Solopova M.A. Aristotle and Hippocrates about Longevity and Brevity of Life (in Terms of the Intellectual History in the Vth - VIth Centuries B.C.)

Abstract: The subject of the research is the original ancient Greek writing that represented approaches of Greek researchers to the problem of longevity and brevity of life in philosophy and medicine. In her research Solopova analyzes Aristotle's treatise 'On Longevity and Brevity of Life', one of the series of minor natural-scientific treatises (so-called Parva naturalia) and the first aphorism of Hippocrates ('Ars longa, vita brevis', etc.). Hippocrates' aphorism is compared to the saying of a sophist Protagoras who talked about the brevity of human life explaining his refusal to study the problem of gods' existence/non-existence. In order to demonstrate the novelty of Aristotle's natural-scientific analysis of life's longevity and brevity, the author of the article analyzes Plato's thoughts on the matter based on his teachings about the immortal soul and periods of cosmos circulation. In the course of her research Solopova has applied methods that are traditionally used in ancient times studies: historical-philosophical, historical-cultural and linguistic analysis of original texts, reading, conceptual interpretation and comparative analysis of sources. For the first time in the academic literature the author compares and analyzes Protagoras', Hippocrates', Plato's and Aristotle's expressions and sayings about longevity and brevity of life. The author demonstrates how unique approach of each philosopher to the problem of longevity was. Special attention is paid to the analysis of Aristotle's treatise 'On Longevity and Brevity of Life' as the first research of the problem. The author analyzes arguments offered by Aristotle, logical aporias and general and specific reasons of long life of plants and animals described by Aristotle. 

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