Peripatetic Philosophy, 200 BC to AD 200: An Introduction and Collection of Sources in Translation

by R. W. Sharples

Overview

A collection of sources, many of them fragmentary and previously scattered and hard to access, for the development of Peripatetic philosophy in the later Hellenistic period and the early Roman empire. This book provides the background against which the first commentator on Aristotle from whom extensive material survives, Alexander of Aphrodisias (fl. c. AD 200) developed his interpretations which continue to be influential even today. Many of the passages are here translated into English for the first time, including the whole of the summary of Peripatetic ethics attributed to ‘Arius Didymus'.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521884808
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/14/2010
Pages:	330
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Robert W. Sharples is Emeritus Professor of Classics at University College London. He has published extensively on the Peripatetic tradition in antiquity, notably in the context of the Theophrastus Project and of the Ancient Commentators on Aristotle series. He is currently a member of the team working on the decipherment of a commentary on Aristotle preserved in the Archimedes Palimpsest. He has also published a successful textbook, Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics (1996), and a number of editions of ancient texts.

Table of Contents

Preface vii

List of abbreviations xviii

Introduction 1

Individuals 9

1 People 11

2 The rediscovery of Aristotle's works? 24

3 A Hellenistic account of Aristotle's philosophy 31

4 Philosophy and rhetoric 35

5 The starting-point and parts of philosophy 40

6 Commentaries 44

Logic and Ontology 45

7 The Categories: (i) Placement and title 47

8 The Categories: (ii) Words or things? 49

9 The Categories: (iii) Ten categories or two? 58

10 The Categories: (iv) Time and place 64

11 On Interpretation 70

12 Ontology: form and matter 75

13 Logic 90

14 Theory of Knowledge 101

Ethics 109

15 An account of Peripatetic ethics: Stobaeus, 'Doxography C' 111

16 Emotions 134

17 The primary natural things: oikeiosis 150

18 Bodily and external goods and happiness 155

Physics 169

19 The nature of time and place 171

20 The eternity of the world 175

21 The Heavens 180

22 God and providence 196

23 Fate, choice and what depends on us 211

24 Soul 235

25 Generation 252

26 Sensation 257

27 Intellect 266

Bibliography 276

Index of sources 289

Index of passages cited 302

Index of personal names (ancient) 305

General index 307

Editorial Reviews

'An excellent collection that will help to transform the study of later ancient philosophy. With comprehensive mastery of the widely scattered evidence, Sharples has selected, translated and annotated the most important sources for Aristotle's school during this crucial period, thereby enabling a greatly improved understanding not just of Aristotle's own legacy, but also of later Platonism, Stoic philosophy and other intellectual developments in late antiquity. This sourcebook will be a vital resource for teaching and research for years to come.' Brad Inwood, University of Toronto

'During the four centuries 200 BC–AD 200 foundations for the invention of Aristotelianism were being laid. The evidence for this important development, hitherto quite scattered and obscure, can now be thoroughly studied through the translations and discussions Professor Sharples provides in this splendid source book. By organizing the material under the headings of logic and ontology, ethics, and physics, he has made it possible to get a clear grasp of the principal themes and philosophical issues of this Peripatetic tradition. His book is a major achievement.' A. A. Long, University of California, Berkeley

From the Publisher