Hippo (philosopher)

Hippo (philosopher)

Hippo (or Hippon, _el. Ἵππων), was a Presocratic Greek philosopher of the 5th century BC. He is variously described as coming from Rhegium,Hippolytus, i.16] Metapontum, [Censorinus; Claudius Mamertinus] Samos, [Iamblichus] and Croton,"Medical Writings", London Papyrus 137, col. xi. 22-42] and it is possible that there was more than one philosopher with this name.

Although he was a natural philosopher, Aristotle refused to place him among the other great Pre-Socratic philosophers "because of the paltriness of his thought." [Aristotle, "Metaphys". i.3.984a3] At some point Hippo was accused of atheism, but as his works have perished, we cannot judge why. He was accused of impiety by the comic poet Cratinus in his "Panoptae". [PCG F 167 Kassel-Austin = DK 38 A 2]

According to Hippolytus, Hippo held water and fire to be the primary elements, with fire originating from water, and then developing itself by generating the universe. Simplicius, too, says that Hippo thought that water was the principle of all things. [Simplicius, "in Physics", 23.21-24] Most of the accounts of his philosophy suggest that he was interested in biological matters. He thought that there is an appropriate level of moisture in all living things, and disease is caused when the moisture is out of balance. He also viewed the soul as arising from both mind and water. A medieval scholium on Aristophanes' "The Clouds" attributes to Hippo the view that the heavens were like the dome of an oven ( _el. πνιγεὐς) covering the Earth. [Douglas M. MacDowell, (1995), "Aristophanes and Athens: An Introduction to the Plays", page 120. Oxford University Press.]

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hippo (disambiguation) — Hippo may refer to:In biology: * Hippopotamus, a large African mammal which lives mainly in and near water. * HIPPO, the biological acronym for a list of human threats to biodiversity: Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Population …   Wikipedia

  • Hippo Regius — Coordinates: 36°54′N 7°46′E / 36.9°N 7.767°E / 36.9; 7.767 Hippo Regius (Hippone) is the ancient name of the modern city of …   Wikipedia

  • Augustine of Hippo — This article is about the theologian and philosopher, Augustine of Hippo. For his theodicy regarding the problem of evil, see Augustinian theodicy. Augustine , Saint Augustine , and Augustinus redirect here. For other uses, see Augustine… …   Wikipedia

  • Teaching of St. Augustine of Hippo —     Teaching of St. Augustine of Hippo     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Teaching of St. Augustine of Hippo     St. Augustine of Hippo (354 430) is a philosophical and theological genius of the first order, dominating, like a pyramid, antiquity and… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • St. Augustine of Hippo —     Life of St. Augustine of Hippo     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Life of St. Augustine of Hippo     (See also WORKS OF SAINT AUGUSTINE and TEACHING OF SAINT AUGUSTINE.)     The great St. Augustine s life is unfolded to us in documents of… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Augustine of Hippo — (354 430)    Aurelius Augustinus is usually known in English as Augustine of Hippo , since he was bishop of that place and, confusingly, shares his name with Augustine of Canterbury. He was the first major Christian philosopher and remains one of …   Christian Philosophy

  • George Grant (philosopher) — Infobox Philosopher region = Western Philosophy era = 20th century philosophy color = #B0C4DE image caption = George Parkin Grant name = George Parkin Grant birth = 1 November, 1918 Toronto, Ontario, Canada death = 27 September, 1988 Halifax,… …   Wikipedia

  • Augustine of Hippo, St — (354–430) Major Christian philosopher and theologian and the key figure in the transition from pagan to specifically Christian philosophy. Born at Tagaste in North Africa of a pagan father and a Christian mother (St Monica), Augustine studied… …   Philosophy dictionary

  • List of philosophers born in the first through tenth centuries — Philosophers born in the first through tenth centuries (and others important in the history of philosophy) , listed alphabetically::: Note: This list has a minimal criteria for inclusion and the relevance to philosophy of some individuals on the… …   Wikipedia

  • List of philosophers (A-C) — Philosophers (and others important in the history of philosophy) , listed alphabetically::: Note: This list has a minimal criteria for inclusion and the relevance to philosophy of some individuals on the list is disputed. List of philosophers: (A …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”