Anna Maria Laskowska

This study delves into the unexplored intersection of Socinianism, a religious movement challenging Christian orthodoxy in the Early Modern period, and Tacitism, a political discourse inspired by Tacitus. Both fostered critical thinking, intertwining in nuanced ways. Socinianism’s theological skepticism questioned established beliefs, while Tacitism scrutinized historical and political accounts. Their controversial nature resulted in covert existence among elite intellectuals, shaping socio-political discourse. Socinianism’s theological nonconformity, akin to Tacitism’s critique of traditional political narratives, often sparked conflicts with authorities, revealing the intricate relationship between religion and politics in the Early Modern Era and influencing the development of secular thought.

Aristoxenus's "Elements of Rhythm" stands as the earliest extant scientific treatise on rhythm, with only the second book enduring to our present day, albeit in an incomplete state. Demonstrating his allegiance to Aristotle, Aristoxenus employs Aristotelian concepts and investigative methods throughout his work. Notably, he introduces a conceptual division between the substance of rhythm (rhythmizomenon) and its rhythmic structure (rhythmos). Drawing parallels to Aristotle's temporal theory, Aristoxenus goes further by proposing a novel concept—the "protos chronos," denoting the smallest unit of time. This nuanced exploration not only enriches our understanding of rhythm but also exemplifies Aristoxenus' adept application of Aristotelian principles in advancing the discourse on musical theory.

This article aims to reconstruct the Aristoxenian theory of the soul that survived our times through synoptic remarks of Cicero and Lactantius. In these fragments, it is clearly stated that Aristoxenus believed the soul is harmony. This vision echoes an old concept mentioned in the Platonic dialogue 'Phaedo' that the soul is like harmony in the musical instrument and-consequently-mortal. However, it can be shown that the Aristoxenian theory of the soul is distinct from the Platonic exposition. The misinterpretation of Aristoxenus' thought by Cicero and then by Lactantius is based on simplification or/and misunderstanding of the vocabulary used by Aristoxenus, especially of the concept of 'harmony.' Aristoxenus, in his theory of music, is not using the term ἁρμονία in the sense of a perfect joining of the opposites as Plato: he applies it only for denoting a type of musical scale (next to the diatonic and chromatic one). The word that corresponds to the idea of harmony in music was τὸ ἡρμοσμένον (to hermosmenon), i.e., 'what is harmonized.' By showing the significance of this concept, it can be demonstrated that Aristoxenus, against the later statement of Cicero and Lactantius, developed a doctrine of the soul different from Plato.

The Euclidean ‘Division of the canon’ and Pythagorean harmonics: The article presents the first Polish translation of a short Ancient Greek treatise entitled The division of the canon, which is commonly dated to the 3rd century BC, with a doubtful assumption that the author of the treatise is Euclid himself. It is the oldest surviving text derived from the mathematical school of harmonics, which combined the mathematical theory of proportion with the musical laws of harmony. The main purpose of this Euclidean treatise is to describe the instrument called canon, which consists in determining the successive notes of the Greek musical system by means of mathematical principles. The treatise essentially consists of two distinct parts: an introduction and twenty propositions in the style of Euclid’s Elements. To bring this highly esoteric text closer to the modern reader, the translation is preceded by a brief introduction, which deals with the basic issues of the transmission of the text, its structure, and the problem of authorship. The philosophical problems of the treatise and its basic concepts are also discussed. An underlying idea of both the introduction and the work on the translation is that The division of the canon is an eminently Pythagorean text, which both expressed and proved their conviction about the mathematical structure of the universe.

In his treatise "Elementa harmonica," Aristoxenus of Tarentum formulated a distinctive philosophical framework within the realm of sound exploration, deviating from the harmonics theory advanced by the Pythagoreans. A pivotal disparity lies in the methodological approach to research. Aristoxenus posited meticulous observation of acoustic phenomena as the foundational step in all inquiries, constituting a fundamental criterion for truth. He asserted that perception alone could authenticate the fidelity of the observed state of affairs. Aristoxenus vehemently opposed the Pythagorean disregard for auditory testimony, deeming it a notable methodological lapse. According to him, the harmonikos must serve as a vigilant observer of acoustic phenomena, equipped with a discerning and cultivated musical ear.