Determinism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy [Hardcover]

Susanne Bobzien (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198237944 | ISBN-13: 978-0198237945 | Publication Date: April 8, 1999

Bobzien presents the definitive study of one of the most interesting intellectual legacies of the ancient Greeks: the Stoic theory of causal determinism. She explains what it was, how the Stoics justified it, and how it relates to their views on possibility, action, freedom, moral responsibility, and many other topics. She demonstrates the considerable philosophical richness and power that these ideas retain today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an awe-inspiring work....It is extraordinarily ambitious. It aims to recover and understand, so far as the sources allow, the entire early Stoic theory of fate, causal determinism, and responsibility. It achieves this ambition while at the same time showing how immensely more difficult the task is than anyone had appreciated before....It will most certainly be the first work that everybody interested has to get to grips with. They will have to start here both because the book is a model of scholarly method and because it is an outstanding example of lucid philosophical thinking in an area where clear thought is extremely difficult."--Miles Burnyeat, All Souls College, Oxford in

About the Author

Susanne Bobzien is Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at The Queen's College, Oxford.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 456 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (April 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198237944
• ISBN-13: 978-0198237945
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,427,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary scholarship, August 6, 2006

By 

G. T. (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Determinism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy (Paperback)

Determinism and Freedom in Stoic Philosophy is truly remarkable scholarship, illuminating, philosophically inspiring and highly recommended.

Bobzien traces the Stoic theory of causal determinism to its beginnings and discusses its connection with their views on freedom, action, and moral responsibility. The book is, however, more than a book on the history of philosophy; it is a book on philosophy and is, indeeed, philosophically rewarding.

This book is highly recommended not just for those intereseted in Stoicism, Hellenistic philosophy or Ancient philosophy generally, but also for anyone interested in contemporary debates about determinism and questions about free will.