William Wall Fortenbaugh

Stephen Augustus White

Volume 12 in the RUSCH series continues work already begun on the School of Aristotle. It focuses on two Peripatetic philosophers who lived in the third century BCE, when Stoicism and Epicureanism flourished. Lyco of Troas was the third head of the Peripatos after Aristotle. Hieronymus of Rhodes was a member of the school and an antagonist of Lyco. Excellence in teaching was Lyco's distinguishing attribute, but he also attracted benefactors and had the reputation of being a bon vivant. Hieronymus is best known for his work on ethics, but he also wrote on literature, history, and rhetoric. Our understanding of the work being done in the Peripatos during the third century BCE will be greatly enhanced by Peter Stork's new edition of Lyco and Stephen White's edition of Hieronymus. The two editions in this volume are accompanied by full translations as well as notes on the Greek and Latin texts (an apparatus criticus) and substantive notes that accompany the translation. The editions will replace those of Fritz Wehrli, which were made over half a century ago and published without an accompanying translation. In addition to the two editions, this volume includes ten essays that address significant themes presented by the texts. Three of the essays deal with biographical material: "Diogenes Life of Lyco" (JÂ°rgen Mejer), "Hieronymus in Athens and Rhodes" (Elisabetta Matelli), and "Peripatetic Philosophers as Wandering Scholars" (Peter Scholz). Four develop philosophical topics: "Hieronymus of Rhodes on Vision" (Todd Ganson), "The Historical Setting of Hieronymus fr. 10 White" (Peter Lautner), "Peripatetic Reactions to Hellenistic Epistemology" (Hans Gottschalk), and "Lyco and Hieronymus on the Good Life" (Stephen White). Three concern rhetoric and literature: "Lyco Phrastikos" (William Fortenbaugh), "Hieronymus on Isocrates' Style" (David Mirhady), and "Hieronymus in Ancient Commentaries on Hesiod's Shield" (Andrea Martano). William W. Fortenbaugh is Professor Emeritus of Classics at Rutgers University. He is the author of Aristotle on Emotion and Quellen zur Ethik Theophrasts and the founder of Project Theophrastus. Stephen A. White is associate professor of classics and philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin and author of Sovereign Virtue: Aristotle on the Relation between Happiness and Prosperity.

Text, Translation, and Discussion

Lyco and Traos and Hieronymus of Rhodes

The central subject of Aristotle's ethics is happiness or living well. Most people in his day (as in ours), eager to enjoy life, impressed by worldly success, and fearful of serious loss, believed that happiness depends mainly on fortune in achieving prosperity and avoiding adversity. Aristotle, however, argues that virtuous conduct is the governing factor in living well and attaining happiness. While admitting that neither the blessings nor the afflictions of fortune are unimportant, he maintains that the virtuous find life more satisfying than other people do and, with only modest good fortune, they lead happy, enjoyable lives. Combining philological precision with philosophical analysis, the author reconstructs Aristotle's defense of these bold claims. By examining how Aristotle develops his position in response to the prevailing hopes and anxieties of his age, the author shows why Aristotle considers happiness important for ethics and why he thinks it necessary to revise popular and traditional views. Paying close attention throughout to the internalist dimension of Aristotle's approach--his emphasis on how the virtuous view their own lives and actions--the author advances new interpretations of Aristotle's accounts of several major virtues, including temperance, courage, liberality, and "greatness of soul." This work sets Aristotle in the broader cultural context of his time, tracing his attempts to accommodate and amend rival views. The author examines literary and historical sources as well as philosophical texts, showing the inherited values and traditional ideals that inform Aristotle's discussions and provide some of the basis for his conclusions. Presupposing no knowledge of Greek or specialized philosophical terminology, the book is designed to be accessible to all students of philosophy or classical antiquity. All quotations from ancient texts are translated.

Stephen Augustus White

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