Ideal library of ancient philosophers. From Pythagoras to Boethius.
Beautiful Letters| N° d'inventaire | 20992 |
| Format | 12.5 x 19.4 |
| Détails | 688 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2017 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251447360 |
This book should give an idea of what no book, no library can contain. "Paradise of the human spirit," in Hegel's words, ancient thought never ceases to teach us to philosophize. This book should give an idea of what no book, no library can contain! And first of all, the very beauty and grandeur of a free classicism: this miracle that surfaces in so many pages of Plato or Cicero, in the energy of Lucretius, in the lucidity of Seneca. But an ideal library of ancient philosophers could not leave aside this other, somewhat offbeat way in which ancient philosophy itself questions itself, by reflecting on itself or by opening itself to the Eastern world: we will read, we will discover, Plutarch, Porphyry, Origen, Philo, Hermes Trismegistus and so many other jewels of the human spirit of a constant topicality and a depth that never ceases to give food for thought. Jean-Louis Poirier, the architect of this ideal library, quotes Hegel on the subject of Antiquity, which he considered "a paradise for the human spirit." A paradise that can be found in the selection of philosophers constituting this ideal library, where Aristotle, Plato, Seneca, and Epicurus hold a prominent place. This Ideal Library of Ancient Philosophers is a joy. It must be understood in the old sense of the term: a favorable accident, a "luck" proving beneficial. For this delightful chance is not a manual, nor a serious and weighty collection. Just a very free and scholarly selection of philosophical pages, Greek and Latin, spread over ten centuries, from classical Athens to the declining Roman Empire. A philosopher, once a teacher, always curious, and a lover of ancient languages, the author of this remarkable collection warns us: when approaching his book, it is appropriate to rid ourselves of the prejudices and illusions we harbor about Antiquity. Jean-Louis Poirier presents a selection of classic texts that fall under what we once called "the humanities," as they are the foundations of European culture. What we find, in the texts of little-known authors such as Proclus, Boethius, and Philo of Alexandria, is perhaps a new perspective on philosophy, a different "ideal library" from that of gilt-edged scholarly classics.
This book should give an idea of what no book, no library can contain. "Paradise of the human spirit," in Hegel's words, ancient thought never ceases to teach us to philosophize. This book should give an idea of what no book, no library can contain! And first of all, the very beauty and grandeur of a free classicism: this miracle that surfaces in so many pages of Plato or Cicero, in the energy of Lucretius, in the lucidity of Seneca. But an ideal library of ancient philosophers could not leave aside this other, somewhat offbeat way in which ancient philosophy itself questions itself, by reflecting on itself or by opening itself to the Eastern world: we will read, we will discover, Plutarch, Porphyry, Origen, Philo, Hermes Trismegistus and so many other jewels of the human spirit of a constant topicality and a depth that never ceases to give food for thought. Jean-Louis Poirier, the architect of this ideal library, quotes Hegel on the subject of Antiquity, which he considered "a paradise for the human spirit." A paradise that can be found in the selection of philosophers constituting this ideal library, where Aristotle, Plato, Seneca, and Epicurus hold a prominent place. This Ideal Library of Ancient Philosophers is a joy. It must be understood in the old sense of the term: a favorable accident, a "luck" proving beneficial. For this delightful chance is not a manual, nor a serious and weighty collection. Just a very free and scholarly selection of philosophical pages, Greek and Latin, spread over ten centuries, from classical Athens to the declining Roman Empire. A philosopher, once a teacher, always curious, and a lover of ancient languages, the author of this remarkable collection warns us: when approaching his book, it is appropriate to rid ourselves of the prejudices and illusions we harbor about Antiquity. Jean-Louis Poirier presents a selection of classic texts that fall under what we once called "the humanities," as they are the foundations of European culture. What we find, in the texts of little-known authors such as Proclus, Boethius, and Philo of Alexandria, is perhaps a new perspective on philosophy, a different "ideal library" from that of gilt-edged scholarly classics.