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The Greek Praise of Poverty: The Origins Of Ancient Cynicism
William Desmond
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Description for The Greek Praise of Poverty: The Origins Of Ancient Cynicism
Paperback. Explains Cynicism's rise in popularity in the ancient world by exploring the set of attitudes that collectively formed the Greek praise of poverty. The author argues that economic, military, and philosophical thought contains explicit criticisms of wealth and praise of poverty. This is a work of ancient Cynicism and its classical environment. Num Pages: 240 pages. BIC Classification: 1QDAG; HPCA. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly. Dimension: 230 x 161 x 19. Weight in Grams: 386.
William Desmond, taking issue with typical assessments of the ancient Cynics, contends that figures such as Antisthenes and Diogenes were not cultural outcasts or marginal voices in the classical culture of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. Rather, the Cynic movement had deep and significant roots in what Desmond calls "the Greek praise of poverty." Desmond demonstrates that classical attitudes toward wealth were complex and ambivalent, and allowed for an implicit praise of poverty and the virtues it could inspire. From an economic and political point of view, the poor majority at Athens and elsewhere were natural democrats who distrusted ... Read more
William Desmond, taking issue with typical assessments of the ancient Cynics, contends that figures such as Antisthenes and Diogenes were not cultural outcasts or marginal voices in the classical culture of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. Rather, the Cynic movement had deep and significant roots in what Desmond calls "the Greek praise of poverty." Desmond demonstrates that classical attitudes toward wealth were complex and ambivalent, and allowed for an implicit praise of poverty and the virtues it could inspire. From an economic and political point of view, the poor majority at Athens and elsewhere were natural democrats who distrusted ... Read more
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2006
Publisher
University of Notre Dame Press
Condition
New
Number of Pages
256
Place of Publication
Notre Dame IN, United States
ISBN
9780268025823
SKU
V9780268025823
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About William Desmond
William D. Desmond is a lecturer in the Department of Classics at Trinity College, Dublin.
Reviews for The Greek Praise of Poverty: The Origins Of Ancient Cynicism
“Sets the thoughts of such Cynic philosophers as Antisthenes and Diogenes in the context of a Greek tradition of ambivalence toward wealth.”—The Chronicle of Higher Education "According to Desmond, democratic populism, Greek heroism, and a philosophic yearning for absolute truth
forerunners of Cynic asceticism
all derive from the virtue of frugality. . . . Philological and philosophical, Desmond draws widely from the ... Read more
forerunners of Cynic asceticism
all derive from the virtue of frugality. . . . Philological and philosophical, Desmond draws widely from the ... Read more