Greek Ethics

A convenient short account of the ethical thought of the Greeks from the Sophists to the Stoics and Epicureans, with particular emphasis on Socrates, Plato and Aristotle - Socrates for his persistent enquiry into the nature of goodness. Plato for his political and metaphysical considerations, and Aristotle for his scholarly ranging over the whole field of ethics. The Stoics and Epicureans continued the tradition, but adapted their teachings to the needs of their disturbed lives. The author also traces the themes of law and nature, virtue, knowledge and happiness, and love and friendship, and emphasizes the valuable contribution to the study of pleasure made by Plato in the Philebus, a work frequently ignored on account of the difficulty it presents.