Anaximander and the Architects: The Contributions of Egyptian and Greek Architectural Technologies to the Origins of Greek Philosophy (S U N Y Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy)

Uses textual and archaeological evidence to argue that emerging Egyptian and Greek architectural technologies were crucial to the origins and development of Greek philosophy.Opens a previously unexplored avenue into Presocratic philosophy--the technology of monumental architecture. The evidence, coming directly from sixth century b.c.e. building sites and bypassing Aristotle, shows how the architects and their projects supplied their Ionian communities with a sprouting vision of natural order governed by structural laws. Their technological innovations and design techniques formed the core of an experimental science and promoted a rational, not mythopoetical, discourse central to our understanding of the context in which early Greek philosophy emerged. Anaximander's prose book and his rationalizing mentality are illuminated in surprising ways by appeal to the ongoing, extraordinary projects of the archaic architects and their practical techniques. Anaximander and the Architects opens a previously unexplored avenue into Presocratic philosophy--the technology of monumental architecture. The evidence, coming directly from sixth century B.C.E. building sites and bypassing Aristotle, shows how the architects and their projects supplied their Ionian communities with a sprouting vision of natural order governed by structural laws. Their technological innovations and design techniques formed the core of an experimental science and promoted a rational, not mythopoetical, discourse central to our understanding of the context in which early Greek philosophy emerged. Anaximander's prose book and his rationalizing mentality are illuminated in surprising ways by appeal to the ongoing, extraordinary projects of the archaic architects and their practical techniques. "Anaximander and the Architects" opens a previously unexplored avenue into Presocratic philosophy - the technology of monumental architecture. The evidence coming directly from sixth-century B.C.E. building sites and bypassing Aristotle shows how the architects and their projects supplied their Ionian communities with a sprouting vision of natural order governed by structural laws. Their technological innovations and design techniques formed the core of experimental science and promoted a rational, not mythopoetical, discourse central to our understanding of the context in which early Greek philosophy emerged. Anaximander's prose book and his rationalizing mentality are illuminated in surprising ways by appeal to the ongoing, extraordinary projects of the archaic architects and their practical techniques Bypassing Aristotle to look at evidence directly from the sixth century BCE, Hahn (philosophy, Southern Illinois U.-Carbondale) shows how the architects and their projects supplied their Ionian communities with a sprouting vision of natural order governed by structural laws. He argues that their technological innovations and design techniques formed the core of an experimental science and promoted a rational, not mythopoetical, discourse central to our understanding of the context in which early Greek philosophy emerged. He illuminates Anaximander's prose book and rationalizing mentality by appealing to the ongoing extraordinary projects of the archaic architects. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR Anaximander and the Architects 4 Contents 8 Illustrations 12 Preface 18 Introduction 26 1. Anaximander and the Origins of Greek Philosophy 40 2. The Ionian Philosophers and Architects 72 3. The Techniques of the Ancient Architects 122 4. Anaximander’s Techniques 188 5. Technology as Politics: The Origins of Greek Philosophy in Its Sociopolitical Context 244 Notes 266 Bibliography 320 Index 340 A 340 B 342 C 342 D 343 E 343 F 344 G 344 H 344 I 345 J 345 K 345 L 345 M 346 N 347 O 347 P 347 R 348 S 349 T 350 U 351 V 351 W 351 X 351 Z 351