This book seeks to restore Homer to his rightful place among the principal figures in the history of political and moral philosophy. Through this fresh and provocative analysis of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Peter J. Ahrensdorf examines Homer's understanding of the best life, the nature of the divine, and the nature of human excellence. According to Ahrensdorf, Homer teaches that human greatness eclipses that of the gods, that the contemplative and compassionate singer ultimately surpasses the heroic warrior in grandeur, and that it is the courageously questioning Achilles, not the loyal Hector or even the wily Odysseus, who comes closest to the humane wisdom of Homer himself. Thanks to Homer, two of the distinctive features of Greek civilization are its extraordinary celebration of human excellence, as can be seen in Greek athletics, sculpture, and nudity, and its singular questioning of the divine, as can be seen in Greek philosophy.
- Offers a compact, engaging and accessible discussion of the two questions that all students of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey inevitably ask: why are Homer's gods so comical and who is Homer's greatest hero: Achilles, Hector, or Odysseus?
- Challenges the conventional view that Homer is, at best, a great poet and, at worst, a name that represents a primitive oral tradition, by arguing that Homer was a great thinker, the philosophic founder of classical Greek civilization, and a principal figure in the history of political and moral philosophy
- Illuminates the relationship between Homer's political, moral, and religious teachings and classical civilization
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Reviews & endorsements
'Turning to the epics of Homer as resources for reflection about the deepest sources of human virtue and happiness, Ahrensdorf's challenging and persuasive book, by inverting the familiar views of the central characters created by the poet, elucidates the relation between the singer of songs and the true meaning of excellence.' Arlene W. Saxonhouse, University of Michigan
'This provocative study will arouse controversy as it attempts to revive the ancient view of Homer as a teacher of virtue and to demonstrate that Achilles, rather than the apparently more lovable Hector or more rational Odysseus, really is the best of the Achaeans.' Jenny Strauss Clay, University of Virginia
'Peter J. Ahrensdorf's Homer on the Gods and Human Virtue is a profound and moving book. His argument will provoke healthy controversy. It will also demand respect for its meticulous attention to intellectual history and scholarly disputes, its fair-mindedness, and its gravitas. The book is gracefully written and intensely argued, exemplifying the courageous wisdom of the poet Homer and the warrior Achilles in reflecting on questions of justice, divine providence, human mortality and human happiness.' Susan Collins, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
'… [Ahrensdorf] gives us striking insights into the epics, and highlights Homer's humanity …' Susan Kristol, The Weekly Standard
'Ahrensdorf makes a strong - indeed, to my mind, irrefutable - argument that the apparently dutiful, home-loving Hector is in fact anything but that; in Ahrensdorf's treatment, Achilles rightly emerges as the more profoundly thoughtful and ultimately more compassionate man.' First Things
'Ahrensdorf shows the complexity and seriousness of Homer's moral universe. Especially strong is his examination of the virtue of Achilles' rage, the rage that begins the Iliad.' The Washington Free Beacon
'Under Ahrensdorf's hand, Achilles emerges as the only hero who truly rivals Homer himself in terms of the depth of his wisdom, and his liberation from convention inspires the later birth of philosophy in classical Greece.' Review of Politics
'Homer on the Gods and Human Virtue takes the poet seriously and, by doing so, illustrates the powerful voice that Homer and - more generally - literature can and should have within political philosophy. Unlike so many volumes, Ahrensdorf's new book on Homer successfully navigates between the twin dangers that haunt such endeavors: he neither cherry picks the story selectively to support his argument, nor does he lose sight of his thesis (and hence the philosophy) in the labyrinth of the poetry. As a result, this contribution successfully marries literature and philosophy. Ahrensdorf's introduction is a beautiful and succinct defense of the place of Homer in the study of politics, and the body of the book … explores the relationship between men and gods and the resulting implications for human virtue.' Michelle M. Kundmueller, Polis: The Journal for Ancient Greek Political Thought
'[Ahrensdorf]'s depiction of Homer as a philosophical poet of the first rank is compelling. This book is deserving of a close reading by scholars and students alike.' Robert J. Rabel, The Classical Review
'To call Peter J. Ahrensdorf's book on Homer 'thought-provoking' would be an understatement, as the length and substance of this review might convince you. It is a book to be read and reread, enjoyed and argued with, a book that will, with its swift pace and disarming forthrightness, whisk you through it in a few sittings.' Robert Goldberg, Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy
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Product details
- Date Published: February 2019
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521141550
- length: 281 pages
- dimensions: 230 x 153 x 20 mm
- weight: 0.45kg
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The theology of Homer
2. Achilles and Hector
3. Achilles and the limits of virtue
4. Odysseus and Achilles.
Look Inside
Author
Peter J. Ahrensdorf, Davidson College, North Carolina
Peter J. Ahrensdorf is the James Sprunt Professor of Political Science and an affiliated professor of classics at Davidson College, North Carolina. He is the author of Greek Tragedy and Political Philosophy: Rationalism and Religion in Sophocles' Theban Plays (2009) and The Death of Socrates and the Life of Philosophy: An Interpretation of Plato's Phaedo (1995); the coauthor of Justice among Nations: On the Moral Basis of Power and Peace (with Thomas L. Pangle, 1999); and the cotranslator of Sophocles' Theban Plays (with Thomas L. Pangle, 2013). He is also the author of many articles and essays on Plato, Thucydides, Hobbes, Sophocles, Sarmiento, and Homer. Ahrensdorf has received a Fulbright scholarship to study and teach in Argentina, two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, five Earhart Foundation fellowship research grants, a Boswell Faculty fellowship, and the Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award from Davidson College.