Description
Book SynopsisAcheloios, Thales, and the Origin of Philosophy: A Response to the Neo-Marxians fundamentally changes our understanding of a pivotal moment in the history of mankind – the origin of the philosophical experience in 6th century Ionia. Through a careful analysis of the archaeological record, a close reading of hundreds of ancient sources, and a deep investigation into the various languages of our past, Nicholas Molinari demonstrates the importance of the influence of the cult of Acheloios on Thales; provides a critique of the Neo-Marxian prioritization of coined money and conflation of metaphysical cosmology and philosophy; and, most importantly, reintegrates beauty and love as philosophy’s ultimate source.
Table of ContentsAbstract;
Introduction;
Part I: Concerning the Neo-Marxian School;
Chapter 1: Marx to Sohn-Rethel: Dialectical Materialist Approaches to the Origin of Philosophy;
Chapter 2: Richard Seaford’s Contribution;
Part II: Concerning Thales and Acheloios;
Chapter 3: Thales’ Principle: A Provisional Assessment;
Chapter 4: The Emergence of Acheloios and Major Elements of His Cult;
Part III: Concerning the Etymological and Archaeological Evidence;
Chapter 5: The Etymology of hýdōr: Pure, Sacred Water;
Chapter 6: The Physical Evidence;
Part IV: Philosophos and Philomythos;
Chapter 7: Philosophy Ex Nihilo?;
Chapter 8: The Mythological Wellspring;
Part V: Concerning the Thaletan-Acheloian Tradition;
Chapter 9: Thales and Acheloios;
Chapter 10: The Thaletan Tradition from Pythagoras to Empedokles;
Part VI: Purification of Body and Soul: Sophokles and Plato;
Chapter 11: Sophokles’ Trachiniae: The Interplay of Gods and Souls;
Chapter 12: Acheloios as the Horizon for an Understanding of Being;
Conclusion;
The Sacrifice of Acheloios: A Response to the Neo-Marxians;
Bibliography;
General Index;
Index Locorum
