Concepts of ΧΆΟΣ, ἈΡΧΉ, ТО ἌΠΕΙΡΟΝ and the Formation of Apophatic Discourse in Early Greek Philosophy
The paper deals with the apophatic discourse formation in the history of Greek philosophy. The issue of the beginning of negativity is considered. The study highlights the variability of possible answers to this question. The authors of the paper suggest that the beginning of this theme is found at the stage of transition from pre-philosophy to philosophy. The emphasis is on three concepts of early Greek philosophy - Chaos, Arche, Apeiron. In Hesiod’s teachings, Chaos can be interpreted as a pre-philosophical analog of the negative beginning. In the Milesian school, the idea of Arche is formed. Water and air are considered as positive principles. A special place is occupied by the doctrine of Anaximander about Apeiron, which can be represented as the “sublation” of the contradiction between Chaos containing negative characteristics and the positive Original.