History of Western Political Thought. Volume 1, Ancient Greece and Rome

Author: Xu Datong, Chief Editor / Wang Le Li, Volume Editor
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: This volume covers political thought during the periods of ancient Greece and Rome, spanning approximately from 800 BC to 476 AD. Key figures include Protagoras, Antiphon, Democritus, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Zeno, Chrysippus, Antisthenes, Diogenes, Polybius, Panetius, Poseidon, Lucretius, Cicero, Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Justinian. The period of ancient Greece and Rome provided later generations with a rich intellectual legacy, particularly offering diverse political views, unique perspectives on observing politics, and fundamental bases for interpreting politics. From the theocratic view of politics, the naturalistic view of politics, the humanistic view of politics to the ethical view of politics, it follows a general thread. Plato's Republic and Aristotle's systematic political science mark the peak of ancient Greek political thought. During the Hellenistic period, political thought exhibited a trend of diversification, primarily characterized by the opposition between the Epicurean and Stoic schools. Roman thinkers continued the thinking patterns of their predecessors while also creating their own republican thought, ultimately leading political thought to a dualism between divine and human affairs.