The Greco-Roman mathematician Claudius Ptolemy is one of the most significant figures in the history of science. He is remembered today for his astronomy, but his philosophy is almost entirely lost to history. This groundbreaking book is the first to reconstruct Ptolemy’s general philosophical system—including his metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics—and to explore its relationship to astronomy, harmonics, element theory, astrology, cosmology, psychology, and theology.
In this stimulating intellectual history, Jacqueline Feke uncovers references to a complex and sophisticated philosophical agenda scattered among Ptolemy’s technical studies in the physical and mathematical sciences. She shows how he developed a philosophy that was radical and even subversive, appropriating ideas and turning them against the very philosophers from whom he drew influence. Feke reveals how Ptolemy’s unique system is at once a critique of prevailing philosophical trends and a conception of the world in which mathematics reigns supreme.
A compelling work of scholarship, Ptolemy’s Philosophy demonstrates how Ptolemy situated mathematics at the very foundation of all philosophy—theoretical and practical—and advanced the mathematical way of life as the true path to human perfection.
Awards and Recognition
- Shortlisted for the Pickstone Prize, British Society for the History of Science
Jacqueline Feke is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.
"Feke’s book deserves a place on the shelves of historians of science, philosophers, and classicists alike."—Marco Romani Mistretta, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
"This important study will significantly improve our historical understanding of the originality of Ptolemy’s position."—Alain Bernard, Journal of the History of Astronomy
"The book can be accessed and appreciated with a little sustained effort. For those of us who practice the history of mathematics, Feke’s work is a nice illustration that our historical actors’ philosophical commitments often can be identified, and they can help us to focus our readings more precisely. It’s a good lesson, and well worth the endeavour."—Glen Van Brummelen, British Journal for the History of Mathematics
“Feke offers a wide-ranging analysis of Ptolemy’s entire philosophy—not only his philosophy of science but also his theory of the soul, the many applications of the doctrine of harmony, and his attempts to give his ethical theory a central place in the whole. It is a significant contribution.”—James Evans, author of The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy
“This book provides the first systematic treatment of Ptolemy’s philosophy, shedding light on an aspect of his thought that until now has received very little attention. Feke makes the original and historically important argument that Ptolemy ascribed to mathematics the same role that philosophy had in the Hellenistic era—to show the way to the good life.”—Orna Harari, Tel Aviv University
