1st Edition

The Routledge Handbook of Hellenistic Philosophy

Edited By Kelly Arenson Copyright 2020
    474 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    474 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Hellenistic philosophy concerns the thought of the Epicureans, Stoics, and Skeptics, the most influential philosophical groups in the era between the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE) and the defeat of the last Greek stronghold in the ancient world (31 BCE).

    The Routledge Handbook of Hellenistic Philosophy provides accessible yet rigorous introductions to the theories of knowledge, ethics, and physics belonging to each of the three schools, explores the fascinating ways in which interschool rivalries shaped the philosophies of the era, and offers unique insight into the relevance of Hellenistic views to issues today, such as environmental ethics, consumerism, and bioethics. Eleven countries are represented among the Handbook’s 35 authors, whose chapters were written specifically for this volume and are organized thematically into six sections:

      • The people, history, and methods of Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism.
      • Earlier philosophical influences on Hellenistic thought, such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Presocratics.
      • The soul, perception, and knowledge.
      • God, fate, and the primary principles of nature and the universe.
      • Ethics, political theory, society, and community.
      • Hellenistic philosophy’s relevance to contemporary life.

    Spanning from the ancient past to the present, this Handbook aims to show that Hellenistic philosophy has much to offer all thinking people of the twenty-first century.

    Introduction  Kelly Arenson

    Part I: Methods and Background

    1. Epicurean Philosophy and Its Parts  J. Clerk Shaw

    2. The Stoics and their Philosophical System  William O. Stephens

    3. Argumentative Strategies of Pyrrhonian and Academic Skeptics  Renata Zieminska

    4. Documenting Hellenistic Philosophy: Cicero as a Source and Philosopher  Thornton C. Lockwood, Jr.

    Part II: Early Influences

    5. Epicureans, Earlier Atomists, and Cyrenaics  Stefano Maso

    6. Cynic Influences on Stoic Ethics  Christopher Turner

    7. Stoics and Presocratic Materialists  Ricardo Salles

    8. Aristotelian and Stoic Virtue  Jacob Klein

    9. Socratic Ignorance and Ethics in the Stoa  René Brouwer

    10. Academic Skepticism and the Socratic Method  Svavar Hrafn Svavarsson

    Part III: Soul, Perception, and Knowledge

    11. Stoic Epistemology  Ian Hensley

    12. The Stoic Theory of the Soul  Tamer Nawar

    13. Impressions and Truth in Epicurean Epistemology  Andree Hahmann

    14. Epicurus on Sense-Experience and the Fear of Death  Emily Austin

    15. Skeptical Defenses Against the Inaction Objection  Whitney Schwab

    16. Skeptical Responses to Stoics and Epicureans on the Criterion  Scott Aikin

    Part IV: First Principles, Nature, and Teleology

    17. Epicureans on What There Is  Jan Maximilian Robitzsch

    18. Epicureans on Teleology and Freedom  Attila Németh

    19. Nature, God, and Determinism in Early Stoicism  Anna Maria Ioppolo

    20. Stoics and Epicureans on Language and the World  Catherine Atherton

    21. Free Will and Fate in Carneades’ Academic Skepticism  James Allen

    22. Piety and Theology in the Stoics, Epicureans, and Pyrrhonian Skeptics  Harald Thorsrud

    Part V: Ethics, Politics, and Society

    23. Tranquility as the Goal in Pyrrhonian Skepticism  Casey Perin

    24. Epicureans on Pleasure, Desire, and Happiness  Benjamin A. Rider

    25. Epicureans on Friendship, Politics, and Community  Anna Christensen

    26. The Medicine of Salvation: Epicurean Education as Therapy  Michael McOsker

    27. Moral Philosophy in the Imperial Roman Stoa  Georgia Mouroutsou

    28. Academic Skeptics and Stoics on "Trying Your Best" and the Ultimate End of Action  Christiana Olfert

    Part VI: The Hellenistic Legacy in Contemporary Issues

    29. Is Skepticism Natural? Ancient and Modern Perspectives  Richard Bett

    30. Stoicism and Contemporary Medical Ethics  James A. Dunson III

    31. Stoic Therapy for Today’s Troubles  Massimo Pigliucci

    32. Stoic Cosmopolitanism and Environmental Ethics  Simon Shogry

    33. Feminism and Stoic Sagehood  Lisa Hill

    34. Epicurean Advice for the Modern Consumer  Tim O’Keefe

    35. Hellenistic Philosophy and the Origins of Economic Thought  Phillip Mitsis

    Biography

    Kelly Arenson is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Duquesne University. She is the author of Health and Hedonism in Plato and Epicurus (2019).