ODWIECZNY SPÓR FILOZOFII Z POEZJĄ W TRAKTACIE HERAKLITA ALEGORETY

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Date

2011

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0302-7384

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Heraclitus the Allegorist On the Perennial Dispute Between Philosophy and Poetry

Abstract

The paper investigates the complex interrelationship between philosophy and poetry as it was presented by Heraclitus the Allegorist in his famous Quaestiones Homericae. It is shown here that the apology of Homer which emerges from the treaty builds on two fundamental assumptions. First of all, the Allegorist aims to prove that Homer’s poems ought to be read as intentionally composed allegories that actually prefigure all subsequent philosophical and scientific views. Secondly, Heraclitus argues also that Homer had to have recourse to allegory, since it is the only appropriate mode of expressing certain ideas. Consequently, Homer transpires to be not only the greatest poet of ancient Greece, but also its greatest philosopher.
The present article focuses on the ancient controversy between philosophy and poetry that was so suggestively portrayed by Heraclitus the Allegorist in his renowned Homeric Problems. The paper demonstrates Heraclitus’ apology of Homer to pivot on two crucial premises. To begin with, the Allegorist endeavors to establish that the poems of Homer should definitely be seen as designed by the poet to allegorically anticipate all later achievements of philosophy and cosmology. Furthermore, Heraclitus explains that Homer was bound to resort to allegory, as that was the only suitable means of communicating the ideas he wished to convey. As a result of this, Homer’s poems prove first and foremost to be a repository of superb philosophy and not merely of excellent poetry.

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Keywords

Heraclitus the Allegorist, philosophy, allegoresis, Homer, poetry

Citation

Symbolae Philologorum Posnaniensium, 2011, nr numery XXI/1, s. 5-20.

ISBN

978-83-7654-160-0

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Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
Biblioteka Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego