Ancient Philosophy - Lecture 5 (Part Two)
Is there some way, then, of slipping between the horns of this dilemma? Is there some alternative pre-Socratic philosopher who could serve as a healthier philosophical exemplar? One possibility might be for us to concede that all the pre-Socratic philosophers showed some signs of falling into the traps signposted for us by Thales and Parmenides, but then go on to insist that there is nevertheless evidence of an interest in the kind of patient conceptual analysis that allows us to see exactly where ambitious metaphysical arguments of the kind brought forward by Parmenides go wrong. This may sound alarmingly like the suggestion that philosophy is an intellectually valuable activity because it is needed to undo the damage done by that very activity; but if Parmenidean confusions and other intellectual problems stemming from conceptual misunderstandings are potentially prevalent amongst people with no formal philosophical training, then it does seem defensible to put forward therapeutic philosophical analysis as a useful remedy against these naturally occurring intellectual errors. However if we insist on looking for one pre-Socratic figure who can serve as a paradigm of someone who is rightly cautious about the pretensions of philosophy and other sources of alleged insight into hidden truths, the philosopher Xenophanes of Colophon might serve as an inspiring example. However he is often referred to as the father of philosophical scepticism, and discussion of his approach to philosophy will accordingly be deferred until we begin our examination of the sceptical philosophers of Plato’s own Academy.
 Back to Home Page |
Send E-Mail to: alan.bailey4@yahoo.co.ukCopyright © 2007 . All Rights Reserved