Plato in The Cratylus on Speaking, Language, and Learning - Essay Example

Socrates, after listening to both sides of the argument rejects the study of language altogether declaring it shallow and shoddier than the study of things themselves. If we go into the details of this argument, Plato seems to argue that nothing significant can be known about a particular thing by examining its name Keller(2000, pp. 285-305). The actual worth of a thing lies in itself which seems convincing to some extent. However, at the same time, it seems a bit irrational to assume that the words or names have an intrinsic relation to the things they signify.

The same thing can be viewed differently by different individuals depending on their mindset. It certainly will not be wrong to say that it is all a matter of perception. For instance, the word ugly sounds ugly but it certainly does not signify the essence of the thing it is referring to and it sounds ugly only because it has been inculcated in our minds from the beginning of our lives thereby making Hermogenes’ argument stronger Robinson(1956, pp. 325). Even educational psychology reveals that it is not the verbal utterances but the behavioral patterns that have a deep impact on a person’s mind.

Socrates's argument, on one hand, sounds convincing but on the other hand, the importance of language cannot be denied altogether and I firmly believe that the two of them go hand in hand. It is indeed more important to go into the depth of the thing itself in order to study it extensively, however, language is an essential medium to give one’s thoughts a voice with interesting corollary which basically is the most significant attribute of mankind and giving them equal importance sounds a lot better than the Socrates’ argument of rejecting the language altogether. Hence, it can be said that the name of a thing may not be as important as the thing itself but a thing without any apparent identity of its own makes it hard to describe. In fact, the plot of the argument shows a contrast between what Socrates is defending in the beginning and what he is maintaining at the end of it. Kirk (1951, pp.225).

A thing continues to be what it is regardless of the name it is given. Different names are attributed to the things by the humans themselves, based purely on their instincts, for their own ease otherwise it would have been difficult to identify one thing from the other. Even in our everyday life, we name things without giving much thought to them. It is the name or the word that counts basically, but it is the thing itself that matters ultimately. Read More