Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications
Autor(a) principal: | |
---|---|
Data de Publicação: | 2020 |
Tipo de documento: | Artigo |
Idioma: | eng |
Título da fonte: | Revista Archai (Online) |
Texto Completo: | https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/30099 |
Resumo: | The aim of this paper is to examine the implications of Plato’s use of the term stoicheion, since his awareness of stoicheion’s polysemy reveals his view of the origin, the complexity and, at the same time, the order of reality. Moreover, his use of stoicheion allowed him both to inherit and to detach himself from his predecessors. I begin by presenting the history of the notion of stoicheion; then, since one of the meanings of stoicheion is ‘letter of the alphabet’, I focus on the Cratylus, which contains the first of several passages where Plato employs the alphabet as a paradigm for the structure of a complex system. Finally, I turn to the Theaetetus, where Plato, for the first time, uses stoicheion in the sense of ‘element’ and where, through the relation letters/syllables, Plato clarifies that enumeration and juxtaposition are not sufficient to attain the real knowledge. I will argue that only thanks to these steps can we understand the occurrences of stoicheion in the Timaeus, where Plato first states that air, earth, fire and water are not stoicheia tou pantos, and then reveals that, instead, the basic triangles are ‘the elements of the universe’. |
id |
UNB-18_9721ef2e2a6276b604eabc216ffa8873 |
---|---|
oai_identifier_str |
oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/30099 |
network_acronym_str |
UNB-18 |
network_name_str |
Revista Archai (Online) |
repository_id_str |
|
spelling |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implicationsPlatoElementLetterTimaeusTheaetetusCratylusThe aim of this paper is to examine the implications of Plato’s use of the term stoicheion, since his awareness of stoicheion’s polysemy reveals his view of the origin, the complexity and, at the same time, the order of reality. Moreover, his use of stoicheion allowed him both to inherit and to detach himself from his predecessors. I begin by presenting the history of the notion of stoicheion; then, since one of the meanings of stoicheion is ‘letter of the alphabet’, I focus on the Cratylus, which contains the first of several passages where Plato employs the alphabet as a paradigm for the structure of a complex system. Finally, I turn to the Theaetetus, where Plato, for the first time, uses stoicheion in the sense of ‘element’ and where, through the relation letters/syllables, Plato clarifies that enumeration and juxtaposition are not sufficient to attain the real knowledge. I will argue that only thanks to these steps can we understand the occurrences of stoicheion in the Timaeus, where Plato first states that air, earth, fire and water are not stoicheia tou pantos, and then reveals that, instead, the basic triangles are ‘the elements of the universe’.Cátedra UNESCO Archai (Universidade de Brasília); Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; Annablume Editora, São Paulo, Brasil2020-05-11info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionArticlesArtigosapplication/pdfhttps://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/3009910.14195/1984-249X_30_5Revista Archai; No. 30 (2020): Archai 30 (2020 [3]); e03005Archai Journal; n. 30 (2020): Archai 30 (2020 [3]); e030051984-249X2179-496010.14195/1984-249X_30reponame:Revista Archai (Online)instname:Universidade de Brasília (UnB)instacron:UNBenghttps://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/30099/26054Copyright (c) 2020 Pia De Simoneinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessDe Simone, Pia2020-06-02T11:46:38Zoai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/30099Revistahttps://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archaiPUBhttps://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/oai||archaijournal@unb.br|| cornelli@unb.br1984-249X1984-249Xopendoar:2020-06-02T11:46:38Revista Archai (Online) - Universidade de Brasília (UnB)false |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
title |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
spellingShingle |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications De Simone, Pia Plato Element Letter Timaeus Theaetetus Cratylus |
title_short |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
title_full |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
title_fullStr |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
title_full_unstemmed |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
title_sort |
Plato’s use of the term stoicheion: Origin and implications |
author |
De Simone, Pia |
author_facet |
De Simone, Pia |
author_role |
author |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
De Simone, Pia |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
Plato Element Letter Timaeus Theaetetus Cratylus |
topic |
Plato Element Letter Timaeus Theaetetus Cratylus |
description |
The aim of this paper is to examine the implications of Plato’s use of the term stoicheion, since his awareness of stoicheion’s polysemy reveals his view of the origin, the complexity and, at the same time, the order of reality. Moreover, his use of stoicheion allowed him both to inherit and to detach himself from his predecessors. I begin by presenting the history of the notion of stoicheion; then, since one of the meanings of stoicheion is ‘letter of the alphabet’, I focus on the Cratylus, which contains the first of several passages where Plato employs the alphabet as a paradigm for the structure of a complex system. Finally, I turn to the Theaetetus, where Plato, for the first time, uses stoicheion in the sense of ‘element’ and where, through the relation letters/syllables, Plato clarifies that enumeration and juxtaposition are not sufficient to attain the real knowledge. I will argue that only thanks to these steps can we understand the occurrences of stoicheion in the Timaeus, where Plato first states that air, earth, fire and water are not stoicheia tou pantos, and then reveals that, instead, the basic triangles are ‘the elements of the universe’. |
publishDate |
2020 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2020-05-11 |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Articles Artigos |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/30099 10.14195/1984-249X_30_5 |
url |
https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/30099 |
identifier_str_mv |
10.14195/1984-249X_30_5 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/archai/article/view/30099/26054 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2020 Pia De Simone info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
rights_invalid_str_mv |
Copyright (c) 2020 Pia De Simone |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cátedra UNESCO Archai (Universidade de Brasília); Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; Annablume Editora, São Paulo, Brasil |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Cátedra UNESCO Archai (Universidade de Brasília); Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal; Annablume Editora, São Paulo, Brasil |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
Revista Archai; No. 30 (2020): Archai 30 (2020 [3]); e03005 Archai Journal; n. 30 (2020): Archai 30 (2020 [3]); e03005 1984-249X 2179-4960 10.14195/1984-249X_30 reponame:Revista Archai (Online) instname:Universidade de Brasília (UnB) instacron:UNB |
instname_str |
Universidade de Brasília (UnB) |
instacron_str |
UNB |
institution |
UNB |
reponame_str |
Revista Archai (Online) |
collection |
Revista Archai (Online) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Revista Archai (Online) - Universidade de Brasília (UnB) |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
||archaijournal@unb.br|| cornelli@unb.br |
_version_ |
1798319945489055744 |