Abstract
The present article aims to reconstruct some political consequences of aristippean philosophy in the light of fragment fs, 570 (= ssr , iv.a.163 = Memorabilia, ii.1.1-17) in order to show how Aristippus' agreement with Socrates' remarks fits the Cyrus composed by Xenophon in his Cyropaedia. In pursuance of this, I will review Aristippus' ethics and will show how, despite the opposition with his hedonistic principles for a pleasureable life, Aristippus accepts that a good ruler needs to be a enkratic one - althouth he argues that pursuing any rule is senselessness. After showing how it is possible to recognice some hedonistic position in Adeimantus' question at the beginning of Republic, iv, I will present the enkratic character of Cyrus. Finally, I will conclude pointing out the political continuities between Aristippus' acceptance in fs, 570 and the ideal of ruler constructed by Xenophon.
| Translated title of the contribution | Enkráteia and government.: The insensate ruler of Aristippus and his appearance in Cyropaedia |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-24 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Methexis |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2018 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2018 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Keywords
- Aristippus
- Cyropaedia
- Xenophon
- enkráteia
- ruler