Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy: Volume XXI (2005)(21 Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy)

With one exception, this volume contains papers and commentaries originally presented to the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy during the 2004-5 academic year. Of the seven colloquia that make up this volume, two deal with Plato while the rest are dedicated to Aristotle. The topics on Plato are almost exclusively political: (1) a reading of the Republic that places it within the genre of writings ‘On the Politeia, and (2) a discussion of the role of preambles in Plato’s Laws. There is a wider range of topics on Aristotle, ranging from his views on the relationship between external goods and happiness, through his account of phantasia, and all the way to his theory of metaphor. In relation to Aristotle also, one colloquium provides a detailed analysis of his curious theory of the so-called ‘inner sense’, while another raises the question as to whether he might be regarded as a particularist in the philosophy of action like some modern theorists. As usual for this series, most colloquia contain a paper and commentary which provide a lively exchange on these topics.

Table of Contents:
Preface, Introduction COLLOQUIUM 1 On Plato’s Πολιτεία - STEPHEN MENN Menn Bibliography COLLOQUIUM 2 Wishing for Fortune, Choosing Activity: Aristotle on External Goods and Happiness - ERIC BROWN Commentary on Brown - GARY M. GURTLER, S. J. Brown/Gurtler Bibliography COLLOQUIUM 3 Aristotle on Φαντασία - ALFREDO FERRARIN Commentary on Ferrarin - KLAUS BRINKMANN Ferrarin/Brinkmann Bibliography COLLOQUIUM 4 Enchanting the Souls: On Plato’s Conception of Law and “Preambles” - JEAN-FRANÇOIS PRADEAU Commentary on Pradeau - GAVIN T. COLVERT Pradeau/Colvert Bibliography COLLOQUIUM 5 Aristotle and the Metaphysics of Metaphor - FRAN O’ROURKE Commentary on O’Rourke - IOANNA PATSIOTI-TSACPOUNIDI O’Rourke/Patsioti-Tsacpounidi Bibliography COLLOQUIUM 6 Was Aristotle a Particularist? - A. W. PRICE Commentary on Price - BRIDGET CLARKE Price/Clarke Bibliography COLLOQUIUM 7 In Defense of Inner Sense: Aristotle on Perceiving That One Sees - THOMAS K. JOHANSEN Commentary on Johansen - ARYEH KOSMAN Johansen/Kosman Bibliography About our Contributors Index of Names

About the Author :
John J. Cleary is Professor of Philosophy at Boston College and Associate Professor of Philosophy at NUI Maynooth (Ireland). He received his B.A. and M.A. from University College Dublin, and his Ph.D. from Boston University. He was director of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy from 1984 to 1988, and is the founding general editor of this series of Proceedings. He has published extensively on ancient philosophy, including a monograph on Aristotle and Mathematics (Leiden, 1995). Currently, he is writing a book on the role of paideia in ancient political thought. Gary M. Gurtler, S.J., is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College. He was educated at St. John Fisher College (B.A.), at Fordham University (M.A. and Ph.D.), and at the Weston School of Theology (M.Div.). He has published on ancient philosophy, with special attention to Neoplatonism, including a book on Plotinus: The Experience of Unity (1988). Most recently, his article �The Activity of Happiness in Aristotle's Ethics� appeared in the Review of Metaphysics (June, 2003). Currently, he is continuing research on alienation and otherness in the psychology of Plotinus.

Review :
'The combination of insightful narrative and documentation...in these two volumes constitutes a necessary addition to the library of anyone with an interest in this period in Chinese history.' Gerald W. Berkley-Coats, China Review International, 1995.