Plutarch's Delphic Philosophy. The Itinerary of the Pythian Dialogues.
Beautiful Letters| N° d'inventaire | 18750 |
| Format | 16 x 24 |
| Détails | 266 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2014 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | |
There is no longer any doubt today that Plutarch of Chaeronea (c. 45–125) represents a significant figure in the history of Platonism. The Moral Works contain several texts of capital importance for our understanding of Platonic philosophy in the imperial period. An astonishing thinker, Plutarch was not, however, only a philosopher. Around 96, he acceded to the Delphic priesthood, a highly honorary position. This encounter between the Platonic philosopher and the priest of Delphi was uniquely expressed in a series of texts traditionally grouped under the name of Pythian Dialogues, including On the E of Delphi, On the Oracles of the Pythia, and On the Disappearance of the Oracles. This work attempts an analysis of these Pythian Dialogues that highlights the logical as well as the Pythian character of the texts. Each of the dialogues studied presents itself as a shared search for a Delphic reality. However, this search is not religious in nature, and the argument deployed by Plutarch draws on specifically Platonic themes. This is a central characteristic of the Pythian Dialogues, which offer a novel synthesis between the setting of Delphi and Platonic discourse. The Delphic context allows Plutarch to question the gods and humans, as well as the intermediary figures who stand between their two universes and who make divination, the ultimate expression of divine providence, possible. Walking through the sanctuary as much as through the argument, the reader sees Plutarch in constant dialogue with the rival doctrines of Epicureanism and Stoicism. He or she then discovers texts where philosophy allows for a defense of the sanctuary and where the setting of Delphi itself becomes conducive to study, dialogue, in short, philosophy. Thanks to the Pythian Dialogues, the sanctuary of Delphi is no longer just the center of the world; it is also the center of true philosophical wisdom. Xavier Brouillette teaches philosophy at the Collège du Vieux Montréal. A graduate of the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, he co-edited the volume Les dialogues platoniciens chez Plutarque (2010). He is interested in the relationship between the sanctuary of Delphi and Platonic philosophy.
There is no longer any doubt today that Plutarch of Chaeronea (c. 45–125) represents a significant figure in the history of Platonism. The Moral Works contain several texts of capital importance for our understanding of Platonic philosophy in the imperial period. An astonishing thinker, Plutarch was not, however, only a philosopher. Around 96, he acceded to the Delphic priesthood, a highly honorary position. This encounter between the Platonic philosopher and the priest of Delphi was uniquely expressed in a series of texts traditionally grouped under the name of Pythian Dialogues, including On the E of Delphi, On the Oracles of the Pythia, and On the Disappearance of the Oracles. This work attempts an analysis of these Pythian Dialogues that highlights the logical as well as the Pythian character of the texts. Each of the dialogues studied presents itself as a shared search for a Delphic reality. However, this search is not religious in nature, and the argument deployed by Plutarch draws on specifically Platonic themes. This is a central characteristic of the Pythian Dialogues, which offer a novel synthesis between the setting of Delphi and Platonic discourse. The Delphic context allows Plutarch to question the gods and humans, as well as the intermediary figures who stand between their two universes and who make divination, the ultimate expression of divine providence, possible. Walking through the sanctuary as much as through the argument, the reader sees Plutarch in constant dialogue with the rival doctrines of Epicureanism and Stoicism. He or she then discovers texts where philosophy allows for a defense of the sanctuary and where the setting of Delphi itself becomes conducive to study, dialogue, in short, philosophy. Thanks to the Pythian Dialogues, the sanctuary of Delphi is no longer just the center of the world; it is also the center of true philosophical wisdom. Xavier Brouillette teaches philosophy at the Collège du Vieux Montréal. A graduate of the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, he co-edited the volume Les dialogues platoniciens chez Plutarque (2010). He is interested in the relationship between the sanctuary of Delphi and Platonic philosophy.