Study of Recruitment Techniques in Hellenistic Greece

This study of the recruitment techniques used by the philosophical schools of Hellenistic Greece. Bernard Frischer focusses on the Epicureans, who are of special interest because their approach was at once extremely passive and extremely successful. Unlike other philosophical schools, which depended primarily on public lectures and books, the Epicureans avoided contact with the dominant culture and attracted members by erecting statues of Epicurus and their other master in public places.

These iconologically rich, "sculpted words" appealed to the very people most likely to be attracted to Epicureanism, those most likely to accept the philosophy of materialism, sensationalism, and the repression of feeling, and those who sought a way of life separate from the dominant culture.

This book is an innovative application of an inter-disciplinary humanistic and social-scientific approach to ancient Greek philosophy and art. It will appeal to those interested in the history of these subjects and those interested in the sociology of knowledge and communication.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates the University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1982.