The Greeks and the rational : the discovery of practical reason / Josiah Ober.

"In this book, Josiah Ober explores how ancient Greek sophists, historians, and philosophers developed sophisticated and systematic ideas about practical reason. At the same time, they recognized its limits-that not every decision can be reduced to mechanistic calculations of optimal outcomes. We se...

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Bibliographic Details
Uniform Title:Sather classical lectures ; 76.
Main Author: Ober, Josiah (Author)
Language:English
Published: Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2022]
Series:Sather classical lectures ; 76.
Subjects:
Practical reason > History.
Practical reason > Moral and ethical aspects.
Democracy > Greece > Athens > History.
Athens (Greece) > Civilization.
Civilization.
Democracy.
Practical reason.
Greece > Athens.
History.
Genre:
History.
Physical Description:xxv, 455 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Format: Book
Contents:
  • Introduction : discovering practical reason
  • Gyges' choice : rationality and visibility
  • Glaucon's dilemma : origins of social order
  • Deioces' ultimatum : how to choose a ruler
  • Solon's bargain : self-enforcing constitutional order
  • Melos' prospect : limits of inter-state rationality
  • Socrates' critique : problems for democratic rationality
  • Cephalus' expertise : economic rationality
  • Conclusions : utility and eudaimonia
  • Appendix : probability, risk, and likelihood.