Philolaus of Croton : Pythagorean and presocratic : a commentary on the fragments and testimonia with interpretive essays

Bibliographic Information

Philolaus of Croton : Pythagorean and presocratic : a commentary on the fragments and testimonia with interpretive essays

Carl A. Huffman

Cambridge University Press, 1993

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Note

Includes original Greek texts with English translation

Bibliography: p. 421-427

Includes indexes

Description and Table of Contents

Description

This is the first comprehensive study for nearly 200 years of what remains of the writings of the Presocratic philosopher Philolaus of Croton (c. 470-385 BC). These fragments are crucial to our understanding of one of the most influential schools of ancient philosophy, the Pythagoreans; they also show close ties with the main lines of development of Presocratic thought, and represent a significant response to thinkers such as Parmenides and Anaxagoras. Professor Huffman presents the fragments and testimonia (including the spurious fragments in a separate section for reference) with accompanying translations and introductory chapters and interpretive commentary. He not only produces further argument for the authenticity of much that used to be neglected, but also undertakes a critique of Aristotle's testimony, opening the way for a quite new reading of fifth-century Pythagoreanism in general and of Philolaus in particular. Philolaus is revealed as a serious natural philosopher.

Table of Contents

  • Part I. Introduction: 1. Life and writings
  • 2. Authenticity
  • Part II. Philolaus' Philosophy: 3. Limiters and unlimiteds
  • 4. Number and Harmonia
  • 5. Philolaus' use of archai and the method of hypothesis
  • Part III. Genuine Fragments and Testimonia: 6. Basic principles
  • 7. Epistemology
  • 8. Cosmogony
  • 9. Astronomy
  • 10. Embryology and medicine
  • 11. Soul and psychic faculties
  • 12. Miscellaneous genuine fragments and testimonia
  • Part IV. Spurious or Doubtful Fragments and Testimonia: 13. The world soul
  • 14. Fragments and testimonia on number
  • 15. Fragments and testimonia on music
  • 16. Gods and angles
  • 17. Fragments and testimonia on cosmology
  • 18. Fragments on soul
  • 19. Miscellaneous fragments and testimonia
  • Bibliography
  • Indexes.

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