The texts of Diogenes of Oinoanda (2nd century AD) who invited his readers to an Epicurean life is the largest ancient inscription ever discovered. Over 70 new finds have increased the number of known wall blocks and fragments to nearly 300, offering new insights into Diogenes' distinctive presentation of philosophy. This collection of essays discusses the philosophical significance of these discoveries and is the first of this kind entirely devoted to Diogenes of Oinoanda. Particular attention is paid to his philosophical aims and polemical strategies. Diogenes was apparently well aware of still ongoing philosophical debates, engaging in polemics against Presocratic philosophers, Platonics, and especially Stoics. His views about important issues like happiness, fear, old age, and the afterlife are explained on the bases of Epicurean physics and theology, ethics, politics, theory of knowledge, and psychology.

Les textes de Diogene d'Oenoanda (Deuxieme siecle de notre ere), qui invitait ses lecteurs au mode de vie epicurien, constituent la plus grande inscription antique jamais decouverte. Les recherches recentes (plus de 70 pieces) ont porte le nombre de morceaux du mur et de fragments a pres de 300, offrant ainsi un nouvel apercu de la pensee propre de Diogene. Les essais reunis dans ce volume, le premier recueil d’articles entierement consacre a Diogene d’Oenoanda, examinent la signification de ces decouvertes. Ils portent une attention particuliere aux intentions philosophiques de Diogene et a ses strategies polemiques. L’epicurien etait manifestement bien averti des debats philosophiques de son temps, engageant lui-meme la polemique contre les presocratiques, les platoniciens et, plus specialement, les stoiciens. Ses idees concernant les problemes fondamentaux du bonheur, de la peur, de la vieillesse et de la vie apres la mort ont pour horizon la pensee epicurienne sous ses differents aspects: physique et theologie, ethique, politique, theorie de la connaissance et psychologie.

Contributors

Martin Bachmann (The German Archaeological Institute), Michael Erler (University of Wurzburg), Alain Gigandet (University Paris – Est Creteil), Jean-Baptiste Gourinat (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/University of Paris – Sorbonne/Ecole Normale Superieure), Refik Guremen (Mimar Sinan University), Jurgen Hammerstaedt (University of Cologne), Giuliana Leone (University of Naples Federico II), Francesca Masi (University Ca’ Foscari of Venice), Pierre-Marie Morel (University of Paris 1 – Pantheon Sorbonne / Institut Universitaire de France), Geert Roskam (KU Leuven), Martin Ferguson Smith (Durham University), Voula Tsouna (University of California), Francesco Verde (La Sapienza University of Rome)