Life Worth Living in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy

The account of the best life for humans - a happy or flourishing life - was the central theme of ancient ethics. This book explores the less-examined ancient theme of what constitutes a life worth living, and reconstructs philosophical engagements with that theme from Socrates to Plotinus.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. Plato On Making Life Worth Living By Doing One's Job; 2. Aristotle on the Natural Goodness of Life; 3. Decoupling Happy Life from Life Worth Living in Stoicism; 4. Threshold Nears the Target: Hellenistic Hedonists on the Life Worth Living; 5. Peripatetics on Vicious Humans and Caged Animals; 6. Plotinus on the Worth of Embodied Existence.

About the author

David Machek is a Research Fellow at the Department of Philosophy, Universität Bern. He has published articles in journals including Apeiron, Archiv für die Geschichte der Philosophie, Journal of the History of Philosophy, and Philosophy East and West.

Summary

The account of the best life for humans - a happy or flourishing life - was the central theme of ancient ethics. This book explores the less-examined ancient theme of what constitutes a life worth living, and reconstructs philosophical engagements with that theme from Socrates to Plotinus.

Foreword

Offers a fresh narrative of ancient ethics that does justice to neglected perspectives on the value of human life.

Product details

• Authors: David Machek, David (Universitat Bern Machek
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.06.2024
• EAN: 9781009257862
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0925786-2
• No. of pages: 271
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > General, dictionaries; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Philosophy: antiquity to present day; PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Ancient & Classical, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500