Epicurus on Freedom [Paperback]

In this 2005 book, Tim O'Keefe reconstructs the philosopher Epicurus' theory of freedom.In this book, Tim O'Keefe reconstructs the philosopher Epicurus' (341 271/0 BCE) theory of freedom. Epicurus' theory has attracted much interest, but our attempts to understand it have been hampered by reading it anachronistically as the discovery of the modern problem of free will and determinism. O'Keefe argues that the sort of freedom which Epicurus wanted to preserve is significantly different from the 'free will' which philosophers debate today, and that in its emphasis on rational action it has much closer affinities with Aristotle's thought than with current preoccupations.In this book, Tim O'Keefe reconstructs the philosopher Epicurus' (341 271/0 BCE) theory of freedom. Epicurus' theory has attracted much interest, but our attempts to understand it have been hampered by reading it anachronistically as the discovery of the modern problem of free will and determinism. O'Keefe argues that the sort of freedom which Epicurus wanted to preserve is significantly different from the 'free will' which philosophers debate today, and that in its emphasis on rational action it has much closer affinities with Aristotle's thought than with current preoccupations.The ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-271/0 BCE) has attracted much contemporary interest. Tim O'Keefe argues that the sort of freedom which Epicurus wanted to preserve is significantly different from the 'free will' which philosophers debate today, and that in its emphasis on rational action, has much closer affinities with Aristotle's thought than with current preoccupations. His original and provocative book will be of interest to a wide range of readers in Hellenistic philosophy.Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. What sort of an incompatibilist is Epicurus?; 2. Lucretius on the swerve and Voluntas; 3. Aristotle and Epicurus on the origins of character and action; 4. Epicurus' reductionalist respolCZ