Abstract
Melissus is often considered a naïve thinker, mostly because of the famous judgment of Aristotle, who in Phys. 185a10–11 defined him as a less polished philosopher than Parmenides. But is this contempt really deserved? This paper argues that it is not. Melissus made two important and original innovations to Eleatism. Firstly, he showed that we humans fail to know reality since we do not recognize a conflict between our senses and our conventional language. Secondly, he demonstrated the non-existence of the traditional Homeric gods by arguing that divinity may be granted only to an inactive-changeless God identical with Being. Both these innovations (1) demonstrate a point which was assumed without argument by Parmenides, namely the unreliability of sensation, (2) deny the presence of a divine regulative factor in our world and (3) show how a study of the empirical world allows humans to progress in their quest for knowledge.
Acknowledgement
The idea for this paper came from the participation at the four-day symposium “Melisso tra Mileto ed Elea”, held by Jaap Mansfeld during ‘Eleatica 2012’ (Ascea, 15–18 April 2012). I owe my thanks to Maria Michela Sassi, who helped to improve a first rough draft of the paper, and to Constance Haynes ant to Caterina Musolino, who kindly revised the English text.
Bibliography
G. Arrighetti (a cura di), Epicuro. Opere, Torino 51973.Search in Google Scholar
J. Barnes, The Presocratic Philosophers, London 41993.Search in Google Scholar
P. Bicknell, Melissus’ Way of Seeming?, Phronesis 27.2, 1982, 194–201.10.1163/156852882X00122Search in Google Scholar
L. Breglia/M. Lupi (a cura di), Da Elea a Samo. Filosofi e politici di fronte all’impero ateniese, Napoli 2005.Search in Google Scholar
G. Calogero, Storia della logica antica, Bari 1967.Search in Google Scholar
–, Studi sull’eleatismo, Firenze 21977.Search in Google Scholar
G. Casertano, Parmenide: il metodo, la scienza, l’esperienza, Napoli 21989.Search in Google Scholar
G. Cerri (a cura di), Parmenide di Elea. Poema sulla natura, Milano 1999.10.2307/20546603Search in Google Scholar
W. R. Chalmers, Parmenides and the Beliefs of Mortals, Phronesis 5.1, 1960, 5–22.10.1163/156852860X00090Search in Google Scholar
P. Curd, The Legacy of Parmenides. Eleatic Monism and Later Presocratic Thought, Princeton 1998.Search in Google Scholar
J. D. Denniston, The Greek Particles, London/Indianapolis 21996.Search in Google Scholar
H. Diels/W. Kranz (Hgg.), Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, I-III, Zürich/Hildesheim 61951.Search in Google Scholar
F. Ferrari, Melisso e la scuola eleatica, in: L. Breglia/M. Lupi (2005) 85–94.Search in Google Scholar
A. Finkelberg, Studies in Xenophanes, HSPh 93, 1990, 103–167.10.2307/311284Search in Google Scholar
–, Xenophanes’ Physics, Parmenides’ Doxa and Empedocles’ Theory of Cosmogonical Mixture, Hermes 125. 1, 1997, 1–16.Search in Google Scholar
D. J. Furley, Melissus of Samos, in: K. J. Boudouris (ed.), Ionian Philosophy, Athens 1989, 114–122.Search in Google Scholar
H. G. Gadamer, Parmenides oder das Diesseits des Seins, PP 43, 1988, 143–176.Search in Google Scholar
L. Gianvittorio, Il discorso di Eraclito. Un modello semantico e cosmologico nel passaggio dall’oralità alla scrittura, Zürich/New York 2010.10.26530/OAPEN_507997Search in Google Scholar
C. H. Kahn, The Thesis of Parmenides, in: Id., Essays on Being, Oxford 2009, 143–166.10.1093/oso/9780199534807.003.0007Search in Google Scholar
G. S. Kirk/J. E. Raven/M. Schofield, The Presocratic Philosophers: a Critical History with a Selection of Texts, Cambridge 21999.Search in Google Scholar
J. H. M. M. Loenen, Parmenides, Melissus, Gorgias. A Reinterpretation of Eleatic Philosophy, Assen 1959.Search in Google Scholar
S. Makin, Melissus and His Opponents: The Argument of “DK” 30 B 8, Phronesis 50.4, 2005, 263–288.10.1163/156852805774481388Search in Google Scholar
J. Mansfeld, Die Offenbarung des Parmenides und die Menschliche Welt, Assen 1964.Search in Google Scholar
D. McGibbon, The Atomists and Melissus, Mnemosyne 17.3, 1964, 248–255.10.1163/156852564X00170Search in Google Scholar
F. D. Miller, Parmenides on Mortal Beliefs, JHPh 15.3, 1977, 253–265.10.1353/hph.2008.0211Search in Google Scholar
E. Mogyoródi, Xenophanes’ Epistemology and Parmenides’ Quest for Knowledge, in: M. M. Sassi (2006) 123–160.Search in Google Scholar
A. P. D. Mourelatos, The Route of Parmenides, Las Vegas 22008.Search in Google Scholar
G. E. L. Owen, Eleatic Questions, in: R. E. Allen/D. J. (eds.), Studies in Presocratic Philosophy. Vol. II: The Eleatics and Pluralists, London 1975, 48–81.Search in Google Scholar
J. Owens, Naming in Parmenides, in: J. Mansfeld/L. M. de Rijk (eds.), Kephalaion. Studies in Greek Philosophy and its Continuation offered to Professor C. J. de Vogel, Assen 1975, 16–25.Search in Google Scholar
J. A. Palmer, Melissus and Parmenides, OSAPh 26, 2004, 19–54.10.1093/oso/9780199272495.003.0002Search in Google Scholar
–, A New Testimonium on Diogenes of Apollonia, with Remarks on Melissus’ Cosmology, CQ 51.1, 2001, 7–17.10.1093/cq/51.1.7Search in Google Scholar
–, On the Alleged Incorporeality of What Is in Melissus, AncPhil 23.1, 2003, 1–10.10.5840/ancientphil20032316Search in Google Scholar
C. Rapp, Zeno and Eleatic Anti-Pluralism, in: M. M. Sassi (2006) 161–182.Search in Google Scholar
G. Reale, Melisso: testimonianze e frammenti, Firenze 1970.Search in Google Scholar
C. Robbiano, Becoming Being. On Parmenides’ Transformative Philosophy, Sankt Augustin 2006.Search in Google Scholar
M. M. Sassi (a cura di), La costruzione del discorso filosofico nell’età dei Presocratici, Pisa 2006.Search in Google Scholar
–, Gli inizi della filosofia in Grecia, Torino 2009.Search in Google Scholar
D. N. Sedley, Creationism and Its Critics in Antiquity, Berkeley 2007.10.1525/9780520934368Search in Google Scholar
–, Parmenides and Melissus, in: A. A. Long (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy, Cambridge 1999, 113–133.10.1017/CCOL0521441226.006Search in Google Scholar
M. Serra, All’ombra di Parmenide. Considerazioni in margine al De Melisso, Xenophane et Gorgia, in: L. Breglia/M. Lupi (2005) 49–58.Search in Google Scholar
D. Sider, Textual Notes on Parmenides’ Poem, Hermes 113. 3, 1985, 362–366.Search in Google Scholar
L. Tarán, Parmenides. A text with translation, commentary and critical essays, Ann Arbor 21990.Search in Google Scholar
H. Usener (ed.), Epicurea, Lipsiae 1887.Search in Google Scholar
R. Vitali, Melisso di Samo, sul mondo o sull’essere. Una interpretazione dell’Eleatismo, Urbino 1974.Search in Google Scholar
–, Per una lettura dei frammenti di Melisso di Samo, Vichiana 5, 1968, 233–250.Search in Google Scholar
G. Vlastos, Parmenides’ Theory of Knowledge, TAPhA 77, 1946, 66–77.10.2307/283445Search in Google Scholar
© 2014 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/München/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Titelseiten
- Aufsätze
- Stronger Reality
- Sophocles, Antigone 787 and Electra 556–557: Syntax or Phonology?
- Hellenismos tra filologia e grammatica – riflessioni antiche sulla correttezza della lingua
- λεξιθηρέω in Socrates’ HE 6, 22: Heresy or Belletrism?
- Gallic War Songs (II): Marcus Cicero, Quintus Cicero, and Caesar’s Invasion of Britain
- Die fiktionale Markierung der Legende von Tarpeia bei Livius (1, 11, 5–9)
- Eine bisher nicht entdeckte Juvenalstelle in Melchior Canos De locis theologicis
- Transmisión indirecta en un compendio altomedieval de toxicología: extractos de la Medicina Plinii, fragmentos desconocidos de Dioscórides B, y una nueva versión del capítulo sobre la hierba basilisca
- Miszellen
- L. Vinicius in Sen. Contr. 2, 5, 19
- In margine ai frammenti del filosofo Papirio Fabiano: Osservazioni e integrazioni
- Troppo rumore per nulla?
Articles in the same Issue
- Titelseiten
- Titelseiten
- Aufsätze
- Stronger Reality
- Sophocles, Antigone 787 and Electra 556–557: Syntax or Phonology?
- Hellenismos tra filologia e grammatica – riflessioni antiche sulla correttezza della lingua
- λεξιθηρέω in Socrates’ HE 6, 22: Heresy or Belletrism?
- Gallic War Songs (II): Marcus Cicero, Quintus Cicero, and Caesar’s Invasion of Britain
- Die fiktionale Markierung der Legende von Tarpeia bei Livius (1, 11, 5–9)
- Eine bisher nicht entdeckte Juvenalstelle in Melchior Canos De locis theologicis
- Transmisión indirecta en un compendio altomedieval de toxicología: extractos de la Medicina Plinii, fragmentos desconocidos de Dioscórides B, y una nueva versión del capítulo sobre la hierba basilisca
- Miszellen
- L. Vinicius in Sen. Contr. 2, 5, 19
- In margine ai frammenti del filosofo Papirio Fabiano: Osservazioni e integrazioni
- Troppo rumore per nulla?