Begriffsspaltung I

This chapter examines Eris (‘Strife’) and Zelos (‘emulation/jealousy’), two ‘split’ abstract concepts presented programmatically at the opening of the Works and Days. It argues that what appears in the beginning as a clear-cut opposition between a good and a bad Ἔρις‎ turns out to be not so well-defined after all. The two members of the antithesis begin to resemble each other, and indeed form a unity, just like Heraclitus’ bow in fr. 48, when allowance is made for differing perspectives. What is more, the name Ἔρις‎ does not suffice in order for the audience to grasp the nature of this goddess, but its further qualification is necessary, in this case through the adjectives ἀγαθή‎ (‘good’) and σχετλίη‎ (‘evil’). This point, the idea that names (and words in general) are not fully capable of conveying the nature of the entity or thing they designate, brings Hesiod’s Erga closer to Heraclitus.