Socrates' use of performative contradiction against sophistic theories is a recurrent motif in Plato's dialogues. In the case of Plato's Theaetetus and Gorgias, Socrates attempts to show that ...Protagoras' homo mensura doctrine and Gorgias' doctrine of the power of logos are each performatively contradicted by the underlying activity of philosophical dialogue. In the case of the Theaetetus, Socrates' strategy of performative contradiction hinges on Protagoras' failure to perform in the way that he theorized the sophist performing-namely, being able to change appearances through logoi (Theaetetus 166d-167d). In parallel fashion, Gorgias' account of the power of rhetoric is performatively contradicted by the orator's inability to prevail over Socrates, instead resorting to insincere responses to Socrates' questions in order to save face-a dialogical "performance" that ties directly to Socrates' portrait of Gorgianic rhetoric as a matter of pandering to the audience (Gorgias 460a-465a). Plato's aim in dramatizing these performative contradictions, I argue, is to illuminate both the proximity between Socrates and the great sophists, particularly with respect to Socrates' practice of elenchos, but also the distance between Socrates and the sophists in how they conceive of our situatedness within the world of human concerns.
Translation of Plato's Hippias Major into Portuguese with a few notes, in which I elucidate some issues and justify some options. Keywords: Plato, Hippias Major, translation. Trata-se de traducao do ...Hipias Maior de Platao para o Portugues, com algumas notas de elucidacao e justificacao das opcoes. Palavras-chave: Platao, Hipias Maior, traducao.
What kind of weaves do we find in the Platonic dialogues? What its embroideries are meant to show? What type of relations does it maintain with knowledge and its transmission? In this paper I will ...tackle these questions by analyzing the two passages of Plato's Phaedrus in which Socrates refers to a veil. I will argue that grasping the function of the veil is needed to correctly understand the meaning of Socrates's conversing with his interlocutor and the way in which Plato composes the dialogue for his readers. The core aim of this text is to show some key features of Plato's writings. Keywords: Plato, Phaedrus, dialectics, dialogues. Quin tipus de teixit configura un dialeg de Plato? Que mostren els seus brodats? Que representa? Quina relacio mante amb el coneixement i amb la seva transmissio? Aquest text respon en part a algunes d'aquestes questions a partir de dos passatges del dialeg anomenat Fedre en els quals Socrates utilitza el recurs del vel per construir els seus dos discursos. Es defensara que comprendre que posa en joc el vel resulta fonamental per a entendre correctament la manera en que Socrates parla amb el seu interlocutor i en la qual Plato confecciona el dialeg per als potencials lectors. L'objectiu principal d'aquest text es mostrar alguns dels trets essencials del dir platonic. Paraules clau: Plato, Fedre, dialectica, dialegs.
What kind of weaves do we find in the Platonic dialogues? What its embroideries are meant to show? What type of relations does it maintain with knowledge and its transmission? In this paper I will ...tackle these questions by analyzing the two passages of Plato's Phaedrus in which Socrates refers to a veil. I will argue that grasping the function of the veil is needed to correctly understand the meaning of Socrates's conversing with his interlocutor and the way in which Plato composes the dialogue for his readers. The core aim of this text is to show some key features of Plato's writings.
The dialogue Phaedo begins in a rather intriguing atmosphere: the homonym character initiates his narrative by describing that, in Socrates's last moments, he was invaded by a strange affection ...(atopon pathos), that is, a strange mixture of pleasure and pain (Phd. 59a5-a6). Our investigation will attempt from this unusual affection, reflect on the nature of pleasure and pain as men's constituent affections. In addition to this, we will also attempt to shed light on the Socratic defense regarding desire and pleasure when faced with the perspective of death and of dying, which seems to characterize the lover of true knowledge (philosophos). That way, we must understand that the Socratic-platonic argument aims, on one hand, at showing that even in an extreme situation, such as in the unfair condemnation of the good and just man, the philosophical life is worth living. On the other hand, it aims at showing that if the lover of true knowledge cannot fully access knowledge while inhabiting this body, he may, at least, hope to reach the much-desired wisdom after death. It is thus understable the happiness that Socrates reveals in his gestures and words when faced with death.
The dialogue Phaedo begins in a rather intriguing atmosphere: the homonym character initiates his narrative by describing that, in Socrates's last moments, he was invaded by a strange affection ...(atopon pathos), that is, a strange mixture of pleasure and pain (Phd. 59a5-a6). Our investigation will attempt from this unusual affection, reflect on the nature of pleasure and pain as men's constituent affections. In addition to this, we will also attempt to shed light on the Socratic defense regarding desire and pleasure when faced with the perspective of death and of dying, which seems to characterize the lover of true knowledge (philosophos). That way, we must understand that the Socratic-platonic argument aims, on one hand, at showing that even in an extreme situation, such as in the unfair condemnation of the good and just man, the philosophical life is worth living. On the other hand, it aims at showing that if the lover of true knowledge cannot fully access knowledge while inhabiting this body, he may, at least, hope to reach the much-desired wisdom after death. It is thus understable the happiness that Socrates reveals in his gestures and words when faced with death. Keywords: Plato, Phaedo, pleasure, pain, death. O dialogo Fedon inicia-se com uma atmosfera deveras intrigante: o personagem homonimo comeca sua narrativa descrevendo que, nos ultimos momentos de Socrates, se sentiu invadido por uma afeccao estranha (atoponpathos), isto e, uma insolita mistura de prazer e dor (Phd. 59a5-a6). Nossa investigacao tentara, a partir deste afeto insolito, refletir sobre a natureza do prazer e da dor como afeccoes constitutivas do homem, ao mesmo tempo, que tentara elucidar a defesa socratica acerca do desejo e do prazer diante da perspectiva da morte e do morrer que parece caracterizar o verdadeiro amante do saber (philosophos). Deste modo, devemos compreender que a argumentacao socratico-platonica tem como tarefa mostrar, por um lado, que mesmo numa situacao extrema como na condenacao injusta de um homem bom e justo, a vida filosofica merece ser vivida. Por outro lado, mostrar que se o verdadeiro amante do saber nao pode conhecer a verdade na sua totalidade enquanto vive neste corpo, resta-lhe a doce esperanca de alcancar, depois da morte, a sabedoria tao desejada. Deste modo, justifica-se assim a felicidade que Socrates demonstra, diante da morte, nos gestos e nas palavras. Palavras-Chave: Platao, Fedon, prazer, dor, morte.
Epilepsy is one of the common neurological diseases that affects not only adults but also infants and children. Because epilepsy has been studied for a long time, there are several pharmacologically ...effective anticonvulsants, which, however, are not suitable as therapy for all patients. The genesis of epilepsy has been extensively investigated in terms of its occurrence after injury and as a concomitant disease with various brain diseases, such as tumors, ischemic events, etc. However, in the last decades, there are multiple reports that both genetic and epigenetic factors play an important role in epileptogenesis. Therefore, there is a need for further identification of genes and loci that can be associated with higher susceptibility to epileptic seizures. Use of mouse knockout models of epileptogenesis is very informative, but it has its limitations. One of them is due to the fact that complete deletion of a gene is not, in many cases, similar to human epilepsy-associated syndromes. Another approach to generating mouse models of epilepsy is N-Ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-directed mutagenesis. Recently, using this approach, we generated a novel mouse strain, soc (socrates, formerly s8-3), with epileptiform activity. Using molecular biology methods, calcium neuroimaging, and immunocytochemistry, we were able to characterize the strain. Neurons isolated from soc mutant brains retain the ability to differentiate in vitro and form a network. However, soc mutant neurons are characterized by increased spontaneous excitation activity. They also demonstrate a high degree of Casup.2+ activity compared to WT neurons. Additionally, they show increased expression of NMDA receptors, decreased expression of the Casup.2+-conducting GluA2 subunit of AMPA receptors, suppressed expression of phosphoinositol 3-kinase, and BK channels of the cytoplasmic membrane involved in protection against epileptogenesis. During embryonic and postnatal development, the expression of several genes encoding ion channels is downregulated in vivo, as well. Our data indicate that soc mutation causes a disruption of the excitation–inhibition balance in the brain, and it can serve as a mouse model of epilepsy.
In Socrates on Friendship and Community, Mary P. Nichols addresses Kierkegaard's and Nietzsche's criticism of Socrates and recovers the place of friendship and community in Socratic philosophizing. ...This approach stands in contrast to the modern philosophical tradition, in which Plato's Socrates has been viewed as an alienating influence on Western thought and life. Nichols' rich analysis of both dramatic details and philosophic themes in Plato's Symposium, Phaedras, and Lysis shows how love finds its fulfilment in the reciprocal relation of friends. Nichols also shows how friends experience another as their own and themselves as belonging to another. Their experience, she argues, both sheds light on the nature of philosophy and serves as a standard for a political life that does justice to human freedom and community.
Socrates' moral psychology is widely thought to be 'intellectualist' in the sense that, for Socrates, every ethical failure to do what is best is exclusively the result of some cognitive failure to ...apprehend what is best. Until publication of this book, the view that, for Socrates, emotions and desires have no role to play in causing such failure went unchallenged. This book argues against the orthodox view of Socratic intellectualism and offers in its place a comprehensive alternative account that explains why Socrates believed that emotions, desires and appetites can influence human motivation and lead to error. Thomas C. Brickhouse and Nicholas D. Smith defend the study of Socrates' philosophy and offer an alternative interpretation of Socratic moral psychology. Their novel account of Socrates' conception of virtue and how it is acquired shows that Socratic moral psychology is considerably more sophisticated than scholars have supposed.
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