Korte beschrijving/Annotatie

New perspectives on Epicureanism in the fields of language, medicine, and meteorology

Tekst achterflap

Epicureanism is not only a defence of pleasure: it is also a philosophy of science and knowledge. This edited collection explores new pathways for the study of Epicurean scientific thought, a hitherto still understudied domain, and engages systematically and critically with existing theories. It shows that the philosophy of Epicurus and his heirs, from antiquity to the classical age, founded a rigorous and coherent conception of knowledge. This first part of a two-volume set examines more specifically the contribution of Epicureanism in the fields of language, medicine, and meteorology (i.e., celestial, geological and atmospheric phenomena). Offering a renewed image of Epicureanism, the book includes studies on the nature of human language and on the linguistic aspects of scientific discourse; on the relationship between Epicureanism and ancient medicine, from Hippocrates to Galen; on meteorological phenomena and the method of explaining them; and on the reception of Epicurus's legacy in Gassendi.

Slogan/Promotie

Epicureanism is not only a defence of pleasure: it is also a philosophy of science and knowledge. This edited collection explores new pathways for the study of Epicurean scientific thought, a hitherto still understudied domain, and engages systematically and critically with existing theories. It shows that the philosophy of Epicurus and his heirs, from antiquity to the classical age, founded a rigorous and coherent conception of knowledge. This first part of a two-volume set examines more specifically the contribution of Epicureanism in the fields of language, medicine, and meteorology (i.e., celestial, geological and atmospheric phenomena). Offering a renewed image of Epicureanism, the book includes studies on the nature of human language and on the linguistic aspects of scientific discourse; on the relationship between Epicureanism and ancient medicine, from Hippocrates to Galen; on meteorological phenomena and the method of explaining them; and on the reception of Epicurus's legacy in Gassendi.

Biografie

Francesca Masi is associate professor of the history of ancient philosophy at the University Ca’ Foscari of Venice. Her main research areas are ontology, physics, psychology, and ethics in classical and Hellenistic philosophy. She is the author of several studies on Epicurus and Epicureanism. Francesco Verde is associate professor of the history of ancient philosophy at Sapienza University in Rome. His main research areas are Epicureanism and Aristotelianism of the Hellenistic age. Pierre-Marie Morel is professor of ancient philosophy at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He has translated Epicurus and Diogenes of Oinoanda into French. He is also the author of several books and studies on ancient philosophy.

Inhoudsopgave

Introduction Francesca Masi, Pierre-Marie Morel and Francesco Verde Thinking or Speaking: The Paradoxes of the Epicurean Theory of Language Julie Giovacchini Language Theory, Scientific Terminology, and Linguistic Controversies in Epicurus’ On Nature Francesca Masi Epicurus and His Meteorological Lexicon in the Letter to Pythocles: Some Remarks Dino De Sanctis The Fragments of Epicurus’ Letters: Scientific Debates and New Perspectives Margherita Erbì Lucretius’ Epistemological Language Chiara Rover Medicine and Responsibility: Hippocratic and Democritean Influences on Epicurus’ Περὶ φύσεως Book XXV? Enrico Piergiacomi Medicine and Atomism: Asclepiades of Bithynia and Epicurean Science David Leith Patterns of Reception of Epicureanism in Galen’s Writings Vincenzo Damiani Gravity and the Shape and Location of the Earth David Konstan The Method of Multiple Explanations Revisited Voula Tsouna The Explanation of Meteorological Phenomena in the Philosophical Inscription of Diogenes of Oinoanda Jürgen Hammerstaedt Gassendi’s Interpretation of Epicurus’ Method of Multiple Explanations: Between Scepticism and Probabilism Frederik Bakker Observation, Probabilism, and Humanist Methods of History in Pierre Gassendi’s Meteorology Craig Martin About the contributors Index of Ancient Names Index of Modern Names

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