Regret: A Study in Ancient Moral Psychology

207 Pages·2022·1.302 MB·English

by  James Warren

OUPCORRECTEDPROOFS–FINAL,30/8/2021,SPi
Regret
OUPCORRECTEDPROOFS–FINAL,30/8/2021,SPi
OUPCORRECTEDPROOFS–FINAL,30/8/2021,SPi
Regret
A Study in Ancient Moral Psychology
JAMES WARREN
1
OUPCORRECTEDPROOFS–FINAL,30/8/2021,SPi
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
ListofAbbreviations xi
Introduction: Why Regret? 1
1. Virtue, Metameleia, Regret, and Remorse 12
2. Plato on Regret, Akrasia, and the Tyrannical Soul 35
3. Aristotle on Regret and Counter-Voluntary Actions 84
4. Aristotle on Regret and Akrasia 98
5. Metameleia and Ignorance 117
6. Stoic Regret 127
7. Gellius and Gallus on the Limits of Regret 156
8. Epilogue 179
References 183
Index Locorum 189
Subject Index 193
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Acknowledgements
Earlier versions of parts of this work were presented to audiences at the
Institute of Classical Studies, at the 2018 meeting of the Northern
Association for Ancient Philosophy, and as the 2019 Collis Lecture at
Transylvania University, Kentucky. I would like to thank in particular
George Boys-Stones, Jenny Bryan, Matthew Duncombe, Emily Fletcher,
Simon Gathercole, David Kaufman, Anthony Price, Katharine O’Reilly, John
Svarlien, Shaul Tor, and Raphael Woolf for their comments, assistance, and
suggestions.Ihavealsobenefitedgreatlyfromdiscussionsofthismaterialwith
Frisbee Sheffield and Gábor Betegh. The Cambridge B Caucus remains a
source of inspiration and encouragement and a reminder of what fun it can
betothinkaboutancientphilosophicaltextswithfriends.Tworeadersforthe
Pressspottedsomeerrorsformetocorrectandmadehelpfulsuggestionsfor
improving the final version. I also owe thanks to Peter Momtchiloff at the
PressandtoMonicaMatthewsforhercarefulcopy-editing.
ThemajorpartoftheresearchforthisworkwascompletedwhileIwason
sabbatical leave for the 2017–18 academic year. I would like to thank my
colleagues in the Faculty of Classics and at Corpus Christi College who took
overmydutiesforthattime.
Idedicatethisbooktomysister,withloveandthanks.