Sisyphus fragment

The Sisyphus fragment is a 5th century BC play thought to contain an atheistic argument. ^[1][2]

... Some shrewd and intelligent man invented fear of the gods for mortals, so the wicked would have something to fear ... concealing the truth with a false account

— translated by Gagarin and Woodruff 1995 (taken from the Introduction of the text Reason and Religion in Socratic Philosophy c.f. reference - p.9) ^[1]

Authorship

The authorship of the Sisyphus Fragment remains in question. While most scholars attribute it to Critias, including ancient sources such as Sextus Empiricus, some claim Euripides as the author.^[3][4] We know that Critias earned a reputation for atheism in later antiquity, but that is likely due to his presumed authorship of this fragment.

Complications

The Sisyphus fragment is problematic due to its nature as a fragment of a lost Satyr play. Even were the author of the fragment known for certain, its inclusion in a 'tragicomedy' further insulates the sentiment being expressed in the play from any earnest argument the author may or may not be making.

References

1. edited by ND Smith JF Miller Professor of Humanities Lewis and Clark College, P Woodruff Thompson Professor in the Humanities University of Texas at Austin. Reason and Religion in Socratic Philosophy. Oxford University Press, 23 Oct 2000 ISBN 0195350928. Retrieved 2015-03-24.
2. JN Bremmer - The Cambridge Companion to Atheism - (p.24 - Note 24.) [Retrieved 2015-3-24](ed. this source is where I found < Sisyphus fragment > to make a wikipedia search
3. Dihle, Albrecht (1977). "Das Satyrspiel 'Sisyphos'". Hermes 105: 28–42.
4. Kahn, Charles (1997). "Greek Religion and Philosophy in the Sisyphus Fragment". Phronesis 42 (3): 247–262. doi:10.1163/15685289760518153.

External links

• An English translation of the Sisyphus fragment