Chapter 9 Not Much Missing? Statistical Explorations of the Placita of Aëtius
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The Placita has a unique textual history, structure, and style that makes statistical exploration of its pages especially profitable. In this paper I probe its text using a variety of quantitative techniques that help solve some important problems and unanswered questions regarding its history, nature, status, and significance. Questions addressed include: How much of Aëtiusâ original work is likely contained in Mansfeld and Runiaâs reconstruction?; How many individual philosophers not mentioned in the reconstruction were likely mentioned in the complete work, and how much of the total philosophical population does the Placita likely sample? How do chronology and the logic of diaeresis affect a chapterâs ordering of tenets, and how did this arrangement change in time? Who in the Placitaâs universe are the most important philosophers, and what does this tell us about philosophical history and scientific progress? How philosophically diverse are different books and topics in Placita, and how does this reflect the contemporary philosophical landscape and contemporary interests? The paper is a case study in how traditional philology can, given a suitable text, be enriched by appropriately designed mathematical and statistical tools.