Category Archives: Books

Books

Epicurus on the Self

Attila Németh

Epicurus on the Self reconstructs a part of Epicurean ethics, which only survives on the fragmentary papyrus rolls excavated from an ancient library in Herculaneum, On Nature XXV. The aim of this book is to contribute to a deeper understanding of Epicurus’ moral psychology, ethics and of its robust epistemological framework and to show how the notion of the self emerges in Epicurus’ struggle to express the individual perspective of oneself in the process of one’s holistic self-reflection as an individual psychophysical being.

Attila Németh is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, currently looking for an academic position.

“Németh’s book is an original and valuable contribution to our understanding of Epicureanism, exploring Epicurus’ notion of the self in a comprehensive manner, throwing light on its many different aspects: physical, psychological, epistemic, moral, and spiritual. To my knowledge, this is the only published study to undertake and successfully accomplish such a broad task.”

– Voula Tsouna, University of California at Santa Barbara

“This monograph represents a very significant body of independent work, re-evaluating in a constructive and supportive spirit some central areas of Epicurean philosophy – notably self-cognition, agent autonomy and friendship – and displaying probable interconnections among those areas that have remained unnoticed or at least under-exploited in the existing scholarship. This is a considerable achievement. …Chapter 1’s bold reconstruction, from very fragmentary textual material that is rarely made accessible to readers, of an Epicurean theory of self-cognition breaks a good deal of new ground; and the novel approach to Epicurean friendship in chapter 5 is both philosophically and historically attractive. …What this monograph offers is a major new set of perspectives on current debates, able to reshape, challenge and enrich future discussions.”

– David Sedley, University of Cambridge

“The topic is a good one and Németh makes some interesting and important new claims, bringing together discussions of Epicurean moral psychology, ethical improvement and moral responsibility in a way that shows the integrated and holistic nature of the Epicurean system. …Németh makes good use of difficult evidence from Nat. XXV, perhaps for the first time showing what can be done with it beyond the well-worn topic of moral responsibility. …Németh also has interesting and often novel things to say about some other central questions in Epicureanism, such as the atomic swerve.”

– James Warren, University of Cambridge

Available in the Issues in Ancient Philosophy series, Routledge:

https://www.routledge.com/Epicurus-on-the-Self/Nemeth/p/book/9781138633858

Books

Plotinus, Ennead II.9. Against the Gnostics. Translation, With an Introduction and Commentary

Sebastian Gertz

How was the universe created, and what is our place within it? These are the questions at the heart of Plotinus’ Against the Gnostics. For the Gnostics, the universe came into being as a result of the soul’s fall from intelligible reality—it is the evil outcome of a botched creation. Plotinus challenges this narrative and insists that the soul’s creation of the world is the necessary consequence of its contemplation of the ideal forms. While the Gnostics claim to despise the visible universe, Plotinus argues that such contempt displays their ignorance of the higher realities of which the cosmos is a beautiful image.

Against the Gnostics is a polemical text. It aims to show the superiority of Plotinus’ philosophy over that of his Gnostic rivals and poses unique challenges: Plotinus nowhere identifies his opponents by name, he does not set out their doctrines in any great detail, and his arguments are frequently elliptical. The detailed commentary provides a guide through these difficulties, making Plotinus’ meandering train of thought in this important treatise accessible to the reader.

Books

An Aristotelian Feminism

Sarah Borden Sharkey

This book articulates the theoretical outlines of a feminism developed from Aristotle’s metaphysics, making a new contribution to feminist theory. Readers will discover why Aristotle was not a feminist and how he might have become one, had he been truer to his best insights.

Books

Sophistes Plato’s Dialogue and Heidegger’s Lectures in Marburg (1924-25)

Diego De Brasi

Heidegger’s philosophy has an extraordinarily complex relationship to Plato. Heidegger sees Plato as the founder of that Western metaphysics which he claims should be overcome. However, his interpretation of Plato, upon which his reconstruction of the history of philosophy rests, is anything but incontestable from a philological point of view, and has generated much criticism. This criticism, however, has been hampered by the fact that the only example in Heidegger’s work of a detailed analysis of a Platonic dialogue, namely the Lectures on Plato’s Sophist held in Marburg in 1924–25, remained unpublished until 1992. Thus, only in the last twenty years have scholars been able to develop a more nuanced understanding of Heidegger’s interpretation of Plato. Even then, however, the focus has been primarily on the importance of the lectures for Heidegger’s own thought. The possible impact of Heidegger’s interpretation on the study of Platonic philosophy itself has been neglected. This volume, therefore, offers a critical re-evaluation of Heidegger as an interpreter of Plato.

Books

Neoplatonism in the Middle Ages, I. New Commentaries on Liber de causis (ca. 1250-1350); II. New Commentaries on Liber de causis and Elementatio theologica (ca.1350-1500)

Bram Roosen

One of the most important texts in the history of medieval philosophy, the Book of Causes was composed in Baghdad in the 9th century mainly from the Arabic translations of Proclus’ Elements of Theology. In the 12th century, it was translated from Arabic into Latin, but its importance in the Latin tradition was not properly studied until now, because only 6 commentaries on it were known. Our exceptional discovery of over 70 unpublished Latin commentaries mainly on the Book of Causes, but also on the Elements of Theology, prove, for the first time, that the two texts were widely disseminated and commented on throughout many European universities (Paris, Oxford, Erfurt, Krakow, Prague), from the 13th to the 16th century. These two volumes provide 14 editions (partial or complete) of the newly discovered commentaries, and yield, through historical and philosophical analyses, new and essential insights into the influence of Greek and Islamic Neoplatonism in the Latin philosophical traditions.

Series: Studia Artistarum 42.1-2
2 vol., 983 p., 156 x 234 mm, 2016, PB, ISBN 978-2-503-55474-7, € 100

Table of Contents

D. Calma (ed.), Neoplatonism in the Middle Ages. I. New Commentaries on Liber de Causis (ca. 1250-1350)

D. Calma, Introduction

I. Székely and D. Calma, Le commentaire d’un maître parisien conservé à Erfurt
M. Maga, Remarques sur le commentaire au Liber de causis attribué à Pierre d’Auvergne
I. Costa, M. Borgo, The Questions of Radulphus Brito (?) on the Liber de causis
A. Baneu, D. Calma, Le commentaire sur le Liber de causis de Jean de Mallinges
D. Carron, A Theological Reading of the Liber de Causisat the Turn of the Fourteenth Century: The Example of William of Leus
A. Baneu, D. Calma, The Glose super Librum de Causis and the Exegetical Tradition

***

D. Calma (ed.), Neoplatonism in the Middle Ages. II. New Commentaries on Liber de Causis and Elementatio Theologica (ca. 1350-1450)

D. Calma, Introduction

D. Calma, A Medieval Companion to Aristotle. John Krosbein and his Paraphrase of Liber de Causis
F. Retucci, Sententia Procli alti philosophi. Notes on an Anonymous Commentary on Proclus’ Elementatio Theologica
M. Meliadò, Le Questiones super Librum de causis attribuite a Johannes Wenck. Concezione, fonti e tradizione manoscritta del commento
D. Calma, I. Szekely, Causality and Causation in Henry of Geismar’s Questio de quolibet
A. Baumgarten, Theologia philosophorum parcialis. Un commentaire sur le Liber de causis
L. Miolo, Liber de causis in librariam. Pour une mise en perspective du Liber de causis dans la bibliothèque du collège de Sorbonne

Books

Dionysios von Alexandria. De natura (περὶ φύσεως)

Bram Roosen

Bischof Dionysios von Alexandria (etwa 190-265) war für die Geschichte der Kirche von überragender Bedeutung. Wie sein Lehrer Origenes fungierte auch er als Leiter der sogenannten Alexandriner Katechetenschule. Unter seinen literarischen Hinterlassenschaften, überwiegend Briefe, findet sich die aus mehreren Büchern bestehende Schrift περὶ φύσεως (de natura).

Dieses einzig bekannte philosophische Werk des Dionysios ist uns im Wesentlichen durch Auszüge aus dem ersten Buch bei Eusebius überliefert. Das Erhaltene stellt eine Polemik gegen die epikureische Physik dar. Dionysios verteidigt die Vorsehung, indem er Epikurs Atomismus anhand von Alltagsbeispielen, der Harmonie des Kosmos und des menschlichen Körpers zu destruieren sucht und die Defizite seiner Gottesvorstellung aufzeigt. Der Abhandlung gebührt ein besonderer Platz unter den Erzeugnissen der christlichen Literatur, insofern nur hier die physikalischen Grundlagen von Epikurs Philosophie unter Einbezug christlicher Elemente in einem größeren Rahmen widerlegt werden.

Ein neuer Kommentar zu περὶ φύσεως des Dionysios bildet die Grundlage für eine umfassende Würdigung und Einordnung, wobei insbesondere eine Neuentdeckung zur Repräsentativität des Erhaltenen die Frage nach dem Charakter der Gesamtschrift virulent werden lässt. Da die anti-epikureischen Einlassungen in περὶ φύσεως auf eine zu Dionysios‘ Zeit noch vorhandene Vitalität des Epikureismus in Alexandria hindeuten, wurde zur breiteren Kontextualisierung auch erstmalig eine profunde Gesamtdarstellung der `Geschichte des Epikureismus in Alexandria´ unternommen und einleitend vorangestellt.

Books

Apuleius and the Metamorphoses of Platonism

Bram Roosen

Apuleius was a respected philosophus Platonicus in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Until the middle of last century, he attracted the attention of scholars as a so-called ‘Middle Platonist’ author. Then, with the rejection of the historical schema that he had been situated in (the so-called ‘school of Gaius’, which we will treat shortly), his ‘brother’ Alcinous was the object of studies and (even harsh) criticisms, while almost nothing more was written about Apuleius by anyone. Studies of Middle Platonism primarily accentuated the liberty of the philosophers of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, who interpreted the doctrines of Plato without constituting a specific school. Due to this new vision of Middle Platonism, Apuleius’ role was difficult to define. It is not uncommon to find that Apuleius the philosopher is completely neglected . The literary character, and especially the ‘rhetorical’ nature of some of his works and of his personality have probably hurt his reputation in philosophy. These aspects of his personality have however been ever more accentuated in the last few decades within the development of studies on Second Sophistics.

Consequently not only have there been few scholars to show interest for Apuleius’ philosophical doctrines, but those few who have the opportunity to almost manage his philosophical doctrines usually disregard his literary works. In this way one cannot understand the most specific aspect of his philosophy, which consists in a sort of intermingling of philosophy and literature (a typical attitude of Greek and Latin culture of the 2nd century AD), and above all, of religion and Platonism. The dichotomy between philosophy and literature that was normal in the 19th and 20th centuries therefore still persists in the case of Apuleius. Claudio Moreschini attempted in some way to fill this gap in his 1978 study on Apuleio e il Platonismo. It was obviously in vain. Accordingly, in this book he would like to reflect on the possibility of a synthesis between these two aspects.

 

Books

Grasp and dissent: Cicero and Epicurean Philosophy

Bram Roosen

The present study centers on the distinctive characteristics of Cicero’s philosophical training; for the first time in a volume, the Roman philosopher’s relationship with Epicurean philosophy is accurately recreated. Not only does Cicero exhibit his lofty philosophical proficiency anchored in the Academic school, but he also proves an excellent authority in Epicurus’s proposed philosophy.
At the conclusion of the research, Cicero will prove to be a fierce opponent of Epicureanism – an intelligent adversary, capable of ‘studiose dicere contra Epicurum’: understanding and criticizing, but also (and this is surely quite important for us today), reiterating the opposing party’s thought with great acumen.

Books

Clitophon’s Challenge: Dialectic in Plato’s Meno, Phaedo, and Republic

John Priest

Hugh H. Benson explores Plato’s answer to Clitophon’s challenge, the question of how one can acquire the knowledge Socrates argues is essential to human flourishing-knowledge we all seem to lack. Plato suggests two methods by which this knowledge may be gained: the first is learning from those who already have the knowledge one seeks, and the second is discovering the knowledge one seeks on one’s own.

The book begins with a brief look at some of the Socratic dialogues where Plato appears to recommend the former approach while simultaneously indicating various difficulties in pursuing it. The remainder of the book focuses on Plato’s recommendation in some of his most important and central dialogues-the Meno, Phaedo, and Republic-for carrying out the second approach: de novo inquiry. The book turns first to the famous paradox concerning the possibility of such an inquiry and explores Plato’s apparent solution. Having defended the possibility of de novo inquiry as a response to Clitophon’s challenge, Plato explains the method or procedure by which such inquiry is to be carried out. The book defends the controversial thesis that the method of hypothesis, as described and practiced in the Meno, Phaedo, and Republic, is, when practiced correctly, Plato’s recommended method of acquiring on one’s own the essential knowledge we lack. The method of hypothesis when practiced correctly is, then, Platonic dialectic, and this is Plato’s response to Clitophon’s challenge.

Hardback ISBN: 9780199324835
Page Count: 328
Price: $65.00
**For a limited time, society members can pre-order and receive a 30% discount via the OUP website. Follow the following link for more information:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/9780199324835/?cc=us&lang=en&promocode=AAFLYG6

Books

Philosophy in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds: A History of Philosophy without any gaps, Volume 2

John Priest

Peter Adamson’s History of Philosophy without any gaps series of podcasts is one of the most ambitious educational works on the web. It aims to do nothing less than take listeners through the entire history of philosophy ‘without any gaps’. It assumes no prior knowledge making it ideal for beginners. This is the second volume to make these witty, and highly accessible, podcasts available in book form. Philosophy in the Hellenistic and Roman Worlds offers a tour through a period of eight hundred years when some of the most influential of all schools of thought were formed. From the counter-cultural witticisms of Diogenes the Cynic to the political philosophy of Augustine, the book gathers together all aspects of later ancient thought in a way that is a pleasure to read.

Hardback ISBN: 9780198728023
Page Count: 360
Price: $35.00
**For a limited time, society members can pre-order and receive a 30% discount via the OUP website. Follow the following link for more information:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/9780198728023/?cc=us&lang=en&promocode=AAFLYG6