Hellenistic Philosophy Reading Group

Trinity Term 2023

Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)

Mondays, 2-3.30pm

Plutarch, On Common Conceptions against the Stoics

We will continue reading Plutarch’s critical discussion of Stoic philosophy. The section of the text we will read this term focuses again on Stoic ethics.

Week 1 – sects. 16-17             Prudence (phronesis)

Week 2                                    No meeting

Week 3 – sects. 18-20             Evil and vice              

Week 4 – sects. 21-22             Benefits for fools and sages

Week 5 – sect. 23-24              What is in accordance with nature and the good

Week 6 – sects. 25-26            The goal

Week 7 – sect. 27                   The pursuit of the good                     

Week 8 – sects. 28-29             Love; conclusion of the discussion of ethics             

We will use the text printed in the LOEB (accompanied by Cherniss’ translation), volume XIII part II of Plutarch’s Moralia. You can access it for free at:

https://www-loebclassics-com.ezproxy-prd.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/LCL470/1976/volume.xml

Each week a volunteer will translate a section and introduce exegetical and philosophical questions raised by the text (but no extensive preparation will be expected of the weekly presenter!).

For questions please feel free to contact Luca Castagnoli at luca.castagnoli@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

Convenors: Alexander Bown, Luca Castagnoli, Marion Durand, and Simon Shogry

 

Plutarch’s On Common Conceptions Against the Stoics

Cherniss, H. (1976) (ed. and trans. in English) Plutarch's Moralia, vol. XIII.2. [LOEB] Cambridge (Mass.) and London.

M. Casevitz and D. Babut (2002) (ed, trans. in French and comm.) Plutarque. Oeuvres Morales, tome XV, 2e partie. Traité 72: Sur les notions communes, contre les Stoïciens. Paris.

Plutarch and the Stoics

Karamanolis, G. (2020) ‘Plutarch’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2020 Edition). URL = https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/plutarch/ .

Babut, D. (1969) Plutarque et le Stoicisme. Paris.

Hershbell, J. P. (1992) ‘Plutarch and Stoicism’, ANRW II.36.5: 3336–52.

Opsomer, J. (2014) ‘Plutarch and the Stoics’, in M. Beck (ed.) A Companion to Plutarch. Malden (Mass.) and Oxford: 88–103.

 

Hilary Term 2023

Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)

Mondays, 2-3.30pm

Plutarch, On Common Conceptions against the Stoics

We will start reading Plutarch’s critical discussion of Stoic philosophy. The section of the text we will read this term focuses on Stoic ethics.

Week 1 – sects. 1-2                 Introduction

Week 2 – sects. 3-6                 Living in accordance with nature, indifferents and the good

Week 3 – sects. 7-8                 The wise and the fool

Week 4 – sects. 9-10               The wise and the fool II

Week 5 – sect. 11                   Suicide and indifferents

Week 6 – sects. 12-13            Consequences of views on suicide; the necessity of vice

Week 7 – sects. 14-15             Vice and evil

Week 7 – sects. 16-17             Prudence (phronesis)

Week 8 – sects. 18-19             Vice and evil II (+ recap)

We will use the text printed in the LOEB (accompanied by Cherniss’ translation), volume XIII part II of Plutarch’s Moralia. You can access it for free at:

https://www-loebclassics-com.ezproxy-prd.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/LCL470/1976/volume.xml

Each week a volunteer will translate a section and introduce exegetical and philosophical questions raised by the text (but no extensive preparation will be expected of the weekly presenter!).

For questions please feel free to contact Luca Castagnoli at luca.castagnoli@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

Convenors: Alexander Bown, Luca Castagnoli, Marion Durand, and Simon Shogry

 

Michaelmas Term 2022

Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)

Mondays, 2-3.30pm

Cicero, De fato

Week 1: I 1 – III 6

Week 2: IV 7 – VI 12

Week 3: VII 13 – IX 20

Week 4: X 20 – XII 28 (down to quod fieri non potest)

Week 5: XII 28 – XV 33

Week 6: XV 34 – XVII 39

Week 7: XVII 40 – XIX 45

Week 8: XX 46–48 + conclusions

We will use the text of Sharples’ edition with introduction, translation and commentary. You can access it for free here.

Each week a volunteer will translate a section and introduce exegetical and philosophical questions raised by the text (but no extensive preparation will be expected of the weekly presenter!).

For questions please feel free to contact Luca Castagnoli at luca.castagnoli@philosophy.ox.ac.uk

Convenors: Alexander Bown, Luca Castagnoli, Marion Durand, and Simon Shogry

plutarch head only