Skill in Ancient Ethics : The Legacy of China, Greece and Rome

Illustrating the centrality of skill within ancient ethics, including Socrates' search for expertise in virtue, the Republic's 'craft of justice', Aristotle's delineation of the politike techne, the Stoics' 'art of life' and ancient Chinese ethics, this collection shows how skill has been an ethical touchstone from the beginning of philosophical thought. Divided into six sections – on Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, Mencius and Xunzi, the Mohists and Zhuangzi, and comparative perspectives – world-leading philosophers explore the significance of skill according to traditional figures, as well as lesser-known philosophers such as Carneades and Antipater, and texts such as the Zhuangzi. In doing so, the seventeen contributors illustrate how skill, expertise and 'know how' are essential to and foundational within ancient ethical thought. As the first collection to foreground skill as central to ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese ethics, this is an essential resource for anyone interested in the value of cross-cultural philosophy today. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Contributors Introduction 1. Skill in Greek and Roman Ethics 2. Skill in Chinese Ethics References Part One Skill in Plato’s Ethics 1 Socrates: Apprentice at Politics Introduction 1. Is Socrates not the first? 2. Only Socrates 3. Being a craft sman and performing the functions of the craft 4. How Socrates performs the craft of politics 5. Summary and conclusion References 2 The Question is not ‘Can Virtue be Taught?’ but ‘Can Virtue be Learned?’ 1. The Meno : is virtue teachable? 2. Protagoras (320c–328d) 3. Protagoras in the Protagoras 4. Teaching a language vs teaching flute-playing 5. A defence of Protagoras’ evidence over Socrates 6. The nature of a skill according to Socrates (and Plato) 7. Protagoras’ evidence fi ts Socrates’ assumptions regarding the nature of a skill 8. Conclusion References 3 The Contest Between Philosophy and Rhetoric in Plato’s Gorgias Introduction 1. Orders and ends 2. The architectonic craft 3. The objects of rhetoric and philosophy 4. A Gorgian inconsistency 5. Review of the analogy and disanalogy 6. Philosopher kings in the Gorgias 7. The use of rhetoric References 4 A Dewian Conception of Skill as Clue to the Analogy Between Craft and Virtue in the Platonic Dialogues 1. Specifying an art’s end 2. A false analogy: one skill, one end 3. Scholarly consensus 4. A Dewian conception of technê 5. Applying the Dewian model to the Republic 6. Conclusions References Part Two Skill in Aristotle’s Ethics 5 Steering Against the Bad: An Aristotelian Account of Virtue as Two-way1 1. Limiting the powers disanalogy between skill and virtue 2. Acting knowingly and for the good 3. Constraining the scope of possibilities for action 4. The two-wayness of virtue’s rational order 5. Steering against the bad as a way of getting it right 6. Conclusion References 6 Virtue Cultivation and the Skill of Emotion Regulation Introduction 1. The virtue-skill analogy 2. The Orektikon and character virtue 3. Phantasia as non-rational evaluative cognition 4. Appearance-based emotions 5. Phantastic habituation and emotion regulation References 7 Aristotle on Techne: Two Theses in Search of a Synthesis? Introduction 1. The ‘official’ conception of techne: Cognitive-theoretical emphasis 2. Techne as practico-experiential References Part Three Skill in Stoic Ethics 8 The Craft sman of Impulse: Chrysippus on Expertise and Moral Development1 1. Preliminaries: impulse and right reason 2. Second senses: expertise and concept formation 3. The craft sman of impulse 4. Conclusion References 9 Being and Becoming Good: Seneca’s Two Moral Conceptions of Ars Introduction 1. Wisdom and craft s or skills 2. Wisdom as a craft or skill 3. Becoming good as an ars 4. The ars of the proficiens and the ars of the wise with regard to the blows of fate 5. Doing good deeds as an activity of the proficiens and an activity of the wise 6. Conclusion References Part Four Skill in Confucian Ethics 10 Cultivating Goodness or Manifesting Goodness: Two Interpretations of the Mencius 1. The question 2. The Cultivation Model 3. The Manifestation Model 3a. The Manifestation-Will Model 3b. The Manifestation-Mixed Xin Model 4. Concluding remarks References 11 Ritual as a Skill: Ethical Cultivation and the Skill Model in the Xunzi 1. The skill model of virtue 2. Xunzi’s ethics and the skill analogy 3. Ritual learning as skill acquisition 4. Ritual creation and skills References Part Five Skill and Ethics in the Zhuangzi 12 A Path with No End: Skill and Dao in Mozi and Zhuangzi Introduction 1. Dao, models and skill in the Mozi 2. Cook Ding on dao versus skill 3. Proficiency in the patterns 4. The ends of dao 5. An ethics of dao and de 6. Conclusion References 13 Skilfulness and Uselessness in the Zhuangzi 1. A tension in the text 2. Uselessness and timeliness 3. Performance and non- attachment 4. Between attachment and detachment 5. Uselessness as the basis of usefulness 6. Uselessness and politics 7. Conclusion References 14 Dao and Agency: What do the Zhuangzi’s Skill Stories Tell Us about Life? Introduction, and some remarks on ‘skill’ in the Zhuangzi 1. Dao and ‘skill’ in the stories 2. Do you have (a) dao? 3. Dao, agency and life References Part Six Comparative Perspectives on Skill in Ethics 15 Can One Become Wise by Learning to Catch Cicadas? Analogies between Craft s and Wisdom in Daoism and Stoicism Introduction and texts 1. Why is excellence in skills paradigmatic for the art of living? 2. The differences in the Stoic and Daoist craft analogies 3. The common denominator behind the differences 4. Why the specialist crafts can (or cannot) be conducive to wisdom References 16 Gendered Skill: Chinese and Greek Skill-Knowledge Analogies from Archery and Weaving 1. Chinese archery metaphors 2. Greek archery metaphors 3. Chinese analogies from weaving 4. Greek analogies from weaving 5. Conclusions References 17 The Skilful Wanderer: On the Risks and Rewards of Travel in Plato and Zhuangzi Introduction 1. The a(nti)teliology of wandering 2. Wandering inside the world 3. Wandering as transformative: Between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ 4. The privations of the wanderer in Ancient Greece 5. Wandering in mere eikos: Sophistry in Phaedrus 6. Toward an ethics of wandering: Zhuangzi and Plato compared Works Cited Index Part I. Skill in Plato's ethics. 1. Socrates: Apprentice at politics / Nicholas D. Smith (Lewis and Clark College) ; 2. Can virtue be learned?: reconciling two models of virtue Instruction in the protagoras / Naomi Reshotko (University of Denver) ; 3. Protagoras' theory of punishment / Brooks Sommerville (Haverford College) ; 4. The craft of justice in Plato's Gorgias / Laurence Bloom (Rhodes University) ; 5. [Chapter on ethics and skill in the Republic and/or Statesman] -- Part II: Skill in Aristotle's Ethics. 6. What's behind Aristotle's account of skills in the ethics / Carlotta Pavese (Duke University); Simona Aimar (University College London) ; 7. Steering against the bad: desire, practical reason, and ordinary virtuous action / Jennifer Rothschild (University of Florida) ; 8. Practical wisdom and coercive technai / Noell Birondo (Wichita State University) ; 9. Virtue cultivation and the skill of emotion regulation / Paul Carron (Baylor University) -- Part III: Skill in stoic ethics. 10. TBC ; 11. Skilful acts: virtue and skill in stoic ethics / Tue Søvsø (University of Copenhagen) Skill in Ancient Chinese Ethics -- Part IV: Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi. 12. A path with no end: skill and Dao in Mozi and Zhuangzi /Chris Fraser (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong) ; 13. Skilfulness and uselessness in the Zhuangzi / Wai Wai Chiu (Lingnan University, China ; 14. Dao and agency: what do the Zhuangzi's skill stories tell us about life? / Karyn Lai (University of New South Wales, Australia) -- Section VI. Comparative perspective on skill in ethics. 15. Can one become wise by learning to catch cicadas? Analogies between crafts and wisdom in Daoism and stoicism / David Machek (Univerisity of Bern, Switzerland) ; 16. Gendered skill: Chinese and Greek skill-knowledge analogies from archery and weaving / Lisa Raphals (University of California, Riverside, USA) ; 17. The skillful wanderer on th4e risks and rewards of travel in Plato and Zhuangzi / Rohan Sikri (University of Georgia, USA) "This collection illustrates the centrality of skill within ancient ethics, including ancient Chinese ethics, showing how skill or techne has been a touchstone from the beginning of philosophical thought. Covering Socrates' search for expertise in virtue, the Republic's 'craft of justice', Aristotle's delineation of the politike techne and the Stoics' 'art of life'. Divided into four sections on Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Chinese ethics, it brings together world-leading philosophers working across this broad topic. Yet it is not limited to traditional figures and traditions, featuring essays on the importance of skill in lesser-known philosophers, such as Carneades and Antipater, and texts, such as the Zhuangzi. In doing so, it illustrates how skill, expertise and 'know how' are important in ethics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of action and cognitive science. This collection of specially-commissioned chapters is the first to foreground skill as central to Ancient and Chinese ethics specifically making it an essential for anyone interested in the value of cross-cultural philosophy today"-- Provided by publisher "This collection illustrates the centrality of skill within ancient ethics, including ancient Chinese ethics, showing how skill or techne has been a touchstone from the beginning of philosophical thought. Covering Socrates' search for expertise in virtue, the Republic 's 'craft of justice', Aristotle's delineation of the politike techne and the Stoics' 'art of life'. Divided into four sections on Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Chinese ethics, it brings together world-leading philosophers working across this broad topic. Yet it is not limited to traditional figures and traditions, featuring essays on the importance of skill in lesser-known philosophers, such as Carneades and Antipater, and texts, such as the Zhuangzi. In doing so, it illustrates how skill, expertise and 'know how' are important in ethics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of action and cognitive science. This collection of specially-commissioned chapters is the first to foreground skill as central to Ancient and Chinese ethics specifically making it an essential for anyone interested in the value of cross-cultural philosophy today."--