abstract: This paper focuses on a neglected portion of Plato's Gorgias from 506c to 513d during Socrates's discussion with Callicles. I claim that Callicles adopts the view that virtue lies in self-preservation in this part of the dialogue. Such a position allows him to assert the value of rhetoric in civic life by appealing not to the goodness of acting unjustly with impunity, but to the badness of

abstract: This paper examines Aristotle's discussion of the priority of actuality to potentiality in geometry at Metaphysics Θ9, 1051a21–33. Many scholars have assumed what I call the "geometrical construction" interpretation, according to which his point here concerns the relation between an inquirer's thinking and a geometrical figure. In contrast, I defend what I call the "geometrical analysis"

abstract: By scholarly consensus, extant fragments from, and testimony about, Aristotle's lost dialogue Eudemus provide strong evidence for thinking that Aristotle at some point defended the human soul's unqualified immortality (either in whole or in part). I reject this consensus and develop an alternative, deflationary, speculative, but textually supported proposal to explain why Aristotle might

abstract: This article reassesses the relationship between the tenth-century Muslim philosopher Abū al-Ḥasan al-'Āmirī (d. 992) and the pre-Socratic Greek thinker Empedocles. Earlier scholarship has focused on al-'Āmirī's popular work al-Amad (Afterlife), in which Empedocles, or rather a medieval construct known as pseudo-Empedocles or Empedocles arabus, is largely celebrated as a sage with Qur'ānic

abstract: The present article delves into the history of political philosophy by discussing human sociability in Antonio Montecatini's (1537–99) commentary on Aristotle's Politics. The focus is on a philosophical analysis of three interrelated ideas that Montecatini discusses: (1) Aristotle's dictum that human beings are political animals by nature; (2) naturalness of the household; and (3) the nature

abstract: This paper offers a developmental account of Peirce's theory of proper names. It identifies two main dimensions of Peirce's thinking on proper names, a "taxonomic dimension," concerning the place of proper names within the taxonomy of signs, and a "maturational dimension," concerning the different "stages of maturity" a proper name goes through when interpreted. These two dimensions also

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Heat, Pneuma, and Soul in Ancient Philosophy and Science ed. by Hynek Bartoš and Colin Guthrie King Rhodes Pinto Hynek Bartoš and Colin Guthrie King, editors. Heat, Pneuma, and Soul in Ancient Philosophy and Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. x + 380. Cloth, $99.99. This unfortunately titled volume offers

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Aristotle's Ontology of Change by Mark Sentesy Charlene Elsby Mark Sentesy. Aristotle's Ontology of Change. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2020. Pp. ix + 217. Paper, $34.95. In this monograph, Sentesy defends the revolutionary Aristotelian claim that change is. Change is, insofar as it exists and can be defined;

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Cicero on the Philosophy of Religion: On the Nature of the Gods and On Divination by J. P. F. Wynne Harald Thorsrud J. P. F. Wynne. Cicero on the Philosophy of Religion: On the Nature of the Gods and On Divination. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xi + 308. Cloth, $99.99. This is an outstanding contribution

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Œuvres vol. IV: Ethica/Éthique by Baruch Spinoza Steven Nadler Baruch Spinoza. Œuvres, vol. IV: Ethica/Éthique. Texte établi par Fokke Akkerman et Piet Steenbakkers. Traduction par Pierre-François Moreau. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 2020. Pp. 670. Paper, €29.00. The world of Spinoza scholarship has seen a number

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Kant and Animals ed. by John J. Callanan and Lucy Allais Gary Steiner John J. Callanan and Lucy Allais, editors. Kant and Animals. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. xii + 258. Cloth, $80.00. A well-known Kant scholar once said to me, "You know, I love to study Kant because I think he's right about everything!" While

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Hegel on Possibility, Dialectics, Contradiction, and Modality by Nahum Brown Kevin Harrelson Nahum Brown. Hegel on Possibility, Dialectics, Contradiction, and Modality. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020. Pp. x + 232. Cloth, £42.08. Nahum Brown has written a very ambitious book on Hegel's theory of modality. It provides detailed

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Individuality and Beyond: Nietzsche Reads Emerson by Benedetta Zavatta Kaitlyn Creasy Benedetta Zavatta. Individuality and Beyond: Nietzsche Reads Emerson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. xxv + 265. Cloth, $85.00. In her remarkable comparative analysis of the thought of Emerson and Nietzsche, Benedetta Zavatta has

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Nietzsche's Search for Philosophy: On the Middle Writings by Keith Ansell-Pearson Antoine Panaïoti Keith Ansell-Pearson. Nietzsche's Search for Philosophy: On the Middle Writings. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018. Pp. xii + 181. Cloth, £70.00. Keith Ansell-Pearson's latest book on Nietzsche is part of a broader genre in Nietzsche

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Interpreting Dilthey: Critical Essays ed. by Eric S. Nelson Taylor Carman Eric S. Nelson, editor. Interpreting Dilthey: Critical Essays. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. x + 287. Cloth, $99.99. Since his death in 1911, Wilhelm Dilthey has, for many, loomed large as an important yet perennially underappreciated

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: In the Shadow of Justice: Postwar Liberalism and the Remaking of Political Philosophy by Katrina Forrester Akira Inoue Katrina Forrester. In the Shadow of Justice: Postwar Liberalism and the Remaking of Political Philosophy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2019. Pp. 432. Cloth, $35.00. In the Shadow of Justice presents

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Books Received Fain, Lucas. Primal Philosophy: Rousseau with Laplanche. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2021. Pp. x + 203. Cloth, $105.00. Joachim, Julian. Gott—Mensch—Natur: Der Personenbegriff in der philosophischen Anthropologie Heinrichs von Gent. Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie und Theologie des Mittelalters, Neue Folge

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Editorial Announcements Deborah Boyle Each year the JHP awards an Article Prize to an article published in the previous year's volume, and a Book Prize to a book published in the previous year (according to the copyright date) that deserves special recognition for its contribution to the history of Western philosophy. For the Book Prize

abstract: At Philebus 53c4–55a12, Plato's Socrates identifies pleasure as an ontologically inferior "becoming" (γένεσις) rather than a "being" (οὐσία) and then uses this information to infer that pleasure, somehow, lacks value. This paper argues that Plato's γένεσις argument is not about the goodness of individual, particular episodes of pleasure but instead targets the identification of pleasure as

abstract: Consensus is building that, for Aristotle, number cannot be a heap and so must rather be a tight unity (a whole). Scholars commenting on the relevant passages typically conclude, further, that number is a hylomorphic unity. After showing that these passages do not support such readings, I examine Aristotle's statements about the ontological status of number. I find that his position is that

abstract: In this paper, I argue that Aristotle's basic principle, that all friends love only because of the lovable, is egoistic. First, I argue that 'the lovable' (τὸ φιλητὸν) refers to that which appears to contribute to one's own happiness. Second, I argue that the lovable is the final cause of love. This means that in loving only because of the lovable, all friends love only for the sake of what

abstract: My aim in this paper is to clarify J. G. Fichte's theory of drives, its origins in the biology of the 1780s and 1790s, and its role in Fichte's moral psychology. I begin by outlining some components of Fichte's theory of agency and his theory of organism that seem puzzling if one assumes, as scholars typically do, that these discussions are indebted primarily to Kant. I then introduce J.

abstract: In this paper, I seek to explain Hegel's view that his "logic" replaces metaphysics. I argue that Hegel's discussion of logical forms of judgment and syllogism in book III of The Science of Logic is meant to be the foundation of his reformation of metaphysics. Implicit in Hegel's discussion of the logical forms is the view that the metaphysical concepts discussed in books I and II of the

abstract: In his mature writings, Schopenhauer was at pains both to account for positive metaphysical knowledge and to do justice to Kant's critique of reason. According to his concept of metaphysics that, in recent years, has come to be known as "hermeneutical," it does not (strive to) go beyond possible knowledge, but only to lay out an "immanent dogmatism," a (merely) coherent and verisimilar interpretation

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Calling Philosophers Names: On the Origin of a Discipline by Christopher Moore Patricia Curd Christopher Moore. Calling Philosophers Names: On the Origin of a Discipline. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020. Pp. xxi + 411. Cloth, $45.00. What does a philosophos do and what is a philosophos anyway? Christopher Moore

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Platonism and Naturalism: The Possibility of Philosophy by Lloyd P. Gerson Allan Silverman Lloyd P. Gerson. Platonism and Naturalism: The Possibility of Philosophy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2020. Pp. xii 301. Cloth, $55.00. Lloyd Gerson has a vision of what Platonism is. Those who see things differently may find

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Aristotle and Law: The Politics of Nomos by George Duke Melissa Lane George Duke. Aristotle and Law: The Politics of Nomos. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. x + 181. Cloth, $99.99. In this excellent book, drawing on previously published articles, George Duke gathers the scattered threads of Aristotle's discussions

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Augustine's Political Thought ed. by Richard J. Dougherty Evan Dutmer Richard J. Dougherty, editor. Augustine's Political Thought. Rochester Studies in Medieval Political Thought 2. Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2019. Pp. vi + 281. Cloth, $125.00. "Augustine's City of God is not a treatise of political or social

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Briefwechsel zwischen Christian Wolff und Ernst Christoph von Manteuffel: 1738–1748. Historisch-kritische Edition ed. by Jürgen Stolzenberg et al. Corey W. Dyck Jürgen Stolzenberg Detlef Döring Katharina Middell, and Hanns-Peter Neumann, editors. Briefwechsel zwischen Christian Wolff und Ernst Christoph von Manteuffel: 1738–1748

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Kant and Theodicy: A Search for an Answer to the Problem of Evil by George Huxford Matthew C. Altman George Huxford. Kant and Theodicy: A Search for an Answer to the Problem of Evil. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2020. Pp. xxiii + 149. Cloth, $90.00. A theodicy attempts to reconcile the existence of evil (or really any imperfection)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Kant's Revolutionary Theory of Modality by Uygar Abaci Ralf M. Bader Uygar Abaci. Kant's Revolutionary Theory of Modality. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. x + 287. Cloth, $85.00. Uygar Abaci's Kant's Revolutionary Theory of Modality starts with a helpful and illuminating historical contextualization of Kant's theory

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Coleridge's Contemplative Philosophy by Peter Cheyne Dale E. Snow Peter Cheyne. Coleridge's Contemplative Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. xviii + 373. Cloth, £70.00. Peter Cheyne may have understood Coleridge better than the latter understood himself. This book provides an extensive road map to many

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Nietzsche's Metaphilosophy: The Nature, Method, and Aims of Philosophy ed. by Paul S. Loeb and Matthew Meyer Melanie Shepherd Paul S. Loeb and Matthew Meyer, editors. Nietzsche's Metaphilosophy: The Nature, Method, and Aims of Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xiv + 284. Cloth, $99.99. This volume

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Political Corruption: The Underside of Civic Morality by Robert Alan Sparling Tim Stuart-Buttle Robert Alan Sparling. Political Corruption: The Underside of Civic Morality. Haney Foundation Series. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Pp. xv + 250. Cloth, $59.95. As Nietzsche famously declared, only that which

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Feelings of Believing: Psychology, History, Phenomenology by Ryan Hickerson Hayden Kee Ryan Hickerson. Feelings of Believing: Psychology, History, Phenomenology. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2020. Pp. xii + 320. Cloth, $115.00. There has been a slowly developing appreciation from various quarters in recent decades that the

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Heidegger Becoming Phenomenological: Interpreting Husserl through Dilthey, 1916–1925 by Robert C. Scharff Steven Crowell Robert C. Scharff. Heidegger Becoming Phenomenological: Interpreting Husserl through Dilthey, 1916–1925. New Heidegger Research. Series Editors Gregory Fried and Richard Polt. London: Rowman and Littlefield

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Quine, New Foundations, and the Philosophy of Set Theory by Sean Morris Gregory Lavers Sean Morris. Quine, New Foundations, and the Philosophy of Set Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. x + 209. Cloth, $105.00. This book has two main goals: first, to show that Quine's New Foundations (NF) set theory is

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Space: A History ed. by Andrew Janiak Marius Stan Andrew Janiak, editor. Space: A History. Oxford Philosophical Concepts. Series editor, Christia Mercer. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. xiii + 351. Paper, $24.95. This is a book with a purpose: it aims to chronicle the life of a concept (space) from its birth in

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: What Is a Person? Realities, Constructs, Illusions by John M. Rist Eileen C. Sweeney John M. Rist. What Is a Person? Realities, Constructs, Illusions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. vii + 288. Cloth, $34.99. John Rist's What Is a Person? is a scholarly, rich, and trenchant study of the history of the concept

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Books Received Altman, William H. F. Ascent to the Beautiful: Plato the Teacher and the Pre-Republic Dialogues from Protagoras to Symposium. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2020. Pp. xxix +588. Cloth, $170.00. Banchetti-Robino, Marina Paola. The Chemical Philosophy of Robert Boyle: Mechanicism, Chymical Atoms, and Emergence. New York:

abstract: The Protagoras’s case against akrasia comes in two stages. First, at 352b–c, we get an extremely quick argument grounded on knowledge as an epistemic ideal. This argument does not persuade the many, and so the dialogue turns, starting at 355a, to a technical and carefully developed argument that proceeds on an entirely different basis. This argument has considerable force, but only once we

abstract: Aristotle is history’s most famous and influential proponent of the view that there are exactly five senses. But was he entitled to hold this view, given his other commitments? In particular, was he entitled to treat touch as a single sense, given the diversity of its correlated objects? In this paper, I argue that Aristotle wished to individuate touch on the basis of its correlated objects

abstract: In this paper, I investigate Aristotle’s claim in Nicomachean Ethics III.1 about situations that “overstrain human nature.” By setting out and answering several interpretative questions about such situations, I offer a comprehensive interpretation of this passage. I argue that in (at least some of) these cases, the agent voluntarily does something wrong, even though there is a right action

abstract: Shaftesbury is famous for claiming that “Beauty and Good” are “one and the same.” This claim is central to Shaftesbury’s philosophy, and it exerted great influence on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European thought. At the same time, the claim has long been criticized as being ill-conceived, unclear, and confused. I explicate the meaning of Shaftesbury’s claim and show that it is not

abstract: This essay examines Gotthold Ephraim Lessing’s The Education of the Human Race (EHR) in order to elucidate his philosophy of history. It pays special attention to the fact that Lessing presents EHR both as a work of philosophy that aims to reveal the truth and as a work of poetry that aims to provoke an experience of beauty. Because Lessing goes out of his way to characterize EHR as a poetic

abstract: Aron’s writings are lauded for their contributions to liberal political theory, international relations, and sociology. I argue that his early thought also offers phenomenological considerations for a relativist view of historical meaning, whose important role in the text’s argument has been suppressed by received interpretations. Drawing a direct link between introspective, intersubjective

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Pythagorean Precepts (How to Live a Pythagorean Life) by Aristoxenus of Tarentum Christopher Moore Aristoxenus of Tarentum. The Pythagorean Precepts (How to Live a Pythagorean Life). Edition, commentary, and introduction by Carl A. Huffman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xi + 636. Cloth, $170.00. Like

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Light of the Lord (Or Hashem) by Hasdai Crescas Daniel Frank Hasdai Crescas. Light of the Lord (Or Hashem). Translated by Roslyn Weiss. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. vi + 379. Cloth, $70.00. With Maimonides’s Guide of the Perplexed (1190) and Gersonides’s Wars of the Lord (1329), Hasdai Crescas’s Light of the

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: The Singular Voice of Being: John Duns Scotus and Ultimate Difference by Andrew LaZella Mary Beth Ingham CSJ Andrew LaZella. The Singular Voice of Being: John Duns Scotus and Ultimate Difference. New York: Fordham University Press, 2019. Pp. x + 269. Cloth, $64.99. While much has been published on the philosophical and theological

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Living Mirrors: Infinity, Unity, and Life in Leibniz’s Philosophy by Ohad Nachtomy Christian Leduc Ohad Nachtomy. Living Mirrors: Infinity, Unity, and Life in Leibniz’s Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. xi + 219. Cloth, $85.00. The concept of life and the importance of the life sciences in Leibniz have

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Self-Love, Egoism, and the Selfish Hypothesis: Key Debates in Eighteenth-Century British Moral Philosophy by Christian Maurer Aaron Garrett Christian Maurer. Self-Love, Egoism, and the Selfish Hypothesis: Key Debates in Eighteenth-Century British Moral Philosophy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2019. Pp. viii + 230

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: From Moral Theology to Moral Philosophy: Cicero and Visions of Humanity from Locke to Hume by Tim Stuart-Buttle James A. Harris Tim Stuart-Buttle. From Moral Theology to Moral Philosophy: Cicero and Visions of Humanity from Locke to Hume. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. x + 277. Cloth, £55.00. It would be difficult

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Kant on Freedom and Spontaneity ed. by Kate A. Moran Desmond Hogan Kate A. Moran, editor. Kant on Freedom and Spontaneity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Pp. xiii + 309. Cloth, £75.00. This fine collection of essays is dedicated to Paul Guyer. It includes work by distinguished experts and younger scholars across

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Experimenting at the Boundaries of Life: Organic Vitality in Germany around 1800 by Joan Steigerwald Sebastian G. Rand Joan Steigerwald. Experimenting at the Boundaries of Life: Organic Vitality in Germany around 1800. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019. Pp. xi + 460. Cloth, $55.00. Throughout her wide-ranging

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: For the Love of Metaphysics: Nihilism and the Conflict of Reason from Kant to Rosenzweig by Karin Nisenbaum Gunnar Hindrichs Karin Nisenbaum. For the Love of Metaphysics: Nihilism and the Conflict of Reason from Kant to Rosenzweig. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. xi + 280. Cloth, $85.00. Nisenbaum offers an account

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Meaning and Embodiment: Human Corporeity in Hegel’s Anthropology by Nicholas Mowad Elisa Magrì Nicholas Mowad. Meaning and Embodiment: Human Corporeity in Hegel’s Anthropology. Albany: SUNY Press, 2019. Pp. xxvi + 313. Cloth, $95.00. Readers of Hegel’s philosophy will welcome Nicholas Mowad’s interpretation of Hegel’s anthropology

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Being Inclined: Félix Ravaisson’s Philosophy of Habit by Mark Sinclair Leonard Lawlor Mark Sinclair. Being Inclined: Félix Ravaisson’s Philosophy of Habit. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. xii + 229. Cloth, $60.00. Being Inclined is erudite, clearly written, and well-argued. It is rich in the history of philosophy

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Unpublished Fragments from the Period of Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Summer 1882–Winter 1883/84) by Friedrich Nietzsche Paul Bishop Friedrich Nietzsche. Unpublished Fragments from the Period ofThus Spoke Zarathustra (Summer 1882–Winter 1883/84). Translated, with an afterword, by Paul S. Loeb and David F. Tinsley. The Complete

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Moral Psychology with Nietzsche by Brian Leiter Paul S. Loeb Brian Leiter. Moral Psychology with Nietzsche. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. Pp. xi + 198. Cloth, $65.00. Brian Leiter’s second book on Nietzsche brings together ideas and arguments that have already had a significant influence on the field through their

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: Reviewed by: Bergson by Mark Sinclair Tano S. Posteraro Mark Sinclair. Bergson. New York: Routledge, 2020. Pp. xxi + 303. Paper, $35.95. Mark Sinclair’s book is the first attempt at a comprehensive introduction to Bergson to be published in English in the last decade. Bergson begins with an intellectual biography, intended as “the most