The volume discusses important chapters of Platonic philosophy, including its pre-Socratic origins and later developments. It particularly focusses on the relationship between Plato's logico-semantics and his metaphysics. Plato's linguistic views are deeply rooted in the Platonic metaphysical system, and vice versa. The strong connection between the two and its development into the Middle Ages form a major subject of this volume. Other themes featuring in this book are Plato's philosophy of nature, his epistemology, his theology, his cosmology, as well as his conception of the soul and his philosophy of art. Contributors include: E.P. Bos, Frans A.J. de Haas, Maria Kardaun, C.H. Kneepkens, Jaap Mansfeld, Denis O'Brien, Johannes M. van Ophuijsen, Willemien Otten, David T. Runia, and Joke Spruyt. Publications by L.M. de Rijk: * La philosophie au moyen age, ISBN: 978 90 04 06936 7 * Aristotle: Semantics and Ontology. Volume I: General Introduction. The Works on Logic, ISBN: 978 90 04 12324 3 * Aristotle: Semantics and Ontology. Volume II: The Metaphysics. Semantics in Aristotle's Strategy of Argument, ISBN: 978 90 04 12467 7 * Peter of Spain (Petrus Hispanus Portugalensis). Edited by L.M. de Rijk, Syncategoreumata. First Critical Edition with an Introduction and Indexes, ISBN: 978 90 04 09434 5 * Edited and Translated by L.M. de Rijk, Nicholas of Autrecourt: His Correspondence with Master Giles and Bernard of Arezzo, ISBN: 978 90 04 09988 3 * Giraldus Odonis O.F.M. Edited by L.M. de Rijk, Opera Philosophica. Vol. I: Logica. Critical Edition from the Manuscripts, ISBN: 978 90 04 10950 6 * Giraldus Odonis O.F.M. Edited by L.M. de Rijk, Opera Philosophica. Vol. II: De intentionibus, ISBN: 978 90 04 11117 2

Roslyn Weiss contends that, contrary to prevailing notions, Plato's Crito does not show an allegiance between Socrates and the state that condemned him. Weiss argues that Socrates considers the laws of the state to be more concerned with creating deference than justice, and asserts that, by submitting to his judgement, Socrates acts from a personal sense of justice rather than a set of imposed rules.

Aristotle s logic first became known in the Middle East through the medium of the Syriac language at a time prior to the rise of classical Arabic philosophy. The present volume makes available for the first time the earliest Syriac translation (sixth century AD) of the Categories, which is here edited together with an English translation, analytical commentary, glossaries and indices. The availability of such an important early work will enable the beginnings of the Semitic Aristotelian tradition to be studied more comprehensively. This will open the way to a better understanding of both the study of Aristotelian logic in Syriac and also of the significance of the Syriac tradition for the genesis and rise of Arabic logic.

Throughout the history of philosophy, skepticism has posed one of the central challenges of epistemology. Opponents of skepticism--including externalists, contextualists, foundationalists, and coherentists--have focussed largely on one particular variety of skepticism, often called Cartesian or Academic skepticism, which makes the radical claim that nobody can know anything. However, this version of skepticism is something of a straw man, since virtually no philosopher endorses this radical skeptical claim. The only skeptical view that has been truly held--by Sextus, Montaigne, Hume, Wittgenstein, and, most recently, Robert Fogelin--has been Pyrrohnian skepticism. Pyrrhonian skeptics do not assert Cartesian skepticism, but neither do they deny it. The Pyrrhonian skeptics' doubts run so deep that they suspend belief even about Cartesian skepticism and its denial. Nonetheless, some Pyrrhonians argue that they can still hold "common beliefs of everyday life" and can even claim to know some truths in an everyday way.
This edited volume presents previously unpublished articles on this subject by a strikingly impressive group of philosophers, who engage with both historical and contemporary versions of Pyrrhonian skepticism. Among them are Gisela Striker, Janet Broughton, Don Garrett, Ken Winkler, Hans Sluga, Ernest Sosa, Michael Williams, Barry Stroud, Robert Fogelin, and Roy Sorensen. This volume is thematically unified and will interest a broad spectrum of scholars in epistemology and the history of philosophy.

The question The Republic sets out to define is "What is justice?" Given the difficulty of this task, Socrates and his interlocutors are led into a discussion of justice in the city, which Socrates suggests may help them see justice in the person, but on a grander (and therefore easier to discuss) scale ("suppose that a short-sighted person had been asked by some one to read small letters from a distance; and it occurred to some one else that they might be found in another place which was larger and in which the letters were larger," 368, trans. Jowett). Some critics (such as Julia Annas) have adhered to this premise that the dialogue's entire political construct exists to serve as an analogy for the individual soul, in which there are also various potentially competing or conflicting "members" that might be integrated and orchestrated under a just and productive "government."

The giant treatise "Contra Celsum" is Origen's main and longest work. It is of significance for both Greek Patristics and Ancient Philosophy. However, the extant text of the treatise is lacunose and corrupt. Two outstanding editions - by Paul Koetschau (1899) and Marcel Borret (1967-1969) - are not critical enough. The editor tried to restore Origen's original text and presents the reader with a reasonably reliable text.

This is a radically new interpretation of Plato's Meno. Roslyn Weiss takes and defends the position that the Meno is a self-conscious analysis and assessment of the worth not of inquiry itself, but of moral inquiry. Her coherent reading of the Meno identifies serious problems for orthodox interpretations and will appeal to anyone interested in ancient philosophy and the classics.

Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy is an annual publication which includes original articles, which may be of substantial length, on a wide range of topics in ancient philosophy, and review articles of major books. This volume presents the published version of the Nellie Wallace Lectures in Ancient Philosophy, delivered at the University of Oxford by Professor Gisela Striker. Together, these lectures make up a connected account of Stoic ethics. The other contributors to this volume are: Thomas C. Brickhouse, G. R. F. Ferrari, Montgomery Furth, Charles Kahn, John Malcolm, Nicholas D. Smith, and Paul A. Vander Waerdt.

This book argues against the common view that there are no essential differences between Plato and the Neoplatonist philosopher, Plotinus, on the issues of mysticism, epistemology, and ethics. Beginning by examining the ways in which Plato and Plotinus claim that it is possible to have an ultimate experience that answers the most significant philosophical questions, David J. Yount provides an extended analysis of why we should interpret both philosophers as mystics. The book then moves on to demonstrate that both philosophers share a belief in non-discursive knowledge and the methods to attain it, including dialectic and recollection, and shows that they do not essentially differ on any significant views on ethics. Making extensive use of primary and secondary sources, Plato and Plotinus on Mysticism, Epistemology and Ethics shows the similarities between the thought of these two philosophers on a variety of philosophical questions, such as meditation, divination, wisdom, knowledge, truth, happiness and love.

Cicero has played a pivotal role in shaping Western culture. His public persona, his self-portrait as model of Roman prose, philosopher, and statesman, has exerted a durable and profound impact on the educational system and the formation of the ruling class over the centuries. Joining up with recent studies on the reception of Cicero, this volume approaches the figure of Cicero from a 'biographical', more than 'philological', perspective and considers the multiple ways by which different ages reacted to Cicero and created their 'Ciceros'. From Cicero's lifetime to our times, it focuses on how the image of Cicero was revisited and reworked by intellectuals and men of culture, who eulogized his outstanding oratorical and political virtues but, not rarely, questioned the role he had in Roman politics and society. An international group of scholars elaborates on the figure of Cicero, shedding fresh light on his reception in late antiquity, Humanism and Renaissance, Enlightenment and modern centuries. Historians, literary scholars and philosophers, as well as graduate students, will certainly profit from this volume, which contributes enormously to our understanding of the influence of Cicero on Western culture over the times.

A new approach to understanding the relationship between Aristotle's political philosophy and the natural law tradition. "Aristotle and Natural Law" offers an important new examination of Aristotle's political thought and its relationship to the natural law tradition. The book challenges recent alternative interpretations of Aristotle and argues that Aristotle's ethics is most usefully seen as a particular type of natural law theory. Tony Burns shows that the type of natural law theory to which Aristotle subscribes is an unusual one because it does not allow for the possibility that individuals might appeal to natural law in order to critically evaluate existing laws and institutions. Rather its function is to provide legitimacy for existing laws and conventions by providing them with a philosophical justification from the standpoint of Aristotle's metaphysics. Burns claims that this way of thinking about natural law can be traced in the writings of a number of thinkers in the history of philosophy, from Aquinas through to Hegel, but argues that because this tradition begins with Aristotle it is appropriate to describe it as 'the Aristotelian natural law tradition'. "Continuum Studies in Ancient Philosophy" presents cutting edge scholarship in the history of ancient philosophy. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from across the fields of Philosophy and Classical Studies.

Plato is the best known, and continues to be the most widely studied, of all the ancient Greek philosophers. The updated and original essays in the second edition of the Oxford Handbook of Plato provide in-depth discussions of a variety of topics and dialogues, all serving several functions at once: they survey the current academic landscape; express and develop the authors' own views; and situate those views within a range of alternatives. The result is a useful state-of-the-art reference to the man many consider the most important philosophical thinker in history. This second edition of the Oxford Handbook of Plato differs in two main ways from the first edition. First, six leading scholars of ancient philosophy have contributed entirely new chapters: Hugh Benson on the Apology, Crito, and Euthyphro; James Warren on the Protagoras and Gorgias; Lindsay Judson on the Meno; Luca Castagnoli on the Phaedo; Susan Sauve Meyer on the Laws; and David Sedley on Plato's theology. This new edition therefore covers both dialogues and topics in more depth than the first edition did. Secondly, most of the original chapters have been revised and updated, some in small, others in large, ways.

In recent years, Plato's Timaeus has recaptured the interest of scholars, sparking an exploration of the astonishing influence this work has had on a wide range of intellectual traditions. Plato's Timaeus as Cultural Icon brings together a group of leading experts from Canada, the United States, and Europe to examine the reception of Plato's Timaeus throughout history, as well as its impact on major intellectual and cultural traditions.

Gretchen J. Reydams-Schils's enlightening introduction tackles the issue of why the Timaeus has enjoyed such tremendous cultural status, and sets the stage for the many topics covered in this volume, which include an assessment of the Timaeus' influence on Plato's successors, an examination of how it became connected to traditions of sacred texts, an analysis of the "mind-body problem, " the tradition of music and its relation to philosophy, the cultural impact of Calcidius' Latin translation of the work, and the interaction between the Timaeus and Islamic philosophy. As a collaborative effort of expert philosophers, classicists, and historians, this remarkable book serves as a wonderful starting point and research tool for anyone with an interest in Plato's Timaeus.

In 1879 the young German scholar Hermann Diels published his celebrated "Doxographi Graeci," (in which the major doxographical works of antiquity are collected and analysed). Diels' results have been foundational for the study of ancient philosophy ever since. In their ground-breaking study the authors focus on the doxographer Aetius, whose work Diels reconstructed from various later sources. First they examine the antecedents of Diels' Aetian hypothesis. Then Diels' theory and especially the philological techniques used in its formulation are subjected to detailed analysis. The remainder of the volume offers a fresh examination of the sources for our knowledge for Aetius. Diels' theory is revised and improved at significant points. Subsequent volumes will examine the contents and methods of the doxographer and his antecedents in earlier Greek philosophy. No scholar concerned with the history of ancient philosophy can afford to ignore this study.

This is the first of a two-volume edition of Alexander of Aphrodisias' commentary on Aristotle's Metaphysics. The new edition, which includes a philosophical and philological introduction, as well as notes on textcritical issues, is based on a critical evaluation of the entire manuscript tradition of the commentary. It also takes into account its indirect tradition and the Latin translation of Juan Gines Sepulveda.

This volume focuses on Aristotle's practical philosophy. His analysis of emotional response takes pride of place. It is followed by discussion of his moral psychology: the division of the human soul into emotional and deliberative parts. Moral virtue is studied in relation to emotion, and animals are shown to lack both emotion and virtue. Different kinds of friendship are analyzed, and the effects of vehemence, i.e., temperament are given special attention. Aristotle's justification for assigning natural slaves and women subordinate roles receives detailed consideration. The same is true of his analysis of correct and incorrect constitutions. Finally, persuasion is taken up from several angles including Aristotle's emphasis on the presentation of character and his curious dismissal of delivery in speech.

This book will be the second volume in the American Classical Studies series. The subject is Sextus Empiricus, one of the chief sources of information on ancient philosophy and one of the most influential authors in the history of skepticism. Sextus' works have had an extraordinary influence on western philosophy, and this book provides the first exhaustive and detailed study of their recovery, transmission, and intellectual influence through Late Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. This study deals with Sextus' biography, as well as the history of the availability and reception of his works. It also contains an extensive bibliographical section, including editions, translations, and commentaries.

Focusing on the period of philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Plotinus, "Philosophy of the Ancients" is a lucid, up-to-date introduction to the study of the classic Greek and Roman philosphers. This volume offers the reader a broad range of coverage of ancient philosophy, while the major emphasis of each philospher are distilled so as to afford meaning and insight. From the pre-Socratics through Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to the Stoics, Epicurus, Neoplatonism, and finally Plotinus the student will find a presentation of the salient features of these philosophers. Since our philosophical understanding today should be based on an awareness of the antecedents of our philosophical ideas, Friedo Ricken concentrates in his work on the questions, concepts, and claims from the ancient period that are also indispensable for contemporary philosophy.

Aristotle's Topics is a handbook for dialectic, which can be understood as a philosophical debate between a questioner and a respondent. In book 2, Aristotle mainly develops strategies for making deductions about 'accidents', which are properties that might or might not belong to a subject (for instance, Socrates has five fingers, but might have had six), and about properties that simply belong to a subject without further specification. In the present commentary, here translated into English for the first time, Alexander develops a careful study of Aristotle's text. He preserves objections and replies from other philosophers whose work is now lost, such as the Stoics. He also offers an invaluable picture of the tradition of Aristotelian logic down to his time, including innovative attempts to unify Aristotle's guidance for dialectic with his general theory of deductive argument (the syllogism), found in the Analytics. The work will be of interest not only for its perspective on ancient logic, rhetoric, and debate, but also for its continuing influence on argument in the Middle Ages and later.

Luis E. Navia provides a comprehensive examination of the ideas and contributions of a Greek philosopher who was influential in the development of classical Cynicism. Based on both primary and secondary sources as well as the findings of modern scholarship, it is a unique contribution to the study of Antisthenes. An important philosopher, only two English-language books about him have been published in the last eighty years. With his clear and accessible narrative style, Navia succeeds in reconstructing Antisthenes' biography resurrecting this ancient philosopher's ideas as still relevant to this day.

Navia describes an integral moment in the history of Greek philosophy--the presence of Antisthenes as a student of the Sophists, an associate of Socrates, and the originator of the Cynic movement. This detailed study of the principal sources, includes an index of relevant names, a bibliography of over two hundred and fifty titles, and an appendix consisting of an extensively annotated translation of Diogenes Laertius' biography of Antisthenes.