Plato's Philebus A Philosophical Discussion

by Dimas, Panos; Jones, Russell E.; Lear, Gabriel R.

• ISBN13: 9780198803386
• ISBN10: 0198803389
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2019-11-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Philebus is an extraordinarily creative and profound examination of what makes for a good human life, containing some of Plato's most sophisticated discussions of moral psychology, knowledge, metaphysics, and philosophical methodology. The Philebushad a far greater influence on Aristotle's ethics than the frequently studied Republic - yet historians of philosophical ethics have relatively neglected it and existing commentaries tend to emphasize certain aspects at the expense of others. This edited volume, the first of its kind, brings together leading scholars of ancient philosophy to take a fresh and comprehensive look at this important work. Each essay focuses on a relatively brief section of the Philebus and discusses the passages methodically, covering topics such as pleasure, knowledge, philosophical method, and the human good in detail. The result is not and is not intended to be a commentary, nor does it aim to present a unified interpretation. It is instead a series of close, original philosophical examinations, often in conversation with each other, which together provide continuous coverage of the Philebus. This reference work, a useful resource for teaching and studying, is valuable reading for researchers, scholars, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates interested in Plato, ancient Greek ethics, and in the history of ethics.

Author Biography

Panos Dimas, Professor of Philosophy, University of Oslo,Russell E. Jones, Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University,Gabriel R. Lear, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago

Panos Dimas is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo. Norway. His work focuses on ancient Greek cosmology, philosophical ethics and moral psychology.

Russell E. Jones is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. He has written on a number of aspects of Greek philosophical thought, especially on figures from the fifth and fourth centuries BCE.

Gabriel R. Lear is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and is in its Committee on Social Thought. Her work focuses on ancient Greek and Roman philosophical ethics and aesthetics.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction, Sean Kelsey and Gabriel Lear
2. Rethinking the Contest Between Pleasure and Wisdom: Plato's Philebus 11a-14b, Katja Maria Vogt
3. Division and Classification in the Philebus, Paolo Crivelli
4. Why Pleasure and Reason are not the Good: Philebus 20b-23b, Susan Sauve Meyer
5. The Fourfold Division of Beings: Philebus 23b-27c, Mary Louise Gill
6. Intelligence as Cause: Philebus 27c-31b, Hendrik Lorenz
7. The independence of the soul from the body: Philebus 31b-36c, Satoshi Ogihara
8. Two Ways in which Pleasures can be False: Philebus 36c-42c, Panos Dimas
9. Putting the 'Stroppies' to work: Philebus 42c-47d, Giles Pearson
10. Plato on Pleasures from Comedy: Philebus 47d-50e, Pierre Destree
11. Truth, Beauty, Purity, and Pleasure: Philebus 50e-53c, James Warren
12. Would you knowingly choose a life of little everyday deaths? The final attack on hedonism: Philebus 53c4-55c3, Spyridon Rangos
13. Knowledge and Measurement: Philebus 55c-59d, Jessica Moss
14. Cooking Up the Good Life with Socrates: Philebus 59d10-64c4, Russell E. Jones
15. The Dialogue's Finale: Philebus 64c-67b, Verity Harte