Homeric psychology

I discuss various issues centered around the notion of soul and death in Homer: the extent to which the homeric texts and archeological artefacts like tombs etc. may be regarded as evidence for certain beliefs; the concept of a plurality of souls and their different functions; I defend the idea that there is a homeric concept of an afterlife for the psyche; I discuss the sense of the burial rituals described in the epics and question their implications for religious beliefs.

REVIEWED BY:
• H. Bannert in: Wiener Studien 116, 2003, p. 291,
• S. Evans in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2003.11.32,
• D. Donnet in: Les Etudes Classiques 71, 2003, pp. 197–198,
• S. Halliwell in: Greece & Rome 51, 2004, pp. 254–255,
• D. Donnet in: L’Antiquité Classique 73, 2004, pp. 322–323,
• F. Mawet in: Revue Belge de Philologie et d’Histoire 83, 2005, p. 198,
• S. D. Sullivan in: Phoenix 59, 2005, p. 152,
• P. Destrée in: Revue Philosophie de Louvain 107, 1/2009, p. 179,
• M. Nyagolova in: Nauczni Trudowe ot Jubilejnata Nauczna Konferencija po Powod 10 Godini ot Szdawaneto na NWU “ Wasil Lewski” 6, 2012, pp. 212–221.

ZEUS’ INTELLIGENCE IN THE DERVENI ORPHIC POEM
(OF 18.1): φρήν or νοῦς?
ABSTRACT
In order to complete the lacuna of verse OF 18.1 of the Derveni poem, which alludes to Zeus’ intelligence, the terms φρήν and νοῦς have been proposed. To determine which of them is more likely, I have examined the following aspects: the frequency of the expressions Διὸς νόος and Διὸς φρήν in archaic Greek epic; the main meanings of these terms; the plot of the Derveni poem and the commentator’s ideas about divine intelligence. The conclusion is that νοῦς has firmer support, since Διὸς νόος often appears in archaic epic and usually occupies the same metric position as in OF 18.1. Just as in epic the νόος alludes to an instantaneously conceived plan (always accomplished in Zeus’ case), which is sometimes associated with the μῆτις, similarly, in the Derveni poem, it may be the faculty utilised by the god to plan the recreation of the universe. If the expression Διὸς νοῦς was present in OF 18.1, it may have provided a basis for the commentator to identify Zeus with the cosmic νοῦς that rules the universe.
KEYWORDS: Derveni Papyrus, psychological terms in Greek, Zeus, myths of creation

LA INTELIGENCIA DE ZEUS EN EL POEMA ÓRFICO DE DERVENI (OF 18.1): ¿φρήν o νοῦς?
RESUMEN
Para completar la laguna del verso del poema de Derveni OF 18.1, que hace referencia a la inteligencia de Zeus, se han propuesto los términos φρήν y νοῦς. Para determinar cuál de ellos es más verosímil, he examinado los siguientes aspectos: la frecuencia de las expresiones Διὸς νοῦς y Διὸς φρήν en la épica griega arcaica; los valores principales de estos términos; el argumento del poema de Derveni y las ideas del comentarista sobre la inteligencia divina. La conclusión es que νοῦς cuenta con más apoyos, ya que Διὸς νόος aparece a menudo en la épica arcaica y suele ocupar la misma posición métrica que en OF 18.1. Igual que en la épica el νόος suele aludir a un plan (que siempre se cumple en el caso de Zeus), concebido de manera inmediata y asociado en ocasiones con la μῆτις, en el poema de Derveni sería la facultad empleada por Zeus para planificar la recreación del universo. Si la expresión Διὸς νοῦς estaba presente en OF 18.1, pudo servir de base al comentarista para identificar a Zeus con el νοῦς cósmico que rige el universo.
PALABRAS CLAVE: Papiro de Derveni, términos psicológicos en griego, Zeus, mitos de creación

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According to the centuries-long analysis of Homer by the idealist philosophers of Greece, the venerable bard’s recondite conclusion in the ‘Iliad’ is that Mankind is the subject of an infinite educative process. Mankind is being taught the true meaning of the words “Beauty,” “Truth,” and “Goodness” which, after a long, bloody, stupid, and futile course of evasion, denial, and senseless disputation, they necessarily find to be equivalent and then begin to live accordingly.

N.B.: Readers are advised of the subsequent substantial conceptual concretion of the foregoing thesis in a series of studies by the same author, to be found here:

'Totalization of Universal History by Meta-Analytic Ascent (URLs)'
(https://www.academia.edu/43292436/Totalization_of_Universal_History_by_Meta-Analytic_Ascent_URLs_)

The aim of this paper is to understand some meaningful aspects of the Socratic use of Iliad X 224 in Plato’s Protagoras and Symposium. In these dialogues the Homeric reference appears in different contexts, but Plato’s Socrates applies it in the same way and seems to indicate it as a relevant step for the implementation of the dialectic method. Socrates is not only provoking his interlocutor, but rather making a comparison between the dialogue’s scene and the context involving Diomedes and Odysseus’ in Iliad X. Ultimately, the use of this reference shows that a dialogical interplay to achieve a common purpose is a precondition for the Socratic dialectic. This previous cooperation between Homeric characters is emphasized by Plato’s Socrates and is derived from a specific soul’s manifestation.

Der vorliegende Band leistet eine philosophische Untersuchung des Begriffs Ethos (ἦθος) bei Homer. Traditionell schenken die Homer-Interpreten der konkreten Bedeutung des Begriffs allein in Bezug auf die Tiere Aufmerksamkeit und sprechen nicht über den Zusammenhang des Wortes mit den menschlichen Figuren im Text. Auch wird deren psychologische Dimension in der Regel nicht beachtet. Die Analyse ist ein Beitrag zu einer anderen Art von Interpretation des Begriffs Ethos, in der wichtige Perspektivierungen, wie sie z. B. in der Philosophie, der Handlungspsychologie oder der Gleichnistheorie unternommen werden, Berücksichtigung finden. Eine vollständige Erfassung des Begriffs wird nicht angestrebt, vielmehr wird versucht, eine neue Lesart des Begriffs ἦθος im Zusammenhang mit den menschlichen Figuren bei Homer zu eröffnen.