Early Greek Philosophy and the Discovery of Nature Justin Habash

Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Fall 1-1-2016 Early Greek Philosophy and the Discovery of Nature Justin Habash Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Habash, J. (2016). Early Greek Philosophy and the Discovery of Nature (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/32 This One-year Embargo is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND THE DISCOVERY OF NATURE A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Justin Habash December 2016 Copyright by Justin Habash 2016 EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND THE DISCOVERY OF NATURE By Justin Habash Approved September, 23 2016 ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. Ronald M. Polansky Dr. Michael Harrington Professor of Philosophy Associate Professor of Philosophy (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ Dr. Timothy Sean Quinn Professor of Philosophy Xavier University (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Dr. James Swindal Dr. Thérèse Bonin Dean of McAnulty College Acting Chair, Department of Philosophy Professor of Philosophy Associate Professor of Philosophy iii ABSTRACT EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND THE DISCOVERY OF NATURE By Justin Habash December 2016 Dissertation supervised by Ronald M. Polansky Few conceptual discoveries rival the impact of the idea of nature on the development of ancient Greek philosophy. The famous φύσις-νόμος debates of the fifth-century B.C. pit nature against custom as the ultimate guide to human life. Plato’s timeless theory of justice is grounded on a conception of nature dictating what is best. Aristotle likewise develops his systematic understanding of the natural world according to the idea that nature is an inner principle of motion and rest that acts as a final cause. In each of these cases, nature is understood as teleological, i.e. oriented toward an end. But the idea of nature as a way to explain the existence of the cosmos and the identity, growth, and behavior of the entities within it emerges in Greek philosophers that precede Plato, the so-called Presocratics. How did the earliest philosophers conceive of the idea of the nature of things? And to what extent, if any, do the earliest conceptions of nature display purposive features? iv This dissertation tells the story of the origins and development of the idea of purposive nature in early Greek philosophy. Over the course of six chapters, I develop accounts of substantially different conceptualizations of nature found in ten of the earliest Greek philosophers. Contrary to long-standing scholarly opinion, I argue that no single “Greek concept of nature” in fact exists among the Presocratics, but rather that the idea of nature emerges more dynamically, evolving through critical debate as different thinkers put forth competing theories about what nature is and what it implies. In each theory, however, the unique facets of these different conceptions of nature are marked by elements of purposiveness. Far from being anti- teleological, then, the Presocratic polysemous concept of nature serves as a vital first step in the development of early forms of purposiveness in nature into the more robust teleological conceptions found in Plato and Aristotle. As my account demonstrates, the idea of nature becomes more explicitly purposive over the course of the Presocratic period. Finally, this reading of the early Greek period paints a picture of the way the Presocratic engagement with nature leads to the various “corrupted” views of nature in the φύσις-νόμος debate among the Greek sophists, and ultimately to the suggestion that the Platonic and Aristotelian defense of the value of philosophy is grounded in a defense and development of the idea of purposive nature. v DEDICATION For Saffar Arjmandi, who taught me what it means to persevere Rangers Lead the Way and For Rachael, who teaches me every day what it means to love Uxori carissimae vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT There is no small bit of irony in the fact that authors spend near countless hours of intense labor drafting and editing several hundred pages of dissertations and yet only a paltry few pages, likely dashed off at the last minute, to thank those whose continual efforts and support generally not only dwarf the author’s efforts by comparison, but made the project possible in the first place. Although few may read these acknowledgements of all the care and effort that has made this study possible (though perhaps still more than will read the dissertation), I have endeavored not to commit this error. My apologies in advance if you were not expecting the dissertation to start precisely here. I wrestled for quite awhile with the dubious distinction about to whom I ought to dedicate this work. Mostly this is because I think Joan Thompson, the department administrator, is as deserving as anyone of the highest thanks I can offer for all that she does for young academics and for me in particular. Joan has made so many dissertations at Duquesne possible by her careful attention to detail, and her ability to masterfully mix a caring approach with tough love when necessary. I was a direct beneficiary, even from several hundred miles away, as she would go out of her way to call me about an approaching registration deadline or policy change. Having spent a fair amount of time among academics of all stripes, I can say that philosophers are a particularly tough breed to deal with, especially where it concerns vital but mundane administrative details that fail to rise to the level of enduring metaphysical mysteries. Joan handles all of this brilliantly, and every student and faculty member that has passed through Duquesne’s Philosophy Department owes her a very deep debt of gratitude. vii I owe great debts to my fellow graduate students in the Philosophy Department at Duquesne as well. Roughly a year out of the Army, and not long back from war, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started graduate school in philosophy in the Fall of 2008. The experience was intense from the get go, but the people, faculty and students alike, were equal parts inspirational and supportive. I knew I had landed (somewhat by sheer luck, I think) in a really terrific department. My first attempts at presentations and papers were extremely awkward, but my peers demonstrated a tremendous amount of charity and encouragement in their responses. Although there were many who helped, some individuals really stand out. My particular cohort--Stephanie Adair, Chelsea Harry, Nalan Sarac, and Clancy Smith--all excellent philosophers, often had me scrambling to keep up and “prove my worth.” Two very dear friends have been role models for collegiality and insight: Becky Vartebedian and Kelsey Ward each played a significant role in how I approached the history of philosophy and teaching students. Kelsey’s encouragement and insight during our language studies was more than I could ask. And Becky was, perhaps unbeknownst to her, one of the first of my peers whose engagement with students I watched closely and tried in certain respects to mimic. I cannot say enough about the philosophy faculty at Duquesne. Jim Swindal was encouraging from the moment we first spoke on the phone and continues to be so today. I learned a tremendous amount about so much of the history of philosophy from Drs. Bates, Bonin, Harrington, and Rodemeyer. And in many of Anaxagoras’ other worlds, or Leibniz’s possible worlds, my alter egos have written various dissertations on Descartes or Spinoza under Dr. Dan Selcer. His passionate approach to early modern philosophy hooked me early on, and I think I took whatever class he offered every semester I was at Duquesne. I continually hope that my passion for philosophy is as transparent to my students as Dan’s is to his. viii I would also like to thank my colleagues at Ohio Dominican University and The Ohio State University for their encouragement and all that they do for students and faculty. Katie O’Keefe and her excellent philosophical mind had the misfortune of suffering through much of my rough ideas on early Greek philosophy. Her patience, insight, and love of learning make every environment she is a part of a better place. Happiness Mapira is an unparalleled advocate for students who manages to simultaneously hold their feet to the fire when needed. I am not sure how she does it, but I know that this dissertation would not have progressed as much as it did during my time at ODU without her ability to solve problems and allow me to think more about philosophy, and less about student issues with faculty. Karen Gray is one of the best leaders in higher education that I have come across. I am extremely fortunate to have had the privilege to learn from her. I hope many more junior leaders in academia get the chance to benefit from her experience and wisdom. Of all the people that I have learned from at Duquesne and the many valuable friendships I have formed, none means more to me than my friendship with Chelsea Harry. She is, simply, a model teacher, scholar, and human being. And she makes it all seem so damn effortless. In all likelihood, I probably owe the fact that I passed my comprehensive exams entirely to the fact that I studied for them with her, but am more recently in her debt for reading and commenting on this dissertation.

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