Speech-structures and forms of knowledge in Plutarch

• Applicant: Dr. Alexander Müller
• Subject Area: Greek and Latin Philology
• Term: from 2010 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 175717727

This research project under the name speech-structures and forms of knowledge in Plutarch is concerned with the question why Plutarch chose to compose his scientific and theological writings in the form of dialogue. The project especially investigates the significance of the dialogue form concerning inference and communication of knowledge. It furthermore analyses to what extend this function depends on whether the knowledge, which is to be expressed, is propositional, i.e. can simply be conveyed in phrases, or unpropositional, i.e. is usually not conveyed in phrases and only with difficulty communicable in phrases. The results of the project have so far been promising: For Plutarch, the aspect of inference of knowledge and its methodical demonstration appears to have been crucial for the choice of the dialogue form. Through his dialogues, Plutarch aims to reveal the new knowledge he has obtained to the reader, as well as to demonstrate, how this new knowledge was obtained, thereby supplying the reader with the methodical basis for acquiring new knowledge independently. Furthermore, it is evident especially in Plutarch s work De facie that the dialogue form is able to contain both propositional and unpropositional knowledge and to show the interconnection and the interdependence of the two forms of knowledge on the level of the characters of the dialogue. Propositional scientific knowledge depends on its metaphysical grounds, which are in turn logically explored as far as possible, but in their ultimate justification always require non-propositional knowledge. Propositionally, this can only be revealed metaphorically as for example in the myth concluding the work. On the basis of the writings De Pythiae oraculis and De defectu oraculorum it has furthermore become clear, that already for the inference of knowledge by the dialogue technique there are two conditions, of which one belongs to the field of propositional, the other to the field of non-propositional knowledge: For the inference of knowledge it is necessary to attend to the object of the conversation and its methodically correct treatment, as well as to the people engaged in the conversation and their optimal involvement in the discussion. This aspect in particular is, as it appears, is of astonishingly great importance to Plutarch, throwing new light on his reception of the platonic use of the dialogue form.For the one-year period of the extension of the project I would envisage to present the results roughly outlined above in detail, expanded and supplemented from Plutarch s remaining scientific and theological writings, in systematic order according to the aspects mentioned above and to publish these results as a monograph.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants