Theophrastus Against the Presocratics and Plato: Peripatetic Dialectic in the De Sensibus (Philosophia Antiqua)

An interpretation of Theophrastus' "De Sensibus", a treatise unique in content and method, as it reports and criticizes the theories of sense perception of the Presocratics and Plato. Most of the material on the Presocratics is found nowhere else, which explains why many passages can be found scattered over the "Fragmente der Vorsokratiker". As an antidote to this fragmented approach the Presocratics are here studied in context, a text informed by a distinctly Peripatetic perspective. The analysis of the reports and (long-neglected) criticisms of Plato (chapter 4) and the Presocratics (chapter 5) offers insights into Theophrastus' exegetical procedure by using Peripatetic dialectic as a heuristic tool. The Epilogue outlines some implications for the role of the treatise in the doxographical tradition. Theophrastus against the Presocratics and Plato: Peripatetic Dialectic in the De sensibus......Page 4 Table of Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Notice to the Reader......Page 14 1. Preface......Page 16 2. Reasons for a New Analysis......Page 19 3. Aims......Page 20 4. Excursus: Type of Investigation......Page 21 5. General Order of Exposition......Page 23 1. Theophrastus' De sensibus (DS)......Page 26 1. Date and Transmission of the DS......Page 27 2. Content and General Structure of the DS......Page 30 2.1. Subject Matter: Part I (DS 1-2)......Page 31 2.2. Part II: On Sense Perception {DS 3-58)......Page 33 2.3. Part III: On Sense Objects {DS 59-92)......Page 37 2.4. Some Criteria of Selection......Page 39 3. Previous Interpretations......Page 40 4. Strategy......Page 44 2. Peripatetic Method: Dialectic and Doxography......Page 46 1. Interpreting Aristotle's Topics......Page 47 1.1. Dialectic as Training in Consistency......Page 49 1.2. Endoxa......Page 54 1.3. Conclusion: Critical Endoxography......Page 56 2. Applied Dialectic or Dealing with Doxai......Page 57 2.1. Phys. Δ......Page 59 2.2. The Search for Archai......Page 60 2.3. Summary......Page 70 3.1. Outline of Theophrastus' Methodology......Page 71 3.2. Authorial Remarks Concerning Method......Page 75 3.3. Discussions of Doxai......Page 77 3.4. Conclusion......Page 85 3. Theories of Perception: Positions and Arguments......Page 86 1. Theophrastus and the Tradition......Page 87 1.1. Perception as Part of Physics......Page 89 1.2. Theophrastus on Perception......Page 93 (a) Importance of sense perception......Page 98 (b) The relationship senses-objects......Page 99 (c) The individual senses......Page 100 2. Tracing Theophrastus' Views in the DS......Page 101 2.1. Technical Terms and Other Details......Page 102 2.2. Judgmental Elements......Page 105 3. Conclusion......Page 108 4. Theophrastus' De sensibus and Plato's Timaeus......Page 110 1. Plato in DS......Page 113 1.1. Plato on Aisthêsis......Page 114 1.2. Form and Contents of Theophrastus' Excerpts......Page 117 2. The Report (DS 83-86)......Page 123 3. Criticisms of Plato's Theory (DS 87-92)......Page 135 4. Theophrastus' (In)dependence in Relation to Aristotle......Page 141 5. Conclusions......Page 144 Appendix: Reaction to a Recent Article [ch. 4, n.8.]......Page 151 1.1. Previous Interpretations......Page 155 1.2. Appeal to Authority: Qualified Doxai......Page 160 2. Aspects of Structure and Presentation......Page 161 2.1. Remarks on Structure in DS 1 -2......Page 162 2.2. Problems of Classification......Page 165 2.3. Attention for Detail: Plato and Democritus......Page 167 3. The Critical Arguments Against the Protagonists......Page 170 3.1. The Criticisms of Empedocles......Page 171 3.2. The Protagonist of the 'Contrast Party': Anaxagoras......Page 184 4.1. The Criticisms of Diogenes (DS 39-48)......Page 193 4.2. Against Democritus (49-58)......Page 200 5. Argumentative Principles: Some Preliminary Results......Page 207 1. A Typology of Arguments......Page 210 1.1. Recurrent Argument Forms......Page 211 [i] Arguments Dealing with Definition & Terminology......Page 212 [ii] Arguments Using Endoxa......Page 214 [iii] Arguments Related to Coherence and Consistency......Page 217 [iv] Universal Validity......Page 219 [v] Causes......Page 221 [vi] 'Topical' Cases......Page 222 1.2. Non Standard Arguments......Page 226 2. Dialectic and Archai......Page 230 2.1. Archê: Its Meaning and Use in Aristotle......Page 231 2.2. Archai in DS......Page 237 3.1. Archai and Dialectic in DS......Page 240 3.2. Two Exceptions? How to Rescue the Argument......Page 242 3.3. Conclusion......Page 244 4. Summary......Page 245 7. Epilogue: Results and Outlook......Page 249 1. Results: Importance of the Present Study......Page 250 2. Outlook: Doxography and What Remains to be Done......Page 254 Section 1: Some textual problems in the DS......Page 262 Section 2: A terminological problem in fr. 277Β FHSG? A cautionary note.......Page 263 Section 3: A (textual) problem in Aristotle's Topika ?......Page 264 (a) General Literature on Perception......Page 265 (b) De Sensibus (chronological order)......Page 266 Appendix C: (Qualified) Doxai in Theophrastus......Page 271 Appendix D: ἀρχή/ἀρχαί in Theophrastus......Page 273 Bibliography......Page 274 General Index......Page 288 Index Locorum......Page 294 Back Matter......Page 302 Theophrastus against the Presocratics and Plato: Peripatetic Dialectic in the De sensibus 4 Table of Contents 8 Acknowledgements 12 Abbreviations 14 Notice to the Reader 14 General Introduction 16 1. Preface 16 2. Reasons for a New Analysis 19 3. Aims 20 4. Excursus: Type of Investigation 21 5. General Order of Exposition 23 1. Theophrastus' De sensibus (DS) 26 1. Date and Transmission of the DS 27 2. Content and General Structure of the DS 30 2.1. Subject Matter: Part I (DS 1-2) 31 2.2. Part II: On Sense Perception {DS 3-58) 33 2.3. Part III: On Sense Objects {DS 59-92) 37 2.4. Some Criteria of Selection 39 3. Previous Interpretations 40 4. Strategy 44 2. Peripatetic Method: Dialectic and Doxography 46 1. Interpreting Aristotle's Topics 47 1.1. Dialectic as Training in Consistency 49 1.2. Endoxa 54 1.3. Conclusion: Critical Endoxography 56 2. Applied Dialectic or Dealing with Doxai 57 2.1. Phys. Δ 59 2.2. The Search for Archai 60 2.3. Summary 70 3. Theophrastus on Method 71 3.1. Outline of Theophrastus' Methodology 71 3.2. Authorial Remarks Concerning Method 75 3.3. Discussions of Doxai 77 3.4. Conclusion 85 3. Theories of Perception: Positions and Arguments 86 1. Theophrastus and the Tradition 87 1.1. Perception as Part of Physics 89 1.2. Theophrastus on Perception 93 1.3. Doctrine: A Shorthand Guide 98 (a) Importance of sense perception 98 (b) The relationship senses-objects 99 (c) The individual senses 100 2. Tracing Theophrastus' Views in the DS 101 2.1. Technical Terms and Other Details 102 2.2. Judgmental Elements 105 3. Conclusion 108 4. Theophrastus' De sensibus and Plato's Timaeus 110 1. Plato in DS 113 1.1. Plato on Aisthêsis 114 1.2. Form and Contents of Theophrastus' Excerpts 117 2. The Report (DS 83-86) 123 3. Criticisms of Plato's Theory (DS 87-92) 135 4. Theophrastus' (In)dependence in Relation to Aristotle 141 5. Conclusions 144 Appendix: Reaction to a Recent Article [ch. 4, n.8.] 151 5. Theophrastus' Criticisms of the Presocratics 155 1. Theophrastus' Method in his Criticisms 155 1.1. Previous Interpretations 155 1.2. Appeal to Authority: Qualified Doxai 160 2. Aspects of Structure and Presentation 161 2.1. Remarks on Structure in DS 1 -2 162 2.2. Problems of Classification 165 2.3. Attention for Detail: Plato and Democritus 167 3. The Critical Arguments Against the Protagonists 170 3.1. The Criticisms of Empedocles 171 3.2. The Protagonist of the 'Contrast Party': Anaxagoras 184 4. The Dossier Extended: Diogenes and Democritus 193 4.1. The Criticisms of Diogenes (DS 39-48) 193 4.2. Against Democritus (49-58) 200 5. Argumentative Principles: Some Preliminary Results 207 6. Applied Dialectic in DS: In Search of Archai? 210 1. A Typology of Arguments 210 1.1. Recurrent Argument Forms 211 [i] Arguments Dealing with Definition & Terminology 212 [ii] Arguments Using Endoxa 214 [iii] Arguments Related to Coherence and Consistency 217 [iv] Universal Validity 219 [v] Causes 221 [vi] 'Topical' Cases 222 1.2. Non Standard Arguments 226 2. Dialectic and Archai 230 2.1. Archê: Its Meaning and Use in Aristotle 231 2.2. Archai in DS 237 3. Theophrastus on Basic Principles 240 3.1. Archai and Dialectic in DS 240 3.2. Two Exceptions? How to Rescue the Argument 242 3.3. Conclusion 244 4. Summary 245 7. Epilogue: Results and Outlook 249 1. Results: Importance of the Present Study 250 2. Outlook: Doxography and What Remains to be Done 254 Appendix A: Textual Problems 262 Section 1: Some textual problems in the DS 262 Section 2: A terminological problem in fr. 277Β FHSG? A cautionary note. 263 Section 3: A (textual) problem in Aristotle's Topika ? 264 Appendix B: A Bibliography on Theophrastus' De sensibus 265 (a) General Literature on Perception 265 (b) De Sensibus (chronological order) 266 Appendix C: (Qualified) Doxai in Theophrastus 271 Appendix D: ἀρχή/ἀρχαί in Theophrastus 273 Bibliography 274 General Index 288 Index Locorum 294 Back Matter 302

This study offers a new and stimulating interpretation of Theophrastus' De sensibus, a treatise unique in content and method, as it reports and criticizes the theories of sense perception of the Presocratics and Plato.
Most of the material on the Presocratics is found nowhere else, which explains why many passages can be found scattered over the Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. As an antidote to this fragmented approach the Presocratics are here studied in context, a text informed by a distinctly Peripatetic perspective. The analysis of the reports and (long neglected) criticisms of Plato (ch.4) and the Presocratics (ch.5) offers new insights into Theophrastus' exegetical procedure by succesfully using Peripatetic dialectic as a heuristic tool. The Epilogue outlines some implications for the role of the treatise in the doxographical tradition.

This study offers a new and stimulating interpretation of Theophrastus' De sensibus, a treatise unique in content and method, as it reports and criticizes the theories of sense perception of the Presocratics and Plato. Most of the material on the Presocratics is found nowhere else, which explains why many passages can be found scattered over the Fragmente der Vorsokratiker . As an antidote to this fragmented approach the Presocratics are here studied in context, a text informed by a distinctly Peripatetic perspective. The analysis of the reports and (long neglected) criticisms of Plato (ch. 4) and the Presocratics (ch. 5) offers new insights into Theophrastus' exegetical procedure by succesfully using Peripatetic dialectic as a heuristic tool. The Epilogue outlines some implications for the role of the treatise in the doxographical tradition This study of Theophrastus' much neglected De sensibus offers a new interpretation of the treatment of the Presocratic and Platonic views on sense perception, and provides new insight into Theophrastus' exegetical procedure by using Peripatetic dialectic as a heuristic tool.