Raphael Woolf

According to Aristotle the happy life is the life of virtue, specifically the life in which we actively exercise our virtue. The happy life is also, for Aristotle, a pleasant life. Yet the virtue of courage might indicate a tension in his position, since its exercise seems to bring with it a substantial risk to the agent of suffering pain and fear. This chapter argues that Aristotle conceives of the courageous agent as feeling little or no fear in the performance of their courageous activities, and that these activities even produce a certain pleasure for the agent. This conception is best explained by Aristotle’s conviction that the good life must be a pleasant one. Since he holds that the good life consists in the exercise of one’s virtues, his strategy is to present this exercise, with courage a paradigm case, in the most pleasant light that he can.

This is a review chapter of Gail Fine, _The Possibility of Inquiry: Meno’s Paradox from Socrates to Sextus_. The chapter begins with a summary of the book and raises some questions about its restriction of discussion of the paradox in Plato to the _Meno_. It then explores Fine’s view of Platonic enquiry and the Socratic elenchus and argues that she underestimates their importance in ways which lead her to misinterpret the force both of the paradox and of Plato’s response to it. Fine’s investigation of post-Platonic responses is then discussed, and while some scepticism is expressed about Fine’s view of the extent to which Aristotle offers a response to the paradox, it is also suggested that more attention might have been given to assessing the relative explanatory power of these responses.

This paper sets out to re‐examine the famous Wax Tablet model in Plato's Theaetetus, in particular the section of it which appeals to the quality of individual souls’wax as an explanation of why some are more liable to make mistakes than others (194c‐195a). This section has often been regarded as an ornamental flourish or a humorous appendage to the model's main explanatory business. Yet in their own appropriations both Aristotle and Locke treat the notion of variable wax quality as an important part of the model's utility in dealing with mistake. What, then, is its status for Plato? I shall argue that the section on variable wax quality is there to suggest to the reader a tempting way of misinterpreting the model. This will highlight the distinctive character of the model in its original version, and provide an unusual example of a philosopher describing how not to read one of his own doctrines.

This book revisits, and sheds fresh light on, some key texts and debates in ancient philosophy. Its twin targets are 'Old Chestnuts' – well-known passages in the works of ancient philosophers about which one might have thought everything there is to say has already been said – and 'Sacred Cows' – views about what ancient philosophers thought, on issues of philosophical importance, that have attained the status of near-unquestioned orthodoxy. Thirteen leading scholars respond to these challenges by offering new perspectives on familiar material and challenging some prevailing orthodoxies. On authors ranging from the Presocratics to Plotinus, the book represents a snapshot of contemporary scholarship in ancient philosophy, and a vigorous and illuminating affirmation of its continuing interest and power. The volume is dedicated to Professor M. M. McCabe, an inspiring scholar and teacher, colleague and friend to both the editors and the contributors.

This 2001 translation makes one of the most important texts in ancient philosophy available to modern readers. Cicero is increasingly being appreciated as an intelligent and well-educated amateur philosopher, and in this work he presents the major ethical theories of his time in a way designed to get the reader philosophically engaged in the important debates. Raphael Woolf's translation does justice to Cicero's argumentative vigour as well as to the philosophical ideas involved, while Julia Annas's introduction and notes provide a clear and accessible explanation of the philosophical context of the work. This edition will appeal to all readers interested in this central text in ancient philosophy and the history of ethics.

Cicero recognizes general moral principles independent of human convention, to which the actual laws and conventions that human societies devise must conform. Yet he believes that differences in local circumstances mean that the way in which conformity is realized may vary considerably across time and place. Conformity need not, and perhaps should not, imply uniformity. Furthermore, Cicero is attuned to the question of how societies develop towards a better realization of the natural law. Genuinely lasting improvement does not result from imposing wholesale change but by engaging reflectively and critically with tradition, custom and history. These points are established through a reading of three of Cicero’s philosophical works: De Re Publica, De Officiis, and especially De Legibus.

Cicero's philosophical works introduced Latin audiences to the ideas of the Stoics, Epicureans and other schools and figures of the post-Aristotelian period, thus influencing the transmission of those ideas through later history. While Cicero's value as documentary evidence for the Hellenistic schools is unquestioned, Cicero: The Philosophy of a Roman Sceptic explores his writings as works of philosophy that do more than simply synthesize the thought of others, but instead offer a unique viewpoint of their own. In this volume Raphael Woolf describes and evaluates Cicero's philosophical achievements, paying particular attention to his relation to those philosophers he draws upon in his works, his Romanizing of Greek philosophy, and his own sceptical and dialectical outlook. The volume aims, using the best tools of philosophical, philological and historical analysis, to do Cicero justice as a distinctive philosophical voice. Situating Cicero's work in its historical and political context, this volume provides a detailed analysis of the thought of one of the finest orators and writers of the Roman period. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Cicero: The Philosophy of a Roman Sceptic is a key resource for those interested in Cicero's role in shaping Classical philosophy.