The Life Worth Living in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781009257879)

The account of the best life for humans - i.e. a happy or flourishing life - and what it might consist of was the central theme of ancient ethics. But what does it take to have a life that, if not happy, is at least worth living, compared with being dead or never having come into life? This question was also much discussed in antiquity, and David Machek's book reconstructs, for the first time, philosophical engagements with the question from Socrates to Plotinus. Machek's comprehensive book explores ancient views on a life worth living against a background of the pessimistic outlook on the human condition which was adopted by the Greek poets, and also shows the continuities and contrasts between the ancient perspective and modern philosophical debates about biomedical ethics and the ethics of procreation. His rich study of this relatively neglected theme offers a fresh and compelling narrative of ancient ethics.

Author: David Machek
ISBN-10: 1009257870
ISBN-13: 9781009257879
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 04/14/2023
Pages: 260
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.17lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2024