Love and Loyalty

Discussion of why loyalty was not considered a virtue in classical Greece; contrast with modern conception of loyalt

Ancients on Old Age

Greek and Roman literature has bequeathed us a variety of perspectives on old age. Old age, in ancient times before there were palliatives for pain and devices to compensate for failing sense, such as eyeglasses and hearing aids, could be painful and humiliating. At the same time, old age commanded a certain respect, for the wisdom that time and experience brought, and it afforded pleasures of its own, such as memories of former goods. If erotic passion and attractiveness were diminished, this might be considered a benefit rather than a loss. An aged person might still be able to manage personal affairs, and if death was closer, it was not something to be feared, if one had lived a full life. Old age was a stage in life, the final one, but not less valuable for that

El remordimiento: los orígenes de un concepto moral

Análisis histórico del desarrollo del concepto moral de remordimiento a través de textos de autores griegos clásicos.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Epicurean Phantasia

En este artículo, examino el papel de la phantasia en la teoría epicúrea de la percepción y el pensamiento. Aprovechando de los fragmentos, recién editados, de la Peri phuseôs de Epicuro, y de nuevas interpretaciones de la función de phantasia según Aristóteles, además de textos transmitidos de Epicuro y de Lucrecio, considero problemas altamente discutidos tales como la manera en que los eidôla o simulacra se reducen de tamaño para que puedan entrar en el ojo, y los canales por los cuales se transmiten desde el ojo a la mente. Trato también de la naturaleza de la phantastikê epibolê , es decir, “la proyección de la phantasia ”, y su función en las actividades de pensar y recordar.In this paper, I examine the role of phantasia in the Epicurean theory of perception and thought. Making use of newly edited fragments of Epicurus’ Periphuseôs , and recent interpretations of the role of phantasia in Aristotle, along with received texts of Epicurus and Lucretius, I consider such vexed questions as how eidôla or simulacra are reduced in size so as to enter the eye, and the channels by which they are transmitted from the eye to the mind. I discuss further the nature of phantastikê epibolê , that is, “the projection of phantasia ”, and its function in processes of thinking and remembering

Problems in Epicurean Physics

This article treats several problems in Epicurean atomic theory, including how atoms rebound (the answer is that they must keep moving at a uniform speed and simply move in another direction when impeded), the role of minima in defining the boundaries of an atom and accounting for its impenetrability and why adjacent atoms do not merge, and the explanation of atomic weight as a tendency of atoms emerging from collisions to move in a preferred direction, which is by definition “down.

Epicurean Happiness: A Pig's Life?

In this paper, I argue that for Epicurus, the highest form and final end of human happiness arises whenthe body is free from pain and the soul is free from distress; these, moreover, are what Epicurus denotesas the static pleasures. The static pleasures may be accompanied by pleasant thoughts and sensations:these are what are called the kinetic pleasures. More particularly, the kinetic pleasures of the body arenot those of replenishment (as is commonly supposed), but consist rather in unalloyed, but alsounnecessary, pleasures such as sweet smells and delicious tastes; correspondingly, the kinetic pleasuresof the mind are joy (khara) and good cheer (euphrosunê), which also are in the class of non-necessarypleasures

Horace Odes 1.10: A Turning Point?

José Carlos Fernández Corte ha argumentado en esta revista que Horacio Odas 1.10 marca la conclusión de la serie de diez odas. En este artículo, sugiero que es mejor concebir Odas 1.10 como un poema de transición. En Odas 1.11, podemos percebir signos claros, por medio de juegos de palabras metaliterarios, de que este poema es continuación del grupo anterior y, a la vez, marca un nuevo comienzo