The Circle of Megara - 9781844658459

The so-called Megarian school of philosophy flourished in the fourth century BCE, but whereas other Socratics have received renewed scholarly interest in recent years, the Megarian philosophers - Euclides, Eubulides, Diodorus Cronus, Stilpon and others - have yet to have a book-length treatment in English. Ugo Zilioli's new study aims to fill that gap. He carefully reconstructs the genealogy of the Megarians and pieces together their philosophical views to offer a nuanced and detailed account. The book begins with a discussion of the inevitable problem of sources and the vexata queastio of whether the Megarians were a proper school. The second part explores in detail the philosophical views of its members, including such topics as the good and virtue, perception, knowledge and mind, actuality and the world, and paradoxes and modality. The author also examines Plato's and Aristotle's understanding of the Megarians as well as their relationship with thinkers from Eretria. An appendix provides translation of all the main sources on the Megarians.