|
|
Meta-Physics
|
|
(JPG, 24k)
"And indeed the question which was raised of old
and is raised now and always, and is always the subject of doubt, viz.
what being is , is just the question,
what is substance?"
( METAPHYSICS by Aristotle, Book VII (1), translated by W. D.
Ross.)
Texts by Aristotle
PHAEDRUS
by Plato
translated by Benjamin Jowett
Soc.:
[...]
For the immortals, when they are at the end of their course, go forth and stand
upon the outside of heaven, and the revolution of the spheres carries them round,
and they behold the things beyond.
[...]
In the revolution she [the soul] beholds justice, and temperance, and knowledge
absolute, not in the form of generation or of relation, which men call
existence, but knowledge absolute in existence; and beholding the other
true existences in like manner, and feasting upon them, she passes down into
the interior of the heavens and returns home; and there the charioteer putting
up his horses at the stall, gives them ambrosia to eat and nectar to drink.
[...]
But the soul which has never seen the truth will not pass into the human form. For
a man must have intelligence of universals, and be able to proceed from the
many particulars of sense to one conception of reason;-this is the
recollection of those things which our soul once saw while following God-when regardless
of that which we now call being she raised her head up towards the true
being. And therefore the mind of the philosopher alone has wings; and
this is just, for he is always, according to the measure of his abilities,
clinging in recollection to those things in which God abides, and in beholding
which He is what He is. And he who employs aright these memories is ever
being initiated into perfect mysteries and alone becomes truly perfect.
But, as he forgets earthly interests and is rapt in the divine, the vulgar deem
him mad, and rebuke him; they do not see that he is inspired.
[...]
For, as has been already said, every soul of man has in the way of nature
beheld true being; this was the condition of her passing into the form of man.
But all souls do not easily recall the things of the other world; they may have
seen them for a short time only, or they may have been unfortunate in their
earthly lot, and, having had their hearts turned to unrighteousness through
some corrupting influence, they may have lost the memory of the holy things
which once they saw. Few only retain an adequate remembrance of them; and they,
when they behold here any image of that other world, are rapt in amazement; but
they are ignorant of what this rapture means, because they do not clearly
perceive. For there is no light of justice or temperance or any of the
higher ideas which are precious to souls in the earthly copies of them: they
are seen through a glass dimly;
[...]
Is there false opinion without a corresponding true opinion?
Soc.: There is a point which often troubles me, and is a great
perplexity to me, both in regard to myself and others. I cannot make
out the nature or origin of the mental experience to which I refer.
Theaet.: Pray what is it?
Soc.: How there can be false opinion - that difficulty still troubles
the eye of my mind; and I am uncertain whether I shall leave the
question, or think it over again in a new way.
(THEAETETUS by Plato translated by Benjamin Jowett)
This page has been created by G.Krenn.