Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Search

Refine search

Refine search

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

1 results

  • Chapter 8 - Perictione, Mother of Metaphysics

  • Edited by Katharine R. O'Reilly, Toronto Metropolitan University, Caterina Pellò, Université de Genève
  • Book:
    Ancient Women Philosophers
    Published online:
    17 August 2023
    Print publication:
    31 August 2023, pp 152-169

  • Summary

    Whilst most of the Pseudo-Pythagorean writings ascribed to female authors discuss women-related topics and focus on ethical questions, the treatise titled On Wisdom and ascribed to Perictione, the mother of Plato, is unique for at least two reasons: first, it concerns humankind, rather than women specifically, and second, it has an explicit metaphysical and epistemological focus. In the available fragments, Perictione makes two key statements: first, the purpose and function of a human being is the contemplation of the nature of all things. Second, wisdom is the highest-ranked human activity, for it enables us to grasp all kinds of things that are and brings us closer to the divine. The purpose of this chapter is to reconstruct the philosophical arguments of Perictione’s On Wisdom with the aim of highlighting the contributions this treatise makes to the history of metaphysics. The paper shows that the texts ascribed to Pythagorean women go well beyond female ethics, all the way to contemplating “all the things that are.”