Spectacles of Truth in Classical Greek Philosophy: Theoria in its Cultural Context

Half-title......Page 2
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction......Page 12
THEORIZING THE ANCIENT THEORISTS......Page 18
THEORIA IN ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT......Page 25
THE CREATION OF THE PHILOSOPHIC THEORIST......Page 28
FOURTH-CENTURY “REVISIONINGS” OF THE EARLY GREEK THINKERS......Page 33
ARISTOTLE’S “HISTORY” OF PHILOSOPHY......Page 37
SOPHIA IN THE SIXTH AND FIFTH CENTURIES BCE......Page 40
CHAPTER 1 Theoria as a cultural practice......Page 51
THEORIA AT RELIGIOUS SANCTUARIES......Page 55
CIVIC AND PRIVATE THEORIA......Page 58
THEOROS VS. THEATES......Page 60
ELITES AS CIVIC REPRESENTATIVES......Page 63
ATHENIAN FESTIVALS AND THE THEORIC GAZE......Page 65
THE POLITICS OF PANHELLENISM......Page 71
THEORIA IN SEARCH OF WISDOM......Page 74
FROM TRADITIONAL TO PHILOSOPHIC THEORIA......Page 79
CHAPTER 2 Inventing philosophic theoria......Page 83
CIVIC THEORIA IN THE REPUBLIC......Page 85
PRIVATE THEORIA IN THE SYMPOSIUM AND PHAEDRUS......Page 94
CHAPTER 3 The fable of philosophy in Plato’s Republic......Page 105
THE IDEAL VS. THE HUMAN PHILOSOPHER......Page 109
DISTANCE AND DETACHMENT......Page 111
THE BLINDNESS OF THE PHILOSOPHER......Page 113
APORIA AND ATOPIA......Page 116
PHILOSOPHIC SIGHT-SEEING......Page 118
HEAT AND LIGHT......Page 124
THE RHETORIC OF PHILOSOPHIC “FREEDOM”......Page 129
THE PHILOSOPHER VS. THE BANAUSOS......Page 134
CONTEMPLATION AND ACTION......Page 138
RETURN AND REENTRY......Page 142
CHAPTER 4 Theorizing the beautiful body: from Plato to Philip of Opus......Page 150
PHAEDO: THEORIA AT THE ENDS OF THE EARTH......Page 152
PHAEDRUS: THEORIZING THE AGALMATA OF BEAUTY......Page 168
TIMAEUS: VISIBLE GODS......Page 179
PHILIP OF OPUS’ EPINOMIS: THEORIZING THE HEAVENLY BODIES......Page 191
CHAPTER 5 “Useless” knowledge: Aristotle’s rethinking of theoria......Page 198
THE RHETORIC OF “USELESSNESS”: PROTREPTICUS......Page 202
DETACHMENT AND DISINTEREST......Page 208
PHRONESIS AND TECHNE: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS VI......Page 211
PHRONESIS AND NOUS: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS VI......Page 213
BASIC FEATURES OF NOUS: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS X......Page 217
THEORIA VS. PRAXIS: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS X......Page 220
THEORIA FOR ITS OWN SAKE: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS X......Page 227
THEORIA AND HAPPINESS: NICOMACHEAN ETHICS X......Page 229
THE REJECTION OF UTILITY: METAPHYSICS I.2......Page 238
THEORIA AND ARISTOCRATIC “FREEDOM”......Page 241
THE SCOPE AND OBJECTS OF THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY......Page 246
FROM THEORIST TO CULTURAL CRITIC: POLITICS VIII......Page 251
TEACHING A TASTE FOR THE “USELESS”......Page 256
Epilogue: “Broken knowledge”? Theoria and wonder......Page 264
References......Page 280
Index of passages cited......Page 311
General index......Page 317