Simplicius and “ancient philosophy”

Commentary on Aristotle’s Physics by Simplicius, one of the very last Neoplatonists, stands as one of the most important sources for the history of early Greek thought. Within it are quoted the most significant fragments of Parmenides, Melissus, Empedocles, and Anaxagoras, securing for Simplicius’ work an honoured place in the history of Greek phi­losophy. Yet Simplicius does not cite these pre-Platonic philosophers merely because their writings had become rare by his time. His engagement with their texts serves a far more comprehensive and ambitious purpose. He seeks to demonstrate harmony and con­cord not only between the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle but also between these two great thinkers and early Greek thought – above all, as represented by Parmenides, Melis­sus, Empedocles, and Anaxagoras. Moreover, he aims to show that the critical judgments passed by Plato and Aristotle upon the Presocratics do not constitute fundamental objec­tions, let alone hostile polemic, but rather pursue an entirely different aim. This article elucidates how Simplicius perceived the “secret history” of Greek philosophy, and – through an examination of Aristotle’s treatment of the Eleatic thesis that Being is One – it explicates the interpretive and hermeneutic strategies by which Simplicius neutralises Aristotle’s critiques

Ancient Greek · Conceptual history · Philosophy of religion · Reflexive pronoun · Augustinian Studies and Theology · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies