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9780521193887

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'Turning to the epics of Homer as resources for reflection about the deepest sources of human virtue and happiness, Ahrensdorf's challenging and persuasive book, by inverting the familiar views of the central characters created by the poet, elucidates the relation between the singer of songs and the true meaning of excellence.' Arlene W. Saxonhouse, University of Michigan 'This provocative study will arouse controversy as it attempts to revive the ancient view of Homer as a teacher of virtue and to demonstrate that Achilles, rather than the apparently more lovable Hector or more rational Odysseus, really is the best of the Achaeans.' Jenny Strauss Clay, University of Virginia 'Peter Ahrensdorf's Homer on the Gods and Human Virtue is a profound and moving book. His argument will provoke healthy controversy. It will also demand respect for its meticulous attention to intellectual history and scholarly disputes, its fair-mindedness, and its gravitas. The book is gracefully written and intensely argued, exemplifying the courageous wisdom of the poet Homer and the warrior Achilles in reflecting on questions of justice, divine providence, human mortality and human happiness.' Susan Collins, University of Notre Dame

Peter Ahrensdorf s Homer on the Gods and Human Virtue is a profound and moving book. His argument will provoke healthy controversy. It will also demand respect for its meticulous attention to intellectual history and scholarly disputes, its fair-mindedness, and its gravitas. The book is gracefully written and intensely argued, exemplifying the courageous wisdom of the poet Homer and the warrior Achilles in reflecting on questions of justice, divine providence, human mortality and human happiness. Susan Collins, University of Notre Dame

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Peter J. Ahrensdorf is the James Sprunt Professor of Political Science and an affiliated professor of classics at Davidson College, North Carolina. He is the author of Greek Tragedy and Political Philosophy: Rationalism and Religion in Sophocles' Theban Plays (2009) and The Death of Socrates and the Life of Philosophy: An Interpretation of Plato's Phaedo (1995); the coauthor of Justice among Nations: On the Moral Basis of Power and Peace (with Thomas L. Pangle, 1999); and the cotranslator of Sophocles' Theban Plays (with Thomas L. Pangle, 2013). He is also the author of many articles and essays on Plato, Thucydides, Hobbes, Sophocles, Sarmiento, and Homer. Ahrensdorf has received a Fulbright scholarship to study and teach in Argentina, two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, five Earhart Foundation fellowship research grants, a Boswell Faculty fellowship, and the Hunter-Hamilton Love of Teaching Award from Davidson College.

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