Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy: Volume XXX: Summer 2006 (Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy)

415 Pages·2006·2.56 MB·English

by  David Sedley

OXFORD STUDIES IN ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
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OXFORD STUDIES
IN ANCIENT
PHILOSOPHY
EDITOR: DAVID SEDLEY
VOLUME XXX
summer 2006
(cid:1)
(cid:1)
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dp
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Oxfordstudiesinancientphilosophy.—
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ADVISORY BOARD
ProfessorJonathanBarnes,Universite‹deParis-Sorbonne,ParisIV
ProfessorMichaelFrede,UniversityofAthens
ProfessorA.A.Long,UniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley
ProfessorMarthaNussbaum,UniversityofChicago
Professor Richard Sorabji, King’s College, University of London,
andWolfsonCollege,Oxford
ProfessorGiselaStriker,HarvardUniversity
Contributions and booksfor review shouldbe sent to the Editor,
ProfessorD.N.Sedley,Christ’sCollege,Cambridge,cb23bu,UK.
Hecanbecontactedbye-mailondns1Äcam.ac.uk.
Contributors are asked to observe the ‘Notes for Contributors to
Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy’,printed at the end ofthis
volume.
Up-to-date contact details, the latest version of Notes to Con-
tributors,andpublicationschedulescanbecheckedontheOxford
StudiesinAncientPhilosophywebsite:
www.oup.co.uk/philosophy/series/osap
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CONTENTS
Ambiguity and Transport: Reflections on the Proem to
Parmenides’Poem 1
MITCHELLMILLER
ZenoUnlimited 49
PIETER SJOERD HASPER
TheFundamentalConflictinPlato’s Gorgias 87
JAMESDOYLE
Plato andAristotle onthe Unhypothetical 101
D.T. J. BAILEY
Aristotle onEudaimoniainNicomacheanEthics1 127
GEERT VAN CLEEMPUT
Doing without Morality: Reflections on the Meaning of
Deinin Aristotle’sNicomacheanEthics 159
RICHARDKRAUT
A Di·erentSolutiontoan AllegedContradictionin
Aristotle’s NicomacheanEthics 201
SHANE DREFCINSKI
Aristotle onActingUnjustlywithoutBeingUnjust 211
GILESPEARSON
PsychicDisharmony:PhiloponusandEpicuruson Plato’s
Phaedo 235
JAMESWARREN
Epicurus’ArgumentforAtomism 261
GA‹BOR BETEGH
Matter, Medicine,and theMind:Asclepiadesvs.Epicurus 285
ROBERTO POLITO
PyrrhonianScepticism andtheSearch forTruth 337
CASEYPERIN
viii Contents
MethexisandGeometrical ReasoninginProclus’
CommentaryonEuclid’sElements 361
ORNA HARARI
IndexLocorum 391
AMBIGUITY AND TRANSPORT:
REFLECTIONS ON THE PROEM
TO PARMENIDES’ POEM
MITCHELL MILLER
 mebeginbydistinguishinganultimateandaproximatetask
for these reflections. The ultimate task, a perennial one for stu-
dentsofGreekphilosophy,istounderstandjustwhat Parmenides
laysopenforthinkingandspeakingwhen,intheso-calledTruth-
sectionofhispoem,fragments2through8.49,heisolatesthe‘is’
((cid:1)στι) that is ‘the steadfast heart of . . . truth’ (1. 29). The pro-
ximate task is to explorethe context Parmenides gives us forthis
ultimatetask,theproem’saccountofthetransformativejourneyto
andthrough‘thegatesof thepathsofNightandDay’thatbrings
the traveller into the presence of the truth-speaking goddess.We
modern-dayphilosophershavegenerallybeenreluctanttopursue
thisexplorationtooclosely,notonlybecauseweareaccustomedto
drawasharpdistinctionbetweenpoetryandphilosophy,adistinc-
tionthat,arguably,didnottakeholdintheGreekworlduntilAris-
totle, but also, more to the point at present, because Parmenides’
proemseemsriddledwithambiguity.Thisisnotwrong;indeed,as
Ishalltrytoshow,its ambiguityisbothmoreextensiveandmore
central than has been recognized heretofore. But I shall also try
to show that it is a resource, not a liability; by the close of these
reflectionsIhopetohavemadecompellingthatandwhybringing
theambiguityoftheproemintogoodfocusiskeytoawell-oriented
turntoourultimatetask,understandingthe‘is’.
ãMitchellMiller2006
Forhelpfulresponsestoearlierversionsofthisessay,Iowethankstocolleaguesand
studentsatanAPAEastern Divisionmeeting,anOctobermeetingoftheSociety
forAncientGreekPhilosophy,StFrancisCollege,SouthwesternUniversity,Colby
College,andVassarCollege,andespeciallytoJamesBarrett,JillGordon,EdHalper,
PhilHopkins,AlexanderMourelatos,AlanUdo·,andtheEditorofOSAP.Above
all,IowethankstoRachelKitzinger,whoseearforpoetryandmasteryofthesense
andsoundofGreekhavehelpedmefindmybearingsatmanypoints.