Ancient Philosophy

Höfundur: Christopher Shields (Útgáfa: 2)
Ancient Philosophy

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In Ancient Philosophy (2012), Christopher Shields expanded on the coverage of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in his earlier book, Classical Philosophy (2003), to include the philosophy of the Hellenistic era. In this new edition (2023), Shields reaches even further to include material on Neoplatonism and on Augustine and Proclus, capturing—from Thales of Miletus to the end of the sixth century CE—all of what might be called ancient philosophy.

It traces the important connections between the periods and individuals of more than 1,200 years of philosophy’s history without losing sight of the novelties and dynamics unique to each. The coverage of the Presocratics, Sophists, Plato, and Stoicism has also been expanded so as to highlight Plato’s responses to the Sophistic movement in the development of his Theory of Forms. And, finally, a valuable companion volume, with Shields’s focused translations of the important sources referred to in Ancient Philosophy, Second Edition, will soon be published, obviating the need for a massive anthology of discordant voices.

Ancient Philosophy, Second Edition, retains its helpful structure: each philosophical position receives: (1) a brief introduction, (2) a sympathetic review of its principal motivations and primary supporting arguments, and (3) a short assessment, inviting readers to evaluate its plausibility. The result is a book that brings the ancient arguments to life, making the introduction truly contemporary.

It continues to serve as both a first stop and a well-visited resource for any student of the subject. Key updates in the second edition Extends the range of coverage well into the sixth century CE by offering a new chapter on Neoplatonism and early Christian philosophy, featuring discussions of Proclus and Augustine. Explains the conflicts between Plato and the Sophists by highlighting their approaches to rhetoric as an instrument of persuasion, offering a helpful explanation of two senses of argument.

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Útgefandi
Taylor & Francis
ISBN
9781000817249
Print ISBN
9780367458348
Format
ePub
Útgáfa
2
Höfundar
Christopher Shields
Tungumál
English
Útgefið
2022-12-30
Prent takmörkun á líftíma
100
Prent takmörkun
2
Afritunar takmörkun
2

Kaflar

  • Cover
  • Half Title
  • Series
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • Preface to the second edition
  • Acknowledgments
  • 1 Philosophy before Socrates
  • 1.1 Thales and the earliest natural philosophers
  • 1.2 Xenophanes
  • 1.3 Heracleitus
  • 1.4 Parmenides and Zeno
  • 1.5 Democritus and fifth-century atomism
  • 1.6 The Sophistic movement
  • 1.7 Challenges from the Presocratics and Sophists
  • Notes
  • Suggestions for additional readings
  • 2 Socrates
  • 2.1 The Socratic elenchus
  • 2.2 The failures of Meno and Euthyphro
  • 2.3 Socratic ignorance and Socratic irony
  • 2.4 Socratic conviction and the Socratic paradoxes
  • 2.5 Socrates on trial and in prison
  • 2.6 Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Suggestions for additional readings
  • 3 Plato
  • 3.1 From Socrates to Plato
  • 3.2 Meno’s paradox of inquiry; Plato’s response
  • 3.3 Three functions of Plato’s theory of forms
  • 3.4 Plato’s response to Sophistry: relativism and rhetoric
  • 3.5 Three arguments for Forms
  • 3.6 Plato’s general characterizations of forms
  • 3.7 Platonic analysis: a case study
  • 3.8 The special role of the Form of the Good
  • 3.9 Plato’s line and cave: our epistemic prospects
  • 3.10 Problems about Forms
  • 3.11 Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Suggestions for additional readings
  • 4 Aristotle
  • 4.1 From Plato to Aristotle
  • 4.2 Aristotle’s introduction of category theory
  • 4.3 The four causes introduced
  • 4.4 The four causes defended
  • 4.5 The four causes applied: soul and body
  • 4.6 The four causes applied: happiness and the human function
  • 4.7 The virtues of a happy person
  • 4.8 Aristotle’s treatment of a Socratic paradox: akrasia
  • 4.9 Aristotle’s political naturalism
  • 4.10 Aristotle on philosophical analysis: homonymy
  • 4.11 Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Suggestions for additional readings
  • 5. Hellenistic philosophy
  • 5.1 The Hellenistic period
  • 5.2 The Epicureans
  • 5.3 The Stoics
  • 5.4 Skepticism
  • 5.5 Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Suggestions for additional readings
  • 6 Late-antique philosophy
  • 6.1 Proclus
  • 6.2 Augustine
  • 6.3 Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Suggestions for additional readings
  • Suggestions for further reading
  • Index