From Epicurus to Epictetus: Studies in Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy

A. A. Long, one of the worlds leading writers on ancient philosophy presents eighteen essays on the philosophers and schools of the Hellenistic and Roman periods - Epicureans. Stoics, and Sceptics. The discussion ranges over four centuries of innovative and challenging thought in ethics and politics, psychology, epistemology, and cosmology. In From Epicurus to Epictetus, Longs focus is on the distinctive contributions and methodologies of individual thinkers, notably Epicurus, Zeno, Pyrrho, Arcesilaus, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca and Epictetus. Placing their philosophy in its cultural context, and considering it in relation to the earlier ideas of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, he invites his readers to imagine themselves choosing between Stoicism and Epicureanism as philosophies of life. This is a book not only for scholars and experts but also thanks to the authors accessible style, for everyone interested in understanding the legacy and continuing relevance of ancient thought. Book cover