The fundamental issues that structure social and political philosophy revolve around the tensions between cooperative (ethical) values and competitive (self-interested) values. This book presents an in-depth examination of how society reacts to these as they move forward in the ancient Greek world. This model uses a methodology that is universal and can be applied to cultures at various historical epochs. The book advocates a "bottom-up" approach that employs a Wittgenstein-style methodology that is exactly detailed as it examines social usage as a sign of what is valued. These tensions are a part of every society that ever existed, and so these discussions are not only relevant from a historical perspective, but also speak to us today.
The fundamental issues that structure social and political philosophy revolve around the tensions between cooperative (ethical) values and competitive (self-interested) values. This book presents an in-depth examination of how society reacts to these as they move forward in the ancient Greek world. This model uses a methodology that is universal and can be applied to cultures at various historical epochs. The book advocates a â oebottom-upâ approach that employs a Wittgenstein-style methodology that is exactly detailed as it examines social usage as a sign of what is valued. These tensions are a part of every society that ever existed, and so these discussions are not only relevant from a historical perspective, but also speak to us today.
The fundamental issues that structure social and political philosophy revolve around the tensions between cooperative (ethical) values and competitive (self-interested) values. This book presents an in-depth examination of how society reacts to these as they move forward in the ancient Greek world. This model uses a methodology that is universal and can be applied to cultures at various historical epochs. The book advocates a “bottom-up” approach that employs a Wittgenstein-style methodology that is exactly detailed as it examines social usage as a sign of what is valued. These tensions are a part of every society that ever existed, and so these discussions are not only relevant from a historical perspective, but also speak to us today.
The Philosopher's Song explores the complex and fruitful relation between the great poets of Greek culture and Plato's invention of philosophy, especially as this bears on Plato's treatment of justice. The author shows how the poets helped shape the development of Plato's thinking throughout the course of his philosophical career.
An original interpretation of Hume's philosophy as centered on the relationship between theory and practice. The author argues that Hume's Essays and History represent a humanist practical philosophy derived from the speculative philosophy of A Treatise of Human Nature and the Enquiries .
These first philosophers paved the way for the work of Plato and Aristotle - and hence for the whole of Western thought. This is a unique and invaluable collection of the works of the Presocratics and the Sophists. Waterfield brings together the works of these early thinkers with brilliant new translation and exceptional commentary. This is the ideal anthology for the student of this increasingly appreciated field of classical philosophy.
What is the philosophical voice within literature? Does literature have a voice of its own? Can this voice really be philosophical in its own right? In this book, Michael Boylan argues that some literary works indeed can make their own unique claims in different areas of philosophy. He calls this method fictive narrative philosophy. The first part of the book presents an overview of traditional thinking about philosophy and literature across classical, modern, and contemporary periods. It does not seek to denigrate these methods of studying literature, but rather to ask more of them. The second part then sets out a rigorous definition of what constitutes fictive narrative philosophy. This definition outlines detailed conceptions of the methods of presentation, audience engagement, logical mechanics, and constructional devices of fictive narrative philosophy. The author brings this definition to bear on individual authors and works that can be considered prime examples of fictive narrative philosophy. Finally, the book sets out why and when fictive narratives might be more favorable than traditional philosophical discourse, and how the concept of fictive narrative philosophy can move teaching and scholarship forward in a positive direction. Fictive Narrative Philosophy presents an entirely new and unique approach in which literature can be a form of philosophy. It will appeal to scholars and upper-level students interested in philosophy and literature.
Aristotle offers a conception of the private and its relationship to the public that suggests a remedy to the limitations of liberalism today, according to Judith A. Swanson. In this fresh and lucid interpretation of Aristotle's political philosophy, Swanson challenges the dominant view that he regards the private as a mere precondition to the public. She argues, rather, that for Aristotle private activity develops virtue and is thus essential both to individual freedom and happiness and to the well-being of the political order. Swanson presents an innovative reading of The Politics which revises our understanding of Aristotle's political economy and his views on women and the family, slavery, and the relation between friendship and civic solidarity. She examines the private activities Aristotle considers necessary to a complete human life—maintaining a household, transacting business, sustaining friendships, and philosophizing. Focusing on ways Aristotle's public invests in the private through law, rule, and education, she shows how the public can foster a morally and intellectually virtuous citizenry. In contrast to classical liberal theory, which presents privacy as a shield of rights protecting individuals from one another and from the state, for Aristotle a regime can attain self-sufficiency only by bringing about a dynamic equilibrium between the public and the private. The Public and the Private in Aristotle's Political Philosophy will be essential reading for scholars and students of political philosophy, political theory, classics, intellectual history, and the history of women.
