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Informationen zum Autor Dr Eleni Kechagia studied Classics and Ancient Philosophy at the Universities of Thessaloniki (BA and Masters) and Oxford (DPhil). From 2006 to 2009 she was a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford and a Research Fellow at Keble College, Oxford. She has written articles on Plutarch, Epicureanism, and ancient biography, and has taught Classics and Ancient Philosophy for many Oxford colleges. Klappentext Kechagia rehabilitates Plutarch as a thinker and historian of philosophy by offering a critical analysis of Against Colotes, an anti-Epicurean treatise in which Plutarch discusses some of the most important philosophical theories. The book argues that Plutarch produces insightful philosophical interpretations of past theories. Zusammenfassung Plutarch of Chaeroneia's philosophical work remained largely in the shadow of his celebrated Lives, partly because it was often dubbed 'popular philosophy', and partly because it was thought to be lacking in originality. The tides are, fortunately, changing and current scholarship is showing a growing appreciation of Plutarch's philosophical work. This book contributes to the 'rehabilitation' of Plutarch as a philosopher by focusing on an important aspect of his philosophical self: his work as a teacher, interpreter, and, eventually, historian of philosophy. Eleni Kechagia offers a critical analysis of Plutarch's anti-Epicurean treatise Against Colotes - a unique text that is both rich in philosophical material and has been widely used as a source for ancient Greek philosophy, but which has yet to be studied in its own right. Combining a historical approach with structural analysis and close reading of selected sections of the text, this book demonstrates that Plutarch engaged with the philosophy of his past in a creative way. By refuting Colotes' Epicurean arguments against the main Greek philosophers up to the Hellenistic era, Plutarch gives an insightful critical assessment of the philosophy of his past and teaches his readers how to go about living and reading philosophy. The volume concludes that Plutarch emerges as a respected critic whose 'reviews' of the past philosophical theories are an essential companion when trying to piece together the puzzle of ancient Greek philosophy. Inhaltsverzeichnis List of abbreviations Note on editions and translations Introduction Part I: Plutarch s target 1: Why did Plutarch write against Colotes? Reading the prooemium of Against Colotes 1.1.: Introduction 1.2.: The prooemium under scrutiny 1.2.1.: The dedication: Saturninus, lover of antiquity (1107D-E) 1.2.2.: The circumstances: Platonic undertones and rhetorical disclaimers (1107E- 1108B) 1.2.3.: The philosophical justification: pleasures of the belly and bad scholarship (1108B-E) 1.3.: Conclusion: Colotes book as classroom material 2: Colotes of Lampsacus: the man and his philosophical background 2.1.: Introduction: Colotes in context 2.2.: Life and interactions with Epicurus 2.3.: Overview of Colotes works 2.3.1.: Against Plato s Lysis (P.Herc. 208) 2.3.2.: Against Plato s Euthydemus (P.Herc. 1032) 2.3.3: Against Plato s Myths 2.3.4.: Colotes, the Epicurean pamphleteer? 2.4.: The tradition of Epicurean polemics and its significance 2.5.: Colotes place in the history of the Epicurean school 3: Colotes polemic against the philosophers: a reconstruction 3.1.: Introduction: methodological observations 3.2.: Chronology, targets, and structure of Colotes book 3.2.1.: The dedication to king Ptolemy and a possible dating 3.2.2.: Colotes targets 3.2.3.: Structure of Colotes book and Democritus centrality 3.3.: Colotes main line of argument and underlying philosophical assumptions 3.3.1.: Non-Epicurean philosophers make life impossible to live 3.3.2.: Colotes method: catchy lines ...
