Ethics of Ancient Greece and Rome
Summary
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- About the author
- About the book
- Citability of the eBook
- Contents
- 1 Ethics in Ancient Greece
- 1 Pre-Socratics
- 1.1 Thales of Miletus
- 1.2 Pythagoras of Samos
- 1.3 Democritus of Abdera
- 1.4 Heraclitus of Ephesus
- 2 Sophists
- 3 Socrates
- 3.1 Question of virtue
- 3.2 Socratic method
- 3.2.1 Elenctic method
- 3.2.2 Maieutic method
- 3.3 Voice of the daimonion
- 4 Plato
- 4.1 The concept of the human soul
- 4.2 The idea of Good
- 5 Aristotle
- 5.1 Eudaimonia
- 5.2 Theory of virtues
- 5.3 The principle of the golden mean
- 5.4 Theory of friendship
- 5.5 Man as zoon politikon
- 6 Aristippus of Cyrene
- 7 Epicurus of Samos
- 7.1 Happiness as the purpose of moral life
- 7.2 Four-part remedy
- 8 Cynics
- 8.1 Antisthenes
- 8.2 Diogenes of Sinope
- 9 Zeno of Citium
- 9.1 The sage’s ideal
- 9.2 The non-gradation of virtue
- 9.3 Social ethics
- 10 Pyrrho of Elis
- 2 Ethics in Ancient Rome
- 1 Neoplatonic Ethics
- 1.1 Philo of Alexandria
- 1.2 Plotinus
- 1.2.1 Reincarnation of individual souls
- 1.2.2 The problem of evil
- 2 Roman Stoicism
- 2.1 Lucius Annaeus Seneca
- 2.1.1 Fatalistic understanding of nature
- 2.1.2 Virtue as submission to nature
- 2.1.3 Social ethics
- 2.1.4 Condemnation of slavery
- 2.2 Epictetus
- 2.2.1 Happiness as a goal in human life
- 2.2.2 Ethics as a moral self-improvement of the individual
- 2.2.3 The postulate of universal brotherhood
- 2.3 Marcus Aurelius
- 2.3.1 Principles of morally just conduct
- 3 Roman Eclecticism
- 3.1 Cicero
- 3.1.1 The theory of good
- 3.1.2 The law of nature, morality and the concept of good governance
- 4 Roman Epicureanism
- 4.1 Titus Lucretius Carus
- 4.1.1 Rational ethics
- 4.1.2 Social agreement
- 5 Ethics of Early Christianity
- 5.1 Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus
- 5.2 St. Augustine of Hippo
- 5.2.1 Theocentric eudaimonism
- 5.2.2 The concept of grace
- 5.2.3 Where does evil come from?
- 3 Selection of Source Texts
- Bibliography
- Source texts
- Studies
- Annex
- Figures
Since the central figure of ancient Greek ethics is Socrates (469–399 BC), all thinkers living and working before him are called Pre-Socratics. These include: Thales of Miletus, Pythagoras of Samos, Democritus of Abdera, Heraclitus of Ephesus, Protagoras of Abdera and Gorgias of Leontini.
Thales of Miletus (7th/6th century BC), considered the first European philosopher, was classified as one of the so-called Seven Sages, that is according to the Greek tradition, Wise Men, who have left maxims containing general principles, norms and advice regarding the moral aspects of human life. While the Sages praised such virtues as: diligence, moderation, prudence, patience, truthfulness, faithfulness, friendship, respect for one’s parents, self-control and justice, they condemned lying, avarice, impetuosity, enjoying someone else’s misfortune, talkativeness, hatred and injustice. Thales has left a dozen or so wise sentences, recollected by Diogenes Laertius in his Lives and Views of Famous Philosophers:
1. Vouching for someone is a disaster in the making.
2. Remember your friends, both present and absent.
Details
- Pages
- 114
- Publication Year
- 2019
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783631778722
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783631778739
- ISBN (MOBI)
- 9783631778746
- ISBN (Hardcover)
- 9783631757727
- DOI
- 10.3726/b15112
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2019 (March)
- Keywords
- Classic moral theories Moral research Moral practice Moral development Moral ideas
- Published
- Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2019. 112 pp., 21 fig. b/w
- Product Safety
- Peter Lang Group AG