Analytic Philosophy, the Ancient Philosopher Poets and the Poetics of Analytic Philosophy

Rhizomata ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-182
Author(s):  
Catherine Rowett

Abstract The paper starts with reflections on Plato’s critique of the poets and the preference many express for Aristotle’s view of poetry. The second part of the paper takes a case study of analytic treatments of ancient philosophy, including the ancient philosopher poets, to examine the poetics of analytic philosophy, diagnosing a preference in Analytic philosophy for a clean non-poetic style of presentation, and then develops this in considering how well historians of philosophy in the Analytic tradition can accommodate the contributions of philosophers who wrote in verse. The final part of the paper reviews the current enthusiasm for decoding Empedocles’ vague and poetic descriptions of the cosmic cycle into a precise scientific periodicity on the basis of the recently discovered Byzantine scholia on Aristotle. I argue that this enthusiasm speaks to a desire for definite and clear numerical values in place of poetic motifs of give and take, and that this mathematical and scientific poetic is comparable to the preferred poetic of analytic philosophy.

Author(s):  
Roy Tzohar

This, the conclusion of this book, draws out those features and themes that are common to the various accounts of metaphor presented in the preceding chapters and examines their possible applications. The text also briefly examines further ways in which these features may be applied to deepen and enrich our understanding of the Buddhist and more generally Indian philosophical engagement with figurative language. As a quick case study, the final part of the discussion explores how the Yogācāra theory of meaning sheds light on the concrete use of distinct figures, focusing on a list of similes prevalent in the school’s literature.


Author(s):  
Douglas J. Davies

This tripartite chapter calls for a creative approach that engages diverse themes while striving for satisfying resolutions of disciplinary tensions between anthropology and theology. It calls for this even if these resolutions are not achieved. The first part, entitled “Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Dialogue,” is heavily autobiographical, and offers a case study of reflexivity, excusing its indulgence in biographical reflection on account of its intention to pinpoint the very particular and contextual nature of idea development. The second part, headed “Further Conversation Pieces,” picks up just such ideas open to anthropological–theological conversation, including a cautionary gloss on the over-easy use of anthropology and theology as discrete terms. The third and final part, described as “Disciplinary Quandaries,” takes some of these formal classifications of disciplines further and also brings together some personal and institutional factors surrounding both anthropological and theological practice.


Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy provides, twice each year, a collection of the best current work in the field of ancient philosophy. Each volume features original essays that contribute to an understanding of a wide range of themes and problems in all periods of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, from the beginnings to the threshold of the Middle Ages. From its first volume in 1983, OSAP has been a highly influential venue for work in the field, and has often featured essays of substantial length as well as critical essays on books of distinctive importance. Volume LV contains: a methodological examination on how the evidence for Presocratic thought is shaped through its reception by later thinkers, using discussions of a world soul as a case study; an article on Plato’s conception of flux and the way in which sensible particulars maintain a kind of continuity while undergoing constant change; a discussion of J. L. Austin’s unpublished lecture notes on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and his treatment of loss of control (akrasia); an article on the Stoics’ theory of time and in particular Chrysippus’ conception of the present and of events; and two articles on Plotinus, one that identifies a distinct argument to show that there is a single, ultimate metaphysical principle; and a review essay discussing E. K. Emilsson’s recent book, Plotinus.


Rhizomata ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-217
Author(s):  
Matthew Sharpe

Abstract This paper examines the central criticisms that come, broadly, from the modern, ‘analytic’ tradition, of Pierre Hadot’s idea of ancient philosophy as a way of life.: Firstly, ancient philosophy just did not or could not have involved anything like the ‘spiritual practices’ or ‘technologies of the self’, aiming at curing subjects’ unnecessary desires or bettering their lives, contra Hadot and Foucault et al. Secondly, any such metaphilosophical account of putative ‘philosophy’ must unacceptably downplay the role of ‘serious philosophical reasoning’ or ‘rigorous argument’ in philosophy. Thirdly, claims that ancient philosophy aimed at securing wisdom by a variety of means including but not restricted to rational inquiry are accordingly false also as historical claims about the ancient philosophers. Fourthly, to the extent that we must (despite (3)) admit that some ancient thinkers did engage in or recommend extra-cognitive forms of transformative practice, these thinkers were not true or ‘mainline’ philosophers. I contend that the historical claims (3) and (4) are highly contestable, risking erroneously projecting a later modern conception of philosophy back onto the past. Of the theoretical or metaphilosophical claims (1) and (2), I argue that the second claim, as framed here, points to real, hard questions that surround the conception(s) of philosophy as a way of life.


Author(s):  
Oliver H. Creighton ◽  
Duncan W. Wright ◽  
Michael Fradley ◽  
Steven Trick

This introductory chapter outlines the historiography of the reign of King Stephen (1135–54), highlighting how study has been dominated by documentary history while archaeological and other material evidence has played a marginal role. It identifies landmark studies of the period, summarises the principal chroniclers that cover Stephen’s reign and discusses charters as another cornerstone of the evidence base. A major debate has centred on whether or not the period should continue to be styled as ‘the Anarchy’, with scholars taking maximalist and minimalist views of the violence and disturbances of the period. The final part of the chapter explains the approach and structure of the volume: after a chronological outline of the civil war (Chapter 2), the book covers conflict landscapes and siege warfare (Chapter 3), castles (Chapter 4), artefacts and material culture (Chapter 5), weaponry and armour (Chapter 6), the church (Chapter 7), settlements and landscape (Chapter 8), and a detailed case study of the fenland campaigns (Chapter 9), while Chapter 10 presents a self-contained concluding essay that reflects on what the material evidence can and cannot us about the conflict and its consequences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 392-413
Author(s):  
Michele Cardani ◽  
Marco Tamborini

Abstract This paper takes into account Bertrand Russell’s, Francis H. Bradley’s, and Immanuel Kant’s arguments about “what is the real Julius Caesar” to examine (i) Russell’s characterization of analytic philosophy as a “new philosophy”, born as a revolt against idealism, and (ii) the actual relationship between Bradley and Kant. In order to understand who Russell was actually revolting against, we analyse the features of Bradley’s idealism and investigate how he understood and interpreted Kant’s transcendental revolution. By using the notion of Julius Caesar as a cogent comparative case study, we show that Bradley’s reading of Kant was not well-grounded. Therefore, we argue that Bradley’s interpretation of Hegel’s idealism was also unconventional. This misunderstanding in turn shaped and characterised Russell’s revolt against idealism. As a result, we show that analytic and continental philosophy began to part ways with the birth of what Russell calls new philosophy much earlier than their encounter at Davos. The reasons for this parting can be found in British idealists’ erroneous interpretation of Kant’s transcendental philosophy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 707-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
NIGEL COPSEY

Far too little academic attention has been paid to more contemporary forms of transnational anti-fascist militancy. Yet this study supports the idea that this field of anti-fascist activity has remained important. This article examines transnational anti-fascist militancy in the 1990s through a case study of Britain's Anti-Fascist Action (AFA). In doing so it offers an in-depth account of AFA's attempts to establish an international militant anti-fascist network in conjunction with Germany's Autonome Antifa (M). The article identifies the common interests, challenges and limitations of this network. The final part of his article reflects on the cross-border importation of AFA to the Irish Republic.


Author(s):  
Judith-Anne MacKenzie ◽  
Aruna Nair

Course-focused and comprehensive, Textbook on Land Law continues to provide an interesting, accessible, and original account of contemporary land law. The seventeenth edition builds upon the book’s unique and straightforward approach. Using a fictional case study to illustrate the key principles of land law, the chapters demonstrate the real-life applications of a subject students often find very abstract, while clarifying complex areas and common points of confusion. The book consists of seven parts. Part I provides an introduction to estates and interests in land. Part II looks at the acquisition of estates in land. Part III considers the two legal estates of freehold and leasehold, and in particular looks in detail at the obligations in a leasehold estate, their enforcement and remedies for their breach. Part IV looks at trusts and proprietary estoppel. Part V is about licences and a review of the law relating to the family home. The next part considers third party rights, including mortgages, and the final part concludes with a consideration of the definition of ‘land’.


Author(s):  
Judith-Anne MacKenzie ◽  
Aruna Nair

Course-focused and comprehensive, Textbook on Land Law continues to provide an interesting, accessible, and original account of contemporary land law. The eighteenth edition builds upon the book’s unique and straightforward approach. Using a fictional case study to illustrate the key principles of land law, the chapters demonstrate the real-life applications of a subject students often find very abstract, while clarifying complex areas and common points of confusion. The book consists of seven parts. Part I provides an introduction to estates and interests in land. Part II looks at the acquisition of estates in land. Part III considers the two legal estates of freehold and leasehold, and in particular looks in detail at the obligations in a leasehold estate, their enforcement and remedies for their breach. Part IV looks at trusts and proprietary estoppel. Part V is about licences and a review of the law relating to the family home. The next part considers third party rights, including mortgages, and the final part concludes with a consideration of the definition of ‘land’.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 1092-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
XUELEI HUANG

AbstractSmell is deeply meaningful to human beings. Often considered elusive, ephemeral, and volatile, it has long been excluded from scholarly accounts on culture and history. This article explores this ‘lower’ sense and the roles it played in the historical process of modernization in China. Through a close look at the efforts made by the Western colonial administration to deodorize Shanghai as well as diverse Chinese reactions, this article argues that smell constituted a hidden site where the dynamics of power relations were played out. Smell also opened up a window to showcase modernity's power and ambivalence. The first part of this article looks at how China smelled to the Western nose, against the historical background of the rising consciousness of smell, sanitation, and civility in Europe which began in the eighteenth century. The second part examines the ways in which the British administration applied the olfactory norms of the modern West to the end of taming Chinese stench. The final part provides a case study of ordure treatment in order to show how ambivalence arose in this modern smellscape and why.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document