AUTORITÀ EPISTEMICA E STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA: UN CASO DALLA FILOSOFIA ANTICA.

Authority is a term widely used by scholars from various fields of studies, including the history of philosophy, but its actual meaning often remains obscure. This paper aims to show how an analysis of the structure of epistemic authority as a relation can shed light on this phenomenon and facilitate a better understanding of its meaning in the history of philosophy. It presents an analytical model that serves as a tool to get a better grasp on authority relations, in particular in textual traditions. The benefit of the model will be demonstrated by a case study from ancient and late ancient philosophy: the creation and the reception of Pythagorean authority in the history of Platonism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]