Ancient Greek Science and Philosophy Research Papers

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- by Gabrièle Wersinger Taylor
- •
- 7
  Homer, Presocratic Philosophy, Plato, Pythagoreanism

This book is the first complete collection and analysis of ancient testimony relating to the chronology of the early Greek natural philosophers, astronomers, and geometers who were active before Aristotle. New estimates are given for the... more

One of the better-known episodes in the life of John Tzetzes is his complaint that during a period of poverty in the 1130s he had been forced to sell off his books until only two remained in his possession – a copy of Plutarch’s Lives and... more

One of the better-known episodes in the life of John Tzetzes is his complaint that during a period of poverty in the 1130s he had been forced to sell off his books until only two remained in his possession – a copy of Plutarch’s Lives and a collection of “various mathematical morsels”. While Tzetzes’ historical, allegorical and exegetical writings do not otherwise display an exceptional passion for or expertise in mathematics, he names numerous “scientific” authors and cites their texts to elucidate, enliven or verify historical events, literary meanings and natural phenomena. Investigation of Tzetzes’ citations and terminology in this sphere indicates that his interests lay not in mathematical theory but in practical applications and demonstrations, consistent with his fascination for celebrated achievements in mechanical technology and military engineering. He also extols the sciences of classical antiquity and compiles lists of writers and works on geometry, mechanics, hydraulics, optics, pneumatics and poliorcetics. This paper concerning interaction between Tzetzes’ oeuvre and scientific literature has three objectives. First, evaluation of Tzetzes’ references to mathematical- technological authors (mechanographoi), including works that are otherwise unattested or lost, attempts to distinguish first-hand knowledge of texts from mere literary posturing, and to examine how Tzetzes’ citations relate to the known textual traditions, manuscript transmission and scholarly reception of classical science in Byzantium. This investigation demonstrates Tzetzes’ familiarity with two late antique works: Pappus’ Synagogue, a mathematical compendium (c.340), and Anthemius’ Περὶ παραδόξων μηχανημάτων, a treatise on geometrical optics (c.520-530s). Second, analysis of Tzetzes’ use of extant scientific texts, and in particular his efforts to combine historical narrative and technical exposition (e.g. his fusion of Cassius Dio’s Roman History and Anthemius’ Περὶ παραδόξων μηχανημάτων in reporting the legendary tale of Archimedes’ burning-mirrors [Hist. 2.112-31]), supply a methodological template for studying other cases where his technical source is uncertain or lost (e.g. his account of Apollodorus of Damascus’ bridge over the Danube [Hist. 2.65-97]). Third, striking parallels with the writings of Tzetzes’ near-contemporaries, notably Zonaras and Eustathius of Thessalonica, point to intertextuality and/or common source material, and suggest that Tzetzes’ “mathematical” interests were not entirely idiosyncratic or pedantic but shared and reflect a broader intellectual climate in twelfth-century Byzantium.

This article presents a strategy for introducing Presocratic thought to students in a manner that is both engaging and relevant. The first section addresses students&#39; reactions to the claim that the Presocratics were the first... more

Abstract The Discovery of Physis and the First Secular Theories of Everything Gerard Naddaf, York University Invited Paper XIII International Ontology Congress Physics and Ontology San Sebastian, October 2-6, 2018 In contemporary... more

Abstract
The Discovery of Physis and the First Secular Theories of Everything
Gerard Naddaf, York University
Invited Paper
XIII International Ontology Congress
Physics and Ontology
San Sebastian, October 2-6, 2018

In contemporary science and philosophy, the orthodox view is to consider “reductive materialism” the only legitimate way of accounting for all things, past, present and future — for, that is, what some may call “theories of everything.” According to this view, all psychological phenomena, including mind, life, and consciousness, are also reducible to physics and chemistry.

In his recent controversial but important book, Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False (Oxford: OUP, 2012), Thomas Nagel argues against “reductive materialism” and reductionist interpretation of biological evolution. But Nagel is also an atheist, so he’ll have nothing to do with the theistic option and its contention that the intentionality of a purposive being is at work behind the present order of things. Nagel argues instead for a special kind of teleology that he calls “natural teleology” as the only valid explanation. The existence of teleological laws means that certain physical outcomes have a much higher probability than the laws of physics alone would allow because they are on a path toward certain results.

What interests me with Nagel’s proposal is that we find a historical precedent for it at the origins of philosophy and science in what is called the discovery or invention of nature or physis. In this paper, I’ll argue that when we turn to the history of philosophy before Aristotle, we see that this natural teleology, to borrow Nagel’s expression, led some thinkers to affirm reductive materialism, which in turn generated, as a reaction to it, theism as a philosophical position, a theism grounded in arguments for the existence of God/gods. In other words, there were no arguments for the existence of God before a case was made for atheism. In this battle of Titans, the concept of nature or physis was at the centre of the controversy, and the political and social ramifications were as acute then as they are now.

The aim of this paper is to introduce the philosophers and scientists participating in this congress on physis to the different parties in the original dispute and to their terms of reference. But my presentation here will also have something to say about the emergence of a new form of thinking, if not a new kind of Homo sapiens: the advent of Homo philosophicus, and the self-conscious reflexivity this being presupposes.

Review of Greek history and society textbook which encompasses a timespan from the Bronze Age to 31 BC , utilising approaches from archaeology, history, literature, art, philosophy and reception studies.

Si bien la historia de la filosofía es también filosofía, no por ello puede pasar de largo sobre la necesidad de ser también una historia. Los textos que exponen lo que se considera como el conjunto de argumentos del pasado dentro del... more

In 2015, Polis—The Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities held an international conference on Hellenistic Egypt's most famous center of scholarship and learning. The interdisciplinary event gathered historians, archaeologists,... more

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- by Anca Dan and +1
  christophe rico
- •
- 26
  Library Science, Hellenistic History, Ancient Science, Biblical Studies

The paper seeks to explain a difficult passage in Strabo’s Geography (II. 1. 1–20 C67–77), which is devoted to Hipparchus’ objections against Eratosthenes’ conclu-sions about the latitudinal position of India. It is argued, among other... more

Dear readers, I teach a course in Ancient Philosophy--primarily Plato and Aristotle--and have a fairly sturdy set of notes compiled over many years. I'm more than happy to share these with other instructors and scholars.

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- by Wendy Lynne Lee
- •
- 36
  Ethics, Plato, Aristotle, Virtue Ethics

With a clear comparative approach, this volume brings together for the first time contributions that cover different periods of the history of ancient pharmacology, from Greek, Byzantine, and Syriac medicine to the Rabbinic-Talmudic... more

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- by Lennart Lehmhaus and +1
  Matteo Martelli
- •
- 32
  Greek Literature, Jewish Studies, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Assyriology

This paper compares the Milky Way in Aratus (Ph. 469–79) and Manilius (1.684–804), focusing on the role of the sublime in both texts. In Aratus, to gaze at the Milky Way is a sublime experience that constitutes an image for reading the... more

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- by Patrick Glauthier
- •
- 12
  Augustan Poetry, Ancient Science, Manilius, The Sublime

RESUMEN: Los conceptos de nomos y physis fueron tan fundamentales en el pensamiento griego, que alcanzaron otros campos de estudio y aplicación, como la teoría harmónica griega. En este ramo de estudio, cada uno de ellos daba cabida a dos... more

RESUMEN: Los conceptos de nomos y physis fueron tan fundamentales en el pensamiento griego, que alcanzaron otros campos de estudio y aplicación, como la teoría harmónica griega. En este ramo de estudio, cada uno de ellos daba cabida a dos maneras de hacer música. Por un lado, el nomos, cuya denominación alude a algo que ha de ser seguido, obedecido y, por tanto, respetado con rigor, se aplicó a los himnos religiosos de origen popular y antiguo. Estas composiciones dedicadas a los dioses estaban sometidas a estrictas "leyes" que imponían, en alto grado, una forma artística literaria y musical tal que su transgresión estaba prohibida (Pl. R. 424b-c o Leg. 700b). Habida cuenta de que la mayoría de los nomoi musicales se definían por alguna característica concreta (melódica, rítmica o temática), estas composiciones estaban vinculadas a circunstancias concretas de uso ceremonial o agónico, lo que hacía exclusivo tanto su contenido como el acompañamiento instrumental para su ejecución. Por tales motivos recibían, además, distintas denominaciones. Con todo, pese a la rigidez que imponía el respeto a la tradición, se concedía cierta libertad de ejecución, un virtuosismo que los asistentes a este tipo de representaciones musicales reconocían en la ejecución y adecuación a la ocasión de esta composición. Por otro lado, frente a este concepto de lo que podría denominarse como "música normativa", se encuentra, como correlato, la "música natural", fundamentada en el concepto de physis. Esta forma de conseguir la música remonta a algunos filósofos presocráticos, llegando a ser especial objeto de estudio e interés en el mundo pitagórico desde sus orígenes. Así, para esta escuela la música surge de unos condicionamientos físicos susceptibles de entrar en la investigación de la physis del mundo, hoy conocida como acústica. En este sentido, pues, y entendida como "natural", esta música implica nociones acústicas naturales, como la vibración, la transmisión del sonido, la relación entre longitud, percusión y sonido, la función que esta desempeña en el orden cósmico e incluso en la constitución del hombre, por ejemplo. En definitiva, lo que esta música "natural" trata no es sino el hecho físico del sonido. En esta misma línea, además, fue concebida la relación physis-harmonía por parte de algunos de los más renombrados filósofos presocráticos, como Heráclito, Empédocles o Demócrito. Presentaremos en este trabajo la diferenciación de la aplicación de estos dos conceptos en la música griega antigua, así como sus fundamentos, estructuras y repercusiones en el desarrollo de la ciencia harmónica. PALABRAS CLAVE: ciencia harmónica, música y nómos, música y physis.

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- by Fuensanta Garrido Domené and +1
  Felipe Aguirre
- •
- 2
  Ancient Greek Music, Ancient Greek Science and Philosophy

Empedocles-the-scientist got a minoritarian attention, and this paper was meant to do something in order to redress the situation. Two preliminary questions are addressed here at the beginning: (1) how folklore, speculation and 'science'... more

Ο τόμος αυτός επιχειρεί να προσφέρει ένα έγκυρο βοήθημα για τη μελέτη της αρχαίας ελληνικής γραμματείας κατά τους ελληνιστικούς και αυτοκρατορικούς χρόνους, δηλαδή την περίοδο από τον θάνατο του Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου, το 323 π.Χ., έως το... more

Ο τόμος αυτός επιχειρεί να προσφέρει ένα έγκυρο βοήθημα για τη μελέτη της αρχαίας ελληνικής γραμματείας κατά τους ελληνιστικούς και αυτοκρατορικούς χρόνους, δηλαδή την περίοδο από τον θάνατο του Μεγάλου Αλεξάνδρου, το 323 π.Χ., έως το τέλος της ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας που σηματοδοτείται από το διάταγμα του Διοκλητιανού για την τετραρχία (το 293 μ.Χ.) και τη μεταφορά της πρωτεύουσας στην Κωνσταντινούπολη από τον Μεγάλο Κωνσταντίνο (το 330 μ.Χ).
Παρότι και οι δύο αυτές περίοδοι παρουσιάζουν, ως προς τη γραμματειακή παραγωγή τους, αρκετά κοινά χαρακτηριστικά (με βασικότερο την εξάπλωση και την κυριαρχία της ελληνικής παιδείας), εμφανίζουν όμως και σημαντικές διαφορές έτσι ώστε να επιβάλλεται, από μεθοδολογική άποψη, η εξέτασή τους σε δύο διαφορετικές ενότητες.
Στην ενότητα που αφιερώνεται στην ελληνιστική περίοδο εξετάζονται οι σημαντικότεροι εκπρόσωποι της λογοτεχνίας της περιόδου: Καλλίμαχος, Θεόκριτος, Απόλλωνιος ο Ρόδιος, επιγραμματοποιοί, Πολύβιος, όπως επίσης και εκπρόσωποι της επιστημονικής γραμματείας: Θεόφραστος, Ευκλείδης, Αρίσταρχος, και μαθηματικά επιγράμματα. Τα κεφάλαια 1.1. και 1.2.1.-1.2.6. συνέγραψε ο Βασίλειος Βερτουδάκης, ενώ το 1.2.7. η Αθηνά Μπάζου.
Στην ενότητα που αφιερώνεται στην αυτοκρατορική εποχή εξετάζονται οι σημαντικότεροι εκπρόσωποι της λογοτεχνίας της περιόδου: Λουκιανός, Διογένης Λαέρτιος, Δίων από την Προύσα (Χρυσόστομος), Πλούταρχος, Φλάβιος Φιλόστρατος, Αίλιος Αριστείδης, όπως επίσης και εκπρόσωποι της επιστημονικής γραμματείας: Στράβων, Πτολεμαίος, Γαληνός. Τα κεφάλαια 2.1.1., 2.1.3.-2.1.6. και 2.2.1.-2.2.5. συνέγραψε ο Μενέλαος Χριστόπουλος, ενώ τα 2.1.2. και 2.2.6.-2.2.7. η Αθηνά Μπάζου. Τα κεφάλαια 1.3. και 2.3. περιλαμβάνουν Παράρτημα τα αποσπάσματα από τα αρχαία κείμενα που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν.

The aim of this essay is to rebuild the score of the musical fragment of Eu-ripides's Orestes (Vienna Papyrus, G 2315), based on the analysis of preserved notes and according to Ancient Greek music theory. This reconstruction takes... more

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- by Luis Colomer Blasco
- •
- 15
  Music, Musicology, Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy

This paper focuses on one of the major criticisms made to Aristotle's virtue ethics, namely that it lacks explicit moral action guidance. The same criticism has been addressed to later developments of virtue ethics. There have been... more

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- by Alkis Kotsonis
- •
- 159
  Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy of Action, Moral Psychology

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- by Timothy Lubin
- •
- 10
  Ancient Science, Magic, Science and Religion, Natural philosophy

Salomo Luria as a historian of science

1st December 2017 Department of Classics and Philosophy University of Cyprus Organizers: Maria Gerolemou (Cyprus), George Kazantzidis (Patras)

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- by Maria Gerolemou and +1
  George Kazantzidis
- •
- 11
  Aristotle, Ancient Science, Galen, Ancient Medicine

Bringing together evidence preserved by Aristoxenus, Aristides Quintilianus, Ptolemy, Porphyry and the Greek musical handbooks in a unified framework, this article and its sequels show how the Classical modulation system reconstructed in... more

Depuis quelques décennies, la question d'une compréhension historiquement correcte de la méthode de Diophante a attiré l'attention des chercheurs. « L'algèbre moderne (c'est-à-dire, post-viètienne) », « la géométrie algébrique », «... more

I discuss in this paper the six requirements Aristotle advances in Posterior Analytics A-2, 71b20-33, for the premisses of a scientific demonstration. I argue that the six requirements give no support for an interpretation in terms of... more

Ce livre constitue la première étude du rôle de la génération dans les systèmes philosophiques d’Aristote et d’Averroès (1126-1198). En s’appuyant sur de nombreux textes traduits du grec, de l’arabe et du latin, l’auteur propose une... more

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- by Cristina Cerami
- •
- 63
  Philosophy, Metaphysics, Ontology, Epistemology

RESUMEN: El propósito de este trabajo es presentar una reconstrucción de cómo se articulan las nociones de finalidad y naturaleza en la física de Aristóteles, así como de la relación que guardan estos principios con la substancia eterna e... more

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- by Alberto Ross
- •
- 10
  Physics, Metaphysics, Aristotle, Ancient Philosophy

Traduction entièrement nouvelle de l'Apologie, tenant compte des dernières éditions ainsi que des enseignements tirés de l'édition-traduction du Dialogue avec Tryphon publiée en 2003, avec les articles qui l'accompagnent. Bien que les... more

The study of the science of the ancient Greco-Roman world falls between two academic stools: on the one hand, the history of science privileges the period opened by the inventions of the telescope and microscope; on the other, “classics”... more

The study of the science of the ancient Greco-Roman world falls between two academic stools: on the one hand, the history of science privileges the period opened by the inventions of the telescope and microscope; on the other, “classics” (i.e., Altertumswissenschaft) privileges the works of literary figures such as Homer or Sophocles, Horace or Vergil. The paradigm of classics since Antiquity has been to focus strongly on a single author or even work and to read closely the texts, leading to rich commentaries; however, that paradigm fails to consider larger-scale patterns over time or space. This paradigm persists despite extensive recent flux in the field, especially around literary theory. Thus, scientific works are considered subliterary and neglected, or else they are studied in isolation. Conversely, since the Renaissance, the paradigm of science and its history has been creative destruction, both of theories and of evidence, leading to rapid evolution and diversification. That paradigm fails to consider longer-term trends and traditions, so that the history of many sciences focuses on the most recent few generations, and, for all sciences, scarcely any attention is paid to developments before the Renaissance. Some scholars of ancient science privilege one or more of mathematics, astronomy, and medicine as being somehow more similar to modern science, especially in their results: that distinction is less clear than such a privileging would presume. Although ancient astronomy did determine that the moon shines by reflected sunlight, that eclipses were syzygies of sun, moon, and earth, and that the sun was much larger and more distant from the earth than was the moon, most of the rest of its agreed model, as well as the range of debate, was by modern standards entirely misplaced. Likewise in medicine, if items such as the role of diet and regimen in health, the craniocentric model of cognition, and the ability to treat some injuries and illnesses were genuine accomplishments, much of the practice and theory was misplaced and even damaging. On the other hand, sciences such as geography, mechanics, biology, and even alchemy also produced a comparable corpus of reliable and still valid accomplishments. The range of topics explored in ancient science, as seen in the outline, is quite broad, and includes studies that were sciences within the ancient framework, but would not now pass muster as scientific. Most topics are designated by a suitable ancient term, though modern categories are also used for clarity of presentation. (For the reception and transformation of Greek science by the Romans, see the section on Roman Science.)

نهضت ترجمه: سرگذشت ترجمه در فرهنگ اسلامی، از سده نخست هجری تا دوره معاصر/ نوشته سیداحمد هاشمی و دیگران، تهران: نشر کتاب مرجع، ۱۳۸۹ ش موضوع کتاب حاضر بررسی سرگذشت ترجمه در فرهنگ اسلامی از سده‌ی نخست هجری تا دوره‌ی معاصر است. کتاب در دو... more

The Platonic cosmogony and zoogony of the Timaeus is distinctive in that the actions of the Demiurge and the lesser gods are modelled on a wide variety of skills, some obeying mathematical principles, some being modelled on more empirical... more

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- by Dimitri El Murr
- •
- 8
  Plato, Proclus, Ancient Philosophy, Plato and Platonism

Sundials in Roman and Byzantine Mosaics (1st – 9th Century AD). A scientific monograph. The sundials on ancient mosaics have not been the subject of scientific studies so far. The author has gathered together in this publication the... more

In its original Babylonian and Egyptian contexts, astrology was the interpretation of celestial signs and omens sent by the gods as warnings to rulers and the elite. Roman fondness for Stoicism fertilized the growth of astrology in the... more

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- by Glen M Cooper
- •
- 8
  History of Science, Ancient Science, Astrology, Medieval Science

"This paper proposes three new (and tentatively, another two) identifications of sundials in Middle Eastern mosaics of the 5th – 8th century. The author discusses a vignette from the Holy Martyrs’ Church at Tayibat al-Imâm, central Syria,... more

Proof. Abstract Nietzsche argued that the Greeks were in possessions of every theoretical, mathematical, logical, and technological antecedent for the development of what could be modern science. But if they had all these necessary... more

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- by Babette Babich
- •
- 5
  Friedrich Nietzsche, Hellenism, Greek Architecture, Anaximander

The aim of this paper is to provide some acquaintance with the exegetical history of ἐξαίφνης inside the Platonic Tradition, from Plato to Marsilio Ficino, by way of Middle Platonism and Greek Neoplatonism. (Since this is only a draft,... more

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- by Klaus Geus
- •
- 11
  Ancient Science, Magic, Ancient Geography, Ancient magic

This book investigates what change is, according to Aristotle, and how it affects his conception of being. Mark Sentesy argues that change leads Aristotle to develop first-order metaphysical concepts such as matter, potency, actuality,... more

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- by Mark Sentesy
- •
- 20
  Metaphysics, Ontology, Aristotle, History of Science

This article aims at analyzing the history of the Latin iunctura “machina mundi” since its original formulation (Lucretius, DRN 5.95-96). Lucretius’ use of the world-machine metaphor contains a clear polemical intent, directed against two... more

Il s'agit d'une étude érudite (160 pages) du processus d'audition au Vème siècle avant notre ère chez les philosophes Grecs, d'après les traces qu'ils ont laissées auprès de leurs successeurs.

This chapter studies the conflict between reason and experience in Greek thought, from the Presocratics, through the Greek rationalists (Plato, Aristotle and his Peripatetic successors, the Stoics), to Galen and his reception in the... more

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- by Michael Chase
- •
- 10
  Philosophical Scepticism, Plato, Aristotle, Galen

Ancient Greek Science and Philosophy

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