, and provides these concepts with a rigorous logical and philosophical foundation. In the book's analysis, the Parmenides emerges as an extension of ideas from Plato's middle dialogues and as an opening to the later dialogues. The book's analysis offers a persuasive approach to a complicated dialogue. This translation follows the Greek closely, and the commentary affords the Greekless reader a clear understanding of how the book's interpretation emerges from the text.Less
Of all Plato's dialogues, the Parmenides is notoriously the most difficult to interpret. Scholars of all periods have disagreed about its aims and subject matter. The interpretations have ranged from reading the dialogue as an introduction to the whole of Platonic metaphysics to seeing it as a collection of sophisticated tricks, or even as an elaborate joke. This work presents a new translation of the dialogue together with an extensive introduction and running commentary, giving a unified explanation of the Parmenides and integrating it firmly within the context of Plato's metaphysics and methodology. The book shows that in the Parmenides, Plato addresses the most serious challenge to his own philosophy: the monism of Parmenides and the Eleatics. In addition to providing a serious rebuttal to Parmenides, Plato here re-formulates his own theory of forms and participation, arguments that are central to the whole of Platonic thought, and provides these concepts with a rigorous logical and philosophical foundation. In the book's analysis, the Parmenides emerges as an extension of ideas from Plato's middle dialogues and as an opening to the later dialogues. The book's analysis offers a persuasive approach to a complicated dialogue. This translation follows the Greek closely, and the commentary affords the Greekless reader a clear understanding of how the book's interpretation emerges from the text.
Jean-Francois Pradeau
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780859896535
- eISBN:
- 9781781380666
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/liverpool/9780859896535.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
This is a general introduction to Plato's political thought. It covers the main periods of Platonic thought, examining those dialogues that best show how Plato makes the city's unity the aim of ...
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This is a general introduction to Plato's political thought. It covers the main periods of Platonic thought, examining those dialogues that best show how Plato makes the city's unity the aim of politics and then makes the quest for that unity the aim of philosophy. From the psychological model (the city is like a great soul) to the physiological definition (the city is a living being), the reader can traverse the whole of Plato's oeuvre, and understand it as a political philosophy. The book is designed to be an undergraduate textbook but will also be of interest to scholars. It is an English translation of Platon et la cité, published in French by Presses Universitaires de France in 1997 as part of the series Philosophies, and offers English-speaking readers access to a more unifying continental European reading of Plato than is common in UK or North American scholarship.Less
This is a general introduction to Plato's political thought. It covers the main periods of Platonic thought, examining those dialogues that best show how Plato makes the city's unity the aim of politics and then makes the quest for that unity the aim of philosophy. From the psychological model (the city is like a great soul) to the physiological definition (the city is a living being), the reader can traverse the whole of Plato's oeuvre, and understand it as a political philosophy. The book is designed to be an undergraduate textbook but will also be of interest to scholars. It is an English translation of Platon et la cité, published in French by Presses Universitaires de France in 1997 as part of the series Philosophies, and offers English-speaking readers access to a more unifying continental European reading of Plato than is common in UK or North American scholarship.
Rebecca LeMoine
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- February 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190936983
- eISBN:
- 9780190937010
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190936983.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, International Relations and Politics
This chapter discusses existing interpretations of the treatment of foreigners in Plato’s dialogues. The view that Platonic political thought is xenophobic remains prominent in both popular accounts ...
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This chapter discusses existing interpretations of the treatment of foreigners in Plato’s dialogues. The view that Platonic political thought is xenophobic remains prominent in both popular accounts and the scholarly literature, but there is reason to question the traditional narrative. First, recent historical work shows that Athenian attitudes toward foreigners were more mixed than was previously believed. Plato, then, may well have held a positive conception of foreigners. Second, the analysis shows why quoting lines out of the dramatic contexts of the dialogues is problematic. If one of Plato’s characters speaks disparagingly of foreigners, that does not make Plato xenophobic. The chapter proposes instead a close reading of Plato’s dialogues using the techniques of literary analysis. It presents original data on the use of terminology related to foreigners throughout the Platonic corpus, and explains the process of selecting which dialogues to analyze.Less
This chapter discusses existing interpretations of the treatment of foreigners in Plato’s dialogues. The view that Platonic political thought is xenophobic remains prominent in both popular accounts and the scholarly literature, but there is reason to question the traditional narrative. First, recent historical work shows that Athenian attitudes toward foreigners were more mixed than was previously believed. Plato, then, may well have held a positive conception of foreigners. Second, the analysis shows why quoting lines out of the dramatic contexts of the dialogues is problematic. If one of Plato’s characters speaks disparagingly of foreigners, that does not make Plato xenophobic. The chapter proposes instead a close reading of Plato’s dialogues using the techniques of literary analysis. It presents original data on the use of terminology related to foreigners throughout the Platonic corpus, and explains the process of selecting which dialogues to analyze.
Gwenda-lin Grewal
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- April 2022
- ISBN:
- 9780192849571
- eISBN:
- 9780191944673
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780192849571.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Greek, Roman, and Early Christian Philosophy
Thinking of Death places Plato’s Euthydemus among the dialogues that surround the trial and death of Socrates. A premonition of philosophy’s fate arrives in the form of Socrates’ encounter with the ...
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Thinking of Death places Plato’s Euthydemus among the dialogues that surround the trial and death of Socrates. A premonition of philosophy’s fate arrives in the form of Socrates’ encounter with the two-headed sophist pair, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, who appear as if they are the ghost of the Socrates of Aristophanes’ thinkery. The pair vacillates between choral ode and rhapsody, as Plato vacillates between referring to them in the dual and plural number in Greek. Both the structure of the dialogue and the pair’s back-and-forth arguments bear a striking resemblance to thinking itself. In its immersive remove from reality, thinking simulates death even as it cannot conceive of its possibility. Euthydemus and Dionysodorus take this to an extreme, and so emerge as the philosophical dream and sophistic nightmare of being disembodied from substance. The Euthydemus is haunted by philosophy’s tenuous relationship to political life. This is played out in the narration through Crito’s implied criticism of Socrates—the phantom image of the Athenian laws—and in the drama itself, which appears to take place in Hades. Thinking of death thus brings with it a lurid parody of the death of thinking: the farce of perfect philosophy that bears the gravity of the city’s sophistry. Thinking of Death also includes a new translation of the Euthydemus that pays careful attention to grammatical ambiguities, nuances, and wit in ways that substantially expand the reader’s access to the dialogue’s mysteries.Less
Thinking of Death places Plato’s Euthydemus among the dialogues that surround the trial and death of Socrates. A premonition of philosophy’s fate arrives in the form of Socrates’ encounter with the two-headed sophist pair, Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, who appear as if they are the ghost of the Socrates of Aristophanes’ thinkery. The pair vacillates between choral ode and rhapsody, as Plato vacillates between referring to them in the dual and plural number in Greek. Both the structure of the dialogue and the pair’s back-and-forth arguments bear a striking resemblance to thinking itself. In its immersive remove from reality, thinking simulates death even as it cannot conceive of its possibility. Euthydemus and Dionysodorus take this to an extreme, and so emerge as the philosophical dream and sophistic nightmare of being disembodied from substance. The Euthydemus is haunted by philosophy’s tenuous relationship to political life. This is played out in the narration through Crito’s implied criticism of Socrates—the phantom image of the Athenian laws—and in the drama itself, which appears to take place in Hades. Thinking of death thus brings with it a lurid parody of the death of thinking: the farce of perfect philosophy that bears the gravity of the city’s sophistry. Thinking of Death also includes a new translation of the Euthydemus that pays careful attention to grammatical ambiguities, nuances, and wit in ways that substantially expand the reader’s access to the dialogue’s mysteries.
Rebecca LeMoine
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- February 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780190936983
- eISBN:
- 9780190937010
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190936983.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, International Relations and Politics
From student protests over the teaching of canonical texts such as Plato’s Republic to the use of images of classical Greek statues in white supremacist propaganda, the world of the ancient Greeks is ...
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From student protests over the teaching of canonical texts such as Plato’s Republic to the use of images of classical Greek statues in white supremacist propaganda, the world of the ancient Greeks is deeply implicated in a heated contemporary debate about identity and diversity. Plato’s Caves defends the bold thesis that Plato was a friend of cultural diversity, contrary to many contemporary perceptions. It shows that, across Plato’s dialogues, foreigners play a role similar to that of Socrates: liberating citizens from intellectual bondage. Through close readings of four Platonic dialogues—Republic, Menexenus, Laws, and Phaedrus—the author recovers Plato’s unique insight into the promise, and risk, of cross-cultural engagement. Like the Socratic “gadfly” who stings the “horse” of Athens into wakefulness, foreigners can provoke citizens to self-reflection by exposing contradictions and confronting them with alternative ways of life. The painfulness of this experience explains why encounters with foreigners often give rise to tension and conflict. Yet it also reveals why cultural diversity is an essential good. Simply put, exposure to cultural diversity helps one develop the intellectual humility one needs to be a good citizen and global neighbor. By illuminating Plato’s epistemological argument for cultural diversity, Plato’s Caves challenges readers to examine themselves and to reinvigorate their love of learning.Less
From student protests over the teaching of canonical texts such as Plato’s Republic to the use of images of classical Greek statues in white supremacist propaganda, the world of the ancient Greeks is deeply implicated in a heated contemporary debate about identity and diversity. Plato’s Caves defends the bold thesis that Plato was a friend of cultural diversity, contrary to many contemporary perceptions. It shows that, across Plato’s dialogues, foreigners play a role similar to that of Socrates: liberating citizens from intellectual bondage. Through close readings of four Platonic dialogues—Republic, Menexenus, Laws, and Phaedrus—the author recovers Plato’s unique insight into the promise, and risk, of cross-cultural engagement. Like the Socratic “gadfly” who stings the “horse” of Athens into wakefulness, foreigners can provoke citizens to self-reflection by exposing contradictions and confronting them with alternative ways of life. The painfulness of this experience explains why encounters with foreigners often give rise to tension and conflict. Yet it also reveals why cultural diversity is an essential good. Simply put, exposure to cultural diversity helps one develop the intellectual humility one needs to be a good citizen and global neighbor. By illuminating Plato’s epistemological argument for cultural diversity, Plato’s Caves challenges readers to examine themselves and to reinvigorate their love of learning.