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This book is a revised and expanded version of A.H. Coxon's full critical edition of the extant remains of Parmenides of Elea—the fifth-century B.C. philosopher by many considered "one of the greatest and most astonishing thinkers of all times." (Karl Popper) Coxon's presentation of the complete ancient evidence for Parmenides and his comprehensive examination of the fragments, unsurpassed to this day, have proven invaluable to our understanding of the Eleatic since the book's first publication in 1986. This edition, edited by Richard McKirahan and with a new preface by Malcolm Schofield, is released on the 100th anniversary of Coxon's birth.
This new edition for the first time includes English translations of the testimonia and of any Ancient Greek throughout the book, as well as an English/Greek glossary by Richard McKirahan, and revisions by the late author himself. The text consists of Coxon's collations of the relevant folios of manuscripts of Sextus Empiricus, Proclus and Simplicius and includes all extant fragments, a commentary, the testimonia, a complete list of sources, linguistic parallels from both earlier and later authors, and the fullest critical apparatus that has appeared since Diels’ Poetarum Philosophorum Fragmenta (1901). The collection of testimonia includes the philosophical discussions of Parmenides by Plato, Aristotle and the Neoplatonists, most of which had been omitted by Diels. The introduction discusses the history of the text, the language and form of the poem, Parmenides’ use and understanding of the verb ‘to be’, his place in the history of earlier and later philosophy and the biographical tradition. In the commentary Coxon deals in detail with both the language and the subject matter of the poem and pays full attention to Parmenides’ account of the physical world. The appendix relates later Eleatic arguments to those of Parmenides. |
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| "A.H. Coxon's Parmenidean Fragments is a monumental work of scholarship, a deeply reflective and erudite contribution to the study of Parmenides, of other Eleatic philosophers, and of Presocratic thought in general. It is also of major significance for our understanding of a wider range of Greek literary and philosophical texts, from the poems of Homer onwards. No future students of this literature can afford to ignore it." |
— David Gallop
Professor of Philosophy Emeritus, Trent University |
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| "Coxon's essential edition, the fruit of a lifetime's reflection, marked a major advance in our understanding of Parmenides' language and thought when first published in 1986. This significantly expanded edition includes translations by Richard McKirahan of the ample stock of testimonia assembled by Coxon, thus making an already vital resource even more useful for all students and scholars of early Greek philosophy." |
— John Palmer
Professor of Philosophy, University of Florida |
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| "The unrivaled achievement of Coxon’s The Fragments of Parmenides of 1986 appears here in a new guise. While the book retains all its usefulness to Greek scholars and ancient philosophers alike, the reader of this new edition must thank Richard McKirahan both for a meticulous edition and incorporation of Coxon’s own subsequent comments on his text and also for English translations of all the Greek words and phrases in the Introduction and Commentary and of the sixty pages of Greek (and Latin) Testimonia. This self-effacing effort makes the results of Coxon’s unique scholarship available to 21st century students of Presocratic philosophy and to any modern philosopher who has an interest in the origins of the discipline. The book is much more than a useful tool for the study of Parmenides, it is the corner-stone on which future interpretations of the Eleatic will be built." |
— Fritz-Gregor Herrmann
Reader in Ancient Philosophy and Literature,
Swansea University |
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| "This is probably the most important book on Parmenides to be published in this century. ... A remarkably erudite work, with new insights on virtually every aspect of Parmenides' thought. ... Coxon's commentary is wonderfully rich and clear, and affords us a singularly clear view of Parmenides' argument. The exegesis of Parmenides' language is well documented throughout (mostly by analysis of Homeric parallels), and contributes to our appreciation of structure. The citation of later relevant arguments is profuse, always helpful, often revealing." |
— The Philosophical Review |
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| "The book is a pleasure to read. The prose is workmanlike and lucid, and a brisk pace is sustained. Throughout one has the sense of an alert and independent mind enjoying the mastery of a rich subject matter. ... Fragments is the product of an academic world that no longer exists and indeed of a general literary and scholarly culture which is fast disappearing. Coxon has thought about Parmenides all his life, not bothered much about fashions of interpretation, and only at the end of the day given us this deeply pondered presentation of his author. No young scholar entering the profession today can afford to allow his thoughts to mature unpublished. Yet few will write a book so useful and enjoyable as The Fragments of Parmenides." |
— Phronesis |
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