Hermann Diels German classical philologist Date of Birth: 18.05.1848 Country: Germany

1. Herman Diels: German Classicist and Father of Doxography
2. Academic Career and Honors
3. Doxography: Reconstructing the Transmission of Ancient Thought
4. The Vetusta Placita Hypothesis
5. Later Doxographical Traditions
6. Comparison of Doxographical Texts
7. Significance of Diels's Work

Herman Diels: German Classicist and Father of Doxography

Herman Diels (1848-1922) was a renowned German classical philologist and historian of antiquity.

Academic Career and Honors

In 1882, Diels became an extraordinary professor and in 1886, an ordinary professor of classical philology at the University of Berlin. From 1905 to 1906, he served as rector. In 1881, he was elected a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and from 1895 to 1920, he was the secretary of the Academy's Philosophical-Historical Class. Diels corresponded with prominent scholars such as Hermann Usener and Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff.

Doxography: Reconstructing the Transmission of Ancient Thought

In the 19th century, the ideal of objective philosophy history held that events could be reconstructed as they had actually occurred. However, ancient authors often referred to their predecessors not to provide "histories of philosophy" but to develop their own views. This resulted in numerous interpretations and traditions surrounding the teachings of ancient philosophers.

Diels proposed the concept of "doxography" to explain the process of transmitting knowledge about the earliest Greek natural philosophers. In his seminal work "Doxographi graeci" (1879), he attempted to trace the underlying source of all subsequent doxographical (doctrinal) traditions.

The Vetusta Placita Hypothesis

Diels argued that Theophrastus, a pupil of Aristotle, had originally written a work outlining the views of the "physicists." This work was subsequently abridged and supplemented from Hellenistic sources. This hypothetical work, which Diels termed "Vetusta placita," became a widely-used source for authors as diverse as Sextus Empiricus and Tertullian.

Later Doxographical Traditions

Diels theorized that the "Vetusta placita" was further abridged and supplemented in the 1st century AD by an unknown author known as Aetius. This text served as the source for the "Placita" attributed to Plutarch, Stobaeus's first book of "Eclogae physicae," and Galen's fragmentary "De historia philosophica."

Comparison of Doxographical Texts

Diels's meticulous comparison of these texts revealed that they shared a common source. He also identified additional sections in Stobaeus's "Eclogae physicae" that indicated the independence of these authors. Another important source was Theodoret's "Graecarum affectionum curatio," which explicitly cited Aetius as the source.

Significance of Diels's Work

Diels's reconstruction of the doxographical tradition traced back to Theophrastus became a foundational framework for understanding the transmission of ancient thought. It also demonstrated the complex and interconnected nature of doxographical sources, shedding light on the interpretation and reception of ancient philosophical doctrines.