"A Few Days In Athens" Zoom Book Club Meeting. This week - Chapter Fifteen!
This is a deep one! Topics include:
Chapter 15 Summary – Theon Discusses Materialism With Metrodorus and Leontium
- Metrodorus accuses Aristotle of pedantry.
- Metrodorus says that it is error to mistake mystery for wisdom, pedantry for knowledge, and prejudice for virtue.
- Metrodorus discusses cause and effect and that there is a limit to how far back we can go.
- Leontium explains how rationalism is error, and that we must focus on observation.
- Theon accuses Leontium of “materialism” and Leontium replies that a matter of fact can be neither moral nor immoral.
- Leontium says inquiry is everything; theory and hypothesis can be worse than nothing when they amount to preconceived abstractions of vice or virtue.
- Leontium says no moral truths are self evident, but require observation and reasoning to determine the consequences of actions.
- Leontium addresses the “first cause” argument and responds that the universe is eternal and has no first cause.
- Leontium addresses the argument that the universe is ‘ordered’ by observing that what we see as order is only our perception of the way things are.
- Metrodorus points out the error of considering atoms to be “inert” and asserts that life is a quality of matter.
- Leontium points out that qualities do not exist apart from the matter with which they associated, and that Aristotle was wrong in asserting the opposite.
- Frances Wright interjects an editor’s note and laments that the scientists of her day adopt Epicurean ideas without crediting Epicurus.
Note: The use of video is strictly optional. We welcome any of our friends who choose to use audio only.
Important Links:
Link to PDF of the original book at Archive.org.
AFDIA Website with the entire book: http://www.afewdaysinathens.com
RECURRING ZOOM LINK - USE THIS EACH SESSION:
Topic: A Few Days In Athens - Zoom Book Review 2022
Time: This is a recurring meeting
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