unsolved doubt.pdf

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De Gruyter

An Unresolved Doubt: Phaedo 76 c14-d6Author(s): H.D. RankinSource: Apeiron: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science, Vol. 1, No. 2 (March 1967),pp. 24-26Published by: De GruyterStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40891401.

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2/4

24,

An

Unresolved

Doubt

Phaedo

76 cl4-d6

If

we had

possession

of

e7ucrTf||j,r]

efore

being born,

and

if in

fact

we were born

with

it in our

possession,

then we

knew

fiji

aTajxeUa

both

antenatally

and

immediately

fter

being born,

not

only

the

9

equal'

and the

'greater0

and

the 'lesser'

but

everything

of that kind

(75

c7-10).

But

it

is

argued

that

nothing

of

the

kind is

the case

(75 d2):

we

are

not born

with this

knowledge

n our

grasp

in the

sense

of

being capable

of

discussing

the

merely

apparent

equality

of

things

which

turn

out

not

equal

at all

when

hey

are

scrutinised;

a

much

etter

explanation

is

that

by making

se

of our

sense

perceptions,

we

recollect0

knowledge

(

etc

cn;f|jjLri)of

he

equal0

which we

previously possessed.

This is very persuasive, but whenSimmias s asked (76 a9) to

choose

between recollection0 and the view

that we are

born with the

necessary knowledge,

his characteristic

scepticism

withholds

his

agreement;

nTepov

ouv

alofi

u)

2t|X(jLtaj

eTUtfTCCjivou

ri|Ia

yerovevat, r'

vauuiVTJcxea9ai,

tfatepov

wv

itpTepov

Iti

errori

elxopevt

O5x

Ixu)

u>

Zt>KpaTe,

v tS

xapvTi

XeaGau

From

his

point

until

more

rugged

objections

to

the

theory

of the

immortal-

ity of the soul are encountered (84c-95e) there is a little scene which is

framed

o

dispose

for

good

of

the

objection

(which

in R.S^Bluck's

opinion

might

have

been

made n connection with the Meno

that

knowledge

r

'knowledges'

(

etti0Tr)[iai

)

may

nter

into

people

at

the

moment

f birth

and

need not have

been recollected

from

n

antenatal

state.

Simmias s

first of all driven back from he

option

that

we

are

born

in

possession

of

knowledge

y being

obliged

to

admit

(and

as his character

is drawnhe

can do

nothing

else

but

admit,)

that

an

vno

kjiiOT'iBVOc

%ep'

av

eROtatai

fx


3/4

25.

However,

the scenario

of

this little

episode proceeds:

everybody

oes

not

seem to

ejiiCzaoQai

these

things,

therefore

they

recall

what

they

learned

previously;

therefore

they

cannot

have

obtained their k*Ri


4/4

26,

partial

modification

of

this

position,

which as

Gulley

recognises

(op.citol98)

is inconsistent

with

what

Plato

says

elsewhere

about

the

way

in

which we come

to

knowledge

of

the Forms

6, To put it another way he is not so much interested in the relation

of

a

(correct

or

otherwise)

with

litt(JTf]p,Tj

as he is with the

effects of

the

humancondition

upon

IicicTt%t

which

had

formerly

been

possessed,

and

which can be

repossessed

If

-it

can

be

argued

(as

I

think

it

can)

that

there is

a

slot

in

the Phaedo's

argument

for

recog-

nition

of

certain

relations,

(^qual,

greater

etco)

without

t&avqi

Xovov,

then

the Meno s distinction

between

&a

anc*

IttlLCrTflffTl

i-s

repre-

sentedo

The

emphasis upon

the

Iforms

s the

crucial

factor

in

the Phaedo's

approach

to

the

problem:

see

N.Gulley,

Plato

8$Ihebry

of

Knowledge,

London

1962,

pp.

16-21}

Bluck

Meno

pp*30

ff; J.Stenzel,

Studien

zur

Entwicklung

der Platonischen

Dialektik,

Darmstadt

(ed).

1961.

7.

RoEoAllen,

9

Anamnesis

in

Plato's

Meno and

Phaedo0,

Review

of

Metaphysics,

Vol.XII,

No.

1.49, 1959,

ppQ165-174

esp*p.l66o

8.

Especially

67c (with Bluck's comments

p.cit.p.52):

but the

passage

from 64C-70

contains

many

expressions

of

this

point

of view.

Department

of

Classical

Studies

Monash

University.

HeDeRankin.

Coing and the Presocratics^I^Anaxagoras

The

following

is

the

first

in

a

series

of notes

in

which

I

hope

to

list

and comment

pon

coins

which

have

a

bearing

on

Presocratic

studies.

There

are

extant

the

following

Hellenistic

and

Roman

ssues,

all

bronze,

of

Clazomenai

(the

philosopher's

birthplace)

with

types

of

Anaxagoras:

A1

-

sometime

after

300

B.C.

OBV.

Young

male

head,

diademed,

r.

Border

of

dots

REV.

K/VAZOMENIQN:

Anaxagoras

seated

1

on

a

circular

object.

His

r.hand

is

outstretched

and

possibly

holds

a

globe

His

l.hand

is

on

his knee

and

in

it there

appears

to be

held

a

scroll.

2

3

B

-

reign

of Hadrian.

OBVe

KAASOANAA

Bust

of

Anaxagoras

r;

he holds

an

object,

apparently

a

globe

in

his

raised

right

hand

His

right

shoulder

is

bare

REV.

CTP

K/V

EM

The

Emperor

with

flying

cloak

rising

r

his left

hand is

raised.

4C - reign of Commodus.

OBV.

A

AY

KOM

AOCKAICAP.-Buetiyoung

ommodus

;

his

head

is

bare

and

he

wears

a

cuirass

and

paludamentunu

REV.

KAAZO

MENIQN

Statue

of

Anaxagoras

standing

r;

he

is

naked

to

the

waist

and

rests

his left

foot

on a

cippus;

his

left

arm is

outstretched

and

a

sphere

rests

on

the

extended

palr

of his

hand

The

right

hand

is

placed

upon

the

right hip.

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