Xenophanes did not believe that knowledge about the nature of the gods was entirely possible. My inference came from a few different aspects of his writing and ideology. First of course, being his epistemology. Xenophanes possessed enough self-awareness and awareness of the limits of knowledge, to recognize things such as, “But mortals suppose that gods are born,wear their own clothes and have a voice and body.”(frag. 14) and “Ethiopians say that their gods are snub-nosed and black;Thracians that theirs are blue-eyed and red-haired.” (frag. 16). All but stating the desire for groups to have a deity similar to their own cultural and physiological expectations. A major part of the nature of something is how it is perceived, especially in appearance.
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But opinion is allotted to all. (frag. 34)
Proclaiming truths to one man are not the same to another, and each individuals subjective experience will differ. Xenophanes does seem to have some respect for the opinions of others, as he announces that it is allotted to all, yet still recognizes it as the opinion of a person and thus limited to that mans ability to communicate. Such a morbid and dreary outlook at the shortcomings of his contemporaries and fellow humans in general in regards to their ability to understand the divine sounds eerily similar to some 20th century German nihilist. This may of course be a stretch, especially considering that Xenophanes did possess a healthy idea as the his idea of the divine:
One god is greatest among gods and men,
Not at all like mortals in body or in thought. (frag. 23)
…whole he sees, whole he thinks, and whole he hears. (frag. 24)
…but completely without toil he shakes all things by the thought of his mind. (frag. 25)
…always he abides in the same place, not moving at all, nor is it seemly for him to travel to different places at different times. (frag.
But opinion is allotted to all. (frag. 34)
Proclaiming truths to one man are not the same to another, and each individuals subjective experience will differ. Xenophanes does seem to have some respect for the opinions of others, as he announces that it is allotted to all, yet still recognizes it as the opinion of a person and thus limited to that mans ability to communicate. Such a morbid and dreary outlook at the shortcomings of his contemporaries and fellow humans in general in regards to their ability to understand the divine sounds eerily similar to some 20th century German nihilist. This may of course be a stretch, especially considering that Xenophanes did possess a healthy idea as the his idea of the divine:
One god is greatest among gods and men,
Not at all like mortals in body or in thought. (frag. 23)
…whole he sees, whole he thinks, and whole he hears. (frag. 24)
…but completely without toil he shakes all things by the thought of his mind. (frag. 25)
…always he abides in the same place, not moving at all, nor is it seemly for him to travel to different places at different times. (frag.