Cratilo. Testo greco a fronte

[Outside the Potts residence. JEREMY, JEMIMA, SOCRATES] SOCRATES: Good day, young friends. May I inquire whether your father is at home? JEMIMA: I’m sorry, Daddy is out. JEREMY: He’s trying to sell an invention. JEMIMA: Can we help you, Mr…? SOCRATES: Socrates. My unworthy name is Socrates. JEREMY: The S Leggi tutto

Cratylus is one of Plato’s early-middle dialogues. It is somewhat puzzling for the modern reader, since much of the dialogue is taken up with fanciful folk etymologies of Greek words. Socrates is investigating whether the names of the Gods, heroes, citizens, or natural elements are meaningful, and i Leggi tutto

Nezaobilazno delo za razumevanje odnosa između reči i stvari.  U ovom Platonovom dijalogu, sukobljene su dve strane – konvencionalistička i naturalistička. Prvu zastupa Hermogen, koji brani tvrdnju da reči proističu iz dogovora između ljudi, da su reči konvencija, dok drugi pogled, koji zastupa Krati Leggi tutto

Aunque es un texto corto, por momentos se vuelve bastante complejo de seguir para quienes, como yo, no tienen ninguna formación en griego antiguo. Las reflexiones sobre el rol de la etimología en la comprensión de la realidad de las cosas y las limitaciones del conocimiento a través del lenguaje me Leggi tutto

The topic of Cratylus is the correctness of names – and hence the criteria that should determine the correct choice of name. On one side, Cratylus argues that there is a “correctness of name for each thing, one that belongs to it by nature”; on the other, Hermogenes stance is that the correctness of Leggi tutto

Cratylus takes the position of Heraclitus, that all things are in motion and flux. Words then become conventional signs, as it were, that point to something else. There is a measure of prior knowledge that is required for the sign to mean anything substantial and there is a measure of relativity inv Leggi tutto

Κάθε έργο του Πλάτωνα που έρχομαι σε επαφή είναι μία αποκάλυψη! Πόσο ωραία πλέκει τη γνώση, με τέτοιο τρόπο [βήμα-βήμα] που το κάθε θέμα φαίνεται τόσο απλό αλλά και τόσο εντυπωσιακό. Στον διάλογο αυτό, εξετάζει την προέλευση των ονομάτων. Δίνει σημασία στον ήχο των γραμμάτων και τη σύνθεση των λέξεων Leggi tutto

On the importance of names and use of the right words and names

Plato's Crátilo is well-known for being philosophy's first foray into the field of linguistics. Only based on that, it should be required reading for anyone interested in the topic. I'd argue that additionally it should be read because, as most of Plato's early writing is really good at messing with Leggi tutto