Antiochus and Peripatetic Ethics

Georgia Tsouni challenges previous characterizations of Antiochus' philosophical project as eclectic and shows how his reconstruction of the ethics of the Old Academy demonstrates a careful attempt to update the ancient heritage in the light of contemporary Stoic-led debates, resulting in a hermeneutically complex and philosophically exciting reading of the old tradition.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 245 pages
Publication date: 06 April 2023
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

This book provides a novel interpretation of the account of Peripatetic ethics in Cicero's On Ends 5, which traces its origins back to the first-century BCE philosopher Antiochus of Ascalon. Georgia Tsouni challenges previous characterizations of Antiochus' philosophical project as eclectic and demonstrates how his reconstruction of the ethics of the Old Academy showcases a meticulous attempt to update the ancient heritage, particularly the views of Aristotle and the Peripatos, in the context of contemporary Stoic-led debates. This results in a hermeneutically intricate and philosophically captivating reading of the ancient tradition. A notable example is Antiochus' grounding of the Old Academic conception of the happy life in natural appropriation (oikeiosis), thereby presenting a naturalistic version of Aristotelian ethics.

ISBN-13: 9781108412612