Polyxenus (philosopher)

Polyxenus was an ancient Greek philosopher . He probably lived in the 4th century BC. The history of philosophy research disagrees as to whether he can be assigned to the current of the megarists .

Lore

The most important sources on Polyxenus are the second and thirteenth of the letters erroneously attributed to Plato and Alexander of Aphrodisias . Further evidence can be found in Plutarch , Diogenes Laertios and in the Gnomologium Vaticanum .

Life

Polyxenos' life dates are unknown. The pseudo-Platonic letters contain the information that he associated with Helicon of Kyzikos and Bryson of Herakleia and that Plato sent him to Syracuse towards the end of the 360s as a discussion partner for Dionysius II .

Teaching

It can be assumed that Polyxenus later wrote lost writings. It is possible that he is identical to a rhetorician of the same name who wrote a speech for the Sanctuary in Delos .

Polyxenus participated in the since about 360 BC In the vicinity of the Platonic Academy , the debate about Plato's theory of ideas . Alexander von Aphrodisias reports that he directed himself against the doctrine of ideas and put forward an argument which, according to Alexander, was one of the three arguments that he put together with the name "The Third Man". What they have in common is the claim that the simultaneous acceptance of individual people and a human idea would result in the consequence of accepting a “third person”. The first argument was formulated mainly by Aristotle , the second by the Sophists . The third, from Polyxenos, reads: “If the human being exists according to a participation and being a part in the idea and the human being himself, then there must be a human being who has his being with regard to the idea. Now, however, neither the person himself exists as what the idea is, according to a participation in the idea, nor does the arbitrary individual person exist. All that remains is that it is another, third person who has his being in relation to the idea. ”Since further evidence is missing and Alexander does not discuss the passage quoted further, an interpretation of the argument is difficult.

Research disagrees as to whether Polyxenus should be counted among the megarics. Proponents of affiliation, such as Kurt von Fritz (1931) and Robert Muller (1985), refer to his dealings with Bryson of Heraclea . Gabriele Giannantoni (1990) , for example, contradicts them . Klaus Döring (1998) considers a decision on this question to be impossible due to the scant ancient evidence.

Source collections

Klaus Döring (Ed.): The Megarics. Annotated collection of testimony (= studies on ancient philosophy 2). Grüner, Amsterdam 1971, ISBN 90-6032-003-4 , pp. 67-70
Robert Muller (Ed.): Les Mégariques. Fragments et témoignages , Vrin, Paris 1985, p. 71 ff.

literature

Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy . The philosophy of antiquity. Volume 2/1, Schwabe, Basel 1998, ISBN 3-7965-1036-1 , pp. 236-237
Robert Muller: Polyxène. In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques. Volume 5, Part 2, CNRS Éditions, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-271-07399-0 , pp. 1258-1260
Karl-Heinz Stanzel: Polyxenos 5th In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 10, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01480-0 , column 85.

Remarks

↑ Plutarch, moralia 176c-d.
↑ Diogenes Laertios 2.67-77.
↑ Gnomologium Vaticanum 194. See Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 236.
^ Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 236.
^ Pseudo-Plato, 13th letter 360c.
^ Pseudo-Plato, 2nd letter 314c-314d.
^ Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Schwabe, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 237.
↑ Alexander von Aphrodisias, In Aristotelis metaphysica commentaria 83: 34-85, 12.
^ Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Schwabe, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: pp. 236–237.
^ Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 236.

personal data
SURNAME	Polyxenus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Greek philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH	uncertain: 4th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	uncertain: 4th century BC Chr.

[1] Plutarch, moralia 176c-d.

[2] Diogenes Laertios 2.67-77.

[3] Gnomologium Vaticanum 194. See Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 236.

[4] Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 236.

[5] Pseudo-Plato, 13th letter 360c.

[6] Pseudo-Plato, 2nd letter 314c-314d.

[7] Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Schwabe, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 237.

[8] Alexander von Aphrodisias, In Aristotelis metaphysica commentaria 83: 34-85, 12.

[9] Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Schwabe, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: pp. 236–237.

[10] Klaus Döring: Appendix: Polyxenos . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 2/1, Basel 1998, pp. 236–237, here: p. 236.