Burnet; Early Greek Philosophy

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John Burnet's
EARLY GREEK
PHILOSOPHY
John Burnet,
3rd edition (1920).
London: A & C Black
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................2
NOTEONTHESOURCES...............................................................................................................22
A.—PHILOSOPHERS................................................................................................................23
B.—DOXOGRAPHERS.............................................................................................................24
I.DOXOGRAPHERSPROPER...............................................................................................25
II.BIOGRAPHICALDOXOGRAPHERS.............................................................................27
C.—BIOGRAPHERS...................................................................................................................28
D.—CHRONOLOGISTS...........................................................................................................28
CHAPTERI.,THEMILESIANSCHOOL......................................................................................30
I.THALES......................................................................................................................................31
II.ANAXIMANDER...................................................................................................................36
III.ANAXIMENES......................................................................................................................46
CHAPTERII.,SCIENCEANDRELIGION..................................................................................60
I.PYTHAGORASOFSAMOS..................................................................................................63
II.XENOPHANESOFKOLOPHON....................................................................................77
CHAPTERIII.,HERAKLEITOSOFEPHESOS..........................................................................96
CHAPTERIV.,PARMENIDESOFELEA...................................................................................126
THEWAYOFTRUTH.............................................................................................................129
THEWAYOFBELIEF............................................................................................................130
CHAPTERV.,EMPEDOKLESOFAKRAGAS..........................................................................146
CHAPTERVI.,ANAXAGORASOFKLAZOMENAI..............................................................186
CHAPTERVII.,THEPYTHAGOREANS....................................................................................206
CHAPTERVIII.,THEYOUNGERELEATICS..........................................................................229
I.ZENOOFELEA....................................................................................................................230
II.MELISSOSOFSAMOS.......................................................................................................236
CHAPTERIX.,LEUKIPPOSOFMILETOS ...............................................................................246
CHAPTERX.,ECLECTICISMANDREACTION.....................................................................260
I.HIPPONOFSAMOS............................................................................................................261
II.DIOGENESOFAPOLLONIA
11
......................................................................................262
III.ARCHELAOSOFATHENS.............................................................................................266
1
INTRODUCTION
I.
TheCosmologicalCharacterofEarlyGreekPhilosophy
II.
TheTraditionalViewoftheWorld
III.
Homer
IV.
Hesiod
V.
Cosmogony
VI.
GeneralCharacteristcsofGreekCosmology
VII.
Physis
VIII.
MotionandRest
IX.
TheSecularCharacterofIonianScience
X.
AllegedOrientalOriginofPhilosophy
XI.
EgyptianMathematics
XII.
BabylonianAstronomy
XIII.
TheScientificChracteroftheEarlyGreekCosmology
XIV.
SchoolsofPhilosophy
I.TheCosmologicalCharacterofEarlyGreekPhilosophyITwasnottillthetraditionalviewof
theworldandthecustomaryrulesoflifehadbrokendown,thattheGreeksbegantofeeltheneeds
whichphilosophiesofnatureandofconductseektosatisfy.Norwerethoseneedsfeltallatonce.The
ancestralmaximsofconductwerenotseriouslyquestionedtilltheoldviewofnaturehadpassedaway;
and,forthisreason,theearliestphilosophersbusiedthemselvesmainlywithspeculationsaboutthe
worldaroundthem.Indueseason,Logicwascalledintobeingtomeetafreshwant.Thepursuitof
cosmologicalinquiryhadbroughttolightawidedivergencebetweenscienceandcommonsense,
whichwasitselfaproblemthatdemandedsolution,andmoreoverconstrainedphilosopherstostudy
the means of defending their paradoxes against the prejudices of the unscientific. Later still, the
prevailinginterestinlogicalmattersraisedthequestionoftheoriginandvalidityofknowledge;while,
aboutthesametime,thebreakdownoftraditionalmoralitygaverisetoEthics.Theperiodwhich
2
precedestheriseofLogicandEthicshasthusadistinctivecharacterofitsown,andmayfitlybetreated
apart.
1
II.TheTraditionalViewoftheWorldItmust,however,berememberedthattheworldwas
alreadyveryoldwhenscienceandphilosophybegan.Inparticular,theAegeanSeahadbeentheseatof
ahighcivilisationfromtheNeolithicageonwards,acivilisationasancientasthatofEgyptorof
Babylon,andsuperiortoeitherinmostthingsthatmatter.Itisbecomingclearereverydaythatthe
Greekcivilisationoflaterdayswasmainlytherevivalandcontinuationofthis,thoughitnodoubt
receivedcertainnewandimportantelementsfromthelesscivilisednorthernpeopleswhoforatime
arrested its development. The original Mediterranean population must have far outnumbered the
intruders,andmusthaveassimilatedandabsorbedtheminafewgenerations,exceptinastatelike
Sparta,whichdeliberatelysetitselftoresisttheprocess.Atanyrate,itistotheolderraceweowe
GreekArtandGreekScience.
2
Itisaremarkablefactthateveryoneofthemenwhoseworkweare
abouttostudywasanIonian,exceptEmpedoklesofAkragas,andthisexceptionisperhapsmore
apparentthanreal.AkragaswasfoundedfromtheRhodiancolonyofGela,itsο
ἰ
κιστ
ή
ςwashimselfa
Rhodian,andRhodes,thoughofficiallyDorian,hadbeenacentreoftheearlyAegeancivilisation.We
mayfairlyassumethattheemigrantsbelongedmainlytotheolderpopulationratherthantothenew
Dorianaristocracy.PythagorasfoundedhissocietyintheAchaiancityofKroton,buthehimselfwas
anIonianfromSamos.
Thisbeingso,wemustbepreparedtofindthattheGreeksofhistoricaltimeswhofirsttriedto
understandtheworldwerenotatallinthepositionofmensettingoutonahithertountroddenpath.
TheremainsofAegeanartprovethattheremusthavebeenatolerablyconsistentviewoftheworldin
existencealready,thoughwecannothopetorecoveritindetailtilltherecordsaredeciphered.The
ceremonyrepresentedonthesarcophagusofHagiaTriadaimpliessomequitedefiniteviewastothe
stateofthedead,andwemaybesurethattheAegeanpeoplewereascapableofdevelopingtheological
speculationasweretheEgyptiansandBabylonians.Weshallexpecttofindtracesofthisinlaterdays,
anditmaybesaidatoncethatthingslikethefragmentsofPherekydesofSyrosareinexplicableexcept
assurvivalsofsomesuchspeculation.Thereisnogroundforsupposingthatthiswasborrowedfrom
Egypt,thoughnodoubttheseearlycivilisationsallinfluencedoneanother.TheEgyptiansmayhave
borrowedfromCreteasreadilyastheCretansfromEgypt,andtherewasaseedoflifeinthesea
civilisationwhichwassomehowlackinginthatofthegreatrivers.
Ontheotherhand,itisclearthatthenortherninvadershaveassistedthefreedevelopmentof
theGreekgeniusbybreakingupthepowerfulmonarchiesofearlierdaysand,aboveall,bychecking
thegrowthofasuperstitionlikethatwhichultimatelystifledEgyptandBabylon.Thattherewasoncea
realdangerofthisissuggestedbycertainfeaturesintheAegeanremains.Ontheotherhand,the
3
 worshipofApolloseemstohavebeenbroughtfromtheNorthbytheAchaians,
3
andindeedwhathas
beencalledtheOlympianreligionwas,sofaraswecansee,derivedmainlyfromthatsource.Still,the
artisticformitassumedbearsthestampoftheMediterraneanpeoples,anditwaschieflyinthatformit
appealedtothem.ItcouldnotbecomeoppressivetothemastheoldAegeanreligionmightvery
possiblyhavedone.ItwasprobablyduetotheAchaiansthattheGreeksneverhadapriestlyclass,and
thatmaywellhavehadsomethingtodowiththeriseoffreescienceamongthem.
III.HomerWeseetheworkingoftheseinfluencesclearlyinHomer.Thoughhedoubtless
belongedtotheolderracehimselfanduseditslanguage,
4
itisforthecourtsofAchaianprinceshe
sings,andthegodsandheroeshecelebratesaremostlyAchaian.
5
Thatiswhywefindsofewtracesof
thetraditionalviewoftheworldintheepic.Thegodshavebecomefranklyhuman,andeverything
primitiveiskeptoutofsight.Thereare,ofcourse,vestigesoftheearlybeliefsandpractices,butthey
are exceptional.
6
It has often been noted that Homer never speaks of the primitive custom of
purificationforhomicide.Thedeadheroesareburned,notburied,asthekingsoftheolderracewere.
Ghostsplayhardlyanypart.IntheIliadwehave,tobesure,theghostofPatroklos,incloseconnexion
withthesolitaryinstanceofhumansacrificeinHomer.ThereisalsotheNekyiaintheEleventhBook
oftheOdyssey.
7
Suchthings,however,arerare,andwemayfairlyinferthat,atleastinacertainsociety,
thatoftheAchaianprincesforwhomHomersang,thetraditionalviewoftheworldwasalready
discreditedatacomparativelyearlydate,
8
thoughitnaturallyemergeshereandthere.
IV.Hesiod
WhenwecometoHesiod,weseemtobeinanotherworld.Wehearstoriesofthegodswhich
arenotonlyirrationalbutrepulsive,andthesearetoldquiteseriously.HesiodmakestheMusessay:
"Weknowhowtotellmanyfalsethingsthatarelikethetruth;butweknowtoo,whenwewill,toutter
whatistrue."
9
ThismeansthathewasconsciousofthedifferencebetweentheHomericspiritandhis
own.Theoldlightheartednessisgone,anditisimportanttotellthetruthaboutthegods.Hesiod
knows,too,thathebelongstoalaterandasaddertimethanHomer.IndescribingtheAgesofthe
World,heinsertsafifthagebetweenthoseofBronzeandIron.ThatistheAgeoftheHeroes,theage
Homersangof.ItwasbetterthantheBronzeAgewhichcamebeforeit,andfarbetterthanthatwhich
followedit,theAgeofIron,inwhichHesiodlives.
10
Healsofeelsthatheissingingforanotherclass.It
istoshepherdsandhusbandmenoftheolderraceheaddresseshimself,andtheAchaianprincesfor
whom Homer sang have become remote persons who give "crooked dooms." The romance and
splendouroftheAchaianMiddleAgesmeantnothingtothecommonpeople.Theprimitiveviewof
theworldhadneverreallydiedoutamongthem;soitwasnaturalfortheirfirstspokesmantoassumeit
inhispoems.ThatiswhywefindinHesiodtheseoldsavagetales,whichHomerdisdained.
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