Plutarch's Maxime cum principibus philosopho esse disserendum: An Interpretation with Commentary

Contents

Contents Acknowledgements 7 Abbreviations 8 Introduction 15 1. The first steps in the analysis of Maxime cum principibus 17 1.1. The author 17 1.1.1. A rich political career 17 1.1.2. Heir of an old tradition 19 1.2. The work 22 1.2.1. A difficult text 22 1.2.2. The literary genre of Maxime cum principibus 25 1.2.3. The date of Maxime cum principibus 28 2. Two further stepping-stones 31 2.1. Plutarch’s evaluation of the political position of his philosophical predecessors 31 2.1.1. Introduction 31 2.1.2. The Presocratics 32 2.1.3. Socrates 38 2.1.4. Plato 39 2.1.5. The Academy 44 2.1.6. Aristotle 51 2.1.7. The Peripatetics 55 2.1.8. Provisional conclusions 57 2.1.9. Philosophical opponents 58 2.1.10. Conclusion 63 2.2. Consistency, again and again 65 6 contents 3. Plutarch’s argument in Maxime cum principibus 71 3.1. The philosopher’s φιλοκαλία: humane behaviour for the benefit of the whole community (776a-777b) 71 3.2. Friendship as the final end of human λόγος (777b-778b) 96 3.3. The pleasures of the πολιτικὸς φιλόσοφος (778b-f) 119 3.4. Some concrete examples of φιλοκαλία (779a-c) 129 3.5. Conclusion: Plutarch’s political philosophy in Maxime cum principibus 132 3.5.1. Friendship between the philosopher and the ruler as one of Plutarch’s political ideals 132 3.5.2. Plutarch and power: the philosopher’s escape from a harsh reality 134 3.5.3. Plutarch’s political philosophy in Maxime cum principibus: a schematic survey 139 3.6. Schematic structure of Maxime cum principibus 140 commentary 145 Bibliography 193 Indices 217 Index nominum 219 Index locorum 224 ...