Con o senza akribeia? Su filosofia e scienza nel dibattito ellenistico

Epicurus’ notion of akribeia holds crucial philosophical and scientific significance. This paper examines some of its specific features and engages with the thesis that Epicurus’ account emerges within a well-defined intellectual debate. To trace the contours of this debate, attention is given to the treatment of akribeia in the Peripatetic tradition, especially in Aristotle and Theophrastus, while also considering the pseudo-Aristotelian Περὶ κόσμου. The analysis of akribeia within both Epicureanism and Aristotelianism – closely tied to crucial issues such as aitiologia and argumentative strategies – ultimately leads to a question that was deeply felt in the Hellenistic age: the identity of philosophy and science, that is, how each defines itself in relation to both detailed inquiry and epistemological accuracy.