In this erudite and stimulating book, Christopher Moore explores the history and meaning of the elusive—and virtually untranslatable—Greek ethical term sōphrosunē. The term is commonly rendered in English as ‘moderation’, ‘temperance’, ‘self-control’, or sometimes (and etymologically closest to the Greek) ‘sound-mindedness’, but none of these captures in a satisfactory way an idea that, as Moore shows, was itself hotly contested, in regard to both its meaning and value, in ancient Greek thought. In an epilogue Moore plumps for ‘discipline’ as his preferred English translation (339–40), and while I doubt that this achieves a felicitous correspondence, that is not for having a winning alternative up my sleeve.
In any event, Moore confines himself to transliteration of the term throughout the main body of the book (as I shall do in this review). His aim is conceptual and historical. Historically, the sweep of the book is impressive. Arranged for the most...
