Xenophanes of Colophon, a wondering Ionian philosopher of the 6th-5th centuries BCE, had considerable influence from the natural philosophers of Milesia, yet Xenophanes started to move away from natural philosophy in particular into other fields such as theology and epistemology. Furthermore, he argued for the prominence of this philosophizing, since such an activity could put a society in a better “state of eumonia (22B2),” or in a good, harmonious state of affairs. As a result, one aspect of Ancient Greek culture Xenophanes particularly opposed was the traditional depictions of the gods/divinity as described in the poetry of Homer and Hesiod. I will demonstrate Xenophanes’ claims that Homer and Hesiod’s depictions of the gods are incorrect
…show more content…
In this way, the divinity is the creator by which all the natural laws of Xenophanes’ cosmos obey (i.e. the great mind that puts natural processes into action), and, therefore, should not be many, nor should it commit “deeds which in men are matters of reproach and blame…(22B11),” as the poets describe in their epics. Xenophanes’ divine one’s mind should be pure, as it maintains the functions of the cosmos, and not prone to such devious, anthropomorphic thinking. In addition, given that it is the primary creator and maintainer of the cosmos, “whole he sees,....thinks, and….hears (22B24),” and it “remains in the same state, changing not at all (22B26).” Since the poets’ gods were born, directly intervene in human affairs, and have limited knowledge among themselves, these gods fail to describe the actual origin of the world and the laws of nature. On the other hand, Xenophanes’ divine one does, as it has always been and never will change; thus, it is the explanation of the creating force of the universe. Furthermore, since it can maintain the universe on its own, it has have all knowledge of all things simultaneously, and does not need to move around or intervene directly in human affairs (due to the grandeur of its task and greatness of its
In this way, the divinity is the creator by which all the natural laws of Xenophanes’ cosmos obey (i.e. the great mind that puts natural processes into action), and, therefore, should not be many, nor should it commit “deeds which in men are matters of reproach and blame…(22B11),” as the poets describe in their epics. Xenophanes’ divine one’s mind should be pure, as it maintains the functions of the cosmos, and not prone to such devious, anthropomorphic thinking. In addition, given that it is the primary creator and maintainer of the cosmos, “whole he sees,....thinks, and….hears (22B24),” and it “remains in the same state, changing not at all (22B26).” Since the poets’ gods were born, directly intervene in human affairs, and have limited knowledge among themselves, these gods fail to describe the actual origin of the world and the laws of nature. On the other hand, Xenophanes’ divine one does, as it has always been and never will change; thus, it is the explanation of the creating force of the universe. Furthermore, since it can maintain the universe on its own, it has have all knowledge of all things simultaneously, and does not need to move around or intervene directly in human affairs (due to the grandeur of its task and greatness of its