CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Kim, Dong-Geun |
|---|---|
| Title | Plato's Mathematical Entities in the Republic |
| Summary | The main goal of this thesis is to defend the traditional interpretation of Plato’s Republic Book VI and VII. Many scholars argued that Plato makes a distinction between mathematical entities and the Forms themselves by introducing the simile of the Line. This view had been supported by Aristotle’s testimony about Plato’s mathematical objects in his Metaphysics. This line of interpretation, however, has been called into question by a group of modern scholars. They argue that some geometrical entities such as the square itself and the diagonal itself are the Forms, though they are not connected to the Form of Good itself. The reason for supporting this view is based on several arguments. One ground supporting this view is that Plato adopts some intensive pronouns in the simile. The other reason for it is that there is no place of the mathematical objects in other similes, especially the simile of the Cave. I will reject the first ground for supporting this view, showing that the occurrences of intensive pronouns are not a good indicator of the Forms themselves. I will also argue that we can find a place of the mathematical objects in the simile of the Cave, though it is not manifest in the simile itself. Having constructed this line of argument, I will address several objections and give my answers to them. This new defence of the traditional interpretation may contribute to reading the Republic from a unitary point of view. |
| Supervisor | Istvan Bodnar |
| Department | Philosophy MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/kim_dong-geun.pdf |
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