The life worth living in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy /
This book is a first systematic study of ancient views about what it takes to have a life at least barely worth living. It is of interest to specialists in ancient philosophy as well as to philosophers working on related themes, such as the ethics of procreation, from contemporary perspective.
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge ; New York , United Kingdom :
Cambridge University Press,
[2023].
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| Summary: | This book is a first systematic study of ancient views about what it takes to have a life at least barely worth living. It is of interest to specialists in ancient philosophy as well as to philosophers working on related themes, such as the ethics of procreation, from contemporary perspective. The account of the best life for humans, i.e. a happy or flourishing life, and what it might consist of was the central theme of ancient ethics. But what does it take to have a life that, if not happy, is at least worth living, compared with being dead or never having come into life? This question was also much discussed in antiquity, and David Machek's book reconstructs, for the first time, philosophical engagements with the question from Socrates to Plotinus. Machek's comprehensive book explores ancient views on a life worth living against a background of the pessimistic outlook on the human condition which was adopted by the Greek poets, and also shows the continuities and contrasts between the ancient perspective and modern philosophical debates about biomedical ethics and the ethics of procreation. His rich study of this relatively neglected theme offers a fresh and compelling narrative of ancient ethics. |
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| Physical Description: | xiii, 257 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-246) and indexes. |
| ISBN: | 9781009257879 1009257870 |