EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE: ZENO’S PARADOX OF PLACE IN PART 2 OF THE PARMENIDES
EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE: ZENO’S PARADOX OF PLACE IN PART 2 OF THE PARMENIDES

Summary/Abstract: Part 2 of the Parmenides is an obviousplace to examine Plato’s reception of Zeno; after all, itis a demonstration apparently based on Zeno’s methodand one of the main characters of the dialogue is Zeno.Nevertheless, it has received little attention as a sourcefor understanding Plato’s engagement with the histori-cal Zeno. Here, I show that Plato engages with Zeno’sparadox of place in the first deduction of Part 2 of theParmenides—and in sophisticated and interestingways.I begin by addressing some methodological issues.I then examine Eudemus’ account of Zeno’s paradoxof place as reported by Simplicius and Aristotle’saccount in his Physics 4.3 in order to reconstruct it. Iproceed to examine the arguments for the one’s beingnowhere, if it is, in the first deduction of the Parmen-ides. I argue that there are good reasons to suppose thatZeno’s paradox of place is at issue there. Finally, Ireflect on what these arguments reveal about Plato’sengagement with Zeno’s paradox of place.

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