Anaxagoras

Profile

In Canto IV of the Inferno Dante places Anaxagoras in Limbo, within the group of the sages of antiquity. The philosopher is mentioned in a list that names him together with Diogenes and Thales, within the band of those whom the medieval tradition recognized as the greatest representatives of the contemplative life. According to the notes on the canto, this group is situated higher than that of the heroes of the active life, because the contemplative life is considered by Dante to be superior. The presence of Anaxagoras alongside Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle confirms his placement among the most prestigious philosophers of the Greek tradition according to Dante's perspective.