Pherecydes of Syros
- See also Pherecydes of Leros
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Pherecydes of Syros Pre-Socratic philosophy |
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Pherecydes, ancient Greek philosopher.
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Name |
Pherecydes of Syros (Φερεκύδης) |
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Birth |
ca. 600 B.C. |
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Death |
ca. 550 B.C. |
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School/tradition |
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Main interests |
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Notable ideas |
Allegory, Astronomy, Creatio ex nihilo, Etymology, Immortality, Metempsychosis, Rationalism, Theology |
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Influences |
Unknown |
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Influenced |
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Pherecydes of Syros (in Greek: Φερεκύδης) was a Greek thinker from the island of Syros, of the 6th century BC. Pherecydes authored the Heptamychia, one of the first attested prose works in Greek literature, which formed an important bridge between mythic and pre-Socratic thought.
Life
Very little is known of his life. The sources are often contradictory[1]. It has been said that he was a son of Babys, and that he was most likely active in ca. 540BC.
Heptamychia
In this piece, Pherecydes taught his philosophy through the medium of mythic representations. Although it is lost, the fragments that survive are enough to reconstruct a basic outline. Aristotle in Metaphysics (section 1091 b 8) thus characterized Pherecydes' work as a mixture of myth and philosophy.
Pherecydes gives a history of the world that proceeds by rationalizing the Greek pantheon. The king of the gods is not Zeus but Zas ("he who lives"). His father is Chronos ("time") rather than Cronus, from whom water, earth, air and fire spring. The antagonism between father and son seems to have been omitted. Chronos and Zas fight a war against Ophion or Ophioneus ("the snake man"), and Zas celebrates his victory by weaving a robe for Chthonie, who is transformed into Ge ("the surface of the earth").
Astronomy
Aside from his writing, Pherecydes is known for having made a sundial on the island of Syros[2]. The Science Center & Technology Museum of Thessaloniki website informs us:
His works include:
- A 'heliotropion', or 'shadow-chaser': The first example of this instrument, which was a more advanced kind of gnomon used determine midday and to calculate the length of the year and the geographical latitude, was built by Pherecydes in Samos.
"On the seven sections of the universe": Unbounded space, heaven of the fixed stars, heaven of the 'wandering stars' (planets), sphere of the sun, sphere of the moon, sphere of the earth, underworld.
"Heptamychos": (or "Pentamychos"). History of the creation of the world. Pherecydes held that there were three eternal beings: Zeus, Time and Chthone (Earth).
Pherecydes predicted lunar and solar eclipses.
Influence
Pherecydes' contribution to the early Presocratic thought is (1) the denial of ex nihilo creation; (2) cosmos self-creation; (3) the eternal nature of the first principles.
Both Cicero and Augustine thought that Pherecydes of Syros first taught the immortality of the soul.
Diogenes Laertius writes that some considered Pherecydes to have been the teacher of Pythagoras. He is occasionally counted among the Seven Sages of Greece.
External link
- Excerpt from Diogenes biography of Pherecydes
- Pherecydes of Syros by Giannis Stamatellos
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