Theophrastus: Reappraising the Sources (Rutgers University Studies in Classical Humanities, Vol 8)

Theophrastus was Aristotle's pupil and second head of the Peripatetic School. Apart from two botanical works, a collection of character sketches, and several scientific opuscula, his works survive only through quotations and reports in secondary sources. Recently these quotations and reports have been collected and published, thereby making the thought of Theophrastus accessible to a wide audience. The present volume contains seventeen responses to this material. There are chapters dealing with Theophrastus' views on logic, physics, biology, ethics, politics, rhetoric, and music, as well as the life of Theophrastus. Together these writings throw considerable light on fundamental questions concerning the development and importance of the Peripatos in the early Hellenistic period. The authors consider whether Theophrastus was a systematic thinker who imposed coherence and consistency on a growing body of knowledge, or a problem-oriented thinker who foreshadowed the dissolution of Peripatetic thought into various loosely connected disciplines. Of special interest are those essays which deal with Theophrastus' intellectual position in relation to the lively philosophic scene occupied by such contemporaries as Zeno, the founder of the Stoa, and Epicurus, the founder of the Garden, as well as Xenocrates and Polemon hi the Academy, and Theophrastus' fellow Peripatetics, Eudemus and Strato. The contributors to the volume are Suzanne Amigues, Antonio Battegazzore, Tiziano Dorandi, Woldemar Gorier, John Glucker, Hans Gottschalk, Frans de Haas, Andre Laks, Anthony Long, Jorgen Mejer, Mario Mignucci, Trevor Saunders, Dirk Schenkeveld, David Sedley, Robert Sharpies, C. M. J. Sicking and Richard Sorabji. The Rutgers University Studies in Classical Humanities series is a forum for seminal thinking in the field of philosophy, and this volume is no exception. Theophrastus is a landmark achievement in intellectual thought. Philosophers, historians, and classicists will all find this work to be enlightening. Theophrastus was Aristotle's pupil and second head of the Peripatetic School. Apart from two botanical works, a collection of character sketches, and several scientific opuscula, his works survive only through quotations and reports in secondary sources. Recently these quotations and reports have been collected and published, thereby making the thought of Theophrastus accessible to a wide audience. The present volume contains seventeen responses to this material.There are chapters dealing with Theophrastus' views on logic, physics, biology, ethics, politics, rhetoric, and music, as well as the life of Theophrastus. Together these writings throw considerable light on fundamental questions concerning the development and importance of the Peripatos in the early Hellenistic period. The authors consider whether Theophrastus was a systematic thinker who imposed coherence and consistency on a growing body of knowledge, or a problem-oriented thinker who foreshadowed the dissolution of Peripatetic thought into various loosely connected disciplines. Of special interest are those essays which deal with Theophrastus' intellectual position in relation to the lively philosophic scene occupied by such contemporaries as Zeno, the founder of the Stoa, and Epicurus, the founder of the Garden, as well as Xenocrates and Polemon hi the Academy, and Theophrastus' fellow Peripatetics, Eudemus and Strato.The contributors to the volume are Suzanne Amigues, Antonio Battegazzore, Tiziano Dorandi, Woldemar Gorier, John Glucker, Hans Gottschalk, Frans de Haas, Andre Laks, Anthony Long, Jorgen Mejer, Mario Mignucci, Trevor Saunders, Dirk Schenkeveld, David Sedley, Robert Sharpies, C. M. J. Sicking and Richard Sorabji. The Rutgers University Studies in Classical Humanities series is a forum for seminal thinking in the field of philosophy, and this volume is no exception. Theophrastus is a landmark achievement in intellectual thought. Philosophers, historians, and classicists will Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Preface 8 Contributors 10 Chapter 1: A Life in Fragments: The Vita Theophrasti 12 Chapter 2: Qualche aspetto della vita di Teofrasto e il Liceo dopo Aristotele 40 Chapter 3: Theophrastus' Logic 50 Chapter 4: Theophrastus' Rhetorical Works: One Rhetorical Fragment the Less, One Logical Fragment the More 78 Chapter 5: Theophrastus in the Tradition of Greek Casuistry 92 Chapter 6: Theophrastus on the Nature of Music (716 FHS&G) 108 Chapter 7: Le début d'une physique: Ordre, extension et nature des fragments 142-144 A/B de Théophraste 154 Chapter 8: Philoponus on Theophrastus on Composition in Nature 182 Chapter 9: Problèmes de composition et de classification dans l'Historia plantarum de Théophraste 202 Chapter 10: Is Theophrastus a Significant Philosopher? 214 Chapter 11: L'originalità della posizione teofrastea nel contesto del pensiero animalistico aristotelico e della fisiognomica zoo-etica tra Peripato, Stoa e loro critici 234 Chapter 12: Theophrastus as Philosopher and Aristotelian 278 Chapter 13: Theophrastus and the Peripatos 292 Chapter 14: Theophrastus, the Academy, and the Athenian Philosophical Atmosphere 310 Chapter 15: Theophrastus, the Academy, Antiochus and Cicero: A Response (to John Glucker) and an Appendix 328 Chapter 16: Theophrastus and Epicurean Physics 342 Chapter 17: Theophrastus and the Stoa 366 Index of Ancient Sources 396 Index of Subjects 416 Aristotelian;,Athenian,philosophy;,Epicurean,physics;,Greek,casuistry;,Peripatetic,thought;,Philoponus;,Philosopher;,Stoa,of,Zeno;,Theophrastus',logic;,Theophrastus',rhetorical,works Aristotelian,Athenian philosophy,Epicurean physics,Greek casuistry,Peripatetic thought,Philoponus,Philosopher,Stoa of Zeno,Theophrastus' logic,Theophrastus' rhetorical works Edited By Johannes M. Van Ophuijsen, Marlein Van Raalte. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. English, French, And Italian.