Synopses & Reviews
From being viewed as an activity performed in practical and political contexts, wisdom in fourth-century BC Athens came to be conceived in terms of theoria, or the wise man as a "spectator" of truth. This book examines how philosophers of the period articulated the new conception of knowledge and how cultural conditions influenced this development. It provides an interdisciplinary study of the attempts to conceptualize "theoretical" activity during a foundational period in the history of Western philosophy.
Review
"...The book is well written, original, thorough, and interesting." CHOICE May 2005
Synopsis
In fourth-century BCE Athens wisdom went from being viewed as an activity performed in practical and political contexts to being conceived in terms of theoria, or the wise man as a 'spectator' of truth. This book examines this fundamental development and the cultural conditions which influenced and illuminate it.
Synopsis
This book examines the invention of 'theoretical philosophy' in fourth-century Greece (BCE). In developing the conception of philosophic 'theorizing', the fourth-century thinkers transformed a cultural practice: theoria (state pilgrimage). In traditional theoria, an individual journeyed abroad to witness spectacles at religious festivals. This book analyzes the Greek philosophers' use of this model to define and legitimize the discipline of theoretical philosophy, which centered on the rational 'vision' of divine, metaphysical truths (the 'spectator theory of knowledge'). The book is interdisciplinary, ranging from philosophy to social history to literary studies.
About the Author
Andrea Wilson Nightingale is an Associate Professor of Classics and Comparative Literature at Stanford University. She is the author of Genres in Dialogue: Plato and the Construct of Philosophy (HB 052148264X; PB 0521 774330).