Oikonomia: Ancient Greek Philosophers on the Meaning of Economic Life
A detailed analysis of oikonomia, an underexplored branch of knowledge in ancient Greek philosophy.
 
In this book, Étienne Helmer offers a comprehensive analysis of oikonomia in ancient Greek philosophy. Despite its similarity to the word “economy,” for the ancients, oikonomia named a branch of knowledge—the science of management—that was aimed at studying the practices we engage in to satisfy our needs. This began with the domestic sphere, but it radiated outward from the oikos (house) to encompass broader issues in the polis (city) as well. Helmer explores topics such as gender roles and marriage, property and the household, the acquisition and preservation of material goods, and how Greek philosophers addressed the issue of slavery in the ancient world. Even if we are not likely to share many of ancient thinkers’ beliefs today, Helmer shows that there was once a way of thinking of “economic life” that went beyond the mere accumulation of wealth, representing a key point of departure for understanding how to inhabit the world with others.
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Oikonomia: Ancient Greek Philosophers on the Meaning of Economic Life
A detailed analysis of oikonomia, an underexplored branch of knowledge in ancient Greek philosophy.
 
In this book, Étienne Helmer offers a comprehensive analysis of oikonomia in ancient Greek philosophy. Despite its similarity to the word “economy,” for the ancients, oikonomia named a branch of knowledge—the science of management—that was aimed at studying the practices we engage in to satisfy our needs. This began with the domestic sphere, but it radiated outward from the oikos (house) to encompass broader issues in the polis (city) as well. Helmer explores topics such as gender roles and marriage, property and the household, the acquisition and preservation of material goods, and how Greek philosophers addressed the issue of slavery in the ancient world. Even if we are not likely to share many of ancient thinkers’ beliefs today, Helmer shows that there was once a way of thinking of “economic life” that went beyond the mere accumulation of wealth, representing a key point of departure for understanding how to inhabit the world with others.
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Oikonomia: Ancient Greek Philosophers on the Meaning of Economic Life

Oikonomia: Ancient Greek Philosophers on the Meaning of Economic Life

Oikonomia: Ancient Greek Philosophers on the Meaning of Economic Life

Oikonomia: Ancient Greek Philosophers on the Meaning of Economic Life

Hardcover(First Edition)

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Overview

A detailed analysis of oikonomia, an underexplored branch of knowledge in ancient Greek philosophy.
 
In this book, Étienne Helmer offers a comprehensive analysis of oikonomia in ancient Greek philosophy. Despite its similarity to the word “economy,” for the ancients, oikonomia named a branch of knowledge—the science of management—that was aimed at studying the practices we engage in to satisfy our needs. This began with the domestic sphere, but it radiated outward from the oikos (house) to encompass broader issues in the polis (city) as well. Helmer explores topics such as gender roles and marriage, property and the household, the acquisition and preservation of material goods, and how Greek philosophers addressed the issue of slavery in the ancient world. Even if we are not likely to share many of ancient thinkers’ beliefs today, Helmer shows that there was once a way of thinking of “economic life” that went beyond the mere accumulation of wealth, representing a key point of departure for understanding how to inhabit the world with others.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780226827346
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication date: 05/08/2024
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 176
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Étienne Helmer teaches philosophy at the University of Puerto Rico. 


David A. Auerbach has been a translator and editor for over twenty-five years. He works at the Translation Program of the University of Puerto Rico.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part I Oikonomia as Knowledge
1 Oikonomia versus Economics
2 What Kind of Knowledge Is Oikonomia?

Part II Organizing Human Beings
3 Marriage, Household, and Community
4 Masters and the Enslaved in the Oikos

Part III Putting Things in Their Place
5 Acquisition and Wealth
6 Preservation and Balance
7 Self-Sufficiency and the Science of Proper Use

Conclusion

Acknowledgments
Notes
References
Index locorum
Index
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