Title

The Greek Verb 'To Be' and the Problem of Being

Authors

Charles H. Kahn, University of PennsylvaniaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1965

Abstract

I am concerned in this paper with the philological basis for Greek ontology, that is to say, with the raw material which was provided for philosophical analysis by the ordinary use and meaning of the verb einai, 'to be'. My question is: how were the Greek philosophers guided, or influenced, in their formulation of doctrines of Being, by the pre-philosophical use of this verb which serves to express the concept of Being in Greek?

Notes

Charles H. Kahn presented “The Greek Verb ‘To Be’ and the Problem of Being” to the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy at its meeting with the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in New York in 1965. It was published as “The Greek Verb ‘To Be’ and the Concept of Being” in Foundations of Language 2.3 (1966) 245-265 and reprinted in his Essays on Being, Oxford University Press 2009. It was also incorporated into his book, The Verb ‘Be’ in Ancient Greek, Reidel 1973, reprinted and updated in Hackett 2003.

Charles Kahn is Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His information page is: https://philosophy.sas.upenn.edu/faculty/kahn

Recommended Citation

Kahn, Charles H., "The Greek Verb 'To Be' and the Problem of Being" (1965). The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter. 95.
https://orb.binghamton.edu/sagp/95