Terence Irwin presents a historical and critical study of the development of moral philosophy over two thousand years, from ancient Greece to the Reformation. Starting with the seminal ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, he guides the reader through the centuries that follow, introducing each of the thinkers he discusses with generous quotations from their works. He offers not only careful interpretation but critical evaluation of what they have to offer philosophically. This is the first of three volumes which will examine the history of ethics in the Socratic tradition, up to the late 20th century.
Readership: Scholars and students of moral philosophy; anyone with an interest in the history of ethics
Terence Irwin, University of Oxford
"A remarkable work of scholarship. Very few philosophers could produce a work of such scale and such erudition. Professor Irwin has studied his chosen authors with minute precision, and has read exhaustively in the secondary literature. Sources are conscientiously recorded and ample quotations provided in footnotes. The treatment of controversial issues is always balanced, and the eventual verdicts are always judicious... This book is a monument of erudition and patience, and gives promise of similar virtues in the forthcoming successor volumes." - Anthony Kenny, Times Literary Supplement
"Para concluir, é preciso enfatizar a erudição, a clareza, a elegância com que os argumentos são apresentados e, sobretudo, a excepcional fecundidade que eles possuem para o debate sobre os destinos da ética como disciplina filosófica. Os estudos acadêmicos em ética e, em geral, em filosofia encontrarão nesta obra uma referência segura e uma fonte importante de inspiração e direção." - Marco Zingano, Journal of Ancient Philosophy
Preface Abbreviations I: Introduction II: Socrates III: Cyrenaics IV: Cynics V: Plato VI: Aristotle: Happiness VII: Aristotle: Nature VIII: Aristotle: Virtue IX: Aristotle: Virtue and Morality X: Scepticism XI: Epicurus XII: Stoicism: Action, Passion, and Reason XIII: Stoicism: Virtue and Happiness XIV: Christian Theology and Moral Philosophy XV: Augustine XVI: Aquinas: Will XVII: Aquinas: Action XVIII: Aquinas: Freedom XIX: Aquinas: The Ultimate End XX: Aquinas: Moral Virtue XXI: Aquinas: Natural Law XXII: Aquinas: Practical Reason and Prudence XXIII: Aquinas: The Canon of Virtues XXIV: Aquinas: Sin and Grace XXV: Scotus: Will, Freedom, and Reason XXVI: Scotus: Virtue and Practical Reason XXVII: Ockham XXVIII: Machiavelli XXIX: The Reformation and Scholastic Moral Philosophy Bibliography Index
