{"title":"THE WISE MAN AND THE SEA: EPICUREANS ON SEA STORMS, SHIPWRECK, AND CHANCE","authors":"Wim Nijs","doi":"10.1017/s0017383523000049","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The idea that the sea is a dangerous and alien element in which one is at the mercy of higher powers, is deeply imbedded in Mediterranean culture, and has many parallels in Greek and Roman literature. From an Epicurean point of view, however, such higher powers belong to the realm of irrational beliefs which could threaten one's ἀταραξία (‘peace of mind’). What counts in Epicureanism is the rational calculus of all factors in order to minimize the influence of τύχη (‘chance’) on one's endeavours. This article explores how the Epicureans thought about the sea and its many dangers. It tries to establish under which circumstances the sage will travel by sea and gives special attention to Diogenes of Oenoanda's letter (fr. 71 + NF 214 + fr. 72 + fr. 70) about the shipwreck of Niceratus and his friends’ failure to minimize the agency of chance.","PeriodicalId":44977,"journal":{"name":"GREECE & ROME","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"GREECE & ROME","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s0017383523000049","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"CLASSICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The idea that the sea is a dangerous and alien element in which one is at the mercy of higher powers, is deeply imbedded in Mediterranean culture, and has many parallels in Greek and Roman literature. From an Epicurean point of view, however, such higher powers belong to the realm of irrational beliefs which could threaten one's ἀταραξία (‘peace of mind’). What counts in Epicureanism is the rational calculus of all factors in order to minimize the influence of τύχη (‘chance’) on one's endeavours. This article explores how the Epicureans thought about the sea and its many dangers. It tries to establish under which circumstances the sage will travel by sea and gives special attention to Diogenes of Oenoanda's letter (fr. 71 + NF 214 + fr. 72 + fr. 70) about the shipwreck of Niceratus and his friends’ failure to minimize the agency of chance.
期刊介绍：
Published with the wider audience in mind, Greece & Rome features informative and lucid articles on ancient history, art, archaeology, religion, philosophy, and the classical tradition. Although its content is of interest to professional scholars, undergraduates and general readers who wish to be kept informed of what scholars are currently thinking will find it engaging and accessible. All Greek and Latin quotations are translated. A subscription to Greece & Rome includes a supplement of New Surveys in the Classics. These supplements have covered a broad range of topics, from key figures like Homer and Virgil, to subjects such as Greek tragedy, thought and science, women, slavery, and Roman religion. The 2007 New Survey will be Comedy by Nick Lowe.
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