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The Meno, Recollection, And The Role Of Hypothesis, Joseph A. Novak

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

The aim of this paper is to present Plato's doctrine within a perspective that will both explain why Plato found himself prompted to formulate it, as well as explore some enduring insights exhibited in its applications. First, the paper will argue that Plato was prompted to adopt the doctrine given the difficulties that had arisen from the employment of the Socratic elenchus. Second, it will argue that hypothesis, already implicit in the elenchic method, will begin to be developed into a more complex and refined method that Plato sees necessary for the whole learning process. The retention of a hypothesis …

Plato On Episteme And Propositional Knowledge, Denis Vlahovic

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Epistêmê cannot just be a matter of knowing a logos. Knowledge, it appears, is demonstrated not in the knowledge of any particular logos, but in the ability to defend a logos against refutation. It is precisely the latter ability that is characteristic of epistêmê. This ability, furthermore, cannot be imparted by means of a logos. For, no logos suffices to endow its possessor with the ability to defend it (i.e., the logos) against refutation.

Given that Plato appears to have believed that no knowledge of a logos—no matter how elaborate the logos—is sufficient for epistêmê, one can see why he …

Character And Method In Plato's Republic, Mary Whitlock Blundell, Ruby Blondell

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

It is obvious enough that Plato's literary style, including his use of dramatic form and character, alters drastically along with his philosophical method. It is most economical, though not essential, to attribute these parallel changes to Plato's own chronological development. As Guthrie puts it, "Plato began by giving vivid pictures of Socrates engaged on his mission, and as he went on became more concerned to develop positive doctrines. He retains the dialogue form, but it becomes less dramatic and pictorial and he allows Socrates to indulge in uncharacteristically long discourses only punctuated by expressions of assent from the others" (HGP …

The Philosophical Economy Of Plato's Psychology: Common Concepts In The Timaeus, Dorothea Aline Frede

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Plato's insistence that the eternal immobile model is “the real thing” and the mobile world only an image is to stress the sincerity of his conviction that the intelligible pattern, the unchangeable network of principles, must be the foundation of the physical reality. Only because there is such a fundamentum in re can we have concepts that allow us to understand and explain the world. Without such really existing concepts our thinking would be nothing, it would be a groping for stability in a changing world that could at best provide similarities without any fix point to determine their nature. …

Ethical Method In Aristotle: Setting Out The Phainomena, Daniel T. Devereux

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

My chief objective here is the task of setting out and clarifying the data that we need to consider in giving an account of Aristotle's method in ethics. These data are more complex than is usually supposed. I argue that it may be quite misleading to speak of the method of endoxa as the dialectical method, and that it is a mistake to think that there are close parallels between this method and the concept of dialectic discussed in the Topics.

The Tragic And Comic Poet Of The Symposium, Diskin Clay

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Focus on the final scene in Plato's Symposium leads to consideration of the relationship between tragedy and comedy in Plato's composition of dialogues and thought. The tragic poet and comic poet are the same person; Plato combines tragedy and comedy in his portrait of Socrates.

Sophrosune As Quietness, L. Aryeh Kosman

The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter

Aryeh Kosman writes: When I presented it, as I recall, I read a silly little poem for the occasion, (nods to W. Gilbert) which delighted Rosamond Kent Sprague (who chaired the session) no end:

Sophrosyne in the soul

Leads to quiet self control

Which is not the same

As Dolce far niente

Fast or slow as he may please

The Sophron acts with quiet ease

As the ancient Romans said

Festina Lente.