Oikosophia · Shaping Ancient Economies: Philosophical Insights and Transformations of 'Oikonomia' from the 4th Century BC to Its Later Development

This project investigates the philosophical approach to ancient 'oikonomia' through an analysis of classical texts on household management and their influence on modern philosophy. It aims to explore key thematic issues such as the definition of 'household,' the roles of family members, and the treatment of women, children, and slaves in property management. It will examine conceptions of wealth, its limits, and measurement, the role of money and the ancient philosophers' disposition towards it, as well as the ethical and political implications of economic positions, both private and public, and the philosophical perspectives on nature and on the environment behind economic choices.The project will trace how these ancient conceptions have been integrated into subsequent philosophical thought and contemporary discussions, including environmental ethics, circular economy, and degrowth. Key texts to be analyzed include Xenophon's ‘Economics,’ economic passages in Plato's ‘Republic’ and ‘Laws’, the critique of chrematistics in Book I of Aristotle's ‘Politics’ (from which Marx's critique of the capitalist system originates), the letters of the Pythagorean women (falsely attributed), dealing with the concept of oikos, the evolution of peripatetic ideas in ps.-Aristotle's ‘Oeconomicus’, and the Epicurean philosophical perspective behind economic management in Philodemus of Gadara's ‘Oeconomicus’. The research will be further informed by the study of how these ancient texts have been interpreted by modern thinkers, from Marx to Strauss and Latouche.By employing an interdisciplinary and diachronic approach that integrates philological, philosophical, and historical methodologies, the project aims to explore the philosophical, ethical, political, and social dimensions underlying each vision of ancient economics and to assess their enduring impact on subsequent philosophical thought, broadening the perspective to political sciences, gender studies and feminist philosophy.