Terence Irwin presents a historical and critical study of the development of moral philosophy over two thousand years, from ancient Greece to the Reformation. Starting with the seminal ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, he guides the reader through the centuries that follow, introducing each of the thinkers he discusses with generous quotations from their works. He offers not only careful interpretation but critical evaluation of what they have to offer philosophically. This is the first of three volumes which will examine the history of ethics in the Socratic tradition, up to the late 20th century.
Preface ; Abbreviations ; I. Introduction ; II. Socrates ; III. Cyrenaics ; IV. Cynics ; V. Plato ; VI. Aristotle: Happiness ; VII. Aristotle: Nature ; VIII. Aristotle: Virtue ; IX. Aristotle: Virtue and Morality ; X. Scepticism ; XI. Epicurus ; XII. Stoicism: Action, Passion, and Reason ; XIII. Stoicism: Virtue and Happiness ; XIV. Christian Theology and Moral Philosophy ; XV. Augustine ; XVI. Aquinas: Will ; XVII. Aquinas: Action ; XVIII. Aquinas: Freedom ; XIX. Aquinas: The Ultimate End ; XX. Aquinas: Moral Virtue ; XXI. Aquinas: Natural Law ; XXII. Aquinas: Practical Reason and Prudence ; XXIII. Aquinas: The Canon of Virtues ; XXIV. Aquinas: Sin and Grace ; XXV. Scotus: Will, Freedom, and Reason ; XXVI. Scotus: Virtue and Practical Reason ; XXVII. Ockham ; XXVIII. Machiavelli ; XXIX. The Reformation and Scholastic Moral Philosophy ; Bibliography ; Index
For it truly is a great book, and I doubt that we will see a history of ethics similar in scope and ambition for some time to come.