Know Yourself: Theōría of the Gods in Aristotle

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Abstract: In a 6th-century BCE elegy (804–809), the poet Theognis offers advice to a young aristocrat named Kyrnos regarding the role of a theōrós (θεωρός). The elegy portrays a theōrós as an individual appointed to consult the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. This is considered the earliest reliable attestation of a word from the family of terms, which also includes theōría (θεωρία) and theōreîn (θεωρεῖν). About a century later, the word family reappeared in the works of Thucydides and Herodotus, where it was used in two distinct contexts: activity at cultic sites of the gods; and knowledge (ἐπιστήμη, epistēmē)/philosophy. The dominant scholarly view is that the use of this word family in philosophy, particularly by Plato and Aristotle, derived from its earlier use in cultic activities. This suggests that to properly understand what these words mean in a philosophical context, one must first examine their original, cultic usage.

This dissertation challenges the dominant view that the philosophical use of the word family theōrós, theōría and theōreîn evolved from its cultic use. Instead, I propose that the philosophical use is derived from the activities of the ancient sophoí (σοφοί), or “wise men,” as depicted in Herodotus’ stories of Solon and Anacharsis. Their travels constituted a theōría dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom. Using this model, Plato interprets the philosophical quest for knowledge and wisdom through the lens of a master-apprentice relationship, similar to the practice of téchnē (τέχνη), or crafts. The philosopher becomes the theōrós who learns the Good by theōreîn-ing—traveling on a theōría of the divine Forms. Aristotle, in turn, appropriates this idea and elevates it to the activity of the divine world itself, conceiving it as a theōría, a simultaneous circular self-reflective activity that humans must emulate in seeking to fulfill the Delphic maxim: “Know Yourself.”