L’origine de la notion de participation by Estiphan Panoussi is a historical–philosophical study that traces the genesis and development of the concept of participation as a fundamental explanatory principle in ancient thought. The document argues that participation is not a marginal or late philosophical invention, but a structuring idea that emerges early and evolves across multiple civilizations and intellectual traditions.
 
The study begins by examining the Oriental and Iranian background of participation, especially within Zoroastrian thought, where reality is understood through graded being, dependence, and proximity to a supreme principle. From there, Panoussi follows the notion into Greek philosophy, focusing on Plato’s theory of methexis (participation) as a way of explaining how sensible things relate to intelligible Forms without collapsing difference or unity. Aristotle’s reworking of the problem is also addressed, particularly his attempt to resolve participation through substance, form, and causality.
 
The document then turns to Middle Platonism and Neoplatonism, where participation becomes a fully articulated metaphysical principle governing emanation, hierarchy, and return. Throughout, Panoussi emphasizes that participation functions as a solution to enduring philosophical tensions: unity vs. multiplicity, transcendence vs. immanence, necessity vs. contingency, and good vs. evil.
 
Overall, the document presents participation as a cross-cultural and trans-historical concept, culminating in later medieval and Islamic philosophy (notably Avicenna), where it becomes central to explaining existence itself. The work serves as a foundational study for understanding how ancient philosophy conceived the relationship between the absolute and the finite, and why participation remains indispensable for metaphysical reasoning.