Re: logos - presocratic - off topic

From: l. j. swain (x99swain@wmich.edu)
Date: Sun Apr 09 2000 - 17:54:44 EDT


VINCE ENDRIS wrote:
>
> Dear b-greekers,
> sorry for the off-topic request. please respond off list.
> last semester i was doing a little research in the development of "logos."
> i remember reading a fragment from some greek philosopher that had to do
> with reality being cast in the light of two opposing reasons (logoi). i
> believe it was, for everything there is a negative and a positive logos. i
> ended up not using this in my paper and so had no reason to cite it. i now
> need that information again and have no idea where i read it (i think it was
> a presocratic, i even further think it was heraclitus). i have tried to
> retrace my steps, and seem to have found every book i read last semester
> except that one! does anyone know what i might have read (misread)? can
> anyone help?
> thank you,
> vince
>
It would indeed be Heraclitus. The fragments which are said to deal
with LOGOS are according the the Diels and Kranz numbering: 1,
32,41,50,89, or 1-5 in the M. R. Wright edition of the Presocratics, I
don't have my edition of Kirk and Raven (The Presocratics) handy so
can't give you the references there.

I don't recall that kind of wording to be honest, as I seem to remember
Heraclitus' LOGOS is more like both good and evil from our viewpoint
rather than a yin/yang idea or almost the dualism which you seem to
describe. In statements such as frag. 57 which criticizes Hesiod for
not knowing that day and night are one lead one to believe that
Heraclitus' logos was both positive and negative. But that's only after
a very hasty read through, but I hope it helps some.

Regards,

Larry Swain

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