1st Edition
The Animal and the Human in Ancient and Modern Thought The 'Man Alone of Animals' Concept
1. Introduction: "Man Alone of Animals": An Ancient Commonplace and Its Survivals
2. "Man Alone of Animals": Three Classic Texts
3. The Philosophical Underpinnings of the Concept: Why Such a Concept in Classical Thought?
4. What Makes Man Human? The Reign of Logos
5. The Importance of Being Rational: Logos and Moral Value
6. Body Image: Physiology and the Rise of Civilization
7. Animal Affect: Does Man Alone of Animals Experience Emotions?
Biography
Stephen T. Newmyer is Professor of Classics at Duquesne University, USA. He is author of several books and articles, most recently Animals, Rights, and Reason in Plutarch and Modern Ethics (Routledge, 2006) and Animals in Greek and Roman Thought: A Sourcebook (Routledge, 2011).
What makes the human animal exceptional? Do other animals have reason? Language? Emotions? Can they be moral or just? In this thought-provoking book, Newmyer examines both the various ways in which Greek and Roman authors confirmed or challenged the idea of human exceptionalism, and how anthropocentrism is a central component of current debates on human-animal relations. Suitable for a wide audience, the book helpfully presents the complexity of ancient and contemporary thinking on the human-animal divide.
- Dr Daniella Widdows, Hampden-Sydney College, USA
"This book is about the topos of "Man alone of animals" created in the classical Greek World. ... The works concludes with a reflection on ancient science anthropocentrism and its survival through history."
- Touwaide, Byzantinische Zeitschrift issue 110 (= 2017/4).
