Doing Things with Concepts in Sextus Empiricus Richard Bett, Johns Hopkins University
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Early Pyrrhonism As a Sect of Buddhism? a Case Study in the Methodology of Comparative Philosophy
Comparative Philosophy Volume 9, No. 2 (2018): 1-40 Open Access / ISSN 2151-6014 www.comparativephilosophy.org EARLY PYRRHONISM AS A SECT OF BUDDHISM? A CASE STUDY IN THE METHODOLOGY OF COMPARATIVE PHILOSOPHY MONTE RANSOME JOHNSON & BRETT SHULTS ABSTRACT: We offer a sceptical examination of a thesis recently advanced in a monograph published by Princeton University Press entitled Greek Buddha: Pyrrho’s Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia. In this dense and probing work, Christopher I. Beckwith, a professor of Central Eurasian studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, argues that Pyrrho of Elis adopted a form of early Buddhism during his years in Bactria and Gandhāra, and that early Pyrrhonism must be understood as a sect of early Buddhism. In making his case Beckwith claims that virtually all scholars of Greek, Indian, and Chinese philosophy have been operating under flawed assumptions and with flawed methodologies, and so have failed to notice obvious and undeniable correspondences between the philosophical views of the Buddha and of Pyrrho. In this study we take Beckwith’s proposal and challenge seriously, and we examine his textual basis and techniques of translation, his methods of examining passages, his construal of problems and his reconstruction of arguments. We find that his presuppositions are contentious and doubtful, his own methods are extremely flawed, and that he draws unreasonable conclusions. Although the result of our study is almost entirely negative, we think it illustrates some important general points about the methodology of comparative philosophy. Keywords: adiaphora, anātman, anattā, ataraxia, Buddha, Buddhism, Democritus, Pāli, Pyrrho, Pyrrhonism, Scepticism, trilakṣaṇa 1. INTRODUCTION One of the most ambitious recent works devoted to comparative philosophy is Christopher Beckwith’s monograph Greek Buddha: Pyrrho’s Encounter with Early Buddhism in Central Asia (2015). -
Skepticism and Pluralism Ways of Living a Life Of
SKEPTICISM AND PLURALISM WAYS OF LIVING A LIFE OF AWARENESS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ZHUANGZI #±r A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHILOSOPHY AUGUST 2004 By John Trowbridge Dissertation Committee: Roger T. Ames, Chairperson Tamara Albertini Chung-ying Cheng James E. Tiles David R. McCraw © Copyright 2004 by John Trowbridge iii Dedicated to my wife, Jill iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In completing this research, I would like to express my appreciation first and foremost to my wife, Jill, and our three children, James, Holly, and Henry for their support during this process. I would also like to express my gratitude to my entire dissertation committee for their insight and understanding ofthe topics at hand. Studying under Roger Ames has been a transformative experience. In particular, his commitment to taking the Chinese tradition on its own terms and avoiding the tendency among Western interpreters to overwrite traditional Chinese thought with the preoccupations ofWestern philosophy has enabled me to broaden my conception ofphilosophy itself. Roger's seminars on Confucianism and Daoism, and especially a seminar on writing a philosophical translation ofthe Zhongyong r:pJm (Achieving Equilibrium in the Everyday), have greatly influenced my own initial attempts to translate and interpret the seminal philosophical texts ofancient China. Tamara Albertini's expertise in ancient Greek philosophy was indispensable to this project, and a seminar I audited with her, comparing early Greek and ancient Chinese philosophy, was part ofthe inspiration for my choice ofresearch topic. I particularly valued the opportunity to study Daoism and the Yijing ~*~ with Chung-ying Cheng g\Gr:p~ and benefited greatly from his theory ofonto-cosmology as a means of understanding classical Chinese philosophy. -
Pursuing Eudaimonia LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY STUDIES in ETHICS SERIES SERIES EDITOR: DR
Pursuing Eudaimonia LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN ETHICS SERIES SERIES EDITOR: DR. DAVID TOREVELL SERIES DEPUTY EDITOR: DR. JACQUI MILLER VOLUME ONE: ENGAGING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Editors: Joy Schmack, Matthew Thompson and David Torevell with Camilla Cole VOLUME TWO: RESERVOIRS OF HOPE: SUSTAINING SPIRITUALITY IN SCHOOL LEADERS Author: Alan Flintham VOLUME THREE: LITERATURE AND ETHICS: FROM THE GREEN KNIGHT TO THE DARK KNIGHT Editors: Steve Brie and William T. Rossiter VOLUME FOUR: POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION Editor: Neil Ferguson VOLUME FIVE: FROM CRITIQUE TO ACTION: THE PRACTICAL ETHICS OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL WORLD Editors: David Weir and Nabil Sultan VOLUME SIX: A LIFE OF ETHICS AND PERFORMANCE Editors: John Matthews and David Torevell VOLUME SEVEN: PROFESSIONAL ETHICS: EDUCATION FOR A HUMANE SOCIETY Editors: Feng Su and Bart McGettrick VOLUME EIGHT: CATHOLIC EDUCATION: UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLES, LOCALLY APPLIED Editor: Andrew B. Morris VOLUME NINE GENDERING CHRISTIAN ETHICS Editor: Jenny Daggers VOLUME TEN PURSUING EUDAIMONIA: RE-APPROPRIATING THE GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN APOPHATIC TRADITION Author: Brendan Cook Pursuing Eudaimonia: Re-appropriating the Greek Philosophical Foundations of the Christian Apophatic Tradition By Brendan Cook Pursuing Eudaimonia: Re-appropriating the Greek Philosophical Foundations of the Christian Apophatic Tradition, by Brendan Cook This book first published 2013 Cambridge Scholars Publishing 12 Back Chapman Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2XX, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2013 by Brendan Cook All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. -
CURRICULUM VITAE RICHARD BETT Department of Philosophy the Johns Hopkins University Citizen of U.K. Baltimore, MD 21218-2686 P
CURRICULUM VITAE RICHARD BETT Department of Philosophy The Johns Hopkins University Citizen of U.K. Baltimore, MD 21218-2686 Permanent Resident of U.S. Phone: (410) 516-6863 Fax: (410) 516-6848 e-mail: <[email protected]> EDUCATION B.A. Oxford University, 1980, Literae Humaniores (Classics and Philosophy). First Class Honours, Final Examinations, 1980; First Class Honours, Honour Moderations in Greek & Latin Literature, 1978 Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 1986, Philosophy. Dissertation Title: “Moral Scepticism: Why Ask ‘Why Should I be Moral?’” CURRENT POSITION Professor of Philosophy, The Johns Hopkins University; secondary appointment in Classics PREVIOUS POSITIONS Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Texas at Arlington, 1986-1991 Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins, Jan.-June 1991 Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins, 1991-1994 Associate Professor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins, 1994-2000; secondary appointment in Classics, 1996-2000 Acting Executive Director, The American Philosophical Association, Jan. 2000-June 2001 PUBLICATIONS a) Books Sextus Empiricus, Against the Ethicists (Adversus Mathematicos XI): Introduction, Translation and Commentary (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997, paperback 2000). Pp. xxxiv + 302 Pyrrho, his Antecedents and his Legacy (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000, paperback 2003). Pp. xi + 264 Sextus Empiricus, Against the Logicians (Adversus Mathematicos VII-VIII): Introduction, Translation and Notes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005). Pp. xliv + 207 The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Scepticism (editor) (Cambridge University Press, 2010). Pp. xii + 380 (Books, continued) Sextus Empiricus, Against the Physicists (Adversus Mathematicos IX-X): Introduction, Translation and Notes (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012). Pp. xxxiii + 178 Sextus Empiricus, Against those in the Disciplines (Adversus Mathematicos I-VI): Introduction, Translation and Notes (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018). -
Philosophy As a Path to Happiness
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto Philosophy as a Path to Happiness Attainment of Happiness in Arabic Peripatetic and Ismaili Philosophy Janne Mattila ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki in auditorium XII, University main building, on the 13th of June, 2011 at 12 o’clock. ISBN 978-952-92-9077-2 (paperback) ISBN 978-952-10-7001-3 (PDF) http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/ Helsinki University Print Helsinki 2011 2 Abstract The aim of this study is to explore the idea of philosophy as a path to happiness in medieval Arabic philosophy. The starting point is in comparison of two distinct currents within Arabic philosophy between the 10th and early 11th centuries, Peripatetic philosophy, represented by al-Fārābī and Ibn Sīnā, and Ismaili philosophy represented by al-Kirmānī and the Brethren of Purity. These two distinct groups of sources initially offer two contrasting views about philosophy. The attitude of the Peripatetic philosophers is rationalistic and secular in spirit, whereas for the Ismailis philosophy represents the esoteric truth behind revelation. Still, the two currents of thought converge in their view that the ultimate purpose of philosophy lies in its ability to lead man towards happiness. Moreover, they share a common concept of happiness as a contemplative ideal of human perfection, merged together with the Neoplatonic goal of the soul’s reascent to the spiritual world. Finally, for both happiness refers primarily to an otherworldly state thereby becoming a philosophical interpretation of the Quranic accounts of the afterlife. -
The Liar Paradox As a Reductio Ad Absurdum Argument
University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor OSSA Conference Archive OSSA 3 May 15th, 9:00 AM - May 17th, 5:00 PM The Liar Paradox as a reductio ad absurdum argument Menashe Schwed Ashkelon Academic College Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive Part of the Philosophy Commons Schwed, Menashe, "The Liar Paradox as a reductio ad absurdum argument" (1999). OSSA Conference Archive. 48. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/ossaarchive/OSSA3/papersandcommentaries/48 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Conference Proceedings at Scholarship at UWindsor. It has been accepted for inclusion in OSSA Conference Archive by an authorized conference organizer of Scholarship at UWindsor. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Title: The Liar Paradox as a Reductio ad Absurdum Author: Menashe Schwed Response to this paper by: Lawrence Powers (c)2000 Menashe Schwed 1. Introduction The paper discusses two seemingly separated topics: the origin and function of the Liar Paradox in ancient Greek philosophy and the Reduction ad absurdum mode of argumentation. Its goal is to show how the two topics fit together and why they are closely connected. The accepted tradition is that Eubulides of Miletos was the first to formulate the Liar Paradox correctly and that the paradox was part of the philosophical discussion of the Megarian School. Which version of the paradox was formulated by Eubulides is unknown, but according to some hints given by Aristotle and an incorrect version given by Cicero1, the version was probably as follows: The paradox is created from the Liar sentence ‘I am lying’. -
Ancient Greek Physicians
Ancient Greek physicians Abascantus Acesias Acron Acumenus Adamantius Aegimus Aelianus Meccius Aelius Promotus Aeschines (physician) Aeschrion of Pergamon Agapetus (physician) Agathinus Agnodice Alcmaeon of Croton Alexander of Tralles Alexander Philalethes Epipodius and Alexander Alexias Alexion Alexippus Amentes Ammonius Lithotomos Anaxilaus Andreas (physician) Androcydes (physician) Andromachus Andromachus (physician) Andron (physician) Andronicus (physician) Anicia Anonymus Londinensis Antaeus (physician) Antigenes Antigonus (physician) Antiochis Antiochus (physician) Antiochus Philometor Antipater (1st-century BC physician) Antipater (2nd-century physician) Antiphanes of Delos Antonius (herbalist) Antyllus Apollodorus (physician) Apollonides (physician) Apollonides of Cos Apollonios of Kition Apollonius (physician) Archigenes Aretaeus of Cappadocia Aristogenes (physician) Aristoxenus (physician) Asclepiades of Bithynia Asclepiades Pharmacion Aspasia the Physician Athenaeus of Attalia Athryilatus B Bacchius of Tanagra Bolus of Mendes C Calliphon of Croton Chrysippus of Cnidos Claudius Agathemerus Criton of Heraclea Ctesias D Damocrates Democedes Demosthenes Philalethes Dexippus of Cos Dieuches Diocles of Carystus Pedanius Dioscorides Diphilus (physician) Draco (physician) E Epicles Erasistratus Eudemus (physician) Eudoxus of Cnidus Euphorbus (physician) Euryphon Evenor G Galen Glaucias (physician, 3rd century BC) Glaucias (physician, 4th century BC) -
Herodotus and the Vulnerability Ethic in Ancient Greece
Aicher_10June2013_Layout 1 6/13/13 3:22 PM Page 111 Herodotus and the Vulnerability Ethic in Ancient Greece PETER AICHER Herodotus was a narrative pioneer, and his literary trek begins with the story of Croesus. More legend than history, the Croesus Logos, as it’s sometimes called in the literature, draws the reader in with its concentrated drama of family ambition, riddling oracles, prophetic irony, and the fated tumble of its hero. The aim of my essay is to explore some important dimen- sions of this story that have been overlooked in Herodotean scholarship and in prevailing accounts of Greek ethical thought. First, the story of Croesus gives shape and dramatic form to an ethic of vulnerability occupying an important place in Greek thought. A chief point of reference in this condiseration of the vulnerability ethic will be, in a rather full discussion, Aristotle’s own reaction to the Croesus story in the Nichomachean Ethics. Aristotle’s complex, perhaps inconsistent, discussion of a core maxim from the story re- veals a real ambivalence about its ethical message. Since this message from the Croesus story has much in common with the message of tragedy, Aristotle’s ambiva- lence also has relevance for his famous definition of tragedy in the Poetics, and in general expresses more resistance to- wards the message of tragic vulnerability than Martha Nuss- baum allows in her portrayal of an Aristotle who recognizes the fragility of goodness. There is also an important dimension to Solon’s (or rather Herodotus’) vulnerability ethic that Aristotle does not con- sider, since it lies outside the scope of the ethical life as he conceives it. -
Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy. Volume 31, Winter 2006
LIVING IN DOUBT: CARNEADES’ PITHANON RECONSIDERED SUZANNE OBDRZALEK I though the interpretation of ancient texts is inevitably di¶cult, Carneades presents what one might call a worst-case scenario. In the first place, he wrote nothing. To complicate matters, Carneades’ views were so obscure that his faithful disciple Clitomachus con- fessed that he could never figure out what Carneades actually be- lieved (Cic. Acad. 2. 139). Showing remarkable fortitude in the face of such an obstacle, Clitomachus, attempting to play Plato to Carneades’ Socrates, reportedly recorded Carneades’ teachings in 400 books (D.L. 4. 67). Not one remains. None the less, Clito- machus’ attempt to make a philosophy of Carneades’ anti-theoreti- cal stance was not a complete failure; Carneades had a tremendous influence on the later Academy as well as the Stoa, and his views (or lack thereof) have been handed down to us by both Sextus Em- piricus and Cicero. These sources are, however, problematic. As a Pyrrhonist, Sextus was critical of the Academy and may have ex- aggerated what he took to be Carneades’ dogmatism. Cicero, on the other hand, a student of Philo, was undoubtedly influenced in his interpretation of Carneades by his teacher’s dogmatic scepti- cism. Carneades is perhaps best known for proposing the pithan»e phantasia (probable impression) as a criterion for life. However, the status of his theory of the pithanon (probable) is completely unclear.1 Was it merely a dialectical move against the Stoic charge of apraxia (inaction)? Was it a theory that Carneades himself en- ã Suzanne Obdrzalek 2006 I would like to thank Alan Code, Tony Long, Julius Moravcsik, and David Sedley for their comments on this paper. -
Comments on the Sources of Greek Philosophical Criticism
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE Title: Comments on the Sources of Greek Philosophical Criticism Author: Dariusz Kubok Citation style: Kubok Dariusz. (2015). Comments on the Sources of Greek Philosophical Criticism. "Folia Philosophica" (T. 34 (2015), s. 9-31). Folia Philosophica 34 ISSN 2353-9445 (online) ISSN 1231-0913 (print) Dariusz Kubok Comments on the Sources of Greek Philosophical Criticism Abstract: The present article attempts to shed light on the sources of philosophi- cal criticism of early Greece and on the origins of the critical attitude adopted by the thinkers of the period. Above all, however, reflections presented hereby are meant to serve as a backdrop for analyses of a much broader scope. The study seeks to identify the defining characteristics of early Greek criticism, upon which basis the author puts forth a proposition for a general typology of its forms. Complement- ing the present comments is a brief discussion of the suggested types of philosophical criticism in light of the views of some of the leading philosophers of the time. Keywords: early Greek philosophy, critical thinking, criticism, skepticism, typology There is universal agreement that a critical approach is the main force pushing human thought forward, and that criticism, as an attribute of thought, must be an essential element of rational reflection on real- ity. A deficit of criticism leads not only to stagnation in scholarship and science, but also to the appearance of various forms of dogmatism, which do not permit the emergence of alternative views, nor the revi- sion of positions acknowledged as final. -
Neoplatonism: the Last Ten Years
The International Journal The International Journal of the of the Platonic Tradition 9 (2015) 205-220 Platonic Tradition brill.com/jpt Critical Notice ∵ Neoplatonism: The Last Ten Years The past decade or so has been an exciting time for scholarship on Neo platonism. I ought to know, because during my stint as the author of the “Book Notes” on Neoplatonism for the journal Phronesis, I read most of what was published in the field during this time. Having just handed the Book Notes over to George BoysStones, I thought it might be worthwhile to set down my overall impressions of the state of research into Neoplatonism. I cannot claim to have read all the books published on this topic in the last ten years, and I am here going to talk about certain themes and developments in the field rather than trying to list everything that has appeared. So if you are an admirer, or indeed author, of a book that goes unmentioned, please do not be affronted by this silence—it does not necessarily imply a negative judgment on my part. I hope that the survey will nonetheless be wideranging and comprehensive enough to be useful. I’ll start with an observation made by Richard Goulet,1 which I have been repeating to students ever since I read it. Goulet conducted a statistical analy sis of the philosophical literature preserved in the original Greek, and discov ered that almost threequarters of it (71%) was written by Neoplatonists and commentators on Aristotle. In a sense this should come as no surprise. -
Humor As Philosophical Subversion, Especially in the Skeptics
Humor as Philosophical Subversion, Especially in the Skeptics Richard Bett 1. Introduction Aristotle is not exactly a comedian. He wrote about comedy in the lost second book of the Poetics, and, as discussed in another paper in this volume, he wrote about wittiness (εὐτραπελία) in his ethical works. But he does not exhibit much of either. What humor there is in Aristotle seems to fall into two main varieties. First, there is word-play that engages the reader’s attention, which can perhaps be seen as an instance of a technique he describes in Rhetoric 3.10, that of saying “smart things and things that create a good impression” (τὰ ἀστεῖα καὶ τὰ εὐδοκιµοῦντα, 1410b6).1 Early in the Nicomachean Ethics, he says that in endeavoring to determine the principles (ἀρχαί) of ethics, we should begin (ἀρκτέον) with things known to us (1095b2-4). A little later, introducing the idea of the function (ἔργον) of a human being, he asks whether we can seriously consider that a human being as such (as opposed to people in various occupations) is ἀργόν (1097b28- 30) – which is intentionally ambiguous between “without function” and “lazy.” In De Caelo, introducing the topic of minimal magnitudes, he says that positing such a minimal magnitude (τοὐλάχιστον) will make the biggest difference (τὰ µέγιστα) in mathematics (271b10-11). And in De Interpretatione, discussing names, he says that “non-human 1 Unless otherwise noted, translations are my own. In the case of Timon, I sometimes draw on translations in Bett 2000 and Bett 2015. In the case of Sextus I generally draw on Bett 1997, Bett 2005, and Bett 2012.