Title : Early Greek Philosophers on Life and Death
 

Abstract

What did Greek philosophers think makes us alive, distinguishing living things from the non-living? When does life begin and end? What happens at death?

This project focuses on Presocratic biology – that is, theories of life, death, forms of life, and vital functions in early Greek philosophical and medical texts. Coming to life and mortality are experiences all humans share. More importantly, these experiences have been a constant source for theoretical reflection. Nowadays, the ethics of life in both medical and non-medical contexts is generating much controversy over issues such as the boundaries of life, the concept of death, and the differences between human and non-human lives. Similarly, among ancient Greek philosophers and physicians there was a lively exchange of ideas about life and death.

While scholars have extensively studied Aristotle’s biological works, earlier Greek theories of life and death remain partly unresearched. The overall objective of the project is to provide a comprehensive account of early Greek biological theories of living and dying in the works of sixth and fifth-century thinkers like Anaximander, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Diogenes of Apollonia, and Democritus. I analyse how the Presocratics pioneered novel, ground-breaking, and thought-provoking ways of studying the phenomenon of life, which includes enquiring into what happens at birth, how to explain the varying living functions in different animals, and what happens in sleep and at death.

This project will shape our understanding of the cultural milieu in which Plato and Aristotle developed their own theories. With the Presocratics as my guide, I will then address questions that remain central in contemporary biological, ethical, and metaphysical debates about life and death.