Epicurus on Freedom

by Tim O'Keefe

Overview

The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-271/0 BCE) has attracted much contemporary interest. Tim O'Keefe argues that the sort of freedom which Epicurus wanted to preserve is significantly different from the 'free will' which philosophers debate today, and that in its emphasis on rational action, has much closer affinities with Aristotle's thought than with current preoccupations. His original and provocative book will be of interest to a wide range of readers in Hellenistic philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521846967
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/28/2005
Pages:	186
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.55(d)

About the Author

Tim O'Keefe is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgia State University. Since 2001 he has been the Ancient Philosophy Area Editor for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. What sort of an incompatibilist is Epicurus?; 2. Lucretius on the swerve and Voluntas; 3. Aristotle and Epicurus on the origins of character and action; 4. Epicurus' reductionalist response to democritean fatalism; 5. The swerve and collisions; 6. The swerve and fate; Epilogue: Epicurus and the invention of libertarian free will; Appendix: Some texts; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"O'Keefe is a helpful and masterful guide through the complex philosophical issues and fragmentary pieces of evidence relevant to Epicurus, determinism, and the swerve."
Mi-Kyoung Lee, Journal of the History of Moral Philosophy

From the Publisher