Aristoteles’ Account of Thales and Our Knowledge of Its Sources: Was Hippias a Historian of Philosophy?

This book challenges the current consensus about Aristotle’s sources in his account of Thales and the origin of philosophy (Metaphysics A, 983b20- 984a3). The current view is that Aristotle found his information about Thales’ philosophy in an important book by the sophist Hippias. There is a widespread consensus among scholars that Hippias, in this lost treatise, dealt not only with Thales but with many other Presocratic philosophers, thus significantly contributing to the preservation of Presocratic ideas.

This book investigates the alleged connection between Hippias and Aristotle’s account of Thales. It contends that we have no reason to posit any such connection because there is no evidence whatsoever that Aristotle, who never mentions Hippias in his extant work, used any book by the sophist.

Thales, Hippias, Aristotle, and the Beginnings of Greek Philosophy is essential reading for all scholars of classical antiquity interested in the beginnings of Greek philosophy.

Cătălin Enache is Lecturer in Ancient Philosophy and Classics at the University of Vienna. He has published articles on Greek philosophy (especially Platon) and Greek medicine (Hippocrates).