Aither is a double-blind peer review, Open Access online academic journal. It is indexed at ERIH+ and Scopus. It is published by the Faculty of Arts of the Palacký University in Olomouc in cooperation with the Philosophical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. It comes out twice a year. Every second issue is international and contains foreign-language articles (mainly in English, but also in German and French). The journal is registered under the number ISSN 1803-7860.
Aither 32/2024 (International issue no. 12):4-41 | DOI: 10.5507/aither.2025.002
The article explores the beginnings of the integration of the term psyche into Presocratic philosophy. The author’s main aim was to examine whether the traditional authorities with which the new use of psyche is usually associated would actually hold up in this role if the doxographic tradition is left aside. The Orphics and Pythagoreans, who are often regarded as the founders of the doctrine of immortal psyche in the 6th century BCE, could not have played this role because, on the one hand, it is not attested by authentic texts and, on the other hand, the historical development of the meanings of psyche contradicts it. This is also the case...
Aither 32/2024 (International issue no. 12):42-71 | DOI: 10.5507/aither.2024.009
Aristotle’s conception of the natural slave remains a contentious issue. I challenge two common interpretations that misrepresent his account. The first holds that natural slaves share the same human nature as free men, with their deficiency arising from their actions and habituation. The second sees the natural slave as a subhuman, closer to animals, with an innate and ineliminable rational defect. I reject both views and argue that Aristotle sees the natural slave as a legitimate human being but with a rational deficiency. Furthermore, I contend that this deficiency is more severe than some scholars acknowledge, particularly those who take...
Aither 32/2024 (International issue no. 12):72-89 | DOI: 10.5507/aither.2025.001
This paper examines Leone Ebreo’s Dialoghi d’Amore (1535), a celebrated Renaissance work of Jewish thought renowned for its syncretic, enigmatic, and encyclopaedic character. The main objective of this paper is to explore love as an ontological principle, a cosmic and universal force that binds together all beings, both animate and inanimate. The analysis begins with Leone’s conceptualisation of love within animals and humans, including his classification of the various causes of love. The paper then considers his arguments for the existence of ‘love in inanimate entities’, examining the similarities and differences between...
Aither 32/2024 (International issue no. 12):90-94 | DOI: 10.5507/aither.2025.003