An Inquiry into the Philosophical Concept of Scholê : Leisure as a Political End

Though the ancient Greek philosophical concept of "scholê "is usually translated as 'leisure', there is a vast difference between the two. Leisure, derived from Latin "licere"," "has its roots in Roman "otium "and connotes the uses of free time in ways permitted by the status quo. "Scholê" is the actualization of mind and one's humanity within a republic that devotes its culture to making such a choice possible. This volume traces the background in Greek culture and the writings of Plato of a daring proposal presented by Aristotle, that "scholê" is a principle for political organization. The concept of "scholê "by and large did not survive Aristotle. To sharpen our understanding of "scholê "the book goes on to identify the concepts of leisure which we have inherited from the intellectuals of the Hellenistic and Roman empires and the early Church Fathers. "Scholê "also had its contrary "ascholia" - busyness - which Plato described as a social and psychological pathology and his analysis suggests why, due to

these ills, current visions of a leisure society are highly unlikely. [Publisher's Text]

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