Pleasure in Ancient Greek PhilosophyThe Key Themes in Ancient Philosophy series provides concise books, written by major scholars and accessible to non-specialists, on important themes in ancient philosophy that remain of philosophical interest today. In this volume Professor Wolfsdorf undertakes the first exploration of ancient Greek philosophical conceptions of pleasure in relation to contemporary conceptions. The book provides broad coverage of the ancient material, from pre-Platonic to Old Stoic treatments; and in the contemporary period, from World War II to the present. Examination of the nature of pleasure in ancient philosophy largely occurred within ethical contexts. In the contemporary period, the topic has, to a greater extent, been pursued within philosophy of mind and psychology. This divergence reflects the dominant philosophical preoccupations of the times. But Wolfsdorf argues that the various treatments are complementary. Indeed, the Greeks' examinations of pleasure were incisive, their debates vigorous and their results have enduring value for contemporary discussion. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Pleasure in early Greek ethics | 10 |
Pleasure in the early physical tradition | 29 |
Plato on pleasure and restoration | 40 |
Plato on true untrue and false pleasures | 63 |
Aristotle on pleasure and activation | 103 |
Epicurus and the Cyrenaics on katastematic and kinetic pleasures | 144 |
The Old Stoics on pleasure as passion | 182 |
Contemporary conceptions of pleasure | 214 |
Ancient and contemporary conceptions of pleasure | 269 |
Suggestions for further reading | 280 |
288 | |
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Common terms and phrases
absence of pain activation affections ancient animals anticipatory pleasure Antisthenes appetitive argument Aristippus Aristotelian Aristotle Aristotle’s assent being-pleased-that belief bodily pleasure body Chrysippus conception of pleasure condition contemporary contrast Cyrenaics Democritus derives desire Diogenes Diogenes Laertius discussion disposition distinction distinguish doxastic Empedocles energeia enjoyment entails Epicurean Epicurus Eudemian Ethics example experience explain fact false pleasure kind feeling Greek hędonę hedonic attitude Hippias Major identity question impulse insofar involve judgment katastematic pleasure kinds of pleasure kinetic pleasure least Magna Moralia mental mixed pleasure natural Nicomachean Ethics object occurs olfactory pleasures one’s ontological passage passions Penelhum perception Perry Philebus philosophical Plato pleasant pleasure and pain precisely pro-attitude Prodicus psychic psychological rational reason refer relation replenishment representationally Republic 9 Ryle sensation sense sense-perceptual sense-perceptual faculties sense-perceptual pleasures sensory pleasure smooth Socrates somatic soul Stoics suggests take pleasure Theophrastus theory thing Timaeus topic treatment of pleasure truth-value