Topic One: Introduction, and Platos Cave - Essay Example

Introduction and Plato’s Cave The topic Plato’s cave elicits a feeling of awe and a heightened curiosity as to the relationbetween Plato and a cave. In this context, the question of interest is what is in the cave, which can be associated with Plato. This is because Plato is a famous scholar and prominent philosopher; it thus intrigues the mind as to what would interest him in a cave. On the other hand, the topic itself is a metaphor. For instance, the word cave means concealment. Therefore, it would go to show that Plato is dealing with concealment of some kind regarding the origin of names.

The session starts with Hermogenes telling Socrates what he thinks about his friend’s notion on the origin of names. The session that commences between Socrates and Hermogenes is characterised by self-evaluation by both men. This evaluation depends on what each person believes is the correct or true method of name giving. I think that, from the beginning of the dialogue between Socrates and Hermogenes, it is clear to the reader of Hermogenes thoughts about Socrates. Socrates is more knowledgeable of the two because Hermogenes goes to him for a more in depth clarification on issues that he had discussed earlier with Catyllus.

The discussion on names brings up various terminologies that are confusing because of the way they apply in relation to the topic. For example, take the case of demons mentioned in the context of their discussion. In our present world, demons are evil beings, but in the session, Socrates depicts them as holy demons on earth who are the protectors of men against ill will (Ademollo, 2011 p143). This goes against common belief that demons are sources of evil. According to Socrates, the word demon was derived from the word daemones, which means being wise or knowing.

They explore the idea of nature being the true giver of names by virtue of the true nature of all things. The nature of things determines their names and a change in dialect do not necessarily mean that the name changes (McKirahan, 2012 p67). The use of language in our daily lives adds meaning to the relationships we have with all associations in our lives. How we use language, determines the success in all of our endeavours. All languages have a way of assigning names to people and all things depending on their nature, function and purpose.

A name like Woolridge elicits the question as to its originality because it is a combination of two names. The name wool represents the body, covering a sheep, and the name ridge represents a geographical feature. Names, in our society, are arbitrarily given, but sometimes they are for a specified purpose. Names transfer from one generation to another through inheritance. Socrates’ philosophy also asserts that all names represent natural objects. As his example of different blacksmiths forging a piercing instrument from various metals, still maintaining its true name is an example of how names are given according to their nature.

The session has provided me with a useful insight into the philosophy that was adapted by people in Plato’s era. People attached a lot of importance to the meaning of names, which influenced their success in life. In today’s world, names also have a bearing, not the success of an individual especially in business. Language consists of words, which when used in certain arrangements convey a definite message. The same words arrange differently in a sentence to give different meanings. Words could have originated from the need to assign a certain sound to a given entity to distinguish it from other things.

The Greek philosophers’ interest in the truth about names comes from their keen attachment of importance to the meaning of names. They attached a lot of meaning to names that it created a bias towards those people with undesirable meanings to their names (Soltes, 2007 p265). This is because the meaning that a name possessed went a long way in influencing their daily lives. BibliographyAdemollo, F. The Cratylus of Plato: A Commentary. Illustrated Edition. London: Cambridge University Press, 2011.

McKirahan, R. Plato and Socrates. Reprint Edition. London: Routleg, 2012.Soltes, O. Z. The problem of Platos Cratylus: the relation of language to truth in the history of philosophy. Edwin Mellen Press, 2007.