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Full-Text Articles in History of Philosophy
The Meno, Recollection, And The Role Of Hypothesis, Joseph A. Novak
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's Geometrical Logic, Mark Faller
Plato's Geometrical Logic, Mark Faller
The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter
Socrates’ brief mention of a complex problem in geometrical analysis at Meno (86d-87c) remains today a persistent mystery. The ostensible reason for the reference is to provide an analogy for the method of hypothesis from the use of hypotheses in analytic geometry. Both methods begin by assuming what is to be demonstrated and then show that the assumption leads to a well-founded truth father than something known to be false.
But why did Plato pick this particular problem in analysis and why at this particular place in the inquiry? For those of us who view the dialogues as pedagogical puzzles …
Existence Claims In The Posterior Analytics, Richard D. Mckirahan Jr.
Existence Claims In The Posterior Analytics, Richard D. Mckirahan Jr.
The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter
Existence Claims in the Posterior Analytics
Richard McKirahan
This paper treats several questions about the place of existence claims in theory of science presented in the Posterior Analytics. On the basis of a close reading of the text it shows that Aristotle identifies existence claims as a distinct kind of scientific principles (alongside definitions and common principles), that what these principles declare to exist are the subjects as opposed to the attributes that the science studies (triangles, as opposed to the property of having angles equal to two right angles), and not all the subjects, but a subset of them, …
Presocratic Methodology, Jerry Stannard
Presocratic Methodology, Jerry Stannard
The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter
In this essay the author characterizes the explanatory method of presocratic philosophers, especially Empedocles, in terms of some of the components activated in the surviving texts.
Plato's Hypothesis And The Upward Path, Thomas G. Rosenmeyer
Plato's Hypothesis And The Upward Path, Thomas G. Rosenmeyer
The Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy Newsletter
In this paper I shall attempt to show that Aristotle's logical terminology, ontologically conditioned or determined as it obviously is, contrasts with that of Plato, who, on the whole, with perhaps one exception, was very careful not to introduce unwarranted ontological perspectives into matters of logic.