There is a substantial difference between our way of "philosophizing", born out of Descartes' clear and well-defined thinking and bent on building alternative (aut-aut) models, and the classical (especially Platonic-Aristotelian) way where a constant use of technical and methodical pluralism serves to juxtapose different (et-et) schemes necessary to grasp an intrinsically one-manifold reality. The ancient Philosophers bring a great wealth of schemes into play, albeit in different forms. This is to say that one could also come across statements that are (...) clearly mismatched and sometimes even at odds with one another, without either giving rise to a real contradiction or (even less so) a quasi relativistic viewpoint. Quite the contrary, an approach of this kind focuses on the necessary knowledge of a reality which, however, is multiform. By assuming this interpretative paradigm and applying it to some of the most pivotal reflections of the Sophists, Plato and Aristotle, the Authors of the contributions herein provide a number of particularly eloquent examples of that typically "Greek" movement, which is to proceed steadily by association of possibilities, rejecting the either/or solicitations and hinging their reflections upon the more open and dynamic "and-and" combination. The authors believe that many of the puzzles of Ancient philosophy that have involved and divided scholars can acquire a new and convincing explanation with this paradigm. (shrink)

The concept of the soul, one of the greatest 'inventions' of Greek philosophy, which crossed the whole history of the Western civilisation, was defined in its fundamental philosophical features by Plato. Developing the numerous issues naturally linked to this concept, Plato's thought does not only focus on metaphysical and religious themes, but also to all issues related to spirituality and the human psyche, including their ethical consequences. Therefore, the concept of soul opens the door to an endless process involving the (...) analysis of a subject's interiority. It is not by chance, that this Platonic theme recurs in many texts and even represents the backbone of whole dialogues. In this collection, some of the most important contemporary Platonic scholars looked at these complex philosophical issues from innovative perspectives, especially with regard to texts that previously were either underestimated or largely ignored. This perspective gives the reader a chance to evaluate the hermeneutic power of different approaches and interpretations of Plato's texts, revaluating as well the richness of Plato's contribution to questions that have been received and developed in contemporary philosophical reflections. (shrink)

La filosofia nasce e si fonda sul concetto di limite. Il termine stesso “filo-sofia”, infatti, sembra essere stato inventato da Pitagora per indicare l’impossibilità dell’essere umano di avere accesso alla sapienza, cioè ad un possesso pieno del sapere che, in quanto tale, è proprio solo degli dei. Il saggio si propone di ripercorrere questa originaria co-appartenza della filosofia e del “limite” attraverso le sue articolazioni principali e nelle sue ricadute sul versante gnoseologico, etico e politico.Philosophy rises and bases itself on (...) the concept of “limit”. The same term “philo-sophia”, in fact, seems to be invented by Pithagoras to show the impossibility of human being to accede to wisdom, that is to a full mastery of knowledge that belongs only to Gods. The essay aims to cross this original link between philosophy and “limit” in its main articulations and in its relapses into gnoseological, ethical and political side. (shrink)