meaning - What does "if only" mean?


Like in this sentence:



The influence of the Titnaeus among early philosophical thinkers was pervasive, if only because it was the sole dialogue available in Europe for almost 1,000 years.



(Emphasis added.)



Answer



The most reasonable parsing of that particular sentence would be that "it was the sole dialogue available in Europe for almost 1,000 years" could plausibly be the only reason for "The influence of the Titnaeus among early philosophical thinkers" being "pervasive", without explicitly excluding any other reason.


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