The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Ethics

A comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of ancient Greek ethical thought, investigating the figures, movements, and themes of this branch of philosophy.

Christopher Bobonich (Edited by)

9781107053915, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 July 2017

410 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.5 cm, 0.7 kg

'This is a rich and stimulating collection covering many central aspects of ancient ethics and, at its best, connecting ancient themes with modern preoccupations in a thought-provoking, non-dogmatic way. It widens the usual range of figures and topics covered, admirably well for a book of this size. Specialists and novices alike are in good hands with this Companion.' Brad Inwood, Notre Dame Philosophical Review

The field of ancient Greek ethics is increasingly emerging as a major branch of philosophical enquiry, and students and scholars of ancient philosophy will find this Companion to be a rich and invaluable guide to the themes and movements which characterised the discipline from the Pre-Socratics to the Neo-Platonists. Several chapters are dedicated to the central figures of Plato and Aristotle, and others explore the ethical thought of the Stoics, the Epicureans, the Skeptics, and Plotinus. Further chapters examine important themes that cut across these schools, including virtue and happiness, friendship, elitism, impartiality, and the relationship between ancient eudaimonism and modern morality. Written by leading scholars and drawing on cutting-edge research to illuminate the questions of ancient ethics, the book will provide students and specialists with an indispensable critical overview of the full range of ancient Greek ethics.

Introduction Christopher Bobonich
Part I. Origins: 1. What is pre-Socratic ethics? André Laks
2. The historical Socrates David Conan Wolfsdorf
Part II. Plato: 3. Virtue and happiness Daniel Devereux
4. Ethical psychology Rachana Kamtekar
5. Love and friendship Frisbee Sheffield
Part III. Aristotle: 6. Virtue and happiness David Charles
7. Ethical psychology Jessica Moss
8. Love and friendship Corinne Gartner
Part IV. The Hellenistics and Beyond: 9. Epicurus and the Epicureans on ethics Raphael Woolf
10. The Stoics on virtue and happiness Katja Vogt
11. The Stoics' ethical psychology Margaret Graver
12. Skeptical ethics Luca Castagnoli
13. Ethics in Plotinus and his successors Dominic O'Meara
Part V. Themes: 14. Ancient Eudaimonism and modern morality Julia Annas
15. Partiality and impartiality in ancient ethics Richard Kraut
16. Elitism in Plato and Aristotle Christopher Bobonich
17. Becoming godlike David Sedley
18. Horace and practical philosophy Terence Irwin.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], Philosophy [HP], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]