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Two Cases of the Golden Age: the Hesiodic Utopia and the Platonic Ideal State

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Two Cases of the Golden Age: the Hesiodic Utopia and the Platonic Ideal State TWO CASES OF THE GOLDEN AGE: THE HESIODIC UTOPIA AND THE PLATONIC IDEAL STATE A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY GÜNEŞ VEZİR IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY SEPTEMBER 2019 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sadettin Kirazcı Director (Acting) I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Dr. Halil Turan Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Dr. Halil Turan Supervisor Examining Committee Members Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Parkan (METU, PHIL) Prof. Dr. Halil Turan (METU, PHIL) Assist. Prof. Dr. Refik Güremen (Mimar Sinan Fine Arts Uni., PHIL) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Güneş Vezir Signature : iii ABSTRACT TWO CASES OF THE GOLDEN AGE: THE HESIODIC UTOPIA AND THE PLATONIC IDEAL STATE Vezir, Güneş MA, Department of Philosophy Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Halil Turan September 2019, 119 pages This study was prepared to give information about the Golden Age myth, and in this regard, to illustrate for what purposes and in which ways the myth is used by Hesiod and Plato and the interaction and similarities between these thinkers. In the Golden Age, Cronus was the ruler and the order of the universe and human life are under the direct control of daemons. It is told that people of this time lived a blessed life in abundance and happiness; they were contented with what the land offers them and free from work, evils, war and unhappiness. The period ended with dethronement of Cronus by his son Zeus; after, as the order of the universe gradually deteriorated, humanity also became increasingly degenerate. The myth of the Golden Age, which Hesiod put forward as a utopic example for the solution of contemporary moral, social and political problems, also influenced Plato's political philosophy in the 4th century BC; guiding him through his search for the ideal state and the ideal ruler, and gained an important place in his dialogues. Firstly, in this thesis, the origins of the Golden Age myth, its appearances in the Ancient Greek and Roman cultures, the supporting and opposing views on the myth were explained. In the following chapter, the place of the Golden Age within the Five Ages myth of Works and Days, how it was utilized by Hesiod with ethical and political concerns and whether the narrative iv belong originally to Hesiod were examined. Finally, the function of the exemplification of the myth in the Statesman and the Laws and its modelity in Plato's construction of the ideal state were investigated, and Hesiod’s influence on Plato was discussed. Keywords: Golden Age, Hesiod, Works and Days, Plato, The Statesman, The Laws. v ÖZ ALTIN ÇAĞ’IN İKİ HALİ: HESİODİK ÜTOPYA VE PLATONİK İDEAL DEVLET Vezir, Güneş Yüksek Lisans, Felsefe Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Halil Turan Eylül 2019, 119 sayfa Bu çalışma, Altın Çağ miti hakkında bilgilendirme yapmak, mitin Hesiodos ve Platon tarafından hangi şekillerde ve hangi amaçlarla kullanıldığını incelemek ve iki düşünürün bu husustaki etkileşim ve benzerlikleri göstermek üzere hazırlanmıştır. Yazılı olarak ilk kez Hesiodos’un İşler ve Günler eserinde karşılaşılan Altın Çağ miti pek çok farklı kültürde kendine yer edinmiş olmasına rağmen en güçlü görünümünü Yunan mitolojisinde bulmuştur. Tanrı Kronos’un egemen olduğu Altın Çağ’da evrenin düzeni ve insan hayatı tanrıların birebir kontrolündedir. Bu çağda insanların bolluk ve mutluluk içerisinde, toprağın verimlilikle kendilerine sundukları ile yetinerek, çalışmadan, kavgadan, savaş ve mutsuzluktan azade kutlu bir yaşam sürdükleri anlatılır. Dönem, Kronos’un yerine oğlu Zeus’un geçmesi ile son bulur ve sonrasında evrenin düzeni git gide bozulurken insanlar da yavaş yavaş yozlaşmaya başlarlar. Hesiodos’un güncel ahlaki, toplumsal ve siyasi problemlerin çözümü için ütopik bir örnek olarak ileri sürdüğü Altın Çağ miti M.Ö. 4. Yüzyıl’da Platon’un siyaset felsefesini etkileyerek ideal devlet düzeni ve ideal yönetici arayışında yol gösterici olmuş ve diyaloglarında önemli bir yer edinmiştir. İlk olarak Altın Çağ mitinin kökeni, Antik Yunan ve Roma kültürlerindeki görünümleri, mit üzerine sunulan olumlu ve olumsuz görüşlerin anlatıldığı bu tezin sonraki bölümünde, vi öncelikle mitin İşler ve Günler’de bahsi geçen Beş Çağ miti içerisindeki yerinden söz edilmiş, sonrasında mitin Hesiodos tarafından etik ve politik kaygılarla ne şekilde kullanıldığı ve anlatının orijinalinde Hesiodos’a ait olup olmadığı incelenmiştir. Son olarak Devlet Adamı ve Yasalar diyaloglarında yer alan Altın Çağ anlatısının Platon’un ideal devlet kurgusu için oluşturduğu örneklik ve Hesiodos’un Platon üzerindeki etkisi tartışılmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Altın Çağ, Hesiodos, İşler ve Günler, Platon, Devlet Adamı, Yasalar. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Dr. Halil Turan for his support and guidance during this study. I also thank my committee members Assist. Prof. Dr. Refik Güremen and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Parkan for their valuable suggestions and contributions. I cannot possibly thank enough to my beloved mother and father who supported me in every aspect of life, trusted me in my choices, encouraged me, helped me to overcome difficult times and above all raised me as a compassionate person. It is my good fortune to have such great parents and I am deeply grateful for your love and care. I owe special thanks to my dearest friends Gökçen Keskin, Tuğçe Arslan, Zöhre Koçkan and Bilge Yıldırım for being both my companions and my mentors, for patiently enduring my endless dramas, for soothing me, for guiding me through my decision makings, for showing me the right paths when I detached from reality and for being there for me no matter what. I feel extremely lucky to have you in my life. Loads of kisses and hugs and squeezes and many other Elmyraean things for my beautiful babies Emil and Lüplüp for always lightening up my days, for being so fluffy and sweet. I am very happy and proud to be your human. I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to nature and stray animals for uplifting me whenever I felt sad or helpless. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM ............................................................................................................ iii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iv ÖZ…. .......................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 2. THE GOLDEN AGE ............................................................................................... 7 2.1. The Myth ................................................................................................. 7 2.2. Theories About the Origins of the Golden Age ...................................... 8 2.3. Kings of the Golden Age: Cronus and Saturn ...................................... 10 2.3.1. Cronus the Greek God ................................................................ 11 2.3.2. Saturn the Roman God ................................................................ 13 2.4. The Development of the Golden Age in Greek and Roman Cultures and Several Approaches to the Myth ........................................................... 14 2.4.1. The Golden Age as a Utopia ....................................................... 14 2.4.2. Opposing Remarks ...................................................................... 18 3. HESIOD: THE FIVE AGES MYTH AND THE GOLDEN AGE IN WORKS AND DAYS ........................................................................................................ 22 3.1. An Overview of Hesiod and His Works ............................................... 22 3.1.1. Theogony ..................................................................................... 24 ix 3.1.2. Works and Days .......................................................................... 26 3.2. The Myth of the Five Ages in Works and Days .................................... 29 3.2.1. The Heroic Age ........................................................................... 29 3.2.2. Metallic Nomenclature ................................................................ 33 3.3. On Originality of Hesiod ....................................................................... 35 3.4. Hesiod’s Objectives for Utilizing the Golden Age Myth in Works and Days ............................................................................................................. 41 3.4.1. Morality ....................................................................................... 41 3.4.2. Politics and Economy ................................................................
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