Natural Spectaculars
Aspects of Plutarch’s Philosophy of Nature
Edited by Michiel Meeusen and Luc Van der Stockt
The value of Plutarch’s perception of physical reality and his attitude towards the natural spectacle. Plutarch was very interested in the natural world around him, not only in terms of its elementary composition and physical processes, but also with respect to its providential ordering and ‘wonders’. His writings teach us a lot about his perception of physical reality and about his attitude to the natural spectacle. He found his greatest inspiration in the ontological and epistemological framework of Plato’s Timaeus, but a wide range of other authors were also of seminal interest to his project. Clearly, the highly literary value of Plutarch’s natural philosophical writings should not be underrated. It is therefore not surprising that recently scholars have started to reassess the ancient scientific value of Plutarch’s natural philosophical writings. Natural Spectaculars aims to give further impetus to this dynamic by treating several aspects of Plutarch’s natural philosophy which have remained unexplored up to now.
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).
Contributors: Jan Opsomer (KU Leuven), Suzan Sierksma-Agteres (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Angelo Casanova (Università degli Studi di Firenze), Paola Volpe Cacciatore (Università degli Studi di Salerno), Aldo Setaioli (Università degli Studi di Perugia), Fabio Tanga (Università degli Studi di Salerno), Michiel Meeusen (KU Leuven), Luisa Lesage Gárriga (Universidad de Málaga), Ana Ferreira (Universidade do Porto), Israel Muñoz Gallarte (Universidad de Córdoba), Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Bram Demulder (KU Leuven), Aurelio Pérez Jiménez (Universidad de Málaga), Delfim Ferreira Leão (Universidade de Coimbra)
This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).
Contributors: Jan Opsomer (KU Leuven), Suzan Sierksma-Agteres (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Angelo Casanova (Università degli Studi di Firenze), Paola Volpe Cacciatore (Università degli Studi di Salerno), Aldo Setaioli (Università degli Studi di Perugia), Fabio Tanga (Università degli Studi di Salerno), Michiel Meeusen (KU Leuven), Luisa Lesage Gárriga (Universidad de Málaga), Ana Ferreira (Universidade do Porto), Israel Muñoz Gallarte (Universidad de Córdoba), Lautaro Roig Lanzillotta (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen), Bram Demulder (KU Leuven), Aurelio Pérez Jiménez (Universidad de Málaga), Delfim Ferreira Leão (Universidade de Coimbra)
Contents
Acknowledgements
Contributors
Introducing Plutarch's Natural Philosophy
MICHIEL MEEUSEN -; LUC VAN DER STOCKT
I. Physics and Metaphysics
Plutarch on the Geometry of the Elements
JAN OPSOMER
'Say Goodbye to Opinions!' Plutarch's Philosophy of Natural Phenomena and the Journey to Metaphysical Knowledge
SUZAN SIERKSMA-AGTERES
II. Physical Aetiology and Exegesis
Are Women Colder or Hotter than Men? (Quaest. conv. 3,4)
ANGELO CASANOVA
Plutarch and the Commentary on the Phaenomena of Aratus
PAOLA VOLPE CACCIATORE
The Moon as Agent of Decay (Plut., Quaest. conv. 3,10; Macr., Sat. 7,16,15-;34)
ALDO SETAIOLI
Some Notes on Plutarch's Quaestiones naturales
FABIO TANGA
Plutarch Solving Natural Problems: For What Cause? (The Case of Quaest. nat. 29,919AB)
MICHIEL MEEUSEN
III. Man's Place in the Cosmos
The Light of the Moon: An Active Participant on the Battlefield in Plutarch's Parallel Lives
LUISA LESAGE GàRRIGA
The Power of Nature and Its Influence on Statesmen in the Work of Plutarch
ANA FERREIRA
Chasing Butterflies: The Conception of the Soul in Plutarch's Works
ISRAEL MUà‘OZ GALLARTE
Plutarch's Anthropology and Its Influence on His Cosmological Framework
LAUTARO ROIG LANZILLOTTA
IV. Compositional Technique and Style
From Chaos to Cosmos (and Back Again): Plato's Timaeus and the Composition of De animae procreatione and De facie in orbe lunae
BRAM DEMULDER
Plutarch and Transgressions of Nature: Stylistic Analysis of De facie in orbe lunae 926CD
AURELIO PÉREZ-JIMÉNEZ
Plutarch on Solon's Simplicity Concerning Natural Philosophy: Sol. 3,6-;7 and Frs. 9 and 12 West
DELFIM FERREIRA LEàƒO
Index Nominum et Rerum
Format: Edited volume - hardback
Size: 240 × 160 mm
ISBN: 9789462700437
Publication: November 17, 2015
Series: Plutarchea Hypomnemata
Languages: English
Stock item number: 109345
Luc Van der Stockt is Professor of Greek language and literature at the KU Leuven and Honorary President of the International Plutarch Society.
Michiel Meeusen is British Academy Postdoctoral Research Associate at King's College London, Department of Classics.
To conclude, this is a volume that significantly advances our understanding of Plutarch as a natural philosopher and scientist, among other things, by doing justice to the different genres of
Plutarchan writing that serve as platforms for enquiry into the mechanisms or laws of nature. Scholars and students alike will have much to gain from its contents.
Katerina Oikonomopoulou, The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 140, 283-284. doi:10.1017/S0075426920000543