Snag Ancient And Medieval Concepts Of Friendship Composed By Suzanne Stern-Gillet Print
concepts of friendship are my philosophical bread and butter, so this fairly new pub, Deccollection of scholarly articles on the subject was of special interest to me, edited as it is by Suzanne SternGillett who penned one of the first monographs on the subject, “Aristotles Philosophy of Friendship” in the mids.
As the title suggests, chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with Plato and ending at the start of the Enlightenment with Kant, The classic thinkers youd expect show up: Aristotle, the Stoics Zeno in particular, Epicureans via Lucretius and Diogenes Laertius, Cicero and Seneca by way of contrast, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas.
But, refreshingly, some lesser known philosophers of the Patristic and Medieval periods are also treated: Gregory Nazianzen, Basil the Great, and Aelred of Rievaulx, This ordering, along with ample use of primary text blocks, and continuous comparative analysis between the thinkers provides a very good overview of the changes in the conception of friendship over the course ofyears.
There is also much continuity between the authors various interpretations, so this compendium is representative, as it were, of contemporary scholarship in the Ancient and Medieval traditions,
Major themes include the differences between Ancient conceptions of love eros and friendship philia , the role of neediness or lack at play in desire, limitations of friendship, selfsufficiency, and Christian transformations of the concept to include friendship with God.
Focusing on Plato and Aristotle, the Stoics and Epicureans, and early Christian and Medieval sources, Ancient and Medieval Concepts of Friendship brings together assessments of different philosophical accounts of friendship.
This volume sketches the evolution of the concept from ancient ideals of friendship applying strictly to relationships between men of high social position to Christian concepts that treat friendship
as applicable to all but are concerned chiefly with the soul's relation to Godand that ascribe a secondary status to human relationships.
The book concludes with two essays examining how this complex heritage was received during the Enlightenment, looking in particular to Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Holderlin, .