Susan Sauvé Meyer

I am an historian of Greek and Roman philosophy. My earliest published work examines Aristotle's natural philosophy and ethics, with special attention to issues concerning causation and responsibility. I have returned to these topics in recent years, with the new introduction to "Aristotle on Moral Responsibility" (reissued in 2011) and a 2014 paper on Aristotle's notion of what is "up to us." I have also investigated related issues in Stoicism, with particular emphasis on how we are to understand the Stoic doctrine of fate. More recently, I have concentrated on the ancient ethical tradition. In "Ancient Ethics" (2008) I offer a systematic account of of the ethical theories of Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans, and the Stoics. Accessible to the general philosophical reader as well as of interest to specialists in the field, it is a contribution to the ongoing humanistic project of understanding the moral philosophy of the ancients. My present projects concern a cluster of topics in ancient moral psychology, especially matters pertaining to the emotions in Plato and the Stoics. I have recently finished a translation and commentary on Plato's Law, Books I and II, in which issues about moral psychology, ethical education, and the evaluation of art loom large. My present projects include a study of the notion of desire in Stoic theories of action and passion, as well as further translation and commentary on Plato's Laws.
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Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors (Coursera)

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century [...]

Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors (Coursera)

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century [...]