The Ethics of Epicurus and its Relation to Contemporary Doctrines
Jean-Marie Guyau author Federico Testa translator Professor Keith Ansell Pearson editor Federico Testa editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:18th May '23
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The first English translation of Jean-Marie Guyau’s highly original, major study of Epicurean philosophy, which demonstrates Epicureanism’s profound impact on the shape of modern culture and contemporary philosophy.
This is the first English translation of a compelling and highly original reading of Epicurus by Jean-Marie Guyau. This book has long been recognized as one of the best and most concerted attempts to explore one of the most important, yet controversial ancient philosophers whose thought, Guyau claims, remains vital to modern and contemporary culture. Throughout the text we are introduced to the origins of the philosophy of pleasure in Ancient Greece, with Guyau clearly demonstrating how this idea persists through the history of philosophy and how it is an essential trait in the Western tradition.
With an introduction by Keith Ansell-Pearson and Federico Testa, which contextualizes the work of Guyau within the canon of French thought, and notes on both further reading and on Epicurean scholarship more generally, this translation also acts as a critical introduction to the philosophy of Guyau and Epicurus.
This is a fascinating study of Epicurus, also containing a valuable account of Epicureanism in the early modern period, and it is an important document in the history of Epicureanism in its own right. Guyau is himself an unjustly neglected philosopher, making this volume doubly welcome. * John Sellars, Reader in Philosophy, Royal Holloway University of London, UK *
Once compulsory reading for Tolstoy, Nietzsche, and Bergson, Guyau’s study is three books in one: a masterful introduction to Epicureanism, a modern history of the philosophy since Hobbes and Spinoza, and a passionate defense of its utility as a guide to social and ethical conduct today. This translation will reestablish Guyau’s reputation as one of the great intellects — and influencers — of the late nineteenth century. * James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor of Rhetoric and Classics, University of California, Berkeley, USA *
This is a beautiful translation of a game-changing classic in Epicurean scholarship. A work of philosophy in its own right, Guyau exquisitely captures the illusive nature of an ethics of the “whole of life” and reveals its uniquely emancipatory potential. Finally, English readers can discover the magic of Guyau’s prose that influenced many of the greatest thinkers of 19th materialism! * Thomas Nail, Professor of Philosophy, University of Denver, USA *
ISBN: 9781350261020
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
304 pages