Immortality in Ancient Philosophy

Immortality was central to ancient philosophical reflections on the soul, happiness, value and divinity. Conceptions of immortality flowed into philosophical ethics and theology, and modern reconstructions of ancient thought in these areas sometimes turn on the interpretation of immortality. This volume brings together original research on immortality from early Greek philosophy, such as the Pythagoreans and Empedocles, to Augustine. The contributors consider not only arguments concerning the soul's immortality, but also the diverse and often subtle accounts of what immortality is, both in Plato and in less familiar philosophers, such as the early Stoics and Philo of Alexandria. The book will be of interest to all those interested in immortality and divinity in ancient philosophy, particularly scholars and advanced students.

• ddot; Provides a philosophically and philologically rigorous overview of immortality in ancient philosophy · Explores a key concept which, despite its importance in ancient philosophy and abiding interest for philosophers, is rarely given the same level of attention as the soul, happiness or virtue · Ranges widely from the Presocratics to Augustine