Why Teleology? Early Greek Enquiries into Nature and Plato's Reception - Detailseite

Among ancient Greek thinkers, Plato may be the first to provide extensive arguments for a teleological understanding of the natural world, an understanding that had long-lasting consequences for the history of Western thought. But teleology was by no means Plato’s invention. Rather, Plato was indebted to the lively discussions among his predecessors and contemporaries, some of whom were just as teleologically-minded while others rejected teleology. In this seminar, we will explore writings of these early thinkers including inter alia Anaxagoras, Empedocles, Democritus and some of the Hippocratic medical writers, using relevant passages in Plato as a starting point and guide. We will try to decide to what extent these early thinkers endorsed or rejected teleology, what their reasons were, how they were received by Plato, and whether Plato was fair to them. References will also be made to Aristotle’s reception of these early thinkers and of Plato. Themes that will come up include cause and explanation, the role of intelligence in the natural world, necessity and chance, order and disorder, and explanation of living things.

This seminar will primarily be in English, but contributions in German are also welcome. Some familiarity with ancient Greek philosophy and/or the ancient Greek language is desired but not required.