Fragment B 115 D-K of Empedocles: On the Question of Its Belonging to Physics

This article addresses one of the key textual problems in Empedocles’ legacy: the localization of fragment B 115 D-K, which contains the doctrine of guilt, exile, and the reincarnation of daimon. Challenging the attribution of this fragment to the poem “Purifications,” which has been established since Diels, the study offers a new interpretation of it in the context of “Physics.” Based on the analysis of the internal argumentation of Empedocles’ verses, it is proven that the philosopher’s self-presentation as a suffering and guilty daimon in B 115 is logically and substantively incompatible with his image as a revered immortal god in fragment B 112, which traditionally opens the “Purifications.” This comparison is a decisive argument against their belonging to the same poem. An analysis of the evidence from ancient authors (Hippolytus, Simplicius, Plutarch) shows that they do not provide clear grounds for attributing B 115, while the data from the Strasbourg papyrus confirm the presence of the theme of personal guilt and suffering in the first book of Physics. On this basis, it is proposed to consider fragment B 115 as part of an extensive prologue to Physics, where the personal experience of the philosopher-daimon serves as a starting point for the exposition of universal cosmological principles.