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To Think Like God: Pythagoras and Parmenides: The Origins of Philosophy
This book is the scholarly & fully annotated edition of the award-winning The Illustrated To Think Like God.
To Think Like God focuses on the emergence of philosophy as a speculative science, tracing its origins to the Greek colonies of Southern Italy, from the late 6th century to mid-5th century B.C. Special attention is paid to the sage Pythagoras and his movement, the poet Xenophanes of Colophon, and the lawmaker Parmenides of Elea. In their own ways, each thinker held that true insight, whether as wisdom or certainty, belonged not to mortal human beings but to the gods.
The Pythagoreans sought to approach this otherwordly knowledge by studying numerical relationships, believing them to govern the universe, and that those who know the number of a thing know its true nature. Yet their quest was a hopeless one, bogged down by cultism, numerology, political conspiracies, bloody uprisings, and exile. Above all, number did not turn out as the most reliable of mediums; it was certainly not a key to the realm of the divine. Thus, their contributions to philosophy's inception, while much better-publicized, was not the most significant. That particular role was reserved for an unusual challenge and the elaborate reaction it provoked.
The challenge came from Xenophanes, who had argued that reliable truth was beyond mortal reach, because even if by accident a human being should state what is exactly the case, he had no way of knowing that he did, all things being susceptible to opinion.
This dilemma is sure to have bothered a legislative mind like that of Parmenides, and we find him introducing techniques for testing the veracity of statements. These methods were meant to be carried out by reasoning and argument alone, without relying in physical evidence or mortal sense-perception, which was deemed untrustworthy. Reason was that one faculty shared by gods and humans alike. In time, Parmenides' ingenious arguments have earned him the titled of the first logician and metaphysician whose influence on subsequent thinkers was immeasurable. Parmenides taught us that philosophy was not about claims but about proof, which also makes him the father of theoretical science -- which, curiously, began as a quest into the mind of God.
"Arnold Hermann makes a genuine contribution to Presocratics (Parmenides) studies. This book, which is both an introduction to Pythagoras and Parmenides and a scholarly study, will interest novices and experts alike. Hermann's multi-leveled approach and his careful analyses of alternate views make his work a useful teaching tool, while his systematic inquiry into Pythagoreanism, the poem of Parmenides, and the development of early Greek thought will well repay the attention of scholars. — Patricia Curd , Purdue University
" To Think Like God is a highly ambitious book . . . Hermann's approach deserves to be taken seriously as an alternative to standard interpretations." — Richard D. McKirahan, Jr., Edwin Clarence Norton Professor of Classics and Professor of Philosophy, Pomona College
"Arnold Hermann brings fresh life into the specialists' debates . . . a blow of wind that dissipates much fog." — Walter Burkert , Professor Emeritus of Classical Philology, University of Zurich
ARNOLD HERMANN is pursuing independent research on the origins of philosophy and methods of thinking. He specialices on subjects connected with Parmenides and Plato's Parmenides.
To Think Like God focuses on the emergence of philosophy as a speculative science, tracing its origins to the Greek colonies of Southern Italy, from the late 6th century to mid-5th century B.C. Special attention is paid to the sage Pythagoras and his movement, the poet Xenophanes of Colophon, and the lawmaker Parmenides of Elea. In their own ways, each thinker held that true insight, whether as wisdom or certainty, belonged not to mortal human beings but to the gods.
The Pythagoreans sought to approach this otherwordly knowledge by studying numerical relationships, believing them to govern the universe, and that those who know the number of a thing know its true nature. Yet their quest was a hopeless one, bogged down by cultism, numerology, political conspiracies, bloody uprisings, and exile. Above all, number did not turn out as the most reliable of mediums; it was certainly not a key to the realm of the divine. Thus, their contributions to philosophy's inception, while much better-publicized, was not the most significant. That particular role was reserved for an unusual challenge and the elaborate reaction it provoked.
The challenge came from Xenophanes, who had argued that reliable truth was beyond mortal reach, because even if by accident a human being should state what is exactly the case, he had no way of knowing that he did, all things being susceptible to opinion.
This dilemma is sure to have bothered a legislative mind like that of Parmenides, and we find him introducing techniques for testing the veracity of statements. These methods were meant to be carried out by reasoning and argument alone, without relying in physical evidence or mortal sense-perception, which was deemed untrustworthy. Reason was that one faculty shared by gods and humans alike. In time, Parmenides' ingenious arguments have earned him the titled of the first logician and metaphysician whose influence on subsequent thinkers was immeasurable. Parmenides taught us that philosophy was not about claims but about proof, which also makes him the father of theoretical science -- which, curiously, began as a quest into the mind of God.
"Arnold Hermann makes a genuine contribution to Presocratics (Parmenides) studies. This book, which is both an introduction to Pythagoras and Parmenides and a scholarly study, will interest novices and experts alike. Hermann's multi-leveled approach and his careful analyses of alternate views make his work a useful teaching tool, while his systematic inquiry into Pythagoreanism, the poem of Parmenides, and the development of early Greek thought will well repay the attention of scholars. — Patricia Curd , Purdue University
" To Think Like God is a highly ambitious book . . . Hermann's approach deserves to be taken seriously as an alternative to standard interpretations." — Richard D. McKirahan, Jr., Edwin Clarence Norton Professor of Classics and Professor of Philosophy, Pomona College
"Arnold Hermann brings fresh life into the specialists' debates . . . a blow of wind that dissipates much fog." — Walter Burkert , Professor Emeritus of Classical Philology, University of Zurich
ARNOLD HERMANN is pursuing independent research on the origins of philosophy and methods of thinking. He specialices on subjects connected with Parmenides and Plato's Parmenides.
- GenresPhilosophyNonfiction
404 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 3, 2016
Another book that I believe was above my ability to comprehend, and it didn't help that I wasn't totally interested. It was a book that was recommended by a colleague who is personable, inquisitive, honest and interesting to be around. "Try it, it's pretty easy to read ..."
Not.
The author "brings fresh light into the specialist's debates stuck in the minutiae of Presocratic scholarship ... the much-debated complex of Pythagoreans and Parmenides" so reads one of the back cover testimonies.
How many red flags do I need?
For those of you who want to know about the development of confidence in logic, non-contradiction in arguments, uncertainty, clarity, unity, what IS and what IS NOT, all based on the lives of a group of people known as Pythagoreans, followed later by a challenge from a fellow named Parmenides, this might be of interest to you.
The author remains resolutely cheerful and conversational throughout the book which prevented me from giving it a DNF. A glass of wine per chapter also helped.
Not.
The author "brings fresh light into the specialist's debates stuck in the minutiae of Presocratic scholarship ... the much-debated complex of Pythagoreans and Parmenides" so reads one of the back cover testimonies.
How many red flags do I need?
For those of you who want to know about the development of confidence in logic, non-contradiction in arguments, uncertainty, clarity, unity, what IS and what IS NOT, all based on the lives of a group of people known as Pythagoreans, followed later by a challenge from a fellow named Parmenides, this might be of interest to you.
The author remains resolutely cheerful and conversational throughout the book which prevented me from giving it a DNF. A glass of wine per chapter also helped.
February 4, 2017
an excellent study. The author brings alive the poem by Parmaenides and makes it relevant to human thought. Great historical information
August 4, 2018
This was the first of a planned series of books on Parmenides and the origins of philosophical thinking. Unfortunately, the subsequent books have not yet emerged, which gives this volume an incomplete feel. Here, the Parmenides of the Poem is examined, but not the Parmenides that we encounter in Plato's dialogue.
Read
October 10, 2009So shiny! But don't be fooled - Hermann is dead serious. "None of this mucking about with rites and beans and whatnot, truth means it stands up in court!"
May 25, 2016
Excellent source on the history of philosophy and its importance and relevance today.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews