Peter T. Struck is the Evan C. Thompson Term Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Birth of the Symbol: Ancient Readers at the Limits of Their Texts (Princeton).
A novel account of the concepts of intuition in the ancient world, this book is a remarkable study of how these concepts were clothed in the language of divination. Struck traces this history of divination-as-intuition through some of the most important surviving ancient texts on the subject. His tremendously stimulating book is replete with fresh insights and makes a significant contribution to the histories of ancient philosophy and religion. --Phillip Horky, Durham University This wonderfully interesting book marshals a great deal of information about ancient philosophy in order to make the fascinating argument that what we call divination would have been familiar to ancient intellectuals under Greek terms that we now translate as 'intuition.' It is a major step forward in understanding the concept of divination in ancient Greece and Rome. --Sarah Iles Johnston, author of Ancient Greek Divination How could sophisticated thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics accept divination as a valid source of knowledge? In this fascinating book, Peter Struck shows how the ancients viewed divination as seriously as we view the idea of intuition, and he reveals a deep structure of interpretation still of interest today. --David Konstan, author of Beauty: The Fortunes of an Ancient Greek Idea A fascinating book and an important contribution to the history of intuition in the ancient world, since Struck takes a significantly different set of texts and assumptions than previous studies of divination/intuition.---Larry Swain, Mythlore There is much in Struck's carefully argued and well researched volume to attract the attention of anyone seriously interested in ancient philosophy, and particularly in the figures of Plato, Aristotle, Posidonius, and Iamblicus. . . . The book truly is a historical and philosophical treasure trove, and it deserves wide attention.---Massimo Pigliucci, Journal of Cognitive Historiography [Struck] opens up an amazing clear view of the diverse epistemologies and ontologies of the Classical era. . . . Struck offers an account of Classical divination which is more than detailed enough to satisfy fellow Classicists while also offering insights to those outside the discipline.---Bob Trubshaw, Time & Mind An absorbing work of intellectual history, demonstrating a confident command of the philological and philosophical issues, and lucidly exploring Greek philosophical engagement with the epistemological and theological puzzles presented by divination. The book offers a fresh approach to the topic of divination by juxtaposing it with ancient and modern theories of cognition, and by moving past the debate over the (ir)rationality of the practice. . . . I hope that this excellent study will stimulate further research into such questions.---Jennifer Larson, Bryn Mawr Classical Review The core of this beautifully researched and lucidly argued book is a study of the most important and influential philosophical analyses of divination from the ancient world.---Brad Inwood, Times Literary Supplement Winner of a 2017 Charles Goodwin Award of Merit, Society for Classical Studies