Ancient science and technology of colour : an introduction

Introduction to the Proceedings of the mentioned conference, published in OA in Technai 12-13, 2022-2

Parmenides and Empedocles on Krasis and Knowledge

Making mental phenomena to depend on certain elements or organs of the body is famously recognized as a distinctive feature of physiologia both in the so-called “autobiography” of Socrates in the Phaedo and in a further “doxographic” passage in the dialogue, where Simmias develops the argument that the soul is like “a blending and an attunement” of the bodily elements. While no earlier thinker is mentioned here, one can easily identify Parmenides and Empedocles as two of the main supporters of the notion that thought and perception depend on the various blendings of the physical constituents of the body. That they had such a view is indeed well known thanks to a few fragments, for whose discussion Aristotle’s and Theophrastus’ comments prove to be particularly helpful. What neither Plato nor Aristotle acknowledge, though, is that no such specific bearer of mental functions as psyche is needed in this kind of account. As a matter of fact, both Parmenides and Empedocles share with the epic and lyric tradition the idea of the precariousness of human knowledge, due to the constant exposure of human beings to change. Yet they “translate” the topos of human existence and thought subjected to the divine into a vision where the physical krasis of the body (not by chance, a medical notion) is all that matters

La logique de l’eoikos et ses transformations : Xénophane, Parménide, Platon

L’adjectif eoikos apparaît dans trois passages cruciaux de la pensée grecque (Xénophane, fr. B35 ; Parménide, fr. B8, 60 ; Platon, Timée, 29b3-c3), caractérisant une certaine « ressemblance » à la vérité qui se veut constitutive du discours du savant. En fait, le long de cet examen on découvre que les trois usages du terme ne peuvent pas être disposés le long d’une ligne continue, vu la difficulté de comprendre à quelle notion de vérité, sous quel point de vue, et avec quel degré d’évidence, ce discours se veut « ressemblant » selon l’occasion. Dans le cas de Parménide, cet aspect passe même au second plan, puisqu’on assiste à la prédominance d’une autre connotation qui accompagne le terme eoikos à partir de l’usage homérique, à savoir celle de la « convenance » à un contexte communicatif. L’article cherche dans l’ensemble à éclairer les déplacements que subit la logique de la similitude (et des procédés analogiques qui s’y greffent) en passant par des cadres ontologiques et épistémologiques aussi différents que le sont ceux de Xénophane, Parménide et Platon.The adjective eoikos appears in three crucial passages of Greek thought (Xenophanes, fr. B35; Parmenides, fr. B8, 60; Plato, Timaeus, 29b3‑c3), in all of them expressing the notion of “resemblance” to the truth that is considered to be fundamental to the scientific discourse. In fact, this discussion shows that the three uses of the term cannot be arranged along a continuous line, owing to the difficulty in discerning what notion of truth, in what respect, and to what degree of clarity, this discourse should be “like” from time to time. In the case of Parmenides, this aspect seems even to be of secondary importance, as in the term prevails another connotation, which accompanies eoikos from Homer onwards, namely, that of “convenience” of a speech to a communicative context. The article seeks to enlighten the complicate course of the logic of similarity (and of the analogical procedures engaging with it) through such diverse ontological and epistemological frameworks as are those of Xenophanes, Parmenides, and the late Plato

Christopher Moore, Calling Philosophers Names . On the Origin of a Discipline

Cet ouvrage vigoureux, fruit d’une longue recherche que Christopher Moore a menée au cours des dix dernières années, propose une perspective nouvelle et stimulante sur les origines de la philosophie grecque. Plus précisément, comme l’explique Moore dans le premier chapitre introductif (p. 1-33), il ne s’est pas fixé pour objectif de reconstituer (la nième fois) le déroulement des doctrines des penseurs grecs à partir de Thalès, mais d’enquêter sur les significations prises par le terme philos..

Maria Michela Sassi: A lógica do eoikós e suas transformações: Xenófanes, Parmênides, Platão

Translation by Luiz Otávio de Figueiredo Mantovanelli of MARIA MICHELA SASSI\u27s paper:La Logique de l\u27Eoikos et ses transformations: Xénophane, Parménide, Platonoriginaly published in Philosophie Antique, n.13 (2013), 13-35Abstract:The adjective eoikós appears in three crucial passages of Greek thought (Xenophanes, fr. B35; Parmenides, fr. B8, 60; Plato, Timaeus, 29b3-c3), in all of them expressing the notion of ressemblance to the truth that is considered to be fundamental to the scientific discourse. In fact, this discussion shows that the three uses of the term cannot be arranged along a continuous line, owing to the difficulty in discerning what notion of truth, in what respect, and to what degree of clarity, this discourse should be “like” from time to time. In the case of Parmenides, this aspect seems even to be of secondary importance, as in the term prevails another connotation, wich accompanies eoikos from Homer onwards, namely, that of “convenience” of a speech to a communicative context. The article seeks to enlighten the complicate course of the logic of similarity (and of the analogical procedures engaging with it) through such diverse ontological and epistemological frameworks as are those of Xenophanes, Parmenides and the Late Plato.Traduction en portugais par Luiz Otávio de Figueiredo Mantovanelli de l\u27 article de MARIA MICHELA SASSI:La Logique de l\u27Eoikos et ses transformations: Xénophane, Parménide, Platonpublié originellement à Philosophie Antique, n.13 (2013), 13-35 Tradução por Luiz Otávio de Figueiredo Mantovanelli e Revisão de Cristiane A. de Azevedo do artigo de MARIA MICHELA SASSI:La Logique de l\u27Eoikos et ses transformations: Xénophane, Parménide, Platonpublicado originalmente em Philosophie Antique, n.13 (2013), 13-35Resumo: O adjetivo eoikós aparece em três passagens cruciais do pensamento grego (Xenófanes, fr. B35; Parmênides, fr. B8.60; Platão. Timeu, 29b3-c3), caracterizando uma certa “semelhança” com a verdade que se pretende constitutiva do discurso do sábio. De fato, ao longo da presente investigação, poderemos constatar que os três empregos do termo não podem ser dispostos numa linha contínua, devido à dificuldade de discernir a qual noção de verdade, sob qual ponto de vista, e com qual grau de evidência, o discurso se pretende “semelhante” de acordo com o contexto. No caso de Parmênides, tal aspecto passa em segundo plano, já que há lá a predominância de uma outra conotação que acompanha o termo eoikós a partir do emprego homérico, a saber, o da “conveniência” a um contexto comunicativo. O artigo procura no seu conjunto por em evidência os deslocamentos sofridos pela lógica da similitude (e os procedimentos analógicos que lá se inserem) percorrendo quadros ontológicos e epistemológicos tão diferentes quanto os de Xenófanes, Parmênides e Platão

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM