Exemplary Ethics in Ancient Rome

Erscheinungsjahr 2020
ISBN: 978-1-108-97164-5
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 380 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 552 g

This ground-breaking study conveys the thrill and moral power of the ancient Roman story-world and its ancestral tales of bloody heroism. Its account of 'exemplary ethics' explores how and what Romans learnt from these moral exempla, arguing that they disseminated widely not only core values such as courage and loyalty, but also key ethical debates and controversies which are still relevant for us today. Exemplary ethics encouraged controversial thinking, creative imitation, and a critical perspective on moral issues, and it plays an important role in Western philosophical thought. The model of exemplary ethics developed here is based on a comprehensive survey of Latin literature, and its innovative approach also synthesizes methodologies from disciplines such as contemporary philosophy, educational theory, and cultural memory studies. It offers a new and robust framework for the study of Roman exempla that will also be valuable for the study of moral exempla in other settings.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Langlands, Rebecca

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Geschichte der Westlichen Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Pädagogik Pädagogik Philosophie der Erziehung, Bildungstheorie
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. Roman values and the archetypal exemplum; 2. The special capacity of exemplary stories; 3. Exploitation, participation and the social function exempla; 4. The experience of learning from exempla; 5. Multiplicity, breadth, diversity and situational sensitivity in exemplary ethics; 6. Working consensus around Roman exempla; 7. Indeterminacy of exempla: interpretation, motivation and improvisation; 8. Sites of exemplarity: referentiality, memory, orality; 9. The dynamics of cultural memory: forgetting, rupture, contestation; 10. Changing sites of exemplarity: two case studies; 11. Diachronic overview of the exemplary terrain; 12. Controversial thinking through exempla; 13. Philosophical and literary adventures in the exemplary terrain; Conclusion.

Über Autor(innen)

Langlands, Rebecca
Rebecca Langlands is Professor of Classics at the University of Exeter. Her books include Sexual Morality in Ancient Rome (Cambridge, 2006) and Sex, Knowledge, and Receptions of the Past (2015). She is also a founder and director of the award-winning Sex and History project, which works with museums, schools, charities and young people to promote empowering discussion of contemporary sexual issues.