Aristotle and Menander on the Ethics of Understanding

244 Pages·2014·1.19 MB·English

by  Valeria Cinaglia

AristotleandMenanderontheEthicsofUnderstanding
Philosophia Antiqua
aseriesofstudiesonancientphilosophy
PreviousEditors
J.H.Waszink†
W.J.Verdenius†
J.C.M.VanWinden†
Editedby
K.A.Algra
F.A.J.deHaas
J.Mansfeld
C.J.Rowe
D.T.Runia
Ch.Wildberg
volume138
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/pha
Aristotle and Menander on
the Ethics of Understanding
By
ValeriaCinaglia
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Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-90-04-26975-0(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-28282-7(e-book)
1.Aristotle.2.Menander,ofAthens–Criticismandinterpretation.3.Ethics.I.Title.
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2014034593
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xii
NotesonConventions xv
Introduction 1
1 SettingtheScene:AristotleandMenander 1
2 MenanderandTheophrastusonCharacter(s)? 4
3 TheStructureoftheBookandtheMethodofEnquiry 8
1 SettingtheBroaderBackground 12
1 Understanding,EthicsandAncientPhilosophy 12
2 Understanding,EthicsandAestheticPleasure 18
2 DegreesofUnderstanding:MenanderandAristotleonHowWe
Understand 23
1 Epitrepontes:RecognitionandUnderstanding 25
2 NotesonRecognitioninEuripides’Electra 36
3 Aristotle:GraspingtheSense 41
3.1 UnderstandingandMissingtheUnderstanding 44
3.2 GraspingandMissingtheGrasp 48
4 Conclusions 57
3 TheMisleadingPowerofPerceptionsandEmotions 60
1 “IsThisPlausible?”(Men.Sam.216) 63
1.1 Demeas 63
1.2 Moschion 80
2 AristotleontheVulnerabilityofCorrect(Ethical)Reasoning 84
2.1 ThinkingaboutOne’sOwnPerceptions 86
2.2 ActingontheBasisofOne’sOwnPerceptions 91
3 Conclusions 100
4 Chance,IgnoranceandHumanAgency 102
1 APlayofChance/AChancetoPlay 105
1.1 Perikeiromene 105
1.1.1 ThePrologueofAgnoia 106
1.1.2 PolemonandMoschion 111
viii contents
1.2 Aspis 118
1.2.1 ThePrologueofTychē 118
1.2.2 SmikrinesandDaos 120
1.3 DivinePrologueSpeakersandRelatedMatters 123
2 AristotleonChance,IgnoranceandRationalAgents 129
2.1 ProloguesandLikelihood 129
2.2 Aristotle,TychēandAgnoia 131
2.2.1 ChanceandMereChance 133
2.2.2 Voluntary,Non-Voluntary,InvoluntaryActions 139
3 Conclusions 145
5 Character,EthicsandHumanRelationships:AristotleandMenanderon
HowWeLearntoBeGoodandHowWeBecomeBad 147
1 Dyscolos:TheYoungManandtheOldMan 152
1.2 OtherExamplesofYoungMenandOldMen 164
2 AristotleontheIndividualandHisCommunity 173
2.1 ListeningandWatchingFriends 176
2.2 TalkingandLivingwithFriends 185
3 Conclusions 192
Conclusions 194
Bibliography 199
GeneralIndex 221
IndexofAncientSources 225
Preface
ThisbookisarevisedversionofmyPhDthesis.ThisprojectstartedinExeter
when, fresh from my Philosophy ba (Bologna), I approached the study of
Menandriancomedyduringmypostgraduatestudies:there,Istartedtoappre-
ciatetheintellectualsubtletyofMenander’stechniqueofcharacterizationand
plot construction. In particular, like others before me, I was struck by what
seemed to be similarities between the presentation of human character and
actioninAristotleandMenander.Then,Igraduallyrealisedthattheextentof
theanalogiesbetweenAristotleandMenanderwasnotlimitedtospecificpas-
sagesinwhichMenanderseemstoquoteorreproduceideassimilartothose
presentedbyAristotleorTheophrastus:theseanalogiescouldindeedhavehad
broaderimplicationsforthereadingofmostofMenander’sextantcomedies.
ThisiswhyIhavedecidedtoundertakeamorethoroughgoinginvestigation
of the texts relevant to this comparision, so that I could locate the points of
resemblance in the context of the philosophical work or drama in question.
ThisinquirybroughtoutpointsofresemblancebetweenMenanderandAris-
totle that go beyond parallels between isolated passages or ideas and which
identifies key structural themes within their works. For instance, Knemon’s
misanthropy in Dyscolosis presented as based on a mistaken understanding
ofthevalueofsociallifeandiscriticised,withintheplay,onthebasisofideas
comparabletothoseexpressedbyAristotleinPolitics1.Thepresentationofthe
anger of Demeas and Polemon (in Samia and Perikeiromene) provides other
clearexamplesofbadconductwhichdependonacombinationofintellectual
mistakesandemotionallapses,andarecomparabletocasesofakrasiaorlack
ofself-controlinNicomacheanEthics7.
IwasawarethatthequestionoftherelationshipbetweenPeripateticphi-
losophyandMenanderhadbeendebatedsincetheearly1900s.However,Ialso
recognisedthatamonographbringingoutfullytheextentofsharedoranalo-
gousideasinAristotleandMenander’scomediesandexploringinequaldepth
boththedramaticandthephilosophicaltexts,wasstillneeded.ThatiswhyI
decidedtoundertakethisproject.
AnumberofstudieshavebeenproducedontheinfluencethatPeripatetic
philosophyallegedlyhadonMenander’scomicproduction,especiallyinthe
1950sand1960safterthediscoveryoftheBodmerCodex(T.B.L.Webster,Stud-
ies in Menander (Manchester, 1950); A. Barigazzi, La formazione spirituale di
Menandro(Torino,1965);K.Gaiser,‘MenanderundderPeripatos’,aa13(1967),
8–40;A.Casanova,‘MenanderandthePeripatos:NewInsightintoanOldQues-
tion’,inA.Sommerstein(ed.),MenanderinContexts(NewYork,2014),137–151).