H. B. Gottschalk
Oxford University Press (Clarendon Press), 1998 (reprint of 1980 edition).
cloth, dj. 374 pp.
Book Number 19834
A follower of Plato, Heraclides of Pontus (c.388-315 BC) is one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of philosophy. Famous in antiquity for the literary and artistic merit of dialogues ranging in subject matter from myths and music to Pythagoras, he has attracted the attention of modern scholars by his obscure theory of matter and an astronomical hypothesis which seems to have partly anticipated Aristarchus and Kepler. In this study Gottschalk attempts to reconstruct the thought of Heraclides (sometimes called Ponticus), beginning with an introductory chapter on his life and writings. The book goes on to deal at length with the dialogue, Heraclides' corpuscular theory of matter, the astronomical fragments, ethical and religious fragments, including his influential contribution to the legend of Pythagoras, and historical and literary studies.