6. Philosophy: Great And Small

This chapter focuses on Hesiod,and deals with the philosophical qualities ascribed to the poet. The first section presents an overview of Hesiod's reputation as a natural philosopher, given shape by thinkers from Anaximenes to the Stoics. Its main goal is to establish Hesiod's image as a philosopher combining a cosmic scope with a preoccupation with elements. Section two is devoted to a discussion of the reception of Hesiod's Dichterweihe, the introductory scene from the Theogony which many philosophers interpreted as a statement on epistemology, and an indication of the poet-philosopher's methodology. Finally, in the third section, how Hesiod's reputation as a speaker of truth and a thinker in elements made him useful to certain philosophers exploring the correspondence between language and reality, and the capacity of language to convey truth is shown.Keywords: Hesiod's philosophy; Theogony