Charles H. Kahn interprete del mondo greco

Abstract

This paper aims to describe the main steps in Charles Kahn’s prominent career as scholar of ancient philosophy, from the very beginning (Anaximander and the Origins of Greek Cosmology, 1960) up to the end (Plato and the Post-Socratic Dialogue, 2013). In each case, Kahn’s purpose is to elucidate the relationship betwe- en literary structure and philosophical thought: why the ‘Obscure’ Heraclitus speaks in the tones of profecy, and how Plato’s “socratic dialogue” changes, changing his phi- losophical perspectives. Kahn’s pioneering works about Aristotle, and the following critical debate, are then analyzed. Last but not least, his theories about the Greek verb einai and Greek ontology. Kahn’s main interpretative feature is to consider language as a key for discovering philosophical contents. In my opinion, this is the reason of his extraordinary depth of analysis in reading Greek philosophical texts.