Dumb Beasts and Dead Philosophers - Humanity and the Humane in Ancient Philosophy and Literature

Zusatztext ...stimulating and informative... Klappentext This unusual philosophy book asks the reader to reconsider the received view that animal rights have no place in ancient thought. Catherine Osborne argues that by reflecting on the work of the ancient philosophers and poets, we can see when and how we lost touch with the natural intelligence of dumb animals. Zusammenfassung This unusual philosophy book asks the reader to reconsider the received view that animal rights have no place in ancient thought. Catherine Osborne argues that by reflecting on the work of the ancient philosophers and poets, we can see when and how we lost touch with the natural intelligence of dumb animals. Inhaltsverzeichnis Part One: Constructing Divisions 1: Introduction: on William Blake, nature and mortality 2: On nature and providence: readings in Herodotus, Protagoras and Democritus Part Two: Perceiving Continuities 3: On the transmigration of souls: reincarnation into animal bodies in Pythagoras, Empedocles and Plato 4: On language, concepts and automata: rational and irrational animals in Aristotle and Descartes 5: On the disadvantages of being a complex organism: Aristotle and the scala naturae Part Three: Being Realistic 6: On the vice of sentimentality: Androcles and the Lion and some extraordinary adventures in the Desert Fathers 7: On the notion of natural rights: defending the voiceless and oppressed in the Tragedies of Sophocles 8: On self-defence and utilitarian calculations: Democritus of Abdera and Hermarchus of Mytilene 9: On eating animals: Porphyry's dietary rules for philosophers Conclusion

Product details

• Authors: Catherine Osborne, Catherine (University of East Anglia) Osborne, Osborne Catherine
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 25.01.2007
• EAN: 9780199282067
• ISBN: 978-0-19-928206-7
• No. of pages: 278
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Classical linguistics / literary studies; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day; SOCIAL SCIENCE / General, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical, Animals & society, Animals and society, Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500