Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy: Volume XX (2004)

This volume contains papers and commentaries originally presented to the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy during the 2003-04 academic year. Aristotle is treated in three colloquia. The topics range from (1) a new way of linking Aristotle’s Metaphysics and De Anima through a dynamic understanding of substance to (2) an exploration of the notion of causal agency between the agent and patient. The third deals with the distinction between the real and apparent good, situating Aristotle between Socrates and the Stoics. Four colloquia concern Platonic texts. Three focus on the Republic, (1) challenging the view that Plato is an ideologue, (2) examining the principle of specialization and its anomalous exclusion of the artisans from education in virtue, and (3) showing how justice is valuable in itself and constitutive of happiness. The fourth paper takes a phenomenological excursion into the Theaetetus bringing out the interplay between Platonic drama and philosophy. As always, the comments provide the reader with initial reaction and often lively counterpoint.