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Epistemology after Protagoras Mi-Kyoung Lee (Department of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago)

Epistemology after Protagoras By Mi-Kyoung Lee (Department of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago)

Epistemology after Protagoras by Mi-Kyoung Lee (Department of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago)


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Summary

Relativism, the position that things are for each as they seem to each, was first formulated by Protagoras in the fifth century BC. Mi-Kyoung Lee examines his challenge to the possibility of knowledge and truth, and how the three most important philosophers of the next generation, Plato, Aristotle, and Democritus, responded to it.

Epistemology after Protagoras Summary

Epistemology after Protagoras: Responses to Relativism in Plato, Aristotle, and Democritus by Mi-Kyoung Lee (Department of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago)

Relativism, the position that things are for each as they seem to each, was first formulated in Western philosophy by Protagoras, the fifth-century BC Greek orator and teacher. Mi-Kyoung Lee examines the challenge to the possibility of expert knowledge posed by Protagoras, together with responses by the three most important philosophers of the next generation, Plato, Aristotle, and Democritus. In his book Truth, Protagoras made vivid use of two provocative but imperfectly spelled out ideas: first, that we are all 'measures' of the truth and that we are each already capable of determining how things are for ourselves, since the senses are our best and most credible guides to the truth; second, given that things appear differently to different people, there is no basis on which to decide that one appearance is true rather than the other. Plato developed these ideas into a more fully worked-out theory, which he then subjected to refutation in the Theaetetus. In his Metaphysics Aristotle argued that Protagoras' ideas led to scepticism. And finally Democritus incorporated modified Protagorean ideas and arguments into his theory of knowledge and perception. There have been many important recent studies of these thinkers in isolation. However, there has been no attempt to tell a single, coherent story about how Democritus, Plato, and Aristotle responded to Protagoras' striking claim, and to its perceived implications about knowledge, perception, and truth. By studying these four figures in relation to each other, we arrive at a better understanding of an important chapter in the development of Greek epistemology.

Epistemology after Protagoras Reviews

Review from previous edition Anyone interested in those texts will learn something from this book and, it is to be hoped, will be encouraged to consider their place in a wider philosophical discussion. * James Warren, The Classical Review *
a balanced book, well-argued, rich in references to the secondary literature, with fresh and challenging readings of important issues in Greek epistemology * Damir Maric, Rhizai ' *

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ; 2. Protagoras' Aletheia ; 3. Protagoras and relativism ; 4. Self-refutation and contradiction ; 5. The Secret Doctrine in Plato's Theaetetus ; 6. Aristotle on Protagoras and the Theaetetus ; 7. Aristotle on Protagoras and early conceptions of thinking and perceiving ; 8. Democritus on appearances and perception: the early sources ; 9. Democritus on knowledge and the senses: the late sources ; 10. Conclusion

Additional information

NLS9780199549283
9780199549283
0199549281
Epistemology after Protagoras: Responses to Relativism in Plato, Aristotle, and Democritus by Mi-Kyoung Lee (Department of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago)
New
Paperback
Oxford University Press
2008-07-17
304
Winner of Honourable Mention, American Philosophical Association Book Prize 2007.
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
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