Nick Huggett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379518
- eISBN:
- 9780199776559
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379518.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This pair of chapters discuss Zeno's paradoxes and some of their modern descendants: the ‘dichotomy’, the ‘arrow’, and the ‘supertasks’ of Thompson's lamp and Bernadete. These paradoxes arise from ...
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This pair of chapters discuss Zeno's paradoxes and some of their modern descendants: the ‘dichotomy’, the ‘arrow’, and the ‘supertasks’ of Thompson's lamp and Bernadete. These paradoxes arise from the inifinite divisibility of time and space. For instance, the dichotomy considers dividing a journey into two stages, and then the second stage into half, and the second half of that into half, and so on to infinity: every stage takes a finite time, so shouldn't the whole journey take infinitely long, never to be completed? The problems are challenges to the mathematical description of the world: for instance, the number of metres comprising a journey. The paradoxes reveal confusions in the mathematical nature of infinity, and its application by physics to the world. The chapter explains how a proper understanding of infinity resolves the paradoxes, and demonstrates how these philosophical questions were crucial to the development of mathematical physics.Less
This pair of chapters discuss Zeno's paradoxes and some of their modern descendants: the ‘dichotomy’, the ‘arrow’, and the ‘supertasks’ of Thompson's lamp and Bernadete. These paradoxes arise from the inifinite divisibility of time and space. For instance, the dichotomy considers dividing a journey into two stages, and then the second stage into half, and the second half of that into half, and so on to infinity: every stage takes a finite time, so shouldn't the whole journey take infinitely long, never to be completed? The problems are challenges to the mathematical description of the world: for instance, the number of metres comprising a journey. The paradoxes reveal confusions in the mathematical nature of infinity, and its application by physics to the world. The chapter explains how a proper understanding of infinity resolves the paradoxes, and demonstrates how these philosophical questions were crucial to the development of mathematical physics.
A. A. Long
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279128
- eISBN:
- 9780191706769
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279128.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This book presents eighteen essays on the philosophers and schools of the Hellenistic and Roman periods: Epicureans, Stoics, and Sceptics. The discussion ranges over four centuries of innovative and ...
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This book presents eighteen essays on the philosophers and schools of the Hellenistic and Roman periods: Epicureans, Stoics, and Sceptics. The discussion ranges over four centuries of innovative and challenging thought in ethics and politics, psychology, epistemology, and cosmology. The focus is on the distinctive contributions and methodologies of individual thinkers, notably Epicurus, Zeno, Pyrrho, Arcesilaus, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca, and Epictetus. Placing their philosophy in its cultural context, and considering it in relation to the earlier ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the author invites readers to imagine themselves choosing between Stoicism and Epicureanism as philosophies of life. All but one of these pieces has been previously published in periodicals or conference volumes, but the author has revised and updated everything, and has also added postscripts to many of the essays.Less
This book presents eighteen essays on the philosophers and schools of the Hellenistic and Roman periods: Epicureans, Stoics, and Sceptics. The discussion ranges over four centuries of innovative and challenging thought in ethics and politics, psychology, epistemology, and cosmology. The focus is on the distinctive contributions and methodologies of individual thinkers, notably Epicurus, Zeno, Pyrrho, Arcesilaus, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca, and Epictetus. Placing their philosophy in its cultural context, and considering it in relation to the earlier ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, the author invites readers to imagine themselves choosing between Stoicism and Epicureanism as philosophies of life. All but one of these pieces has been previously published in periodicals or conference volumes, but the author has revised and updated everything, and has also added postscripts to many of the essays.
Benjamin Morison
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199247912
- eISBN:
- 9780191598067
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199247919.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Aims to explain as carefully as possible Aristotle's account of place given in the Physics, Book IV, Chs. 1‐5. Also aims to rehabilitate it as a piece of philosophy, after many centuries of its being ...
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Aims to explain as carefully as possible Aristotle's account of place given in the Physics, Book IV, Chs. 1‐5. Also aims to rehabilitate it as a piece of philosophy, after many centuries of its being dismissed as inadequate. Discusses the importance of the concept of place to natural philosophy, including the role of so‐called ‘natural’ places in the explanation of the natural motion of the elements. Offers a full reconstruction and interpretation of Zeno's paradox of place, which Aristotle took to be a crucial challenge to the coherence of the notion of place, as well as an assessment of Aristotle's treatment of Plato's account of space in the Timaeus. Outlines the different ways in which things are somewhere, implicit in Aristotle's solution to Zeno's paradox of place. This corresponds to the various meanings of the word ‘in’. The concept of being somewhere is of the first importance in understanding our practice of asking and answering where‐questions. The most fundamental way of being somewhere is to have a place––most bodies have a place, according to Aristotle. For a body to be somewhere, it must have a proper place, i.e. a place that only it occupies. Aristotle's definition of proper place (‘the first immobile limit of that which surrounds’) has been found wanting by many philosophers: the author offers an interpretation of the definition which overcomes the classic objections, including ancient worries about whether the universe is somewhere.Less
Aims to explain as carefully as possible Aristotle's account of place given in the Physics, Book IV, Chs. 1‐5. Also aims to rehabilitate it as a piece of philosophy, after many centuries of its being dismissed as inadequate. Discusses the importance of the concept of place to natural philosophy, including the role of so‐called ‘natural’ places in the explanation of the natural motion of the elements. Offers a full reconstruction and interpretation of Zeno's paradox of place, which Aristotle took to be a crucial challenge to the coherence of the notion of place, as well as an assessment of Aristotle's treatment of Plato's account of space in the Timaeus. Outlines the different ways in which things are somewhere, implicit in Aristotle's solution to Zeno's paradox of place. This corresponds to the various meanings of the word ‘in’. The concept of being somewhere is of the first importance in understanding our practice of asking and answering where‐questions. The most fundamental way of being somewhere is to have a place––most bodies have a place, according to Aristotle. For a body to be somewhere, it must have a proper place, i.e. a place that only it occupies. Aristotle's definition of proper place (‘the first immobile limit of that which surrounds’) has been found wanting by many philosophers: the author offers an interpretation of the definition which overcomes the classic objections, including ancient worries about whether the universe is somewhere.
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/9780199279128.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The peculiarity of Hellenistic ethics is explored to understand its special significance. The issue is approached as a question concerning the intellectual history of Hellenistic philosophy in its ...
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The peculiarity of Hellenistic ethics is explored to understand its special significance. The issue is approached as a question concerning the intellectual history of Hellenistic philosophy in its formative years. A comprehensive answer would have to include subsequent developments of the Hellenistic schools, their reception at Rome, and their entry into the Renaissance. The focus of this chapter is the investigation of what it was about the ethical projects of the innovative Hellenistic philosophers that prepared the way for this curious legacy.Less
The peculiarity of Hellenistic ethics is explored to understand its special significance. The issue is approached as a question concerning the intellectual history of Hellenistic philosophy in its formative years. A comprehensive answer would have to include subsequent developments of the Hellenistic schools, their reception at Rome, and their entry into the Renaissance. The focus of this chapter is the investigation of what it was about the ethical projects of the innovative Hellenistic philosophers that prepared the way for this curious legacy.
Brian Skyrms
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199652808
- eISBN:
- 9780191745829
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199652808.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Metaphysics/Epistemology
The essays in the book center on the concept of probability. What is the framework within which probability comfortably lives? What are the coherence principles that must be satisfied for degrees of ...
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The essays in the book center on the concept of probability. What is the framework within which probability comfortably lives? What are the coherence principles that must be satisfied for degrees of belief to be probabilities, and how do these principles generalize to probability change? What is the relation between coherent degrees of belief, beliefs about chances, and inductive inference? What constraints does coherence put on inductive skepticism?Less
The essays in the book center on the concept of probability. What is the framework within which probability comfortably lives? What are the coherence principles that must be satisfied for degrees of belief to be probabilities, and how do these principles generalize to probability change? What is the relation between coherent degrees of belief, beliefs about chances, and inductive inference? What constraints does coherence put on inductive skepticism?
David Bostock
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199286867
- eISBN:
- 9780191603532
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199286868.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This essay argues that despite initial appearances, one can make good sense of Aristotle’s objections to Melissus (186a10-22), and one can find a comprehensible line of argument in the objections to ...
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This essay argues that despite initial appearances, one can make good sense of Aristotle’s objections to Melissus (186a10-22), and one can find a comprehensible line of argument in the objections to Parmenides that follow (186a22-b12). However, the final section of chapter 3, i.e. 186b12-187a11, remains obscure. It evidently refers to an argument of Zeno’s, but it is unclear how the discussion is supposed to be relevant to that argument. A conjecture is offered, but without much confidence.Less
This essay argues that despite initial appearances, one can make good sense of Aristotle’s objections to Melissus (186a10-22), and one can find a comprehensible line of argument in the objections to Parmenides that follow (186a22-b12). However, the final section of chapter 3, i.e. 186b12-187a11, remains obscure. It evidently refers to an argument of Zeno’s, but it is unclear how the discussion is supposed to be relevant to that argument. A conjecture is offered, but without much confidence.
David Bostock
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199286867
- eISBN:
- 9780191603532
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199286868.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
This essay argues that Aristotle misdescribes his own position when he sums it up as the claim that infinity can only be potential and never actual. He readily accepts that there are processes which ...
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This essay argues that Aristotle misdescribes his own position when he sums it up as the claim that infinity can only be potential and never actual. He readily accepts that there are processes which are actually infinite, that is, never-ending. But he denies that there can ever be a time when an infinite process has been completed. This means that he has to find some fault with Zeno’s well-known argument of Achilles and the tortoise, which he does by introducing the idea that points do not exist until they are ‘actualized’. It is argued that this idea, though ingenious and certainly appropriate to the problem, does not work out in the end.Less
This essay argues that Aristotle misdescribes his own position when he sums it up as the claim that infinity can only be potential and never actual. He readily accepts that there are processes which are actually infinite, that is, never-ending. But he denies that there can ever be a time when an infinite process has been completed. This means that he has to find some fault with Zeno’s well-known argument of Achilles and the tortoise, which he does by introducing the idea that points do not exist until they are ‘actualized’. It is argued that this idea, though ingenious and certainly appropriate to the problem, does not work out in the end.
David G. Hunter
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279784
- eISBN:
- 9780191707391
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279784.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
A survey of the history of the idea of Mary's virginitas in partu shows that the notion had only marginal support in the tradition of the first three centuries. Associated with both docetism and ...
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A survey of the history of the idea of Mary's virginitas in partu shows that the notion had only marginal support in the tradition of the first three centuries. Associated with both docetism and encratism, the doctrine was opposed even by ascetically minded teachers, such as Tertullian and Origen. In the late fourth century, however, the notion of Mary's virginitas in partu reappeared in the sermons of Zeno of Verona and the ascetical treatises of Ambrose; Jerome, by contrast, was more reticent about embracing the idea. Jovinian's opposition to the virginitas in partu, therefore, stood squarely in the mainstream of Christian opinion, as it had developed by the late fourth century.Less
A survey of the history of the idea of Mary's virginitas in partu shows that the notion had only marginal support in the tradition of the first three centuries. Associated with both docetism and encratism, the doctrine was opposed even by ascetically minded teachers, such as Tertullian and Origen. In the late fourth century, however, the notion of Mary's virginitas in partu reappeared in the sermons of Zeno of Verona and the ascetical treatises of Ambrose; Jerome, by contrast, was more reticent about embracing the idea. Jovinian's opposition to the virginitas in partu, therefore, stood squarely in the mainstream of Christian opinion, as it had developed by the late fourth century.
John Dillon
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198237662
- eISBN:
- 9780191597336
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198237669.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
Arcesilaus of Pitane succeeded Crates as head of the Academy in the mid‐270s, and is credited with instigating the era of the ‘sceptical’ Academy. Dillon shows that this radical change of direction ...
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Arcesilaus of Pitane succeeded Crates as head of the Academy in the mid‐270s, and is credited with instigating the era of the ‘sceptical’ Academy. Dillon shows that this radical change of direction was in fact inspired by Arcesilaus’ desire to return to the original spirit and methods of Plato's philosophy. Faced with the challenge of Zeno of Citium's nascent Stoicism, which in many ways was a logical development and intellectual heir of Platonism, Arcesilaus revived the dialectic of Plato's ‘Socratic’ dialogues and attacked the Stoic belief in the certainty of sense perception. Arcesilaus thus reinvigorated the sceptical and aporetic strand of his Socratic–Platonic heritage, as represented in a work like the Theaetetus, while eschewing the Timaeus‐inspired cosmological speculation that had characterized the preceding 70 years.Less
Arcesilaus of Pitane succeeded Crates as head of the Academy in the mid‐270s, and is credited with instigating the era of the ‘sceptical’ Academy. Dillon shows that this radical change of direction was in fact inspired by Arcesilaus’ desire to return to the original spirit and methods of Plato's philosophy. Faced with the challenge of Zeno of Citium's nascent Stoicism, which in many ways was a logical development and intellectual heir of Platonism, Arcesilaus revived the dialectic of Plato's ‘Socratic’ dialogues and attacked the Stoic belief in the certainty of sense perception. Arcesilaus thus reinvigorated the sceptical and aporetic strand of his Socratic–Platonic heritage, as represented in a work like the Theaetetus, while eschewing the Timaeus‐inspired cosmological speculation that had characterized the preceding 70 years.
Max Saunders
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199579761
- eISBN:
- 9780191722882
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199579761.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
This chapter develops the earlier discussions of life‐writings by fictional narrators to consider sustained acts of creative impersonation: works entirely (or almost entirely) presented as written by ...
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This chapter develops the earlier discussions of life‐writings by fictional narrators to consider sustained acts of creative impersonation: works entirely (or almost entirely) presented as written by imaginary authors. It discusses Fernando Pessoa's practice of heteronymity. In this context a surprising reading of Joyce's Portrait is proposed, building on the presence in the work of Stephen Dedalus' writings (poem, journal etc.), to suggest that the entire book might be read as not just a case of free indirect style, with Joyce rendering Stephen's consciousness, but as possibly Joyce's impersonation of the autobiographical book Stephen might have written. Italo Svevo's Confessions of Zeno is proposed as a comparable example of a fictionally authored self‐portrait.Less
This chapter develops the earlier discussions of life‐writings by fictional narrators to consider sustained acts of creative impersonation: works entirely (or almost entirely) presented as written by imaginary authors. It discusses Fernando Pessoa's practice of heteronymity. In this context a surprising reading of Joyce's Portrait is proposed, building on the presence in the work of Stephen Dedalus' writings (poem, journal etc.), to suggest that the entire book might be read as not just a case of free indirect style, with Joyce rendering Stephen's consciousness, but as possibly Joyce's impersonation of the autobiographical book Stephen might have written. Italo Svevo's Confessions of Zeno is proposed as a comparable example of a fictionally authored self‐portrait.
Gerd‐Rainer Horn
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199204496
- eISBN:
- 9780191708145
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199204496.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Given the focus on French thinkers and francophone movements in the other portions of this book, this chapter describes the variety of Left Catholic political organizations and movements emerging in ...
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Given the focus on French thinkers and francophone movements in the other portions of this book, this chapter describes the variety of Left Catholic political organizations and movements emerging in Italy between the late 1930s and the early 1950s. Giuseppe Dossetti was the undisputed figurehead of a series of left‐wing challenges to emerge within Italian Christian Democracy, Democrazia Cristiana (DC), towards the end of the 1940s. Activists within the Sinistra Cristiana and the Partito Cristiano Sociale attempted to organize independent Left Catholic parties outside of the orbit of DC. The final section of this chapter portray the unique contributions of two millenarian parish priests operating in the highly charged contested terrain of Northern Italian politics: Don Primo Mazzolari and Don Zeno Saltini.Less
Given the focus on French thinkers and francophone movements in the other portions of this book, this chapter describes the variety of Left Catholic political organizations and movements emerging in Italy between the late 1930s and the early 1950s. Giuseppe Dossetti was the undisputed figurehead of a series of left‐wing challenges to emerge within Italian Christian Democracy, Democrazia Cristiana (DC), towards the end of the 1940s. Activists within the Sinistra Cristiana and the Partito Cristiano Sociale attempted to organize independent Left Catholic parties outside of the orbit of DC. The final section of this chapter portray the unique contributions of two millenarian parish priests operating in the highly charged contested terrain of Northern Italian politics: Don Primo Mazzolari and Don Zeno Saltini.
Antony Black
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199281695
- eISBN:
- 9780191713101
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281695.003.0011
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory
The Greeks were the only people to regard the human as a significant category. Zeno said that we should regard all men as fellow-citizens. The Roman empire made the Stoic idea of cosmopolis seem ...
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The Greeks were the only people to regard the human as a significant category. Zeno said that we should regard all men as fellow-citizens. The Roman empire made the Stoic idea of cosmopolis seem relevant. Romans were ever willing to extend citizenship to non-Romans, and now commerce was globalized. Cosmopolis was presented by Seneca, but above all by Cicero, the republican patriot. He argued that we can extend our sense of comradeship outwards from family and friends to fellow-citizens, and finally to the whole human race, since we all share language and reason. Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius thought of themselves as primarily citizens of the cosmos, but in a spiritual rather than political sense. Cicero argued that there is one moral natural law for all: we have obligations to all fellow-humans.Less
The Greeks were the only people to regard the human as a significant category. Zeno said that we should regard all men as fellow-citizens. The Roman empire made the Stoic idea of cosmopolis seem relevant. Romans were ever willing to extend citizenship to non-Romans, and now commerce was globalized. Cosmopolis was presented by Seneca, but above all by Cicero, the republican patriot. He argued that we can extend our sense of comradeship outwards from family and friends to fellow-citizens, and finally to the whole human race, since we all share language and reason. Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius thought of themselves as primarily citizens of the cosmos, but in a spiritual rather than political sense. Cicero argued that there is one moral natural law for all: we have obligations to all fellow-humans.
Richard Sorabji
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199256600
- eISBN:
- 9780191712609
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199256600.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Zeno of Citium, the Stoic founder, had tried out other definitions of emotion. One, defended by Chrysippus, was that emotion involves oscillating, like Medea, between accepting the right value ...
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Zeno of Citium, the Stoic founder, had tried out other definitions of emotion. One, defended by Chrysippus, was that emotion involves oscillating, like Medea, between accepting the right value judgement and disobeying it. But disobedience to reason is not the same as mistake. How can it be, and is it ever, combined with mistake? The Stoic Seneca (1st century CE) allows this by distinguishing three movements in anger. The first movement is the appearance that revenge is appropriate and the resulting shock to soul or body. The second is the mistaken assent to the appearance that revenge is appropriate. The third movement — the full emotion — moves from mistake to disobedience with the judgement that revenge is to be pursued, appropriate or not.Less
Zeno of Citium, the Stoic founder, had tried out other definitions of emotion. One, defended by Chrysippus, was that emotion involves oscillating, like Medea, between accepting the right value judgement and disobeying it. But disobedience to reason is not the same as mistake. How can it be, and is it ever, combined with mistake? The Stoic Seneca (1st century CE) allows this by distinguishing three movements in anger. The first movement is the appearance that revenge is appropriate and the resulting shock to soul or body. The second is the mistaken assent to the appearance that revenge is appropriate. The third movement — the full emotion — moves from mistake to disobedience with the judgement that revenge is to be pursued, appropriate or not.
Richard Sorabji
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- May 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199256600
- eISBN:
- 9780191712609
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199256600.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
According to Seneca, the arts, including tragedy and music, can only produce first movements. So Aristotle's claim that tragedy and comedy produce catharsis by arousing emotion is wrong, as is ...
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According to Seneca, the arts, including tragedy and music, can only produce first movements. So Aristotle's claim that tragedy and comedy produce catharsis by arousing emotion is wrong, as is Posidonius' belief in wordless music changing emotion without changing judgements. But, pace Seneca, there is a residue of cases of genuine emotion about the content of the play or about the melody, and a better defence of Stoicism in these cases would be that the relevant judgements are there. But when wordless music changes emotion, Posidonius prefers to say that the emotion is non-judgemental; Philodemus, his Epicurean contemporary, says that the emotion persists and one is merely distracted. The debate involved Pythagoreans, the Stoics Zeno and Diogenes of Babylon, and later Augustine.Less
According to Seneca, the arts, including tragedy and music, can only produce first movements. So Aristotle's claim that tragedy and comedy produce catharsis by arousing emotion is wrong, as is Posidonius' belief in wordless music changing emotion without changing judgements. But, pace Seneca, there is a residue of cases of genuine emotion about the content of the play or about the melody, and a better defence of Stoicism in these cases would be that the relevant judgements are there. But when wordless music changes emotion, Posidonius prefers to say that the emotion is non-judgemental; Philodemus, his Epicurean contemporary, says that the emotion persists and one is merely distracted. The debate involved Pythagoreans, the Stoics Zeno and Diogenes of Babylon, and later Augustine.
P. GUEST
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264027
- eISBN:
- 9780191734908
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264027.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
The archaeological excavations carried out on late Roman and early Byzantine sites in the Balkans has revolutionized our knowledge of this part of the world in Late Antiquity. How these sites are ...
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The archaeological excavations carried out on late Roman and early Byzantine sites in the Balkans has revolutionized our knowledge of this part of the world in Late Antiquity. How these sites are dated is obviously important as, without accurate and reliable dating, it is difficult to understand how they fit into the wider historical narrative. This chapter takes the coins excavated at Dichin as its starting point and, by careful analysis, proposes a general dating scheme for the two phases of occupation at the settlement. The lack of coins struck during the years 474–518 is a notable feature of the assemblage from Dichin, a pattern that is repeated at most sites in the region where coins of the emperor Zeno are particularly rare. By looking at both site finds and hoards from the region, however, these explanations need to be revised as they are based on a numismatic mirage rather than archaeological fact.Less
The archaeological excavations carried out on late Roman and early Byzantine sites in the Balkans has revolutionized our knowledge of this part of the world in Late Antiquity. How these sites are dated is obviously important as, without accurate and reliable dating, it is difficult to understand how they fit into the wider historical narrative. This chapter takes the coins excavated at Dichin as its starting point and, by careful analysis, proposes a general dating scheme for the two phases of occupation at the settlement. The lack of coins struck during the years 474–518 is a notable feature of the assemblage from Dichin, a pattern that is repeated at most sites in the region where coins of the emperor Zeno are particularly rare. By looking at both site finds and hoards from the region, however, these explanations need to be revised as they are based on a numismatic mirage rather than archaeological fact.
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.
Katja Maria Vogt
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195320091
- eISBN:
- 9780199869657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320091.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
In addition to outlining the overall argument—that early Stoic political philosophy is deeply tied to the Stoic conceptions of reason, nature, and wisdom—the introduction explains two methodological ...
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In addition to outlining the overall argument—that early Stoic political philosophy is deeply tied to the Stoic conceptions of reason, nature, and wisdom—the introduction explains two methodological assumptions. First, what we consider a contribution to ancient political philosophy need not be limited to questions about justice, institutions, and constitutions. Thus the Stoics' discussion of the law, and of the ways in which we should consider the concerns of all human beings as relevant to us, are well described as contributions to political thought. Second, after a brief historical sketch of early Stoicism, it is argued that the notion of ‘early Stoic philosophy’ is a worthwhile construct for the purposes of reconstructing the political thought of the early Stoics (most importantly, Zeno and Chrysippus).Less
In addition to outlining the overall argument—that early Stoic political philosophy is deeply tied to the Stoic conceptions of reason, nature, and wisdom—the introduction explains two methodological assumptions. First, what we consider a contribution to ancient political philosophy need not be limited to questions about justice, institutions, and constitutions. Thus the Stoics' discussion of the law, and of the ways in which we should consider the concerns of all human beings as relevant to us, are well described as contributions to political thought. Second, after a brief historical sketch of early Stoicism, it is argued that the notion of ‘early Stoic philosophy’ is a worthwhile construct for the purposes of reconstructing the political thought of the early Stoics (most importantly, Zeno and Chrysippus).
Nick Huggett
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195379518
- eISBN:
- 9780199776559
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195379518.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This pair of chapters discuss Zeno's paradoxes and some of their modern descendants: the ‘dichotomy’, the ‘arrow’, and the ‘supertasks’ of Thompson's lamp and Bernadete. These paradoxes arise from ...
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This pair of chapters discuss Zeno's paradoxes and some of their modern descendants: the ‘dichotomy’, the ‘arrow’, and the ‘supertasks’ of Thompson's lamp and Bernadete. These paradoxes arise from the inifinite divisibility of time and space. For instance, the dichotomy considers dividing a journey into two stages, and then the second stage into half, and the second half of that into half, and so on to infinity: every stage takes a finite time, so shouldn't the whole journey take infinitely long, never to be completed? The problems are challenges to the mathematical description of the world: for instance, the number of metres comprising a journey. The paradoxes reveal confusions in the mathematical nature of infinity, and its application by physics to the world. The chapter explains how a proper understanding of infinity resolves the paradoxes, and demonstrates how these philosophical questions were crucial to the development of mathematical physics.Less
This pair of chapters discuss Zeno's paradoxes and some of their modern descendants: the ‘dichotomy’, the ‘arrow’, and the ‘supertasks’ of Thompson's lamp and Bernadete. These paradoxes arise from the inifinite divisibility of time and space. For instance, the dichotomy considers dividing a journey into two stages, and then the second stage into half, and the second half of that into half, and so on to infinity: every stage takes a finite time, so shouldn't the whole journey take infinitely long, never to be completed? The problems are challenges to the mathematical description of the world: for instance, the number of metres comprising a journey. The paradoxes reveal confusions in the mathematical nature of infinity, and its application by physics to the world. The chapter explains how a proper understanding of infinity resolves the paradoxes, and demonstrates how these philosophical questions were crucial to the development of mathematical physics.
Tessa Rajak
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199558674
- eISBN:
- 9780191720895
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558674.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter shows that the broad claim that the King commissioned the translation is credible when set against the background of his ambitious cultural imperialism. In the early days of Alexandria, ...
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This chapter shows that the broad claim that the King commissioned the translation is credible when set against the background of his ambitious cultural imperialism. In the early days of Alexandria, the legacy of Alexander the Great kept alive curiosity about other cultures. Aristotelians amassed and catalogued information, and the Jews and Judaism were within their purview. For the King, too, Judaea and the Jews were a part of his empire which demanded attention. As for the Jews of Alexandria, they tied themselves into the Ptolemaic project at an early date, and they showed striking prescience in their ready adaptation to Alexandria's dynamic recreation of the heritage of Athens by their immediate acceptance of the Bible translation. This represents a prompt acceptance of the indispensability of operating in the colonial language, the common Greek (koine) of the age. But the community also appreciated the value of standing back from that project and not forgetting Jerusalem.Less
This chapter shows that the broad claim that the King commissioned the translation is credible when set against the background of his ambitious cultural imperialism. In the early days of Alexandria, the legacy of Alexander the Great kept alive curiosity about other cultures. Aristotelians amassed and catalogued information, and the Jews and Judaism were within their purview. For the King, too, Judaea and the Jews were a part of his empire which demanded attention. As for the Jews of Alexandria, they tied themselves into the Ptolemaic project at an early date, and they showed striking prescience in their ready adaptation to Alexandria's dynamic recreation of the heritage of Athens by their immediate acceptance of the Bible translation. This represents a prompt acceptance of the indispensability of operating in the colonial language, the common Greek (koine) of the age. But the community also appreciated the value of standing back from that project and not forgetting Jerusalem.
Henry Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199246953
- eISBN:
- 9780191600463
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199246955.003.0055
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Discusses religious and political developments in east and west between 474 and 527, when Italy was ruled from Ravenna by the Arian Ostrogoth Theoderic and the east by the emperors Zeno the Isaurian, ...
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Discusses religious and political developments in east and west between 474 and 527, when Italy was ruled from Ravenna by the Arian Ostrogoth Theoderic and the east by the emperors Zeno the Isaurian, Anastasius, and Justin. The period was marked by Theoderic's determination to keep the Latin and Greek churches apart and by Zeno's attempt at reconciliation among eastern Christians by an instrument of union known as the Henotikon (482). But this was opposed by the Monophysites, while the popes in Rome tried again to affirm their authority on the basis of the canons of Chalcedon. Various attempts at conciliation between Rome and Constantinople failed and relations were uneasy at best, violently hostile at worst.Less
Discusses religious and political developments in east and west between 474 and 527, when Italy was ruled from Ravenna by the Arian Ostrogoth Theoderic and the east by the emperors Zeno the Isaurian, Anastasius, and Justin. The period was marked by Theoderic's determination to keep the Latin and Greek churches apart and by Zeno's attempt at reconciliation among eastern Christians by an instrument of union known as the Henotikon (482). But this was opposed by the Monophysites, while the popes in Rome tried again to affirm their authority on the basis of the canons of Chalcedon. Various attempts at conciliation between Rome and Constantinople failed and relations were uneasy at best, violently hostile at worst.
