Definition in Greek Philosophy

by David Charles

Overview

Socrates' greatest philosophical contribution was to have initiated the search for definitions. In Definition in Greek Philosophy his views on definition are examined, together with those of his successors, including Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Galen, the Sceptics and Plotinus. Although definition was a major pre-occupation for many Greek philosophers, it has rarely been treated as a separate topic in its own right in recent years. This volume, which contains fourteen new essays by leading scholars, aims to reawaken interest in a number of central and relatively unexplored issues concerning definition. These issues are briefly set out in the Introduction, which also seeks to point out scholarly and philosophical questions which merit further study.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199564453
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/17/2010
Pages:	568
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

David Charles has been a Fellow in Philosophy at Oriel College, University of Oxford, from 1978 and a Research Professor since 2006. He has held Visiting Professorships at Rutgers, U.C.L.A., Tokyo Metropolitan, and Venice Universities and has written on various aspects of Aristotle's philosophy and on issues in contemporary action theory and metaphysics.

Table of Contents

Introduction, David CharlesPart A: Plato on definition1. Carried Away in the iEuthyphro/i, Lindsay Judson2. Explanation and Essence in Plato's iPhaedo/i, Vasilis Politis3. The Paradox in the iMeno/i and Aristotle's Attempts to Resolve it, David Charles4. Division and Definition in the iSophist/i, Lesley Brown5. Division and Definition in Plato's iSophist/i and iStatesman/i, Mary Louise GillPart B: Aristotle on Definition6. Aristotle on Essence and Defining Phrase in his Dialectic, Kei Chiba7. Nominal Definition in Aristotle, his successors and his predecessors, Deborah Modrak8. Definition and Explanation in the iPosterior Analytics/i (and beyond), David Charles9. iBios/i and Explanatory Unity in Aristotle's Biology, James LennoxPart C: Post-Aristotelian writers on definition10. The Stoics on Definition, Paolo Crivelli11. The Aristotelian Commentators on Definition, Richard Sorabji12. Galen's Aristotelian definitions, Jane Hood13. Definition and Explanation in Plotinus: Some Problems, Annamaria Schiaparelli14. Sceptical enquiry, Gail Fine

Editorial Reviews

"All of the pieces advance our understanding of ancient Greek thought in important ways. College libraries should prize the book; it would also serve as an excellent text for graduate classes in ancient Greek philosophy. For scholars in logic and critical thinking, it would be a great asset to understanding how many contemporary issues have ancient precedents." --Philosophy in Review

From the Publisher