Recent trends in scholarship on Plato’s philosophy have shifted emphasis from an almost exclusive focus on inductive and deductive logical techniques, and even ethics, to the treatment of image, myth and the literary dimension, above all in the work of scholars such as Kahn, Rowe and Gonzalez. In keeping with this trend, recent scholars, like Gill, Notomi and Collobert, have postulated the need for a philosophical image on the basis of a reading of the Sophist and Statesman. This thesis examines the unique significance given to the term ‘paradigm’ in Plato’s Sophist and Statesman. Paradigm is Plato’s term for image. A close reading of these dialogues shows, however, that such an image is “philosophical” or dialectical only insofar as it leads to a proportionate grasp of higher, invisible, ethical realities. This is the connection the specialist work on image in the Sophist and Statesman bears to wider scholarship on the literary dimension of Plato. Plato provides, in the Sophist and Statesman, three ways of making use of paradigms: (1) the use of an analogy, like the city and the soul and the weaving analogy, which is functionally equivalent to the analogy of the city and the soul, (2) an inductively defined universal essence, for example, the universal essence of a human being, like Socrates, and (3) an ethical character, like the Socrates Plato presents in his dramatic composition, or other characters presented in myth. The distancing effect Plato uses in the Sophist and Statesman suggests that Plato, himself, is the philosophical artist or image-maker. This is an important topic for one unifying reason. The question of a philosophical image in Plato remains unanswered or inadequately answered. Although the Sophist and Statesman treat this question, the exceeding technicality of these dialogues has lead commentators, unanimously, to treat the exploration of image and essence in these Eleatic dialogues, as a kind of island, separated from Plato’s work. My study, by leading readers of Plato to a greater awareness of the importance of these works for Plato on image and Plato as artist, turns this island into a peninsula.

A central claim in Foucault’s 1982-1983 lectures, published as The Government of Self and Others (2008), is that Plato, in wanting to escape the possibility that his philosophical discourse would be “mere logos,” ultimately conceived of philosophy’s “reality” or “veridication” in terms of its capacity to facilitate the “work of the self.” This thesis argues that Foucault’s analysis positions us to read Plato’s dialogues as philosophical “deeds” that aim to advise the reader with respect to his or her “mode of being.” I corroborate the analysis that leads to Foucault’s highly suggestive conclusion that a text like the Republic or the Laws must in some respect not be “serious” works and are, therefore, discursive “games” whose aims lie elsewhere than in the formulation of political prescriptions. In so doing I link Foucault’s characterization of Platonic philosophy as being informed by a “weakness” in logos to the claim, put forth by scholars attentive to the dialogic form, that Plato’s dialogues are written in deference to the obstacles that the written and even spoken word presents for the transmission of his philosophy. I claim that some of the key concepts of the later Foucault’s “ethical turn,” namely askēsis, the arts of life, and ethics construed as the work and formation of a relationship of self to self, are helpful when trying to discern not only the content of Platonic writings, but also the purpose behind their form. To the extent that the elaboration of theoretical knowledge in discourse inhibits the awareness that the subject must form a practical relationship with his or her own self, and to the extent that such a work is the fundamental task of philosophy to which the acquisition of theoretical knowledge plays a secondary role, the logos of philosophical discourse must be modified in order to facilitate this ergon “of the self.” I claim that, when we consider Foucault’s understanding of what philosophy ought to do we are equipped with a basic set of criteria for evaluating the aims and benefits of the dramatic and dialogic form of Plato’s writings and I show that an extant body of scholarship verifies such criteria are met. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

The study of geometric group theory has suggested several theorems related to subdivision tilings that have a natural hyperbolic structure. However, few examples exist. We construct subdivision tilings for the complement of every nonsingular, prime alternating link and all torus links, and explore some of their properties and applications. Several examples are exhibited with color coding of tiles.

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This thesis is a careful examination of one small Platonic dialogue, the Euthydemus. In broad terms, it argues that the Euthydemus is concerned with what might be described as 'word games', with teaching both the need to know how to speak well and the worth of being able to do so. In more specific terms, it argues that the Euthydemus is comprised of three distinct levels, Socrates' conversation (primarily) with the brothers Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, his conversation with Crito, and Plato's conversation with the reader; levels, it is suggested, which cannot be fully understood unless Crito's role in each of them is first recognized. The first level, Socrates' conversation (primarily) with the brothers Euthydemus and Dionysodorus, is seemingly composed of three separate discussions, between Socrates and the brothers, between Socrates and Clinias, and between Socrates and Ctesippus. The first discussion is a general demonstration of knowing how to use words (or 'word games') and, further, of knowing how to use them well. The second discussion, in contradistinction to the first, centres on a coherent application of words to a specific goal; that being, to begin to demonstrate both that knowledge is the greatest good for individuals and, as well, that philosophy is nothing more than a 'perpetual ruthless questioning' . The third discussion reveals something about Ctesippus' nature. More importantly, it illustrates how words can be used to communicate with certain individuals and not others. The second level of the Buthydemus, Socrates' conversation with Crito, might accurately be described as an application of words to a specific goal writ large. The reason is that, here, Socrates tells Crito a 'story' (this being what was described above as the first level of the E:uthydemus) in order to discourage him from giving his sons a philosophic education. The third level, Plato's conversation with the reader (or Plato as distinguished from Socrates), raises the broader issue of the relation between the philosopher and the city. More precisely, it begins to reveal the effects that different methods of speaking have on an individual, on the opinions that others form as a result of his or her choice in this regard, and thus on the need for an individual to choose wisely. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Les témoignages concernant le quatrième scolarque de l'Académie, Polémon l'Athénien, ont été étudiés dans leurs spécificité réciproque, à fin de tracer une carte des emplois et des usages du nom du philosophe dans la littérature ancienne qui a survécu. Polémon, donc, est dans cet étude avant tout une figure textuelle, et non pas un philosophe pourvu d'une doctrine systématique complète. On le rencontre en fait dans la littérature biographique en tant qu'exemple de 'conversion' soudaine au genre de vie philosophique et incarnation des traits distinctifs du philosophe hellénistique. On découvre ainsi que Polémon est plus pyrrhonien de Pyrrhon et plus stoïcien du père du stoïcisme, Zénon. Par contre, en relation à la tradition platonicienne, Polémon est rattaché par les sources à la phase de l'histoire de l’école nommée 'Ancienne Académie'. Ayant réuni autour de soi un groupe de disciples compact, caractérisé par l'harmonie et la concorde, Polémon est ensuite devenu le symbole d'une réception diligente de la pensée platonicienne, exempte d’altération ou d'intervention innovatrice. Sa qualité de fidèle héritier doit d'ailleurs se comprendre surtout en relation aux développements postérieurs de l'instance académicienne, plus spécifiquement en relation au surgissement d'une approche 'sceptique' à la pensée de Platon, développé par Arcésilas. A posteriori donc les contestataires de la position 'sceptique' de l’Académie ont essayé de délégitimer la lecture de la pensée de Platon donnée par Arcésilas, tout en affirmant par conséquence le caractère 'originaire' et 'dogmatique' de la phase d'interprétation de l'Ancienne Académie. / The testimonies on the forth head of the Academy, Polemo the Athenian, have been individually studied in order to provide a complete survey of the several usages of the philosopher's name in the ancient surviving literature. In this study, Polemo is, therefore, mainly a text figure, rather than a philosopher provided with a full systematic doctrine. We find his name, as a matter of fact, in the biographic literature, as an example of a sudden 'conversion' to the philosophical life and as an example of the embodiment of the distinctive features of the Hellenistic philosopher. We discover then that Polemo is even more pyrrhonian than Pyrrho and more stoic than the Stoicism's father, Zeno. Moreover, within the Platonic tradition, Polemo is linked by the sources to the phase of the history of the school labelled as 'Ancient Academy'. After assembling around him a compact group of disciples, characterized by the greatest harmony and agreement, Polemo has become the symbol of a diligent reception of the Platonic thought, free from any alteration or innovative intervention. His role of faithfull heir must be by all means considered in relation to the later developments of the Academic instance, more precisely in relation to the rising of a 'sceptic' approach to Plato's thought, encouraged by Arcesilaus. A posteriori then the critics of the 'sceptic' position have tried to delegitimize Arcesilaus' reading of Plato, stating by consequence the 'original' and 'dogmatic' character of the interpretative phase of the Ancient Academy.

O pensamento ocidental foi inaugurado por Platão, que deu início a certas formas peculiares de elaborar e solucionar problemas filosóficos, constituindo marcos discursivos que se encontram em pensadores de diversas áreas de conhecimento, tanto no campo político e social quanto educacional. Em pesquisas anteriores foram analisados os livros O estado autoritário e a realidade nacional de Azevedo Amaral (1938), O Estado Nacional de Francisco Campos (1941) e Tendências da educação brasileira de Lourenço Filho (1940), considerados responsáveis pela elaboração e difusão das bases teóricas da pedagogia que predominou durante o Estado Novo (1937-1945), constatando-se que esses autores buscavam apoio argumentativo em Platão. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar um reexame desses livros por meio da análise retórica fundamentada em Chaïm Perelman, visando investigar a presença de marcos discursivos platônicos em seus argumentos. O primeiro capítulo discorre sobre o uso da metáfora como técnica argumentativa, evidenciando que os autores estabelecem diretrizes previamente determinadas na definição das iniciativas políticas e educacionais do Estado Novo. O segundo capítulo focaliza a dissociação de noções, técnica utilizada pelos autores para argumentarem sobre a o predomínio do coletivo sobre o individual no regime estadonovista. O terceiro capítulo examina a técnica que vincula ato e pessoa, com a qual os autores conferem características pessoais excepcionais ao governante, justificando assim as suas ações no comando da Nação. O quarto capítulo analisa a técnica da definição, utilizada pelos autores para desqualificar o regime democrático e enaltecer as qualidades do Estado Novo. A conclusão defende que a semelhança entre os discursos dos autores pode ser atribuída à presença de marcos discursivos platônicos nos argumentos que apresentam acerca das problemáticas políticas e educacionais, do que decorre seu alinhamento a uma concepção monista de Estado. / The Western thought was inaugurated over two thousand years ago by Plato, who created some peculiar forms to elaborate and solve philosophical problems, establishing discursive frameworks that are allowed by thinkers from diverse areas of knowledge, both in political and social field as well in education. Previous research analyzed the books The authoritarian state and national reality by Azevedo Amaral (1938), The National State by Francisco Campos (1941) and Trends of Brazilian education by Lourenço Filho (1940), which are considered as responsible for the criation and dissemination of theoretical basis of the pedagogy that prevailed during New State (1937-1945). The conclusions of that research noted that these authors sought argumentative support in Plato. The aim of this work is to review these books by means of Chaïm Perelmans rhetorical analysis, seeking to investigate the presence of Platonic discursive frameworks in the arguments of those authors. The first chapter discusses metaphor as argumentative strategy, showing that the authors established previously determined guidelines to define New State political and educational actions. The second chapter focuses dissociation of notions, which the authors use to argue about freedom in New State. The third chapter examines the link between act and person, with which the authors give exceptional personal characteristics to the ruler, thus justifying his actions in command of the Nation. The fourth chapter analyses definition, which is used by the authors to disqualify democracy and to praise New State qualities. The conclusions defend that the similarity between the discourses of the authors can be attributed to the presence of Platonic discursive frameworks in their arguments about politics and education; and that this presence is responsible by their alignment to a monistic conception of State.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:16:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Celia Maria Nogueira Batista.pdf: 1926587 bytes, checksum: f61cde4e613a60695c9ce389a0eba8b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-12-26 / FAPEAM - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas / This thesis presents a new demonstration of the result FOR Plato not the fourth century BC in Ancient Greece, to que There hum Finite number of classes Poliedro Regular congruent, using a basic theory of spherical geometry, of the agreement with the work " The solid platonicos " make Dr. John Lucas Marques Barbosa University of Ceará, presented in Manaus. / Esta dissertação apresenta uma nova demostração do resultado obtido por Platão no século IV a.C, na Grécia antiga, de que existe um número finito de classes de Poliedro regulares congruentes, usando a teoria básica da Geometria Esférica, de acordo com o trabalho "Os sólidos Platônicos", do Dr. joão Lucas Marques Barbosa da Universidade do Céara, apresentado em Manaus.

I begin by offering an account of two key strains in the history of philosophical dealings with death. Both strains initially seek to diminish fear of death by appealing to the idea that death is simply the separation of the soul from the body. According to the Platonic strain, death should not be feared since the soul will have a prolonged existence free from the bodily prison after death. With several dramatic modifications, this is the strain that is taken up by much of the mainstream Christian tradition. According to the Epicurean strain, death should not be feared since the tiny pthesiss that make up the soul leave the body and are dispersed at the moment of death, leaving behind no subject to experience any evil that might be associated with death. Although informed by millennia of further scientific discovery, this is the strain picked up on by contemporary atheistic, technologically advanced mankind. My primary goal is to demonstrate that philosophy has an often-overlooked alternative to viewing death in terms of this ancient dichotomy. This is the alternative championed by Søren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. Although both thinkers arise from the Christian tradition, they clearly react to Epicurean insights about death in their work, thereby prescribing a peculiar way of living with death that the Christian tradition seems to have forgotten about. Despite the association of Kierkegaard and Heidegger, there is a fundamental difference between them on the subject of death. In Being and Time Heidegger seems to rely on the phenomenology of death that Kierkegaard provides in texts such as "At a Graveside." It is interesting to notice, however, that this discourse, especially when seen in the light of Kierkegaard's more obviously religious works, might only be compelling to the aspiring Christian. If so, then perhaps there is a tension in both Heidegger's "methodologically atheistic" appropriation of Kierkegaard's ideas about death, and Heidegger's attempt to make these ideas compelling to the aspiring human. My secondary goal is to determine whether Heidegger takes the "existential philosophy of death" too far when he incorporates it into his early ontological project.

Στόχος της εργασίας είναι να διερευνήσει τη σχέση των αισθητών πραγμάτων με τις Ιδέες εξετάζοντας όχι μόνο το γεγονός της ίδιας της συμμετοχής, αλλά και τον τρόπο που αυτή επιτυγχάνεται, καθώς και τα προβλήματα που ανακύπτουν από την εν λόγω σχέση. Σε κάθε διάλογο χωριστά επιχειρούμε να εξετάσουμε ποια είναι τα προβλήματα εκείνα που οδηγούν τον Πλάτωνα στη θέση της Θεωρίας των Ιδεών, καθώς και το αν επιλύονται και με ποιόν τρόπο. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, στον Φαίδωνα οι Ιδέες παρουσιάζονται για πρώτη φορά με πιο συστηματικό τρόπο, ως εκείνες οι οντότητες οι οποίες είναι υπεύθυνες για το ότι τα επιμέρους αισθητά αντικείμενα έχουν μια συγκριμένη ιδιότητα. Οι Ιδέες εισάγονται στον διάλογο ως ένα ακόμα επιχείρημα για την αθανασία της ψυχής. Ωστόσο, είναι σημαντικό να συγκρατήσουμε ότι και τα επιχειρήματα που προηγούνται αυτού, στηρίζονται στις Ιδέες και μας παρέχουν σημαντικές πληροφορίες τόσο για τις ίδιες όσο και για τη σχέση τους με τα αισθητά. Για αυτόν ακριβώς τον λόγο το κεντρικό ζήτημα της εργασίας εξετάζεται στο σύνολο του διαλόγου, ώστε να γίνει σαφές πώς προκύπτει η Θεωρία των Ιδεών και το πρόβλημα της μέθεξης των αισθητών σε αυτές. Περνώντας στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο της εργασίας, διαπιστώνουμε ότι η πρώτη συζήτηση περί Ιδεών γίνεται στο τέλος του πέμπτου βιβλίου της Πολιτείας και λειτουργεί ως επεξήγηση της θέσης ότι κυβερνήτες της ιδανικής πολιτείας πρέπει να είναι οι φιλόσοφοι, οι οποίοι είναι γνώστες της αλήθειας. Όπως και στον Φαίδωνα, έτσι και εδώ προκύπτει ότι για κάθε σύνολο πραγμάτων υπάρχει και μια Ιδέα (507b, 596a) στην οποία αυτά μετέχουν και αποκτούν την ανάλογη ιδιότητα. Ωστόσο, μια Ιδέα έχει εξέχουσα θέση στον συγκεκριμένο διάλογο και δεν είναι άλλη από την Ιδέα του Αγαθού. Η Ιδέα του Αγαθού, έτσι όπως εξετάζεται στο παρόν κεφάλαιο, δεν μας προσφέρει πολλά αναφορικά με τη μέθεξη των αισθητών στα Είδη, αλλά η σημασία της έγκειται σε ένα διαφορετικό τύπο μέθεξης, αυτόν των Ιδεών στην Ιδέα του Αγαθού. Η μελέτη της σχέσης Ιδεών και αισθητών πραγμάτων, ολοκληρώνεται στο τρίτο και τελευταίο κεφάλαιο της παρούσης εργασίας, μέσα από την εξέταση του Παρμενίδη. Έτσι όπως εξετάζουμε το ζήτημα της μέθεξης στο παρόν κεφάλαιο, το ενδιαφέρον μας επικεντρώνεται τόσο στις λεπτομέρειες αναφορικά με τη Θεωρία των Ιδεών, όσο και στον εντοπισμό και την εξέταση των παραδοχών του Σωκράτη. Επιχειρούμε μια συνολική μελέτη του κεντρικού θέματος, της μέθεξης, όχι μόνον έτσι όπως αυτό παρουσιάζεται στον Παρμενίδη, αλλά και στη σχέση του με τους δύο προηγούμενους διαλόγους. / --