Desmond, William (2010) Ancient Cynicism and Modern Philosophy. Filozofia: Journal for Philosophy, 66 (6). pp. 571-576. ISSN 0046-385 X

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Abstract

"I think, therefore I am.” Descartes’ indubitable proposition has become a cliché partly because it sounded one of the keynotes of modern philosophy down to the present day. The proposition also implicitly invokes one of the keynotes of ancient Cynicism: the individual’s freedom from external determination. Therefore, as the epistemological, metaphysical and ethical implications of Descartes’ “subjective turn” are explored in different ways by modern thinkers, there are moments in which they can return to Cynic themes also: notably individualism, hostility to authority, scepticism, naturalism and indifference to metaphysical transcendence. In this article, we will look briefly at combinations of these themes in six thinkers from the sixteenth to the late twentieth centuries: Des- cartes, Rousseau, Hegel, Nietzsche, Foucault and Sloterdijk.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Ancient Cynicism; Modern Philosophy;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > Ancient Classics
Item ID:	4639
Depositing User:	Dr William Desmond
Date Deposited:	05 Dec 2013 11:50
Journal or Publication Title:	Filozofia: Journal for Philosophy
Publisher:	Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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