Theory and Practice in Epicurean Political Philosophy: Security, Justice and Tranquility

The opponents of Epicureanism in antiquity, including Cicero, Plutarch and Lactantius, succeeded in establishing a famous cliché: the theoretical and practical disinterest of Epicurus and the Epicureans in political communities. However, this anti-Epicurean literature did not provide considerations of Epicurean political theory or the testimonies about Epicurean lifestyle. The purpose of this book is to shed light on the contribution of Epicurean thought to political life in the ancient world. Incorporating the most up-to-date material, including papyri which have been recovered from Herculaneum, documents of Greek epigraphy and the prosopography of the Roman Epicureans, this volume will bring to the foreground new testimonies surrounding the public activities of the Epicureans. In this way, the reader will learn that Epicurean political theory is, in fact, a crucial ingredient of its philosophy. As a result, this connection creates an ongoing dialogue with the Greek philosophical tradition, revealing the presence of Plato in the Epicurean philosophy.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Notes on the Texts and Translations List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Genealogy of Justice and Laws in Epicureanism 2. The City, the natural God and the Epicurean Promise of Security 3. Prolepsis, Justice and Usefulness in the Epicurean Contractual Political Model 4.. Cicero, Plutarch and Lactanctius as Readers of Epicurus 5. The Epicurean Sage, the Issue of Justice and the Laws 6. The Greek Poleis, Rome and its Illustrious Epicurean Citizens 7. Conclusions. Friendship, Law and Justice: The Epicureans and their Interest in Interpersonal relations Notes Bibliography General Index Index Locorum

About the Author :
Javier Aoiz is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Santiago, Chile. He is a founding member of the Venezuelan Society of Phenomenology, the Latin American Association of Ancient Philosophy and the Group of Philosophical Research University of Salamanca-University Simo´n Boli´var. His publications include Alma y tiempo en Aristóteles (2007) and Hierocles el Estoico, Elementos de Ética, Extractos de Estobeo y Glosas de la Suda (co-authored with Deyvis Deniz, 2014). Marcelo D. Boeri is Professor of Philosophy at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile. He served as a co-editor of Me´thexis (International Journal for Ancient Philosophy) and as a member of the editorial board of the International Plato Studies series (International Plato Society). His publications include Los Filósofos Estoicos: Ontología, Lógica, Física y Ética (coauthored with Ricardo Salles, 2014) and is co-editor of Soul and Mind in Greek Thought: Psychological Issues in Plato and Aristotle (2018).

Review :
In this thorough exploration, Aoiz & Boeri have raised the veil that has covered the true face of Epicureanism for two thousand years. This volume provides an up-to-date and searching reconstruction of Epicurean political thought, which sets the familiar slogans of “Live unknown!” and “Do not engage in politics!” within the subtle and careful framework of Epicurean philosophy. It makes a positive case for a nuanced and sophisticated philosophical outlook and presents the wide range of evidence for Epicureans’ practical political engagement from the Hellenistic Garden to the Roman Imperial period. Aoiz and Boeri not only summarise [contemporary] scholarly trends but offer what is probably the most up-to-date and comprehensive interpretation of Epicurean political theory, along with discussions of the political activities of actual historical actors in Greece and Rome for whom there is evidence of Epicurean sympathies. The result is a monograph that will be required reading for specialists in Epicurean philosophy and of great interest to scholars of ancient philosophy and political thought more generally … An excellent volume which should whet the appetite of specialists of Epicurean philosophy and interest scholars of political thought or the social/cultural history of philosophy.