The Non-Divinity of Parmenides' What-is

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47661/afcl.v14i27.38885

Keywords:

Parmenides, god,

Abstract

It is often assumed that Parmenides what-is is, in some sense, divine. This chapter consider the further assumptions that tend to underly such readings. It argues that neither appeals to a broader philosophical tradition nor the possible attribution of intelligence to what-is justify the assumption that what-is is divine. The divinities within Parmenides’ poem are anthropomorphic agents and subjects of change. What-is, in excluding change, also excludes divinity. Divinity is not a relevant or necessary property of what-is.

Author Biography

Jenny Bryan, University of Manchester

Senior Lecturer in Classical Philosophy

References

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Published

2020-10-01