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34
Z X O A H
Ancient Philosophy and the Classical Tradition
Volume I Issue 2 2007
DXOAH
A Journal of the Centre for Ancient Philosophy and the Classical Tradition, Novosibirsk, Russia
Editor-in-Chief Eugene V. Afonasin
Executive Secretary Anna S. Kuznetsova
Editorial Council
Leonidas Bargeliotes, Athens-Ancient Olympia
Gabor Beteg, Budapest
John Dillon, Dublin
Katerina Ierodiakonou, Athens
Vasily P. Goran, Novosibirsk
Vadim B. Prozorov, Moscow
Alexey V. Tzyb, St. Petersburg
Andrei I. Schetnikov, Novosibirsk
Mostafa Younesie, Teheran
The journal is published twice a year
Preparation of this volume is supported by The “Open Society Institute” (Budapest)
The address for correspondence Novosibirsk-90, P. Box 127, 630090, Russia
E-mail address: afonasin@post.nsu.ru
Online version: www.nsu.ru/classics/schole/
ISSN 1995-4328 (Print) @ The Center for Ancient Philosophy and
ISSN 1995-4336 (Online) the Classical Tradition, 2007
TO MY FATHER VASILY AFONASIN (April 19, 1932 - September 4, 2007)
INTRODUCTORY NOTES
The second issue of the first volume of the journal contains a number of original articles as well as further translations of classical texts, discussions, bibliographical outlines, and reviews.
In his article on Empedocles Sergej Anavesov of Tomsk State University presents a part of his bigger study in the philosophy of suicide, and shows that Empedocles’ famous deed can be understood as an act of “metaphysical revolt”, a mysterious purification of the soul from the body and the universe from the evil elements. The article is a developed version of a paper presented by the author in May 2007 at the conference “Rethinking Dodds. Rationalism and Irrationalism in Ancient Philosophical Tradition”, organized by the Centre for Ancient Philosophy and the Classical Tradition at the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences.1
Andrej Schetnikov, a historian of mathematics from Novosibirsk, discusses the problem of origins of the concept of axioms in Ancient mathematics prior Euclid. Having noticed the fact that axioms and postulates are entirely absent from geometry in the time of Plato, the author turns to the problem of definitions in Plato and Aristotle instead and reads relevant passages from their works against the background of the “Elements” of Euclid. His working hypothesis is that the greater part of proofs from the first book of the “Elements” should be traced back to the time of Aristotle‘s school rather then Plato’s Academy despite the degree of sophistication of the mathematical technique in the time of the latter.
Leonidas Bargeliotes of the University of Athens focuses in his article on the problem of God’s religious availability and sees Whitehead’s organismic theory of God as a correction of Aristotle’s barren conception of a Prime Mover.
Igor Berestov and Marina Wolf of the Institute of philosophy and law, Novosibirsk, discuss various methodological difficulties typical of studies in the history of Ancient Greek philosophy and try to develop their own problem-oriented approach.
An annotated translation of the treatise “On Indivisible Lines” is prepared by Andrej Schetnikov especially for this issue. This short text from the Corpus Aristotelicum, important for the history of mathematics, is translated into Russian for the first time.
1 For texts and supplementary materials, including other presentations and the program of the conference, cf. http://www.nsu.ru/classics/dodds/index.htm.
146 Introductory notes
A discussion “Reading and Interpreting Philosophy Texts”, led by Svetlana Mesyats of the Institute of Philosophy, Moscow, opens a series of roundtable discussions planned in the framework of the interdisciplinary seminar “Teaching Classics. Fundamental Values in the Changing World” organized by the Centre for Ancient Philosophy and the Classical Tradition and supported by the Open Society Institute, Budapest. 2
Two bibliographic outlines of this issue deal respectively with Hermetism and the Chaldean Oracles.
E. A.
December 2007 Academgorodok
2 Cf. http://www.nsu.ru/classics/reset/index.htm.
