The Illustrated to Think Like God: Pythagoras and Parmenides, the Origins of Philosophy

407 Pages·2014·1.74 MB·English

by  Arnold Hermann

TO THINK LIKE GOD
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TO THINK LIKE GOD
Pythagoras and Parmenides
The Origins Of Philosophy
ARNOLD HERMANN
PARMENIDES
PUBLISHING
PARMENIDESPUBLISHING
LasVegas89109
2004byParmenidesPublishing
Allrightsreserved.Published2004
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
ISBN:1-930972-00-8
Publisher’sCataloging-In-PublicationData
Hermann,Arnold,1953–
TothinklikeGod:PythagorasandParmenides:
theoriginsofphilosophy/ArnoldHermann.
p.:ill.;cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN:1-930972-00-8
1. Philosophy,Ancient. 2. Parmenides—Influence.
3. Pythagoras—Influence. 4. Xenophanes,ca.
580-ca.478B.C.—Influence. 5. Evidence. I. Title.
B188.H47 2004
182
ExcerptsfromLOREANDSCIENCEINANCIENTPYTHAGOREANISMbyWalter
Burkert, translated by Edwin L. Minar, Jr., are reprinted throughout this work by
permissionofthepublisher,HarvardUniversityPress,Cambridge,Mass.,Copyright
1972bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege.Englisheditiontranslated,
withrevisions,fromWEISHEITUNDWISSENSCHAFT:STUDIENZUPYTHAGORAS,
PHILOLAOSUNDPLATON,Copyright1962byVerlagHansCarl,Nu¨rnberg.
www.tothinklikegod.com
www.parmenides.com
Onlyaphilosopher’smindgrowswings,
sinceitsmemoryalwayskeepsitascloseaspossible
tothoserealitiesbybeingclosetowhich
thegodsaredivine.
—Plato,Phaedrus249c
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Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xxi
ANoteonReferences,Translations,Citations,Notes,
Bibliography,andSomeIdiosyncrasies xxv
Abbreviations xxix
INTRODUCTION 1
I. PYTHAGORAS 15
TheSearchforaWayOut 15
OneoftheOldestQuestions:WhatDoAllThingsHave
inCommon? 15
TheSeekerofWisdom 17
SeparatingPythagoreanismintoEarly,Middle,
andLatePeriods 21
TheSearchforProof 25
Euphorbus’Shield 25
RelyingonReasoning 27
ASciencefortheIntangible,Abstract 29
II. THEPYTHAGOREANS 31
TraditionVersustheHistoricalAccount 31
ConflictingReportsandForgeries 31
AlmostNoMentionofPythagorasinPlatoandAristotle 33
TheMainSourcesofPythagoreanLore 34
ThePythagoreanAgenda 41
CrotonbeforePythagoras 41
TheLecturerandMiracle-Worker 42
TheFourSpeeches 44
EarthasaPrison 47
viii Contents
ThePoliticsofPythagoreanism 50
TheMakingofaReligiousPoliticalConspiracy 50
BecomingaMemberinthePythagoreanSociety 52
SecrecyandAnti-Democracy 55
TheGods;andtheRulingoftheManybytheFew 56
SignsofaPythagoreanPoliceState? 58
BeansandPolitics 59
AReligious-Political-EconomicDictatorship? 60
WarandLuxury 63
Sybaris—theAntipodeofPythagoreanism 63
TheWar 65
WhywasSybarisDestroyed? 67
TheRevoltsAgainstthePythagoreanPoliticalElite 71
TheGrowingHatredoftheNon-Pythagoreans 71
TheFirstRevolt 73
Pythagoras’Death 75
AReturntoPowerandtheSecondRevolt 77
TheGradualEndoftheMovement 78
ThoseWhoListenandThoseWhoLearn 80
ASplitintheOrder 80
TheListeners:TeachingbyPasswords,Tokens,andMaxims 82
TheEmergenceofScientistPythagoreans 86
Hippasus,theAll-aroundThinker 88
Aristotle’s“ThoseCalledPythagoreans” 90
III. INWANTOFAMATHEMATICSFORTHESOUL 93
TheSourceCodeoftheUniverse 93
TheMusicoftheSpheres 99
ConqueringtheUnlimited 99
TheSoundofOrder 101
OrderandProportion 102
HarmonyandtheSoul 104
Numerology—DerivingPhilosophyfromNumber? 107
ConfusingNumberswithThingsandThingswithNumbers 107
NumberSymbolism 110
TheCounter-Earth 112
Contents ix
IV. PYTHAGORIZINGVERSUSPHILOSOPHIZING 115
TruthAfterDeath? 115
AnExerciseinApprehendingtheTrueNatureofThings 117
PurificationorReasoningasaWaytoTruth? 118
CalibratingtheAbilitytoReason 121
V. PARMENIDES 127
TheLawmaker 127
ThePoet’sChallengeandtheLawgiver’sResponse 132
XenophanesandtheTruthAvailabletoMortals 132
TheNeedforReliableCriteria 139
TheSenses,Reason,andProof 141
EarlyLawmakingandAnalyticProblemSolving 144
TheWaysofProofandDisproof 147
VI. THEPOEMOFPARMENIDES 151
AQuickGuidetothePoem’sOrdering 151
ThePoem,aTranslation 155
TheProem 155
TheWaysofInquiryforThinking 156
TheReliableorEvidentialAccount 158
DOXA—TheDeceptiveOrderofWords,
orthePlausibleOrdering 160
VII. THEPOEM’SMOSTDIFFICULTPOINTSEXPLAINED 163
WhatIstheSignificanceoftheProem? 163
TheRealmoftheNamelessGoddess 163
TheCurriculum 167
HowOpinionWouldBeJudgedIfTruthDidNotExist 168
Dokimos—WhatisGenuinelyReliableBecauseProvenasSuch 170
Doxa:thePositiveVersustheNegativeRead 172
ACallforaUnifiedApproach? 174
TheProblemofContradictoryFormulas 178
AUnityofFormula 181
“Esti”or”IS”:TheParmenideanObject 184
VerborSubject? 184