History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 099 - Richard Sorabji on the Commentators
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Oct 21, 2012 AI Snips
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How The Project Was Kickstarted
- Richard Sorabji recounts how the Ancient Commentators Project began after colleagues urged him to apply for a major translation grant.
- He describes persuading sceptical funders by arranging cooperation between translators and text-editors to secure funding.
Commentators Illuminate Tiny Aristotle Passages
- Reading ancient commentators can radically clarify short tricky passages in Aristotle by expanding interpretive options.
- Commentators unpack issues like whether language corresponds to mental 'names' or public sounds and introduce a mental language idea.
Platonizing Aristotle To Preserve Harmony
- Neoplatonist commentators often reshaped Aristotle to harmonize him with Plato and Christian concerns.
- They sometimes attribute doctrines to Aristotle (like a creator God or immortal individual soul) to reduce perceived pagan contradiction.