The Legacy of Parmenides: Eleatic Monism and Later Presocratic Thought
"Curd's central thesis is that Parmenides is a "predicational" and not a "numerical" monist: he believes that whatever is real (a "nature") is one, and not, as many have thought, that there exists only a single thing and that all multiplicity is therefore deceptive. [Her] argument for her interpretation of Parmenides' monism is clear, elegant and powerful. More important, she presents a convincing account of Parmenides' general philosophical project, and makes that project reasonable and understandable. Curd's Parmenides ist not a prophet, he does not enjoy paradoxes for their own sake; he is not in the grip of elementary confusion. He is a serious philosopher, who takes his predecessors seriously, and issues a justified challenge to their way of understanding the world. His successors understood his challenge and tried to meet it appropriately. The Legacy of Parmenides represents a milestone along the way of Parmenides' interperation. It is full of ideas and tells a coherent story about Parmenides and early Greek thought. Alexander Nehamas Princeton University"