No. 75 (2026): Mayo-agosto
Articles

Self-Control and Pleasure: Xenophon’s Claim and His Critique of Cyrenaic Philosophy in Mem. II.1

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  • Milena Lozano Nembrot
Milena Lozano Nembrot Universidad de Buenos Aires

Published 2026-01-30

How to Cite

Lozano Nembrot, M. (2026). Self-Control and Pleasure: Xenophon’s Claim and His Critique of Cyrenaic Philosophy in Mem. II.1. Tópicos, Revista De Filosofía, 75, 11-40. https://doi.org/10.21555/top.v750.3279

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Abstract

This article studies the idea of enkráteia in Xenophon based on the analysis of the dialogue between Socrates and Aristippus in Memorabilia II.1. This conversation allows us to observe, on the one hand, the way in which Xenophon constructs his own conception of pleasure based on the critique of the Cyrenaic theory, and, on the other hand, the two sides of enkráteia, individual and political. I show that in this dialogue, and in Xenophon’s works in general, we find two types of enkráteia: a strong or maximal one, which implies abstaining from most pleasures even when a physiological need appears, and a weak or minimal one, which implies satisfying desire according to physiological needs and which does not exclude the pursuit of pleasure, but is the necessary condition for feeling any pleasure. 

Keywords

  • Xenophon,
  • Memorabilia,
  • enkráteia,
  • self-control,
  • pleasure,
  • Aristippus,
  • Socratic philosophies,
  • Cyrenaic philosophy,
  • Greek ethics,
  • Greek politics
    • ...More
    Less
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