HPhil Seminar: November 17, 2022
The HPhil (History of Philosophy) Research Group of the Centre of Philosophy of the University of Lisbon announces the 2022/23 edition of its permanent seminar on the history of philosophy, devoted to the presentation of conferences by renowned specialists while also creating opportunities to emerging scholars, aiming to promote advanced studies in groundbreaking debates and the permanent training of its academic community.
In this session of the seminar, Laura Marongiu (Università Statale di Milano) will present a paper entitled Plato’s nuptial number and the decline of Kallipolis (abstract bellow; the handout is available here).
The session will take place on November 17, 2022, at 5PM, in the Room C201.J (Room Mattos Romão, Department of Philosophy). The entrance is free.
This session will also be streamed via Zoom: click here to access the streaming.
Abstract
“An absurd story”, “a masterpiece of literary humor”, “a parody”, and “an extraordinary improvisation”: these are just a few examples of how the Muses’ speech in Republic VIII (545c–547a) has been regarded (Gadamer 1991: 286 and 168; Denkinger 1955: 72; Blößner 1999: 134). Placed at a turning point of the dialogue, this elliptic and dense passage is meant to explain the decline of Kallipolis by means of the fatal miscalculation of a mysterious geometric number, better known as the nuptial number. Due to the highly cryptic mathematics involved therein, the Muses’ speech is not only puzzling for modern readers, but was already known in antiquity for its obscurity. So, it has attracted much scholarlyattention both in recent times and in the past: from Aristotle to Plutarch, from Iamblichus to Proclus, Boethius and Ficino, this short passage has been the subject of extensive discussion, including full commentaries.
This talk pursues a twofold aim: to cast light on the mathematical content of the speech, and to reassess the role of the geometric number with respect to marriages and births. Specifically, I shall address the following questions: (i) Does the calculation of the geometric number admit a solution? If yes, which is the most convincing? (ii) What explains its fatal miscalculation by the rulers? (iii) How does the so-called nuptial number precisely impact on marriages and births, and on the eventual collapse of Kallipolis? In order to answer these questions, I shall offer a close reading of Resp. VIII, 545c–547a itself as well against the background of selected passages drawn both from Plato and from his historical interpreters, which prove helpful in clarifying specific textual problems and deciphering the meaning of the passage as a whole.
