Ancient Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction

Description

In Ancient Philosophy (2012), Christopher Shields expanded on the coverage of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in his earlier book, Classical Philosophy (2003), to include the philosophy of the Hellenistic era. In this new edition (2023), Shields reaches even further to include material on Neoplatonism and on Augustine and Proclus, capturing—from Thales of Miletus to the end of the sixth century CE—all of what might be called ancient philosophy. It traces the important connections between the periods and individuals of more than 1,200 years of philosophy’s history without losing sight of the novelties and dynamics unique to each. The coverage of the Presocratics, Sophists, Plato, and Stoicism has also been expanded so as to highlight Plato’s responses to the Sophistic movement in the development of his Theory of Forms. And, finally, a valuable companion volume, with Shields’s focused translations of the important sources referred to in Ancient Philosophy, Second Edition, will soon be published, obviating the need for a massive anthology of discordant voices. Ancient Philosophy, Second Edition, retains its helpful structure: each philosophical position receives: (1) a brief introduction, (2) a sympathetic review of its principal motivations and primary supporting arguments, and (3) a short assessment, inviting readers to evaluate its plausibility. The result is a book that brings the ancient arguments to life, making the introduction truly contemporary. It continues to serve as both a first stop and a well-visited resource for any student of the subject. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Preface to the second edition Acknowledgments 1 Philosophy before Socrates 1.1 Thales and the earliest natural philosophers 1.2 Xenophanes 1.3 Heracleitus 1.4 Parmenides and Zeno 1.5 Democritus and fifth-century atomism 1.6 The Sophistic movement 1.7 Challenges from the Presocratics and Sophists Notes Suggestions for additional readings 2 Socrates 2.1 The Socratic elenchus 2.2 The failures of Meno and Euthyphro 2.3 Socratic ignorance and Socratic irony 2.4 Socratic conviction and the Socratic paradoxes 2.5 Socrates on trial and in prison 2.6 Conclusions Notes Suggestions for additional readings 3 Plato 3.1 From Socrates to Plato 3.2 Meno’s paradox of inquiry; Plato’s response 3.3 Three functions of Plato’s theory of forms 3.4 Plato’s response to Sophistry: relativism and rhetoric 3.5 Three arguments for Forms 3.6 Plato’s general characterizations of forms 3.7 Platonic analysis: a case study 3.8 The special role of the Form of the Good 3.9 Plato’s line and cave: our epistemic prospects 3.10 Problems about Forms 3.11 Conclusions Notes Suggestions for additional readings 4 Aristotle 4.1 From Plato to Aristotle 4.2 Aristotle’s introduction of category theory 4.3 The four causes introduced 4.4 The four causes defended 4.5 The four causes applied: soul and body 4.6 The four causes applied: happiness and the human function 4.7 The virtues of a happy person 4.8 Aristotle’s treatment of a Socratic paradox: akrasia 4.9 Aristotle’s political naturalism 4.10 Aristotle on philosophical analysis: homonymy 4.11 Conclusions Notes Suggestions for additional readings 5. Hellenistic philosophy 5.1 The Hellenistic period 5.2 The Epicureans 5.3 The Stoics 5.4 Skepticism 5.5 Conclusions Notes Suggestions for additional readings 6 Late-antique philosophy 6.1 Proclus 6.2 Augustine 6.3 Conclusions Notes Suggestions for additional readings Suggestions for further reading Index