Hellenistic Philosophy Reading Group
Trinity Term 2024
Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)
Tuesdays, 11am-12.30pm
Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism I
***Please note the change of day and time for Trinity Term 2024***
We will continue reading Book 1 of Sextus Empiricus’ Outlines of Pyrrhonism, including Sextus’ presentation of the ten modes of Aenesidemus, the five modes of Agrippa, the two modes, and Aenesidemus’ modes against causal explanations.
Week 1 – sects. 180-186 8 Modes against causal explanations
Week 2 – sects. 187-195 Sceptical prases 1
Week 3 – sects. 196-201 Sceptical prases 2
Week 4 – sects. 202-209 Sceptical prases 3
Week 5 – sects. 210-215 Heraclitus, Democritus, Cyrenaics
Week 6 – sects. 216-225 Protagoras, Plato, Xenophanes
Week 7 – sects. 226-235 Academics
Week 8 – sects. 236-241 Empiricists and Methodists
We will use the text printed in the LOEB (accompanied by Bury’s translation). You can access it for free at:
The translation by Bury is not especially reliable, however. For a superior translation, see Sextus Empiricus: Outlines of Scepticism, by J. Annas and J. Barnes, Cambridge 2000.
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, Simon Shogry and Stefan Sienkiewicz.
Hilary Term 2024
Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)
Mondays, 2-3.30pm
Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism I
We will continue reading Book 1 of Sextus Empiricus’ Outlines of Pyrrhonism, including Sextus’ presentation of the ten modes of Aenesidemus, the five modes of Agrippa, the two modes, and Aenesidemus’ modes against causal explanations.
Week 1 – sects. 91-99 Brief recap of the modes so far + 3rd mode of Aenesidemus
Week 2 – sects. 100-117 4th mode of Aenesidemus (selections)
Week 3 – sects. 118-128 5th and 6th modes of Aenesidemus
Week 4 – sects. 129-144 7th, 8th and 9th modes of Aenesidemus (selections)
Week 5 – sects. 145-163 10th mode of Aenesidemus (selections)
Week 6 – sects. 164-174 The five modes of Agrippa, part 1
Week 7 – sects. 175-179 The five modes of Agrippa, part 2 + the two modes
Week 8 – sects. 180-186 The eight modes against causal explanations + final discussion of the modes
We will use the text printed in the LOEB (accompanied by Bury’s translation). You can access it for free at:
The translation by Bury is not especially reliable, however. For a superior translation, see Sextus Empiricus: Outlines of Scepticism, by J. Annas and J. Barnes, Cambridge 2000.
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 2023
Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)
Mondays, 2-3.30pm
Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism I
We will read the first half of Book 1 of Sextus Empiricus’ Outlines of Pyrrhonism. Here, Sextus introduces Pyrrhonian scepticism and then begins to set out various sceptical strategies or patterns of argument, in the form of the ‘modes’.
Week 1 – sects. 1-11 Introduction to scepticism
Week 2 – sects. 12-20 The principles, commitments, and scope of scepticism
Week 3 – sects. 21-30 The criterion of scepticism; the end of scepticism
Week 4 – sects. 31-49 Introduction to the modes. Mode 1 (differences among animals), part 1 (origins; visual organs)
Week 5 – sects. 50-61 Mode 1 (differences among animals), part 2 (other sensory organs; preferences and aversions; conclusions)
Week 6 – sects. 62-78 Mode 1 (differences among animals), part 3 (bonus argument: the wonderful abilities of dogs)
Week 7 – sects. 79-89 Mode 2 (differences among humans)
Week 8 – sects. 90-99 Mode 3 (differences among the senses)
We will use the text printed in the LOEB (accompanied by Bury’s translation). You can access it for free at:
The translation by Bury is not especially reliable, however. For a superior translation, see Sextus Empiricus: Outlines of Scepticism, by J. Annas and J. Barnes, Cambridge 2000.
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
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
