This page is dedicated to an analysis of the first section of Parmenides' Poem, the Way of Truth, with a selection of critical judgments by the most important commentators and critics. In the Annotated Bibliography I list the main critical editions (from the first printed edition of 1573 to present days) and the translations in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, with a selection of studies on Parmenides; in future, a section will be dedicated to an examination of some critical (...) variants of the Greek text, with particular attention to corrections to the Diels-Kranz (abbreviated DK) edition of the Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. The fragments of Parmenides' Poem are cited according to Diels-Kranz numbering system as adopted in the 6th edition, Berlin 1952; the Poem is divided into three parts: the Proem fr. I, 1-32; the Way of Truth (Alethéia) from fr. II to VIII, 49, and the Way of Mortal Opinion (Doxa) fr. VIII, 50 to XIX, 3. (shrink)

ABSTRACTLloyd claims that analogies might be misleading, but might similarly allow for insights not open to those who pursue ‘inappropriate quests for certainty.’ Analogy is then presented as a flawed vehicle for discourse, useful despite that flaw, the potential to mislead, because it simultaneously delivers benefit. The problem then becomes to identify the falsehood present in the analogy in order to gain insight. Certainty is inappropriate because this is impossible. If, however, it be considered as an expression of the Parmenidean (...) paradox of being and non-being, analogy becomes essential to the discussion of multidimensional truth through a simultaneous expression of that which is defined and that which is set apart from the definition. This paper argues that reflection on Parmenides in relation to analogy leads to a further and stronger grounding for the necessity of analogy in philosophical discourse. (shrink)

This paper focuses on the materialistic account of the blending and the way it shapes an original organism model. I aim to shed light on the threads of connections we can gather between the Presocratic and the Stoic views on the physical krasis of the body. The Stoics share with Parmenides and Empedocles the idea of a single material cosmic continuum in which thought and perception depend on the various blendings of the physical constituents of the body. Both of these (...) naturalistic traditions are committed to the view that substance is continuous and undergoes constant and qualitative change. My point is to underline how this view of a sympathetic cosmos presupposes a model of the individuality that is radically open. Thus, by taking off the notion of the krasis, the Stoics take off a problem – namely, that of the organism – that is first fleshed out by the Presocratics – Parmenides and Empedocles in particular – philosophers. In this respect, the Stoic view of relational identity indebts to the Presocratic account, beyond and against the Aristotelian one. (shrink)

O verbo noeîn e sua substantivação nóos pertencem ao vocabulário cognitivo grego na literatura épica e pré-socrática comunicando a ideia de uma apreensão imediata da realidade ou da verdade de um objeto, isto é, um tipo de cognição análogo à percepção sensível em seu caráter intuitivo e direto. Segundo Von Fritz, esses conceitos passaram por uma evolução na qual Parmênides representa um momento decisivo. Em Parmênides, sem perder o aspecto preponderante de uma intuição da natureza das coisas – portanto de (...) captar o ser – o nóos também opera como raciocínio lógico. Quer dizer, noeîn-nóos exerce uma dupla função: é o contato direto com a realidade última e o pensamento discursivo, que argumenta, infere e deduz. Nosso propósito aqui é mostrar como, em Parmênides, essas funções do nóos se encontram articuladas. (shrink)

This thesis is a study of Archaic and Early Classical philosophical poetry within the competitive context which characterized the poetic production of that period. In particular, I evaluate the ideas and arguments of Xenophanes, Parmenides, Epicharmus and Empedocles in the context of the social and cultural aspects of Archaic poetic performance in order to evaluate their response to traditional agonism. As I argue, these figures entered the poetic contest not only to defeat their poetic adversaries, but also to transform and (...) redefine the terms of the competition itself. Chapter 1 is devoted to the analysis of three institutionalized forms of poetic agonism: sympotic games, rhapsodic contests, and dramatic performances. In chapter 2, I evaluate the socio-political import of Xenophanes' poetry and argue that his conception of the greatest god serves to substantiate his moral prescriptions aimed at eliminating civic conflict. In chapter 3, I examine Parmenides' original notion of alētheia as logical deduction, whereby he provides a solution to the problem of the truth-status of poetry stemming from the Muses' ability to inspire both genuine and false accounts, as narrated in Hesiod's Theogony. Chapter 4 provides an analysis of Empedocles' polemic allusions to his poetic and philosophical predecessors. I argue that Empedocles' confidence in his poetic authority is ultimately grounded on his self-declared divine status, which grants him a unique and comprehensive poetic knowledge. In chapter 5, I evaluate Epicharmus' philosophical fragments against the background of early rhetoric and argue that, through the use of philosophically inspired arguments, Epicharmus aimed to make manifest philosophy's agonistic potential and to show how it could be exploited to one's own advantage. (shrink)