Nature in the tribunal of laws: hypotheses about the influences of written laws in Anaximander’s cosmology
Resumo
In this paper, we intend to explore the possible influences of legislative
prose in the Anaximander’s cosmological prose construction, who would have been,
according to Themistius, “the first Greek who dared to expose a written discourse
about nature” (ἐθάρρησε πρῶτος ὧν ἴσμεν Ἑλλήνων λόγον ἐξενεγκεῖν περὶ φύσεως
συγγεγραμμένον, Or. 26 p. 383 = DK12A7). Our aim is to clarify which notions of nature
and justice are assumed in its emergent cosmology, considering that, at least from the
lexical point of view, it seems strongly suggestive to be undefined the barriers between
the legal and cosmic order, between the Human and the Natural. Indeed, this is what
the peripatetic tradition seems to suggest by judging Anaximander’s language extremely
poetic (ποιητικωτέροις οὕτως ὀνόμασιν αὐτὰ λέγων), since he would use legal terms (διδόναι αὐτὰ δίκην καὶ τίσιν ἀλλήλοις τῆς ἀδικίας) to explain the natural processes of
generation and corruption (ἡ γένεσίς ἐστι τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ τὴν φθορὰν εἰς ταῦτα γίνεσθαι,
Simpl. in Phys. 24. 13–25 = DK12B1).
Objetivamos neste artigo explorar as possíveis influências da prosa legislativa
na constituição da prosa cosmológica de Anaximandro de Mileto, que teria sido, segundo
Temístio, “o primeiro grego que ousou expor um discurso escrito sobre a natureza”
(ἐθάρρησε πρῶτος ὧν ἴσμεν Ἑλλήνων λόγον ἐξενεγκεῖν περὶ φύσεως συγγεγραμμένον,
Or. 26 p.383 = DK12A7). Visamos aclarar que noções de natureza e de justiça estão
sendo pressupostas nessa cosmologia então emergente, considerando que, ao menos do
ponto de vista lexical, parece fortemente sugestivo serem indefinidas as barreiras entre
a ordem jurídica e a cósmica, entre o âmbito humano e o natural. Com efeito, é o que
parece já sugerir a tradição peripatética ao julgar o linguajar de Anaximandro extremamente
poético (ποιητικωτέροις οὕτως ὀνόμασιν αὐτὰ λέγων) por o milésio empregar
termos considerados do âmbito jurídico (διδόναι αὐτὰ δίκην καὶ τίσιν ἀλλήλοις τῆς
ἀδικίας) para explicar os processos ditos naturais de geração e corrupção (ἡ γένεσίς
ἐστι τοῖς οὖσι, καὶ τὴν φθορὰν εἰς ταῦτα γίνεσθαι, Simpl. in Phys. 24.13–25 = DK12B1).