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2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

On Presocratic philosophy as an essential constituent of Platonic philosophy

Research Project

Project/Area Number 17520007
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Philosophy/Ethics
Research InstitutionKanazawa University

Principal Investigator

MIURA Kaname  Kanazawa University, Facultyofletters, Associate Professor (20222317)

Project Period (FY) 2005 – 2007
KeywordsPresocratics / Plato / Parmenides / Philolaus / Xenophanes / Democritus / intellect and sens
Research Abstract

The philosophy of Plato and that of the Presocratics are often said to be in opposition, but it is too much exaggeration to say that they have opinions opposed to each other in any domain. Rather, the Presocratics had much crucial influence on the making of the Platonic philosophy ; in effect, Plato inherited intellectual property from them and developed it in his own way. Even if Plato found essential differences in them from his own, these differences themselves prompted the formation of his new ideas.
For example, it is said that the exact writings of the Presocratics primarily address issues in metaphysics and cosmology and that epistemological concerns appear to arise first in Plato. However, we may safely say that the questions about the nature, extent, sources and legitimacy of human knowledge are already paid attention to by the Presocratics, such as Xenophanes, Parmenides, Philolaus and Democritus. They tried to escape from and get over the tradition of the contrast between divine and human knowledge in order to attain to the truth and this positive attitude toward knowledge characterized the development of their epistemology and provided Plato with a framework for his proper theory of knowledge, e.g. the contrast between truth and opinion, the opposition of intellect to sens.
The same can be said of Plato's ontology. He treats the issue of being in his dialogue Sophist ; there Plato tries to prove that that which is not somehow is and then that that which is somehow is not ; he calls this trial "patricide" but he never committed patricide doing so ; Plato evidently followed the same train of thought as Parmenides's. And there is also a striking similarity of structure between the metaphysics of Anaxagoras and that of Plato in his middle period. The Presocratic philosophy forms some backbone of that of Plato.

  • Research Products

    (6 results)

All 2008 2007

All Journal Article (3 results) Book (3 results)

  • [Journal Article] The History of Philosophy, Vol.1, Beginning of Philosophy2008

    • Author(s)
      Kaname, Miura, et. al.
    • Journal Title

      Chuokoronshinsya, Tokyo 2

      Pages: 742, 135-244

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Tentative Treatises for a Reconstruction of the History of Western Philosophy2007

    • Author(s)
      Kaname, Miura, et. al.
    • Journal Title

      Showado, Kyoto 11

      Pages: 609, 439-480

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] (traduction), The Presocra-tic Philosophers, 2nd.ed., G.S.Kirk, et. al.2007

    • Author(s)
      Kaname, Miura, et. al.
    • Journal Title

      Kyoto University Press, Kyoto 8-9, 14

      Pages: 642, 309-362, 489-503

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Book] 『哲学の歴史』第1巻「哲学誕生」(古代1)2008

    • Author(s)
      三浦 要(ほか12名による共著)
    • Total Pages
      742(担当:135-244)
    • Publisher
      中央公論新社
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Book] 『西洋哲学史再構築』2007

    • Author(s)
      三浦 要(ほか14名による共著)
    • Total Pages
      609+xxix(担当:439-480)
    • Publisher
      昭和堂
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Book] 『ソクラテス以前の哲学者たち』(G.S.カーク, J.E..レイヴン, M.スコフィールド著)2007

    • Author(s)
      三浦 要(ほか4名による共訳)
    • Total Pages
      642(担当:309-362,489-503)
    • Publisher
      京都大学学術出版会
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より

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Published: 2010-02-04  

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