Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 1Grote, George
Philosophy
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume 1
Grote, George
Philosophy, Ancient; Plato; Socrates, 470 BC-399 BC
Though Antisthenes and Diogenes laid chief stress upon ethical topics,
yet they also delivered opinions on logic and evidence.[122]
Antisthenes especially was engaged in controversy, and seemingly in
acrimonious controversy, with Plato; whose opinions he impugned in an
express dialogue entitled Sathon. Plato on his side attacked the
opinions of Antisthenes, and spoke contemptuously of his intelligence,
yet without formally naming him. At least there are some criticisms in
the Platonic dialogues (especially in the Sophistês, p. 251) which the
commentators pronounce, on strong grounds, to be aimed at Antisthenes:
who is also unfavourably criticised by Aristotle. We know but little
of the points which Antisthenes took up against Plato and still less
of the reasons which he urged in support of them. Both he and
Diogenes, however, are said to have declared express war against the
Platonic theory of self-existent Ideas. The functions of general
Concepts and general propositions, together with the importance of
defining general terms, had been forcibly insisted on in the
colloquies of Sokrates; and his disciple Plato built upon this
foundation the memorable hypothesis of an aggregate of eternal,
substantive realities, called Ideas or Forms, existing separate from
the objects of sense, yet affording a certain participation in
themselves to those objects: not discernible by sense, but only by the
Reason or understanding. These bold creations of the Platonic fancy
were repudiated by Antisthenes and Diogenes: who are both said to have
declared "We see Man, and we see Horse; but Manness and Horseness we
do not see". Whereunto Plato replied "You possess that eye by which
Horse is seen: but you have not yet acquired that eye by which
Horseness is seen".[123]
[Footnote 122: Among the titles of the works of Antisthenes, preserved
by Diogenes Laertius (vi. 15), several relate to dialectic or logic.
[Greek: A)lê/theia. Peri\ tou= diale/gesthai, a)ntilogiko/s. Sa/thôn,
peri\ tou= a)ntile/gein, a, b, g. Peri\ Diale/kton. Peri\ Paidei/as
ê)\ o)noma/tôn, a, b, g, d, e. Peri\ o)noma/tôn chrêseôs, ê)\
e)ristiko/s. Peri\ e)rôtê/seôs kai\ a)pokri/seôs], &c., &c.
Diogenes Laertius refers to _ten_ [Greek: to/moi] of these treatises.]
[Footnote 123: Simplikius, ad Aristot. Categ. p. 66, b. 47, 67, b. 18,
68, b. 25, Schol. Brand.; Tzetzes, Chiliad. vii. 606.
[Greek: tô=n de\ palaiô=n oi( me\n a)nê/|roun ta\s poio/têtas tele/ôs,
to\ poio\n sugchôrou=ntos ei)=nai; ô(/sper A)ntisthe/nês, o(/s pote
Pla/tôni diamphisbêtô=n--ô(= Pla/tôn, e)/phê, i(/ppon me\n o(rô=,
i(ppo/têta d' ou)ch o(rô=; kai\ o(\s ei)=pen, e)/cheis me\n ô(=|
i(/ppos o(ra=tai to/de to\ o)/mma, ô(=| de\ i(ppo/tês theôrei=tai,
ou)de/pô ke/ktêsai. kai\ a)/lloi de/ tines ê)=san tau/tês tê=s do/xês.
oi( de\ tina\s men a)nê/|roun poio/têtas, tina\s de\ kateli/mpanon].
[Greek: Anthrôpo/tês] occurs p. 58, a. 31. Compare p. 20, a. 2.
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