Die »Moderne des Altertums«

Since Gustav Droysen coined the term »Hellenismus«, authors in the history of philosophy have been eager to demonstrate that and how Hellenistic thought differs both from its predecessors as well as its successors. Recent publications in the field reinforce this tendency based on well-informed studies. Yet, Droysen himself already called the epoch of Hellenism a »Moderne der Antike« (modernity of antiquity), and the question still arises today as to what we can learn from this »modern« epoch between classical and (pre)Christian philosophy, especially regarding its particular emphasis on philosophical ethics.

Hellmut Flashar: Hellenistische Philosophie. Berlin 2020: Passagen. 140 S. – Michael Erler: Epicurus: An Introduction to the Practical Ethics and Politics. Basel 2020: Schwabe & Co. 166 S. – John Sellars: Hellenistic Philosophy. Oxford 2018: Oxford University Press. 272 S. – Andree Hahmann: Aristoteles gegen Epikur. Eine Untersuchung über die Prinzipien der hellenistischen Philosophie ausgehend vom Phänomen der Bewegung. Berlin 2017: De Gruyter. 472 S. – Beatrice Wyss, Rainer Hirsch-Luipold und Solmeng-Jonas Hirschi (Hg.): Sophisten in Hellenismus und Kaiserzeit: Orte, Methoden und Personen der Bildungsvermittlung. Tübingen 2017: Mohr-Siebeck. 246 S.