A. A. Long presents fourteen essays on the themes of selfhood and
rationality in ancient Greek philosophy. The discussion ranges over
seven centuries of innovative thought, starting with Heraclitus'
injunction to listen to the cosmic logos, and concluding with
Plotinus' criticism of those who make embodiment essential to human
identity. For the Greek philosophers the notion of a rational self was
bound up with questions about divinity and happiness called
eudaimonia, meaning a god-favoured life or a life of likeness to the
divine. While these questions are remote from current thought, Long
also situates the book's themes in modern discussions of the self and
the self's normative relation to other people and the world at large.
Ideas and behaviour attributed to Socrates and developed by Plato are
at the book's centre. They are preceded by essays that explore general
facets of the soul's rationality. Later chapters bring in salient
contributions made by Aristotle and Stoic philosophers. All but one of
these pieces has been previously published in periodicals or
conference volumes, but the author has revised and updated everything.
The book is written in a style that makes it accessible to many kinds
of reader, not only professors and graduate students but also anyone
interested in the history of our identity as rational animals.
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From Heraclitus to Plotinus
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780192525086
Publisert
2022
Utgiver
Vendor
OUP Oxford
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter