Xenophanes Beliefs

Xenophanes, a philosopher from Colophon, held views on knowledge, truth, god, and mortals. Firstly that the Gods have not helped humans understand things and appeared differently between people,which in turn brought the uncertainty that the divine inspiration from the poets may not be true. He claimed that no man knows absolute truth as the human mind is very limited, only the gods do. And with truth our opinions can be built correctly if we seek truth (to think). By thinking our opinions become better, and although not all opinions are worthy, we can learn from thinking. So as a result Xenophanes turned his thought inwardly to his own thought becoming the first epistemologist. His philosophy then had begun to be called moderate skeptism (to

Graham interpreted the idea that no one will know absolute truth, by saying that a “mortal being” would never achieve it based on their experiences with a certain situation. This was due to mortals believing that they had knowledge due to their experiences but the “totality” of events differed between gods and people .Michael Patzia also agreed with Oppy’s statements seeing Xenophanes views of knowledge as a “charge against arrogance and dogatsim” (Patzia). Xenophanes explained that human observations are very limited as the senses cannot explain the world of the gods which holds true knowledge. I would also agree with these interpretations as it seems to connect with Plato, who once said

Using anthropomorphic critique, it can be said that the view of physical characteristics of Gods, that were similar than their own, differed between people. This can best be described with the quote

“And if Oxen and horses and lions had hands, and could draw with their hand and do what man can do, horses would draw the gods in the shape of horses, and oxen in the shape of oxen, each giving the gods bodies similar to their own.” (Melchert) Patricia curd also points out Alexander Mourelatos thoughts that with Xenophanes’s observations, had led to a new “pattern” of explanation, and shows the uses of this pattern through “pephuke”. This means that “X is really Y and Y reveals the true character of X”.

Another reason Xenophanes questioned The Homeric Gods was due to the fact they would commit morally wrong actions, such as stealing or lying on a bigger scale due to the power they held over mortals. He also believed that there could only be one supreme god making him the first monotheist philosopher. He stated that

“he sees all over, thinks all over, hears all over.”