The Route of Parmenides: A Study of Word, Image, and Argument in the Fragments

by: Mourelatos, A.P.D.

Price: 42,00 EURO

(in stock)

 Summary:In this careful study of the fragments of Parmenides' hexameter poem, “On Nature”, Alexander P.D. Mourelatos combines traditional philological reconstruction with the approaches of literary criticism and philosophical analysis to reveal the thought structure and expressive unity of the best preserved, most important and coherent text of Greek philosophy before Plato.

lix, 408 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Part I
The Route of Parmenides:
A Study of Word, Image, and Argument in the Fragments
USE OF GREEK AND TREATMENT OF PHILOLOGICAL AND
SPECIALIZED TOPICS liii
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN PART I Ivii
I. EPIC FORM I
Parmenides' Hexameter, 2; Composition, 2; Vocabulary, 4; Epic
Phraseology, 6; "Motif" vs. "Theme": A Distinction, I I; Some Epic
Motifs in Parmenides, 12; The Relevance of Mythological Themes,
14; The-Journey as a Motif, 16; The-Journey in the Odyssey, 17;
The-Journey in Parmenides, 2 1; The Theme of Fate-Constraint, 25;
Unity of Motifs, 29; The Meaning of r&oS, 30; "Motif" vs. "Theme":
Relevance of the Odyssey, 31; Parmenides as a Poet, 34; The Uses
of Metaphor, 37; Parmenides' Use of the Epic Framework, 39; The
Relevance of Traditions Other than Epic, 4 1; The Religious Element,
44; Parmenides' Choice of the Epic Medium, 45.
2. COGNITIVE QUEST AND THE ROUTE 47
The Veridical Use of "Is", 48; The Adverbial Construction, 49; arTL
as a Sentence Frame, 5 1; "Speculative" Predication, 56; Availability
of the Speculative "Is", 6o; The Concept of b6atg in Parmenides, 62;
The Concept of &AAioa, 63; The "Quest" for Reality, 67; voeiv and
the Quest for Reality, 68; "How It Is", 70; Modality of the Routes,
3. THE VAGUENESS OF WHAT-IS-NOT 74
The Rejection of "What-Is-Not": A Literary Analysis, 75; The Rejec-
tion of "What-Is-Not": A Logical Analysis, 78; The Crux of B8.54:
Translation, 80; B9.4: Translation, 85; B8.54: Interpretation, 86;
Parallels, 87; The Decision, 89; Structure of the Argument in
"Truth", 90.
4. SIGNPOSTS 94
Program and Proofs, 95; The First Proof: "Ungenerable", 96; First
Stage: No Birth, 98; Second Stage: No Accretion, ioo; Third Stage:
No Coming-To-Be, IO2; The &rT as Tenseless, 103; Parmenides'
Awareness of Tenselessness, 105; Is the Adv a Timeless Entity?, o107;
An Underlying Puzzle, io8; Scope of the Argument, i iTo; Second
Proof: "Indivisible", i I1.
5. THE BOUNDS OF REALITY I 15
Third Proof: "Immobile", 115; Locomotion as Egress, 117; Scope
of the Argument, 119; The Final Proof, 12o; "Complete": First
Phase, 122; "Complete": Second Phase, 123; The Real as Perspec-
tivally Neutral, 129; Parmenides' Monism, 13o; Overview of the
Argument in "Truth", 134.
6. PERSUASION AND FIDELITY 136
neiOWetv and Cognates Generally, 136; The Concept S8xEacat, 141;
The Logic of e7rLEetv, etc.: A Diagram, 142; The Relationship of
7TWiTE: Eumenides 794ff., 144; TELOE&t in Parmenides, 146; The Mighty
Hold of Fidelity, 148; Justice, Persuasion, and the Real, 15 I1; "Per-
suasive/Compliant Truth", 154; The "Course of Persuasion", 158;
Constraint-Fate-Justice-Persuasion, 16o; Belief, 163.
7. MIND'S COMMITMENT TO REALITY 164
B8.34: Questions of Context, 165; A Translation, 166; Permission
and Necessity in B8.34, 167; The Double Import, 169; The Meaning
of Ev W' 7rE0aTLG/119Vov CtLV, 170; B8.34-38: Interpretation, 173;
Normative Necessity, 175; A Modern Parallel: Logical Atomism,
177; Ancient Parallels: Plato, Heraclitus, 178; Overview of the
Argument, 18o; B8.38 ff.: The Reading bv6ccTrat, i8o; Cornford's
Fragment, 185; The Parallel with Empedocles B8-9, 188; B8.38
and Speculative Predication, 19o; Thought "about" Reality, 191.
8. DOXA AS ACCEPTANCE 194
"Appearance" or "Opinion"?, 195; "Acceptance", 197; 666a and
"nOcrtL, 201; The 8oK- Words in BI.30-32, 203; The Sense of xpfv,
205; BI.31-32: Initial Translation, 21o; The Second Half of BI.32,
212; BI.3I-32: Philosophical Significance, 216; The "Doxa" as a
Framework, 219.
9. DECEPTIVE WORDS 222
An Illustration: B 14, 224; The Goddess and Her Double Audience,
225; B8.53 and 8.60, 228; The Record of Contrasts, 231; The
Oxymora, 235; Ambiguity in the Contraries, 241; Bio: The Ambi-
guity of q1brts, 246; Ambiguity in the Basic Concepts of "Doxa",
247; BI6: "Wandering" and "Fullness", 253; "Doxa" as a Study in
Deception, 259; Poetry and the Speculative Use of Ambiguity, 260.
APPENDIX I Parmenides' Hexameter 264
APPENDIX II Interpretations of the Subjectless eart 269
APPENDIX III The Meaning of xp4 and Cognates 277
APPENDIX IV Text of the Fragments 279
SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF WORKS CITED IN PART I 285
Part II
Three Supplemental Essays
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN PART II 297
IO. HERACLITUS, PARMENIDES, AND THE NAIVE METAPHYSICS
OF THINGS 299
A World Merely of Things, 300; Characters-Powers, Quality-
Things, Opposites, 306; Hesiod and Anaximander, 314; The Anti-
Realism of Heraclitus, 317; Parmenides: Extreme Realist, 324;
Beyond Heraclitus and Parmenides, 331.
I . DETERMINACY AND INDETERMINACY, BEING AND
NON-BEING IN THE FRAGMENTS OF PARMENIDES 333
12. SOME ALTERNATIVES IN INTERPRETING PARMENIDES 350
Part III
The Scope of Naming:
Gregory Vlastos (1907-1991) on B8.38 and Related Issues
(Essay Not Previously Published)

The Route of Parmenides: A Study of Word, Image, and Argument in the Fragments

by: Mourelatos, A.P.D.

• ISBN-13: 9781930972117 / 978-1-930972-11-7
• ISBN-03: 1930972113 / 1-930972-11-3
• Parmenides Publishing, Las Vegas, 2008

Price: 42,00 EURO

(in stock)